Using Shared Workspaces in Higher Education

We evaluate the use of BSCW shared workspaces in higher education by means of a comparison of seven courses in which this environment was used. We identify a number of different functions for which the BSCW environment has been used and discuss the relative success of these functions across the cases. In addition, we evaluate the cases with the 4E model of Collis et al. (2000) which predicts the chances of acceptance of ICT in an educational setting. Effectiveness for the given task appears to be a prime success factor for using ICT. But an effective tool may fail due to other factors like ease of use and organisational, socialcultural or technological obstacles. The particular strength of a shared workspace, for which BSCW is most effective and efficient, is providing a repository for objects of collaborative work. Other types of usage showed mixed results. In the future we expect that learning takes place in an integrated, open ICT environment in which different kinds of tools are available for different purposes and users can switch between tools as appropriate. We could observe this in several of the case studies, where non-use of BSCW did not mean that a particular task was not performed, but, on the contrary, a more efficient solution for the same function was available. Shared workspaces have proven to be highly useful, but it seems advisable that their purpose be limited to what they were originally designed for

Decomposing the observation-based coaching process:The role of coaches in supporting teacher learning

Coaching is increasingly emphasised as a promising feature of professional development, yet concrete understanding of this complex process is lacking. This study investigates an observation-based coaching process by interviewing coaches and teachers from a three-year longitudinal PD programme. Findings indicate that coaches often supplemented their pedagogy by establishing coaching culture and credibility, which were embedded in four general coaching phases. Depending on how a coach chose, stressed and shifted among coaching phases, the coaching process can vary mainly between prescriptive and collaborative coaching pathways, with multiple routes to shift between them. Findings also suggest that these pathways require different combinations and intensity of coaching culture and coaching pedagogy to be effective. Lastly, the coaching pathway framework not only illuminates different coaching pathways but also helps coaches differentiate their coaching in the future (i.e., shift between and stress different phases), corresponding to the needs of individual teachers related to specific topics in their unique school context

How Features of the Implementation Process Shape the Success of an Observation-Based Coaching Program:Perspectives of Teachers and Coaches

Studies investigating the effectiveness of professional development (PD) programs have provided no conclusive findings on what exactly makes a PD effort effective. Using an observation-based coaching PD program, we explore which features in the PD implementation process facilitated or impeded teachers' meaningful engagement in and learning from the PD program. We interviewed seven PD coaches and a selection of 11 teachers involved in a 3-year PD project. We found that how the school and the coach implemented the PD project played a critical role in shaping teachers' willingness to participate in the program. We conclude that the success of a PD program depends not only on enduring effective PD features but also and especially on the PD implementation process within the context of daily school life

Self-determination in dependence

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Development of an Inquiry Stance? Perceptions of Preservice Teachers and Teacher Educators Toward Preservice Teacher Inquiry in Dutch Primary Teacher Education

This study aims to gain insight into the perceived purpose and value of preservice teacher inquiry in Dutch primary teacher education by teacher educators and preservice teachers at the undergraduate level; it also assesses the implementation of teaching and learning activities, and learning outcomes associated with teacher inquiry. In the Netherlands, inquiry competence in primary teacher education develops over a 4-year period, resulting in students' completion of capstone projects using practitioner inquiry. The authors combine a survey with focus groups of teacher educators and preservice teachers from eight institutes. They find differences between preservice teachers' perceptions of the implementation of inquiry competence and teacher educators' visions and perceptions of such implementation. All participants, students and educators, believe inquiry to be valuable and perceive learning outcomes of inquiry to be enriching, yet about half of the preservice teachers do not to expect to undertake inquiry in their future teaching jobs

Relationships in distributed leadership, inquiry-based working, and realizing educational change in Dutch primary education:teachers’ and their school leader’s perceptions

Although distributed leadership and inquiry-based working are relevant topics to primary education, there has been little discussion about how team members perceive these practices as meaningful in their day-to-day work. Following on from prior quantitative studies, the present study conducted a case study in which semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. The findings suggested that teachers and their principal perceive distributed leadership and inquiry-based working as crucial to realizing educational change. More specifically, the case study showed how inquiry-based working could support distributed leadership and teachers’ ability to take the initiative to create educational change. Specifying the relationships could help teachers and school leaders to consciously leverage distributed leadership and inquiry-based working techniques to fully meet students’ needs.</p