Interconnecting networks of practice for professional learning

The article explores the complementary connections between communities of practice and the ways in which individuals orchestrate their engagement with others to further their professional learning. It does so by reporting on part of a research project conducted in New Zealand on teachers’ online professional learning in a university graduate diploma program on ICT education. Evolving from social constructivist pedagogy for online professional development, the research describes how teachers create their own networks of practice as they blend online and offline interactions with fellow learners and workplace colleagues. Teachers’ perspectives of their professional learning activities challenge the way universities design formal online learning communities and highlight the potential for networked learning in the zones and intersections between professional practice and study.
The article extends the concepts of Lave and Wenger’s (1991) communities of practice social theory of learning by considering the role participants play in determining their engagement and connections in and across boundaries between online learning communities and professional practice. It provides insights into the applicability of connectivist concepts for developing online pedagogies to promote socially networked

Lesson study - how it could work for you

There is growing worldwide interest in Japanese Lesson Study as a form of professional development, with adaptations of Lesson Study taking place in hundreds of schools clusters in USA, large-scale adoption in the UK, and smaller scale implementation in Australia, and many other countries, including Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This presentation will use classroom video to illustrate the typical Japanese structured-problem-solving research lessons that form the basis for Lesson Study, and discuss how they are planned, the role of the teacher, and the use of Lesson Study as a means of professional
development.

Cultivating teachers' knowledge and skills for leading change in schools

Australian policy initiatives and state curriculum reform efforts affirm a commitment to address student disengagement through the development of inclusive school environments, curriculum, and pedagogy. This paper, drawing on critical social theory, describes three Australian projects that support the cultivation of teachers’ beliefs, knowledge and skills for critical reflection and leading change in schools. The first project reports on the valued ethics that emerged in pre-service teacher reflections about a Service-learning Program at a university in Queensland. The second project reports on a school-based collaborative inquiry approach to professional development with a focus on literacy practices. The final project reports on an initiative in another university in Victoria, to operationalise pedagogical change and curriculum renewal in Victoria, through the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT). These case studies illustrate how critical reflection and development of beliefs, knowledge and skills can be acquired to better meet the needs of schools.

Leading professional learning in an Australian secondary school through school-university partnerships

As the limitations of one‐off and disconnected professional learning programs for teachers are recognised, there is widespread interest in building learning communities and professional learning teams within schools. When considering how to build local learning communities, school and university partnerships are seen as offering rich possibilities for transformative professional action. Set in the context of the international agenda of “Education For All” (UNESCO, 2005) a model of sustained on‐going professional learning, developed in one large secondary school in Australia, is analysed. The social practices that generate action and participation for partnership members are then scrutinised for the legitimacy of school‐university partnerships and the contribution to enhancing teacher learning.

Different spaces : staff development for Web 2.0

This paper reports on a collaborative staff development activity run across two Australian universities, for academic staff integrating Web 2.0 technologies into their teaching. It describes a three-week long virtual workshop on teaching with wikis, where participants in two groups developed a group project as students and then assessed the work as teachers. Participants were guided through a central Wikis in Higher Education wiki which provided the resources and communication supports. The experience suggested that teaching in a Web 2.0 space requires new thinking about pedagogy and that peer learning and the development of an online community are helpful for effective professional development. In closing, the paper reflects on the successes and limitations of this virtual workshop model.

Public and personal domains : professional standards for teachers of English in Australia

For many teachers the term ‘professional standards’ conjures up notions of benchmarks against which to measure their performance. This is to locate standards in a public domain that is external to individual teachers, defining their professional role largely in terms of their accountability to other stakeholders in education. The following article argues an alternative view of standards as mediating between public and personal domains. Those domains should remain distinct – indeed, sometimes they may exist in a productive tension – but for standards to have any purchase with the profession they must be personally meaningful. The author draws on both his experience in teaching graduate English students in the pre-service Diploma in Education course at Monash University and his research in a national project to develop subject specific standards for primary and secondary teachers of English. The project, Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA), is federally funded and involves a consortium of universities, state government bodies and the two English teaching associations, whose members constitute the panels of teachers at the heart of the project.

Why use action research for teachers’ professional learning in PNG?

This paper reports on a study of the use of action research for remote primary school teachers’  professional learning in two provinces in PNG. There is significant international literature and research available on the characteristics of professional learning models that lead to quality outcomes for teachers and students alike. Action research is one approach to professional learning that includes a number of these internationally recognised characteristics. It constitutes an inquiry-based approach that encourages teachers to reflect on their own practices, and take ownership of the solutions to problems occurring in their own contexts.

The project draws on the international literature and research on effective professional learning, as well as the particular requirements of teachers in remote areas of Papua New Guinea, to develop a model for professional learning that could be adopted as a sustainable and effective approach to improving student learning outcomes. Improving such outcomes is essential in countries such as Papua New Guinea as they strive to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Basic Education.

The paper first provides a rationale for using action research in the context of remote schools in Papua New Guinea. A critique follows of the issues associated with the methodology and how these issues were resolved throughout the action research process and, finally, the paper concludes with some suggestions on how this model can be appropriated in other countries’ contexts.

Promoting Fundamental movement skill development and physical activity in early childhood settings : a cluster randomized controlled trial

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a physical activity program for preschool children. A 20-week, 2-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted. The intervention comprised structured activities for children and professional development for staff. The control group participated in usual care activities, which included designated inside and outside playtime. Primary outcomes were movement skill development and objectively measured physical activity. At follow-up, compared with children in the control group, children in the intervention group showed greater improvements in movement skill proficiency, with this improvement statically significant for overall movement skill development (adjust diff. = 2.08, 95% CI 0.76, 3.40; Cohen’s d = 0.47) and significantly greater increases in objectively measured physical activity (counts per minute) during the preschool day (adjust diff. = 110.5, 95% CI 33.6, 187.3; Cohen’s d = 0.46). This study demonstrates that a physical activity program implemented by staff within a preschool setting is feasible, acceptable and potentially efficacious.

Early childhood educators : some identified issues in professional learning in science

In a small research project, four case studies were developed around the science education of pre-school centres. Mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches were used as the pre-school teachers were asked information about their qualifications and those of other staff; science experiences within their Early Childhood (EC) setting and the opportunities they had for science education professional development. As part of the research, educators were questioned about the science they provided and their comfort in teaching science. The interviews revealed that EC educators indicated that they provide a large number of varied experiences, although often they were unsure of the science content or the science understanding. They felt that this limited their abilities to develop the science activities further. Early Childhood Educators also indicated that whilst there was access to some science professional development, more would be welcome. The types of professional development which they felt would be most beneficial were “hands-on” play experiences – a “quick fix” approach. This paper will discuss the findings of the research through a socio-cultural framework, noting some of the issues identified during our discussions with the educators.

A professional learning program based on a representation intensive pedagogical approach

A representation-intensive pedagogical approach challenges students to generate and negotiate the representations (text, graphs, models, diagrams) that constitute the discursive practices of science, rather than focusing on the text-based, definitional versions of concepts. Previous research conducted on a small scale with a few topics and teachers successfully demonstrated enhanced outcomes for students, in terms of sustained engagement with ideas, and quality learning, and for teachers’ enhanced pedagogical knowledge, and epistemological understanding. This paper explores the efficacy of embedding a representations-intensive pedagogical approach into a state-wide professional learning program that was delivered to Victorian secondary science teachers in 2010/2011. The professional learning program involved participating teachers undertaking two successive days of professional development, then completing a small classroom-based project in their schools before returning for the third day of professional development. The program was supported by online drupal website. In determining the impact of the professional learning program on the teachers’ practice data was collected in the form of program participant surveys, presentations of the teachers’ classroom-based projects, focus group interviews and phone interviews. Teachers demonstrated the applicability of this pedagogical approach by adapting it to a variety of science topics.

Empowering teachers through a professional learning program that focused on a representation intensive pedagogical approach

A representation-intensive pedagogical approach challenges students to generate and negotiate the representations (text, graphs, models, diagrams) that constitute the discursive practices of science, rather than focusing on the text-based, definitional versions of concepts. It thus represents a more active view of knowledge than traditional structural approaches. Previous research conducted on a small scale with a few topics and teachers, successfully demonstrated enhanced outcomes for students, in terms of sustained engagement with ideas, and quality learning, and for teachers enhanced pedagogical knowledge, and epistemological understanding. This paper explores the efficacy of embedding a representations-intensive pedagogical approach into a state-wide professional learning program that was delivered to secondary science teachers in Victoria, Australian, in 2010/2011. The professional learning program involved participating teachers undertaking two successive days of professional development, then completing a small classroom-based project in their schools before returning for the third day of professional development. The program was supported by on online drupal website. In determining the impact of the professional learning program on the teachers’ practice data was collected in the form of program participant surveys, presentations of the teachers’ classroom-based projects, focus group interviews and phone interviews.

Teaching out-of-field : factors shaping identities of secondary science and mathematics

It is widely recognised that many teachers work 'out of field', taking subjects outside their specialities. Studies undertaken by the author and by other researchers shed light on how teachers themselves experience and understand out-of-field teaching. The article discusses the issue in relation to junior secondary science and mathematics. Evidence is drawn from the 2009 Teacher Identity In and Across Subjects (TIIAS) study. The article also includes a table summarising the findings of eight major research reports relevant to this issue. The author draws a range of conclusions. Teachers' experience and understanding of out-of-field teaching is determined not only by their subject content knowledge and their pedagogical content knowledge, but also by their context and by the personal resources available to them. Rural teachers often accept the need to teach across a number of subject areas, as part of their professional identity, despite the fact that they often lack easy access to subject specialists. Teachers tend to be more positive about out-of-field teaching when they themselves have had input into which subjects they will teach, and when they have an interest in or informal knowledge of the subject area. Teachers' interest in professional development to support their out-of-field teaching is influenced by whether they see themselves as simply filling in for someone, making the most of an opportunity, or pursuing an interest. Professional learning should ideally be initiated by or negotiated with the teachers, and should be provided at the point of need. School leaderships should maximise teachers' input into subject allocation and provision of professional learning opportunities. Teacher education courses need to prepare pre-service teachers to cope with out-of-field teaching.

Significance of a multimedia resource in the professional learning of preservice teachers

This phenomenological inquiry seeks to understand the complexity of teacher professional learning through analysis of the use of a multimedia curriculum resource in initial teacher education programs. The study follows seven preservice teachers at three points over the course of an eighteen month period to gain understandings of how they are making meaning of their becoming teacher journeys. For the purposes of this paper only one aspect of the doctoral study is reported on due to the limitations of space. Consequently, this paper focuses on the findings of the significance of using a multimedia curriculum resource, known as QuILT, for professional learning. The qualitative study used questionnaires that included open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews with each of the seven preservice teachers at three points over an eighteen month period; as well as artefacts such as their QuILT related assessment. The paper reports on the findings that the multimedia resource and its pedagogical use provide a rich professional learning environment for preservice teachers.

Communities of inquiry: developing digital literacies in teachers and students

Teachers’ and students’ classroom work is increasingly described as knowledge work conducted in a in a rapidly changing globalised, digital world. To enable teachers to effectively support students in the shifting contexts created by constantly emerging new technologies, teacher professional learning has gained prominence as a priority area in education (Yates, 2007). This paper reports on research into teacher and student learning of digital literacies within the context of a project undertaken by a university and an educational authority. The professional learning project was designed to enable practising teachers to engage their students with digital literacies.The project seeks to offer innovative, differentiated professional learning by combining the concept of a collaborative learning community with structures of distributed leadership and processes of inquiry learning. The mixed methods research explored teacher and student learning through online surveys and case studies. Initial findings indicate that teacher agency, knowledge creation and commitment to sustained pedagogical change were fostered through inter- and intra-school communities of inquiry. Purposeful development of digital tools, within the context of teacher inquiry, collaboration and distributed leadership, led to increased and discerning use of these tools by teachers. As a result students had greater school-based access to digital tools and teachers and students worked collaboratively to develop their digital literacies.