How are English language teachers supported to develop professional knowledge and practice, within their schools? Qualitative Study

This was a small-scale, qualitative study into the experiences of ‘support in school for improving knowledge and practice of ELT’ amongst teachers participating in a large- scale, quantitative, quasi-experimental (QE) study (EIA, 2017). The purpose of the study was to identify the nature of ‘support in school’ for the introduction of improved classroom practices, as experienced by teachers. The study sought to explore aspects deliberately incorporated in the EIA School- Based Teacher Development (SBTD) programme (the treatment in the QE study) but which could also occur through other mechanisms (in control schools) such as: * Teachers purposefully introducing communicative language teaching activities that were previously unfamiliar to themselves or their students. * Teachers individually or collaboratively studying, planning, practicing or reflecting upon activities to improve their own English language proficiency, or that of their students * The attitudes and actions of those in positions of authority in schools, such as head teachers and education officers. The study addressed the following research questions: 1. In the setting of the school1, how are English Language Teachers supported to develop their subject or pedagogic knowledge and their classroom practice? 2. How do contextual factors affect English Language Teachers experiences of support in the setting of their schools? 3. Are there identifiable relationships between English Language Teachers’ qualitative experiences of support in the setting of their schools, and the findings of quantitative studies of classroom practices or student learning outcomes

Revisiting On-Line Discussion as Practice for Reflective Thinking in Three Sequential Classes

In a previous study, the authors questioned the potential of an on-line environment for increasing productive reflection in three sequential education classes. Of their findings, the issue of consistency stood out as particularly perplexing, namely, why did students exhibit high level reflections sometimes, but not all the time, in an on-line environment? In this follow-up study, the authors question whether in-class reflections coupled with on-line prompts could yield consistently high level pre-service teacher reflections, as measured by individual and class progress over time. This study also examines perceived relationships between the length of a student\u27s reflection and its productivity, as well as a student\u27s depth of focus and productivity. Using the same scoring approach as our previous study, our discussion of the results examines the usefulness of on-line environments for promoting consistently high level pre-service teacher reflection

Engaging with farmers as entrepreneurs and partners: experiences with a self-assessment tool for farmer'organisations (FORCE)

Governments, donors and companies increasingly perceive small farmers and their organisations as development actors and business partners. A practical self-assessment tool, 'Farmers Organizations Reviewing Capacities and Entrepreneurship' (FORCE), takes up the challenge to translate the recognition of farmers' agency into operational practices. we demonstrate that FORCE is an effective tool to quickly map how farmers perceive their organisation and business relations. Self-assessment results of farmer groups in coastal Kenya illustrate how the tool is applied and how farmers' views are plotted in easily understandable scores and graphs

Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning

The realities of the 21st-century learner require that schools and educators fundamentally change their practice. "Educators must produce college- and career-ready graduates that reflect the future these students will face. And, they must facilitate learning through means that align with the defining attributes of this generation of learners."Today, we know more than ever about how students learn, acknowledging that the process isn't the same for every student and doesn't remain the same for each individual, depending upon maturation and the content being learned. We know that students want to progress at a pace that allows them to master new concepts and skills, to access a variety of resources, to receive timely feedback on their progress, to demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways and to get direction, support and feedback from—as well as collaborate with—experts, teachers, tutors and other students.The result is a growing demand for student-centered, transformative digital learning using competency education as an underpinning.iNACOL released this paper to illustrate the technical requirements and functionalities that learning management systems need to shift toward student-centered instructional models. This comprehensive framework will help districts and schools determine what systems to use and integrate as they being their journey toward student-centered learning, as well as how systems integration aligns with their organizational vision, educational goals and strategic plans.Educators can use this report to optimize student learning and promote innovation in their own student-centered learning environments. The report will help school leaders understand the complex technologies needed to optimize personalized learning and how to use data and analytics to improve practices, and can assist technology leaders in re-engineering systems to support the key nuances of student-centered learning

Using Technology to Develop Preservice Teachers\u27 Reflective Thinking

Developing high-level reflection skills proves troublesome for some preservice teachers. To examine the potential of an online environment for increasing productive reflection, students in three sequential undergraduate education classes responded to regular online prompts. We coded student comments for productive and unproductive reflection, knowledge integration, and analysis of the four aspects of teaching (learners and learning, subject matter knowledge, assessment and instruction ) as described by Davis, Bain, & Harrington (2001). We adapted a scoring approach recommended by Davis & Linn, (2000); Davis (2003) to analyze what aspects of teaching preservice teachers included, emphasized, and integrated when they reflected on their own beliefs about teaching. Discussion examines the utility of online environments for producing productive preservice teacher reflection

An SEA Guide for Identifying Evidence-Based Interventions for School Improvement

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The law focuses on using research evidence to improve teaching and learning and at the same time passes considerable authority from federal to state policymakers. This means that responsibility largely falls on states and localities to effectively make sense of and use research evidence in their decisions around school improvement, teacher preparation, principal recruitment, and family engagement. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Overdeck Family Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation, the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) has developed Guides for Identifying Evidence-Based Interventions for School Improvement

Schools Can't Wait: Accelerating the Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs

Reviews recent efforts by 22 universities to provide higher quality training programs for school leaders. Includes examples of effective redesign practices and outlines an action plan for implementing successful educational leadership initiatives

Building a Campaign for Reading Reform in Miami

Presents a case study of community organizing for school reform by Miami's People Acting for Community Together: how its campaign for a new literacy program shaped leadership development, district-level policy, school-level capacity, and student outcomes