Effective Elements of Science Teacher Professional Development

Educational reform efforts to improve students\u27 learning outcomes are often present in teacher professional development opportunities; however, the structure and design of these opportunities vary and often focus on a homogenous student population; that is, White students in suburban schools. Reform efforts in teacher professional development that aim to educate teachers not only about science content and pedagogy, but also about practices that aim to reach a diverse student population is needed. This study examines three, science teacher summer professional development (PD) programs [SUN, SEPA, and CLA], and explores how programs affect teacher learning outcome(s) and any subsequent translation into classroom practice(s). The design and delivery, alignment to Ladson-Billings (1994) tenets of culturally responsive practices, and measurement(s) of teachers\u27 learning outcome(s) are evaluated. Fliers were sent to science teachers who participated in SUN, SEPA, and CLA in an effort to recruit volunteers for this study. Program document analysis and teacher post-survey data from each program, focus groups, evidence of program integration, and a culturally responsive practice survey were collected and analyzed. Results show SEPA to include content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), culturally responsive practices (CRP), and some elements of the conceptual change model (CCM) (Larkin, 2012) in program design, structure, and delivery along with translation into classroom practice. SUN and CLA both show incorporation of CK and PCK, with SUN also showing some evidence of CRP. The findings indicate that when teachers are modeled a practice they are able to translate that practice in their classroom. The potential impact of modeling CRP during science teacher PD may address the achievement gap still present among students of color. Program designers must consider the inclusion of CRP alongside CK and PCK during the development of science teacher PD

The Practice of Dorothy Heathcote as a Pedagogy of Resistance

Educational Drama pioneer, Dorothy Heathcote, worked in new and innovative ways which were, even in the progressive times in which she was working, considered against the grain. This chapter examines her practice as a pedagogy of resistance and goes onto explore how, with the use of technology, Drama Education students carry on this resistant practice in new and challenging contexts. Heathcote's 'Rolling Role' model is explored by the students as a way of discovering their own resistant practice and re-discovering the freedom to learn for themselves and their pupils

An experimental study of self-regulated learning in biology with special reference to instructional control, locus of control, and academic performance

Bibliography: pages 189-198.Applying theoretical conceptualisations of current theories of self-regulated learning, a biology instructional programme facilitating learner perceptions of control by offering choices in task engagement was undertaken with two intact samples of Caucasian standard ten higher grade biology pupils in Cape Town, with the student groups matched for IQ and ability. A counter-balanced, quasi-experimental research design was implemented for two five-day cycles. Learner locus of control and self-regulatory behaviour were established using, respectively, the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (Crandall, et al, 1965), and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). The primary aim was to test the prediction that, in contrast to teacher-regulated instruction, academic performance after learner self-regulation would be appreciably greater. Differences between the experimental and control group mean achievement scores at the end of the programme were highly significant

The relationship between out-of-class activities and cognitive epistemological development in college freshmen as mitigated by student demographic variables

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Supporting Early Career Teacher Learning: An Investigation into Induction Supports and Early Career Teacher Professional Learning in New Hampshire

The past 20 years has seen a rise in the number of induction programs for beginning teachers, including those with mentoring. However, the way in which teacher education has been problematized is still calling into question the need for beginning teacher support. This dissertation study is situated in the belief that beginning teacher induction has positive impacts on such aspects of teachers’ lives including early career professional learning. Situated in New Hampshire, this study utilized a qualitative multiple case study design that relied on participant interviews, researcher observations, and artifact analysis of three school districts’ mentoring programs. Findings from this study suggest that mentors and mentees believe that beginning teachers grow in both situative and cognitive domains. Three primary structures were identified that encourage novice teacher learning: mentoring, networks of colleagues, and principals. It was also identified that contextual factors such as strict adherence to the notion of teacher evaluation are impacting teacher learning and support. Recommendations are outlined for both practitioners and policy makers

Leading the Leaders: Embedded Educational Leadership Initiatives at the University of Windsor

This project explored the impact and scope of embedded educational leadership initiatives (EELIs) at the University of Windsor. EELIs are programs through which individual members of the campus community autonomously and often collaboratively develop and pursue educational improvement projects within their own contexts. Such initiatives are quite common at Canadian universities, and can include, for example, small grants schemes, teaching chairs, and peer observation of teaching networks. They serve many needs at universities, and are widely believed to be an effective approach to improving teaching and learning, driving innovation, building leadership capacity, and communicating the value institutions place on quality teaching. There has been comparatively little empirical research on the outcomes of these programs, and infrastructure for their evaluation for improvement of productivity or strategic alignment tends to be limited. Moreover, despite their strong potential, without a coordinated approach, it is hard to capitalize on the expertise created over time, to bring groups together to address joint concerns through collaborative initiatives, or to establish mechanisms to identify and further support projects whose expansion or duplication would be of benefit to other units on campus.https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ctlreports/1002/thumbnail.jp

Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au – I am the land, the land is me: An autoethnographic investigation of a secondary school teacher’s experience seeking to enrich learning in outdoor education for Māori students.

This thesis is my story as an outdoor educator, as a researcher, and a co-participant reflecting on my own actions and experiences as well as those of my students. In this autoethnography I share my revelations and tensions in my role as an outdoor education teacher seeking to enrich the experiences of Māori students. Māori culture and history have largely been ignored in the outdoor education classrooms and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand. After teaching the subject for ten years I didn’t perceive that I was perpetuating the same invisibility in my own outdoor education course. Over this time a number of questions that had fermented at the back of my mind came to the fore; ‘why are so few Māori students opting to take outdoor education as a senior secondary school subject?’ and ‘how can I make the subject of outdoor education more desirable and appealing to Māori?’ A place-responsive approach incorporates and values traditional ways of learning through the notion of place and the stories attached to them. The cultural context of learning about and through place has the potential to provide learning opportunities that are relevant and meaningful to all learners but particularly Māori. Place-responsive pedagogies allow outdoor educators to create an environment where language, knowledge, culture and values are normal, valid and legitimate – contexts where Māori students can be themselves. Through this research I have found that the implementation of a place responsive approach has had significant implications for Year twelve outdoor education at Mount Maunganui College. The improvement in Māori student achievement and numbers selecting the subject have been affirming. Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au – I am the land, the land is m

Culture, Courage and Change: The experiences of a Te Kotahitanga facilitation team

This thesis explores the experiences of the Te Kotahitanga facilitation team in one of the 12 Phase 3 Te Kotahitanga schools between 2003 and 2006. The collaborative story through which those experiences are shared includes the voices of the Lead facilitator, the two co-principals, and an RTLB/facilitator. This thesis begins by seeking to understand the historical impact of culturally located discourses of colonisation on the lives of the indigenous Māori people in New Zealand. From within a platform of Māori theorising it also considers Kaupapa Māori research methodologies and explores Māori people’s aspirations for self determination (tino rangatiratanga). It then considers the principles and practices of engaging as a bicultural partnership to improve educational outcomes for Māori students. Through a discussion of the facilitation team's experiences of learning about a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations through the development and support of culturally responsive contexts for learning, three important themes emerge: culture, courage and change. The impact of deficit theorising and pathologising practices on the culture of Maori students and their teachers is examined. The courage required of the Te Kotahitanga principals and facilitators to challenge and disrupt the assumptions that underpinned the historical status quo in this school and the importance of remaining steadfast in response to the dissonance and resistance that these change processes created is then discussed. Finally, this thesis highlights both the interdependent nature of the change required and the power of the collective in creating change; change within ourselves, within our classrooms and within our schools and communities for the benefit of Māori students, and of all students

The Role of District Leaders in Improving Achievement and Equity: How District Leaders Maintain a Focus on Equity

Thesis advisor: Vincent ChoDistrict leaders are under tremendous pressure to narrow disparities in achievement in an effort to close the achievement gap without tremendous guidance from policy makers, researchers or literature. Rorrer, Skrla, and Scheurich (2008) proposed a theory that district leaders enact four essential roles when engaging in systemic reform that improves achievement and equity: (1) providing instructional leadership which consists of building capacity and generating will, (2) reorienting the organization, (3) establishing policy coherence, and (4) maintaining an equity focus. This research examined the essential role of maintaining a focus on equity as a complex multiple construct. This qualitative case study explored how leaders in a Massachusetts public school district that made gains in improving achievement, attempted to maintain a focus on equity when enacting the role of instructional leadership. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews and a review of documents, this study concluded that leaders enacted the role to varying degrees in some ways that were consistent with Rorrer, et al. (2008). Data revealed that leaders attempted to address inequities through responsive leadership practices that connected with their notion of equity as it related to language, special needs, emotional wellness and poverty. Recommendations include how leaders can enact the role in a more informed, intentional, and deliberate manner through the development of Culturally Responsive Instructional Leadership.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Research and Technology Report: 1997

This volume highlights the most significant results from research and development projects sponsored through NASA's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Minority University Research and Education Division, in collaboration with Headquarters Program Offices, during Academic Year 1996-97 and Summer 1996. It includes the work of major multidisciplinary research groups, such as those sponsored under NASA's University Research Centers at Minority Institutions and Institutional Research Awards programs, as well as that of individual principal investigators sponsored under the Faculty Awards for Research or other MUREP programs. It encompasses contributions from 863 students and 388 faculty-level researchers at institutions eligible to compete for MUREP funding, including: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), and accredited minority colleges or universities with a 50 percent or greater underrepresented minority student enrollment. It stands as a testimony to NASA's response to Executive Orders 12876, 12900, and 13021, which mandate increased Federal support to these classes of institutions. We firmly believe that maintaining America's leadership in aerospace and related areas depends on fully utilizing the talents available at the Nation's minority universities