Telecommunication technology and the professional development of teachers : challenge and opportunity

The thesis explores an effective model for using the internet in a distance training program for secondary school teachers. The professional development program, the dissertation, titled The Virtual University: Professional development for teachers, was initiated based on aspects of telecommunication technology and the professional development for Thai school teachers. The question of this program was “How could information technology be used in developing an appropriate professional development model for Thai teachers?” Prior to the project, the four research studies were conducted to formulate the related base line information and supported framework for the program development. The four researches are: (1) Telecommunication Technology in Thai Schools, (2) The Role of University on Science Teachers Development, (3) Computer Education Curriculum for Student Teachers: Theory and Practice, and (4) Teachers’ Perceptions of the Academic Link Project Between Schools and Universities for Teacher Professional Development. The first research study provides the information about the necessary basic factors for change in Thai secondary schools and the new insights and understandings about change in Thai schooling. The major findings were the understandings about teachers’ need for professional development, the available support in Thai school for professional development, and the limitations of professional development of teachers. The second research study provides the information about the roles of university faculty on initiation and operation of science teacher development programs, science teaching and learning resources centers, science instructional media design and production services, science teaching clinics, and science teachers’ associations. The third research study provides the conceptual framework for both preservice and inservice curriculum development program for teacher development. The last research study provides a base of descriptive information about the perspectives of school teachers towards the academic link project between schools and universities and the partnership which can assist in its establishment. The findings of these four research tasks were used for the formation of the framework of the dissertation. The EDNET Project, an example of teachers’ professional development through the information technology based training, was developed and implemented with ten school teachers in Khon Kaen

The Space Between Shared Understandings of the Teaching of Grammar in English and French to Year 7 Learners: Student Teachers Working Collaboratively

In this article, we describe a small scale research project in which an English and a French student teacher on our Postgraduate Certificate of Education course work collaboratively to develop their personal knowledge and understanding of grammar and its role in teaching both subjects to 11 year old learners in an English comprehensive school. The project begins with university-based discussions about the role of grammar in language learning as expressed in a number of government documents and professional journals and continues in school with lesson observation by students of experienced teachers and of each other. Ways in which the cross-language focus beneficially influenced their classroom practice are suggested. The article concludes with the discussion of a number of issues about planning for language development and teaching about language across the curriculum which arise from the project and makes some modest proposals for a way forward within government policy which remains separatist

What works in education in Pakistan, and why? The case of PDCN’s whole school improvement program in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan

This inquiry is part of a country-wide study conducted to explore What Works in Education in Pakistan, and Why? The Whole School Improvement Programme (WSIP) of Aga Khan University-Professional Development Center, North (AKU-PDCN) offered in Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the seven cases chosen based on its best practices in teacher professional development and school improvement in the mountainous and rural Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Three schools representing the public, private and AKESP systems were selected for this study. The findings emanating from the three cases have been structured and discussed under the themes of „Teachers Professional Development,‟ „School-Community Relations,‟ „Monitoring and Evaluation,‟ and „Gender.‟ The cross-case analysis, however, reflects three overarching themes of „Role of Leadership in School Improvement,‟ „Role of Continuing Professional Development of Teachers,‟ and Community Participation.‟ There is tangible evidence to support the claim that WSIP is an effective and viable model of school improvement in the context of Gilgit-Baltistan, and elsewhere

The exploration of preschool teachers' understanding and classroom experience of socio-emotional development in early childhood and the role it plays in school readiness

Magister Psychologiae - MPsychThe socio-emotional development of children has an extremely important impact on the overall development of children. Globally, extensive research has been dedicated to the socio-emotional development of children with regard to play, socio-emotional programmes, school readiness and school success. However, there is limited current research within the South African context relating to socio-emotional development in early childhood and its importance for school readiness, specifically from the views of educators. This study explored preschool teachers’ understanding and classroom experience of socio-emotional development in early childhood and the role it plays in school readiness. This study utilises the Albert Bandura’s social learning theory which posits that adults function as “environmental experts who model appropriate behaviours and structures the environment” in ways that encourage appropriate behaviours in children. A qualitative methodological framework with an exploratory research design was used. A total of 12 preschool teachers from both community-based preschools and primary schools with a Grade R programme were recruited. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically in accordance with Braun and Clarke (2006). Participants’ rights such as informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality were guaranteed throughout the research process. Ethics guidelines stipulated by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape were strictly adhered to. The main findings were that preschool teachers understand socio-emotional development as consisting of inter- and intrapersonal skills. Teachers viewed themselves as role models who encourage and model appropriate and prosocial behaviour in the classroom. Lastly, preschool teachers view age appropriate development in all areas as absolutely essential for school readiness

Providing space for teacher renewal: the role of the facilitator in school-university partnerships

This article uses the process of a teacher renewal partnership programme to explore the role of the university academic as a facilitator of change. Responses to a series of interview questions relating to change were used to explore and examine the dimensions of the facilitator\u27s role. Facilitators report that the role is complex, often uncertain and requires an understanding of the school and its culture and schools\u27 and teachers\u27 previous experiences in professional development programmes. The findings from this article suggest that an effective facilitator creates, for the teachers involved, a space for discussion, reflection and challenge and that this space provides for and legitimates teacher renewal. <br /

Professional Learning Community in Secondary Schools Community in Malaysia

This paper outlines a research towards an initial assessment of the stage of the PLC in secondary schools in Malaysians secondary school with teachers as the main focus. A brief philosophy of the importance of learning organization and its development in various countries was reviewed and incorporated by the current situations, leading to the objectives and methodology for this study. The result showed the teachers can be active in their learning and improving their schools as to enhance the learning performance of the students in the first four characteristic dimensions refer to the practice of shared values, goals, mission and vision among teachers which play an important role in shaping the PLC in secondary school

Model and Package of Training of Teachers Quality Improvement in the Perspective of Strategic Management at Matahari Terbit Elementary School Surabaya

Teacher has a very significant role for the success of students. In playing their functions and roles, the interrelated strongest indicators is the teachers\u27 quality showing their responsibility to perform all tasks and their knowledge which can be used as the art and the way they work. It can be said that the qualified teachers are those who master knowledge or having management strategy and its development. The need of a new paradigm for education is based on the change related to the educational condition and need in the society. One of the most strategic change is to improve the strategic management through training of teacher quality improvement in the perspective of strategic management. By having school autonomy owned by Matahari Terbit Surya Elementary School, Surabaya, the school has an opportunity to explore the effort of increasing the school\u27s efficacy including the development of its human resource. It is expected that by the presence of competent teachers, they will be able to be the change agent for the improvement activities in their school as the realization of accountability effort in the environment

Teacher Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Character Building Initiatives at an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound High School

This dissertation uses as its conceptual foundation the research on teacher beliefs to examine how teachers at an Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, New York perceive the character building initiatives at their school. Using thematic case study methodology, the study found that teachers believed that character education is important and should be taught. Not only should character education be taught in schools, but the teachers believed that schools should be intentional about the teaching and development of student character. Teachers also believed that teachers are capable and should be allowed to spearhead the school initiatives intended to develop character. According to the teachers, character building initiatives impact academic achievement in the long run. The study also found that teachers need adequate preparation for the initiatives to be effective and that school leadership must take on a greater role in the implementation and execution of these initiatives. The findings suggest that Expeditionary Learning School leadership should assess the character development initiatives at the school, based on the experience and perceptions of the practitioners that implement the initiatives. Concurrently, veteran teachers should be used to turnkey the best practices to new teachers. Teachers believe that there are obstacles to character development initiatives in the school but offer suggestions for improvement to ensure that none ultimately hinder the effectiveness of the initiatives. They point to administration and faculty collaboration in strengthening school initiatives meant to build student character

Hey, this school library isn't what it used to be: The change process and the sociopolitical realities of implementing a curricularly integrated information literacy program

This study sought to add to the knowledge and understanding of the organizational change process for successfully implementing an integrated information literacy program in one American high school. Participant experiences were accessed to identify and describe elements of their successful change process, barriers and supports that affected its success, and discover the relationships among key concepts. It also explored participants' beliefs about the affect of the program on student achievement and examined how these beliefs affected implementation. A qualitative naturalistic inquiry was conducted and reported in a case study format. A Delphi study identified potential high schools meeting study criteria and purposive sampling identified study participants. Primary sources were in-depth, open-ended interviews focused on participants' recollections and understandings of the change process, with additional data drawn from relevant school/state documents, a personal research journal, and relevant literature. Data were analyzed using grounded theory practices. Findings indicated that successful implementation was dependent upon six key concepts: (1) distributed leadership (core concept); (2) effective leadership (3) open and frequent communication (4) better relationships; (5) shared aspects of teaching and learning (6) elements of the information literacy program. Conclusions were: (1) simultaneous occurrence of need, opportunity and leadership for change was essential for successful implementation; (2) distributed leadership practiced by administrators empowered the teacher-librarian and teachers to assume leadership roles; (3) teacher-librarian leadership requires access to ongoing, high quality professional development; (4) continuous high quality, staff development and teacher-librarian staff development role are essential for successful implementation; (5) full-time teacher-librarian and full-time secretary may be inadequate staffing for an integrated program; (6) teacher-librarian's open and frequent communication is key to successful implementation; (7) teachers are at different places on the institutionalization continuum; (8) most serious barriers to implementation are time constraints, heavy workload, and fear of changing one's teaching; (9) a successful program requires a combination of key supporting factors; (10) school library and teacher-librarian role changes are indicators of successful implementation; (11) improved staff relationships result from and propel successful implementation; (12) an integrated information literacy program with a central role for the teacher-librarian contributes to improved teaching and learning

The changing trends in the development of teacher education in Kenya: The role of the Teacher’s Service Commission.

The aim of this article is to locate the changing trends in the development of teacher education in Kenya by looking at the role the Teachers Service Commission has played. Kenya just like other countries of the world needs to transmit their cultures from one generation to the next. Formal schooling was introduced in Kenya in the second half of nineteen century by Christian missionaries. They established schools in which they were ‘teachers’. The ‘mission’ and ‘bush’ schools expanded rapidly and this led to the establishment of teacher education. During the entire colonial period, the missionaries and the colonial government employed primary school teachers. The African teacher service and the government employed European secondary school teachers. In 1957, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) was established. The KNUT came up with decentralized system of handling teachers’ affairs. They pushed for the employment of teachers by a central body; this led to the establishment of the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) under an act of parliament (CAP 212) of the laws of Kenya in 1967. This paper traces the historical development of teacher education in Kenya. This includes primary teacher education, Diploma teacher education, Technical teacher education and Secondary school teacher education. The Teachers Service Commission over time has been coming up with academic requirements for the training of teachers. The institutions involved in the training of teachers especially universities for secondary school teachers have been having different entry requirements. The TSC being the only teacher employer in Kenya has rejected most of the teachers trained by universities who don’t meet its conditions. TSC has transformed over the years from merely serving as a staffing unit in the ministry of education to currently handling all that is stipulated in the mandate. Teacher education being a whole range of activities that constitute preparation for and improvement of the teaching profession, it is important that it be regulated, so that we are able to achieve vision 2030. Education is recognized as social pillar in Kenya’s vision 2030. Through the social, economic and political pillar, Kenya will become a middle income country with high quality life to its people. This paper traces the historical background of teacher education in Kenya, with a view to understanding the role of the Teachers’ Service Commission in its development and change over time. Keywords Education, development, teachers’ service commissio