Reproducing the Status Quo in the Middle School English Classroom: A Critical Examination of Literacy Learning Via Personalized Learning Technology

Personalized learning technology (PL Tech) is a growing educational reform movement supported by federal grant dollars. As a bourgeoning educational movement, no research has been conducted to explore the potential effects of such structures in supporting student literacy learning. Additionally, current education reform research often lacks the perspective of the students experiencing the reform. Therefore, this study sought to examine the lived experiences of middle school students using PL Tech to understand what structural and cultural arrangements influenced students’ literacy learning. Portraiture, a qualitative methodology, was employed to conduct the study at a charter school in Fresno, California implementing PL Tech for all students grades 5-8. Over 4 months, various documents and artifacts were analyzed, observations logged, individual unstructured and semi-structured interviews with 4 middle school students and school personnel conducted, and 2 student focus group interviews conducted. All data were coded and analyzed using the Zoom Model through the lens of Race Critical Code studies and Culturally Historic Responsive Literacy Framework. Findings from this study suggest that PL Tech impacts the relationship students create with learning and literacy. Challenges were found in relying upon a platform to deliver learning experiences rather than relying upon highly trained educators. Students reported becoming efficient readers but experiencing stress associated with literacy and learning due to constant assessments and pacing. Learning was viewed as a set of disparate skills and situated within coded inequities. Marketed for student learning, PL Tech was found to be personalized for the site rather than the students. The implications from the study suggest that state-level education policy for bilingual education, teacher evaluation processes, and the desire for equitable learning contexts for all students is at odds with the PL Tech platform implemented in this study. More research is needed on PL technology to better understand the learning science informing the development of the PL tech systems and on how PL technology impacts literacy learning beyond high school

Elementary Educators\u27 Perceptions of Online Educational Resources in a Personalized Learning Classroom: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of elementary educators who had developed a personalized learning classroom through the use of virtual learning environments (VLE), an open educational resource (OER), as an instructional academic support for students. Guiding this study was Siemens’ 2005 connectivism learning theory, as it explains how students in the current era, the Knowledge Age, acquire knowledge and deepen understandings through digital learning. The central research question used to drive the study was: How do elementary educators explain their perceptions of the use of OER and VLE in personalized instruction for students? The data collection methods used in this study consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis of primary sources classified as instructional documents. The data analysis for this study included a conceptual framework used for coding, open coding, memoing, and final coding with winnowing. The data collected revealed that elementary educators perceived VLE as a supplemental support to their direct teaching and tutoring tool for digital learners in personalized learning classrooms. Educators felt that VLE was not able to meet the academic needs of students as a direct instruction tool. Findings revealed that educators perceived VLE to be inadequate and not appropriate when used with the special needs population of digital learning students

Teachers\u27 perceptions of professional development and pedagogical practice: a study of a Kentucky suburban school district.

Professional development supports teacher growth and enhances pedagogical practice. Teachers in Kentucky must complete annual professional development hours and districts must develop a professional development plan tied to research that supports high-quality professional development. This qualitative case study takes place in a rural district, Bullitt County, where I investigated the teachers’ perception of a customized professional development, Thinking Focus Cohort (TFC), and its impact on their pedagogical practice. While a body of research exists on high quality professional development, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of it, in particular a year-long cohort model with curriculum centered around four pillars: learning of community, thinking strategies, gradual release of responsibility, and academic discourse. This study drew upon data collected from document analysis, semi-structured interviews and group level assessment (GLA). Document analysis provided an understanding of materials used throughout TFC and feedback gathered from outside observers and participants. The semi-structured interviews provided insight into participants’ perspectives on their experience of TCF. GLA questions functioned to fill the gap of information which addressed teachers’ perceptions of the Thinking Focus Cohort and its influence on teachers’ pedagogical practice, specifically focusing on the participants’ experience as a community of learners as well as their intentional pedagogical practices. Findings show the customized professional development, TFC, impacted teachers’ pedagogical practice from their perspective after reviewing the participants’ responses aligned with the selective codes. First, participants were able to identify intentional pedagogical practices they implemented, which also created higher teacher and student efficacy. Next, participants revealed the importance of instructional coaches serving as mentors to foster the perceived pedagogical changes. Finally, participants discussed how the teacher rounds provided exemplar modeling of the intended instructional strategies and created an avenue for collaboration throughout the district. In summary, the transformational changes to teachers’ pedagogical practice was supported through a year-long cohort of modeling instructional strategies tied to the curriculum while meeting monthly was enhanced through instructional coaches and teacher rounds. The demands of teaching have evolved -in part due to high stakes accountability systems. This is coupled with the hemorrhage of teachers leaving the profession for more personal and professional reasons. Professional development is a means for teachers to experience critical support through collaboration, thus resulting in pedagogical changes. The effective professional development and the desired results point directly to implications for policy and practice to mitigate compliance driven by regulations and law, suggesting instead the creation of structures to evaluate the effectiveness of professional development. This also points directly to examining the style of delivery and methods of support within the evaluation system of professional development. Teachers become models of continued learning focusing on improving their pedagogical practice. This study reveals the importance of high-quality professional development as a means to positively impact a teacher’s pedagogical practice

Perspectives of Elementary Teachers Implementing Blended Learning While Participating in Virtual Coaching

As the use of blended learning in classrooms has increased across the United States, it is important to provide differentiated professional development and support to educators. As a technology-enabled form of professional development, virtual coaching connects teachers with experts in the field. However, the usefulness of individualized virtual coaching as a differentiated professional development support for elementary teachers implementing blended learning is not well understood. Using Kolb’s experiential learning theory and Magana’s T3 framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers’ perspectives on the usefulness of individualized virtual coaching in supporting blended learning implementation and to determine how the level at which the teachers used technology influenced their perspectives. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 K-5 teachers who participated in at least 1 year of virtual coaching for blended learning. Interview data were analyzed using a priori and emergent coding. Results indicated teachers at higher modes of cognitive processing and higher levels of technology innovation found virtual coaching useful for (a) the implementation of technology tools and strategies, (b) for shifting instructional practices for student impacts, and (c) for reflective practices for professional growth. This study contributes knowledge to the field of blended learning professional development and furthers understanding of virtual coaching as an innovative approach to professional learning. The findings may contribute to positive social change in that school districts can make informed professional development decisions that provide a convenient and flexible means for K-5 teachers to access expert support for blended learning implementation

Retrieval-, Distributed-, and Interleaved Practice in the Classroom:A Systematic Review

Three of the most effective learning strategies identified are retrieval practice, distributed practice, and interleaved practice, also referred to as desirable difficulties. However, it is yet unknown to what extent these three practices foster learning in primary and secondary education classrooms (as opposed to the laboratory and/or tertiary education classrooms, where most research is conducted) and whether these strategies affect different students differently. To address these gaps, we conducted a systematic review. Initial and detailed screening of 869 documents found in a threefold search resulted in a pool of 29 journal articles published from 2006 through June 2020. Seventy-five effect sizes nested in 47 experiments nested in 29 documents were included in the review. Retrieval- and interleaved practice appeared to benefit students’ learning outcomes quite consistently; distributed practice less so. Furthermore, only cognitive Student*Task characteristics (i.e., features of the student’s cognition regarding the task, such as initial success) appeared to be significant moderators. We conclude that future research further conceptualising and operationalising initial effort is required, as is a differentiated approach to implementing desirable difficulties

A Generic Qualitative Study of Primary Grade Reading Teachers\u27 Challenges and Personal Teaching Solutions

Not all children enter school with the same skill set. Teachers of young children know this. Despite this, schools prescribe curriculum and pacing guides as well as assessments that may fit only a subset of students’ instructional levels. Teachers are left to determine the best way to meet the student and mandated requirements. Teachers from two elementary schools from a neighborhood area were interviewed about their perspectives and how they manage instructional expectations to help students learn grade level expectations. The following research questions were addressed.1. How and why do teachers report adapting literacy instruction for students who are deficient in foundational reading skills? 2. How and why do teachers report adapting literacy instructional pacing of the prescribed district grade level literacy curriculum? 3. How do teachers evaluate the student data outcomes for evidence of the effectiveness of the adapted literacy instruction? Findings provided an understanding of the reflective processes and decision-making actions used to address foundational reading skill deficits in primary classrooms and emphasized a teacher’s voice in literacy curriculum adaptations while using the prescribed curriculum. Recommendations for future research are to consider replicating this study with a larger and more diverse sample. Additional recommendations are to investigate the impact of phonics instruction combined with writing instruction in third grade, whether a district provided adjusted pacing calendar for foundational reading skills would result in a reduction in lost writing instruction, and an increase in productivity during grade level PLC sessions

More than Model Documentation: Uncovering Teachers' Bespoke Information Needs for Informed Classroom Integration of ChatGPT

ChatGPT has entered classrooms, but not via the typical route of other educational technology, which includes comprehensive training, documentation, and vetting. Consequently, teachers are urgently tasked to assess its capabilities to determine potential effects on student learning and instruct their use of ChatGPT. However, it is unclear what support teachers have and need and whether existing documentation, such as model cards, provides adequate direction for educators in this new paradigm. By interviewing 22 middle- and high-school teachers, we connect the discourse on AI transparency and documentation with educational technology integration, highlighting the critical information needs of teachers. Our findings reveal that teachers confront significant information gaps, lacking clarity on exploring ChatGPT's capabilities for bespoke learning tasks and ensuring its fit with the needs of diverse learners. As a solution, we propose a framework for interactive model documentation that empowers teachers to navigate the interplay between pedagogical and technical knowledge

Construction of Classroom Community in a Full-Inclusion District: Comparative Case Studies with Elementary School Teachers

This research documented how elementary school teachers build, structure, and maintain classroom community in a full-inclusion district. Specifically, this study applied Invitational Theory to investigate the relationship between a full-inclusion school model and the construction of classroom community. The study focused on the teachers’ behaviors to structure and maintain an environment of inclusion, care, and belonging. This qualitative comparative case study documented teachers’ behaviors over a series of 10 weeks at the start of the school year. Documentation evidence of classroom community- building were collected in two formats: classroom observations and teacher interviews. By the end of the observational period, 11 classroom codes, and 11 context-dependent sub-codes summarized teachers’ actions. The codes were deduced into five groups based on context and behavior. These contexts and behaviors allowed for the synthesizing of trends and patterns to generate central themes, which are also the significant findings of the study. The significant findings of the study indicated that the teacher’s intention impacts the classroom environment, teacher encouragement affects student participation, and each teacher’s design of the classroom environment facilitated conditions of learning. The study shared how teachers in a full-inclusion district built and maintained their classroom community. From the findings, the teachers noted the importance to purposefully personalize the learning experience for their students. The research also noted implications for school leaders to promote and enhance community-building experiences for students. Future research to align the relationship between a classroom community and student engagement can further highlight the importance in classroom community construction

Need-Based Professional Development for Secondary Math Teachers with English Language Learners

As the number of English Language Learners in the U.S. continues to grow, all teachers, even high school math teachers, need to be prepared to scaffold both content and language for these students. However, current research shows that many teachers have not received professional development on these topics, even though theories such as the SIOP model and disciplinary literacy are available and shown to improve student achievement. This study will combine these theories with the principles of effective professional development and adult learning theory to investigate the needs of math teachers at a given school as well as the way teachers envision these needs being met through professional development. Findings showed that these teachers were unfamiliar with many of the ELL strategies presented and had widespread professional development needs. Teachers were also highly motivated and excited to learn through a plan that was tailored to their needs and offered choice in both topic and format. This study offers a snapshot of the potential of needs-based professional development for math teachers with English Language Learners

Espoused and Enacted Beliefs of High School English Language Arts Teachers in Writing Instruction

The purpose of the current study is to explore the espoused beliefs and enacted practices of secondary English Language Arts teachers with regards to writing instruction and how these beliefs correlate with teacher self-efficacy beliefs. The study worked to build upon the literature mainly in the fields of mathematics and science in order to explore what the perceived and enacted beliefs are and how they affect the self-efficacy belief of teachers within the field of writing instruction in the high school classroom. The study used a collective case study design in order to better understand what espoused and enacted pedagogical beliefs different teachers have and their levels of self-efficacy as teachers of writing. Findings indicate that teachers rely heavily on mentor teachers, colleagues, and their own classroom experiences as sources of teaching knowledge. Teacher espoused beliefs, when examined holistically, show alignment with their enacted practices. With regards to instructional scaffolding and student comprehension, English teachers in the same school tend to hold strongly similar beliefs