An examination of teacher collaboration in professional learning communities and collaborative teaching practices

The present study aims to examine the influence of teacher collaboration within professional learning communities (PLCs) and collaborative teaching practices on both the professional growth and academic achievement of students. The study employed a mixed-methods research design that  incorporated both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. This research comprises both survey responses and interview transcripts obtained from K-12 educators who are currently engaged in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) or collaborative teaching methodologies. The findings of this study have the potential to enhance the existing literature on teacher collaboration and furnish educators, policymakers, and researchers with valuable perspectives to steer optimal strategies for promoting effective teacher collaboration in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and collaborative teaching approaches. The objective of the research is to investigate the influence of teacher collaboration within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and collaborative teaching practices on the development of professional skills and academic achievements of students. The results of this study underscore the importance of recognizing the advantageous effects that collaborative teaching methodologies can have on the academic achievements of students. This necessitates the provision of adequate time for collaborative activities, encouraging supportive leadership within educational institutions, and allocating sufficient resources for collaboration

Seven perceptions influencing novice teachers’ efficacy and cultural competence

Novice teachers believe and behave according to perceptions about teaching, learning, and schooling they formed during childhood and adult experiences with families, classrooms, communities, media, and teacher education programs. Perceptions build funds of knowledge shaping teacher efficacy that influence their development of cultural competence–the processes of acquiring, accepting, and applying requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions for ensuring educational equity and excellence for all learners. Through their words, actions, and interactions, novice teachers socially reproduce their interpretations of perceptions influencing their cultural competence visible through their generational perpetuation of practice. Survey research with novice teachers reveals the importance of their critical thinking substantiated with novice teachers’ benefits and limitations for each perception. Implications for personal, professional, and pedagogical growth are supported by novice teachers’ voices

The Lasting Effects of Learning Communities

A majority of the research on the impact of learning communities has focused on the positive outcomes for students in their first year of study (Andrade, 2007; Goldman, 2012; Laverick, 2018; Wathington, Pretlow, & Mitchell, 2010). Less is known about the impact of learning community involvement as students complete their enrollment and persist through their next three (or more) years of education. Recent studies have addressed learning community involvement using qualitative measures. This article adds to the literature on learning community impact by describing an investigation of how juniors and seniors characterize the influence of their first-year learning community participation. Findings from the study illuminated the importance of faculty involvement and preparation, the use of High-Impact Practices (HIPS), and ways we might attend to peer dynamics in our learning community classrooms. The practice of following students to determine the possible lasting effects of learning communities has informed our work, and we argue that this practice should be included in learning community program assessment

Emerging communities of child-healthcare practice in the management of long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease: Qualitative study of parents' accounts

Background: Parents of children and young people with long-term conditions who need to deliver clinical care to their child at home with remote support from hospital-based professionals, often search the internet for care-giving information. However, there is little evidence that the information available online was developed and evaluated with parents or that it acknowledges the communities of practice that exist as parents and healthcare professionals share responsibility for condition management. Methods. The data reported here are part of a wider study that developed and tested a condition-specific, online parent information and support application with children and young people with chronic-kidney disease, parents and professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 fathers and 24 mothers who had recently tested the novel application. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis and the Communities of Practice concept. Results: Evolving communities of child-healthcare practice were identified comprising three components and several sub components: (1) Experiencing (parents making sense of clinical tasks) through Normalising care, Normalising illness, Acceptance & action, Gaining strength from the affected child and Building relationships to formalise a routine; (2) Doing (Parents executing tasks according to their individual skills) illustrated by Developing coping strategies, Importance of parents' efficacy of care and Fear of the child's health failing; and (3) Belonging/Becoming (Parents defining task and group members' worth and creating a personal identity within the community) consisting of Information sharing, Negotiation with health professionals and Achieving expertise in care. Parents also recalled factors affecting the development of their respective communities of healthcare practice; these included Service transition, Poor parent social life, Psycho-social affects, Family chronic illness, Difficulty in learning new procedures, Shielding and avoidance, and Language and cultural barriers. Health care professionals will benefit from using the communities of child-healthcare practice model when they support parents of children with chronic kidney disease. Conclusions: Understanding some of the factors that may influence the development of communities of child-healthcare practice will help professionals to tailor information and support for parents learning to manage their child's healthcare. Our results are potentially transferrable to professionals managing the care of children and young people with other long-term conditions. © 2014 Carolan et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Cultural robotics : The culture of robotics and robotics in culture

Copyright 2013 Samani et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedIn this paper, we have investigated the concept of "Cultural Robotics" with regard to the evolution o social into cultural robots in the 21st Century. By defining the concept of culture, the potential development of culture between humans and robots is explored. Based on the cultural values of the robotics developers, and the learning ability of current robots, cultural attributes in this regard are in the process of being formed, which would define the new concept of cultural robotics. According to the importance of the embodiment of robots in the sense of presence, the influence of robots in communication culture is anticipated. The sustainability of robotics culture based on diversity for cultural communities for various acceptance modalities is explored in order to anticipate the creation of different attributes of culture between robot and humans in the futurePeer reviewe

Factors that Influence Practitioners Trained in Six Sigma Principles in the Development of a Community of Practice

Communities of practice are developed as a means of sharing and perpetuating organizational learning. While the literature is filled with individual studies that focus on knowledge management, organizational learning, communities of practice, and Six Sigma outcomes, it does not illustrate the inherent relationship between these thoughts and practices. This study explored the factors that lead to the development of a community of practice among knowledge workers such as Six Sigma practitioners. This case study illustrates the importance of Bandura’s theory of social learning within the paradigm of a community of practice. This research illustrates the overwhelming influence of experiential learning in communities that have dynamic and complex relationships. The case study organization yielded 15 individuals who participated in in-depth interviews. Each practitioner shared his or her individual thoughts, perspectives, and experiences while utilizing the standard interview protocol. The results of this case study concretely promote the involvement of senior leadership in the development of the Six Sigma infrastructure, the importance of there being a commitment to the practitioner, the need for a formal infrastructure to be in place prior to implementing the management model, that formal education must take place, resources must be in place, and there needs to be a means for developing and sharing best practice models. This study suggested that future work is needed in two areas: What happens when organizations forget to learn and what is the impact of organizational leadership changes and changes in organizational strategies within an existing community of practice?https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2014/1006/thumbnail.jp

Working with Science Teachers to Transform the Opportunity Landscape for Regional and Rural Youth: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Science in Schools Program

This article reports on a qualitative evaluation of the Science in Schools program; a suite of science based activities delivered by staff of a regional university campus and designed to provide professional development for science teachers working in non-metropolitan schools in a socioeconomically disadvantaged region of Australia. The research identified a range of issues including: the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage and rurality on teachers’ professional learning needs, and the importance of subject specific discourse communities and content knowledge for new and out-of-field teachers. Implications for the design and implementation of school-university partnerships are discussed