Teacher talk: A community of colleagues that values practical teacher knowledge through sharing experiences

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of five educators participating in a teacher-initiated learning community that valued practical teacher knowledge. Connelly and Clandinin (2000) argued that practical teacher knowledge grew out of experience through interaction in the professional knowledge landscape. Collaboration that promoted teacher learning was the foundation to effective school change (Wood, 1997). This teacher-initiated learning community consisted of members who had equal status and collaborated by participating in discourse on curriculum and instruction. The collegiality of the community fostered teacher professionalism that improved practice and benefited the school. This study focused on the following research questions: (1) What was the experience of these five educators in this learning community? (2) What did these five individuals understand about the nature of practical teacher knowledge? (3) According to the participants, what was the relationship between teacher empowerment and effective school change? ^ The participants were chosen because each voluntarily attended this teacher-initiated learning community. Each participant answered questions regarding the experience during three semi-structured tape-recorded interviews. The interviews were transcribed, and significant statements of meaning were extracted. Using a triangulation of ideas that were common to at least three of the participants ensured the trustworthiness of the analysis. These statements were combined to describe what was experienced and how the participants described their experience. The emerging themes were the characteristics of and the relationships, methods, conditions, and environment for the teachers. The teachers described how a knowledge base of practical teacher knowledge was gained as a spirit of camaraderie developed. The freedom that the teachers experienced to collaborate and learn fostered new classroom practice that affected school change as student interaction and productivity increased. ^ The qualitative analysis of this study provided a description of a learning community that valued practical teacher knowledge and fostered professional development. This description was important to educational stakeholders because it demonstrated how practical teacher knowledge was gained during the teachers' daily work. By sharing every day experiences, the teacher talk generated collaboration and accountability that the participants felt improved practice and fostered a safe, productive learning environment for students. ^

Evaluation of the Scent Collection System for Its Effectiveness in Volatile Organic Compound Collection and Use in Canine Training

As a result of increased terrorist activity around the world, the development of a canine training aid suitable for daily military operations is necessary to provide effective canine explosive detection. Since the use of sniffer dogs has proven to be a reliable resource for the rapid detection of explosive volatiles organic compounds, the present study evaluated the ability of the Human Scent Collection System (HSCS) device for the creation of training aids for plasticized / tagged explosives, nitroglycerin and TNT containing explosives, and smokeless powders for canine training purposes. Through canine field testing, it was demonstrated that volatiles dynamically collected from real explosive material provided a positive canine response showing the effectiveness of the HSCS in creating canine training aids that can be used immediately or up to several weeks (3) after collection under proper storage conditions. These reliable non-hazardous training aids allow its use in areas where real explosive material aids are not practical and/or available.