ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Conceptualising and Exploring Examples of Grassroots Teacher Professional Development
Author: Holme, Richard
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Nonformal Education,Faculty Development,Program Effectiveness,Communities of Practice,Foreign Countries,Conferences (Gatherings),Social Media

This paper considers the under researched area relating to defining and conceptualising non-formal teacher professional development. It makes the case for adopting the general term grassroots professional development, specifically when this is self-directed activity led by educators. The article serves the purpose of being a position paper for this term and associated activities and continues by exploring three examples of grassroots professional development, specifically events organised by educators (TeachMeets, EdCamps and BrewEd). The history of each example is discussed, drawing on the limited body of published research literature, plus grey sources and personal experiences of the lead author. This paper is intended to provide a definitive start point for further research on the general topic of grassroots teacher professional development, and these examples in particular. The commonalties of each example are also considered, along with some criticisms and considerations for practitioners. In doing so this paper also proposes the next steps for research in this area, namely investigation of the effectiveness of grassroots professional development.
My Social Autoethnography: How One Teacher Educator Used Digital Communication to Help Tell His Own Stories
Author: Atherton, Pete
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autobiographies,Ethnography,Personal Narratives,Research Methodology,Social Science Research,Qualitative Research,Grounded Theory,Teacher Educators,Computer Mediated Communication,Social Media,Reflective Teaching,Writing (Composition),Foreign Countries

This paper inhabits the increasingly popular space of autoethnographic study. The piece is designed to critique and contextualise the process and usefulness of autoethnography as a way of making meaning. The study centres on how one highly experienced teacher and newly appointed teacher educator is using narrative writing to unpick and locate their skillset in a period of swift change and marked transition. One of the reasons for this choice is the freedom that autoethnography allows. Autoethnography is frequently dismissed as vague and self-indulgent as a method of social research. This paper will propose that autoethnography is a rigorous and powerful research method. It deploys some innovative methods of data collection, analysis and dissemination. The paper's discussion of the literature will naturally help interrogate debates around where autoethnography sits in the intellectual landscape related to qualitative research. The study found that using grounded theory as a research methodology helped arrive at potentially illuminating theories and self-knowledge. These were limited, however, by the underlying risk of indulgence, subjective autobiographical writing and participant bias. The paper also has potential value as a way of helping early career teachers explore critical incidents.
Pilot Study: Can the Draft Film &quot;Broken&quot; Support Trainee Teachers&apos; Understanding of Autism Communication Issues in Mainstream Classrooms?
Author: Lawrence, Clare
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mass Media Use,Films,Preservice Teachers,Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Communication Problems,Instructional Effectiveness,Preservice Teacher Education,Knowledge Level

The draft film &quot;Broken&quot; (Rimmer, 2020) is an artistic impression that aims to articulate dysfluency from an autistic viewpoint. This paper reports on a pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of the film as a tool to support trainee teachers' understanding of fluency issues in autistic pupils in the mainstream classroom. The study positions what is a personal perspective as articulated in the film within the wider autism literature, and reports and discusses trainees' responses to the film. Implications for future Initial Teacher Education in this area -- including resultant adaptations of the film -- are discussed.
STEM Education in Northern Ireland: Is It an Example of Systemic Failure?
Author: Ievers, Michael
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Learner Engagement,Inquiry,Active Learning,High Stakes Tests,Student Experience,Elementary School Students,Faculty Development

Five years have now passed since the last government review of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Northern Ireland (Perry and Irwin, 2015). This small-scale qualitative study set out to analyse the progress made and challenges faced within STEM education in Northern Ireland, and to draw out implications for education and teacher education. Individual filmed interviews were carried out with a range of education professionals and representatives from industry and politics (n=11), followed by small group interviews with pupils finishing the junior phase of their schooling (n=13). Findings reveal high levels of pupil engagement but also, and in contrast to many other countries, the study highlights frustration among STEM professionals at a lack of investment in STEM education at all levels. The study also identifies additional challenges in promoting inquiry-based learning approaches to STEM education in the current high-stakes assessment environment. Conclusions are drawn for education and teacher education.
Then and Now: Challenging the Reproduction of Values in the Secondary Curriculum--A Critical, Reflective Commentary on Practitioner Dispositions
Author: Ward, Helen
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary Education,Faculty Development,English Instruction,Grammar,Reflective Teaching,Secondary School Teachers,Praxis,Politics of Education,Educational Change

This article provides a reflective commentary on the modification of the lead author's professional practice in a secondary academy in England. The modification of practice has been as a result of work conducted on a postgraduate Masters module, which has focused on practitioner development of an exemplar grammar lesson devised for Year Nine collaborative learning. The motivation to publish this work is in light of a heavily structured, prescriptive and time pressured approach to teacher development which disconnects professionals from more meaningful enquiry into the practice they are engaging with. The work initially sets the scene for the situated context detailed above, before moving into a reflective commentary that focuses on the lead author's structurally influenced dispositions to practitioner development. The paper then moves into key conceptual considerations that have underpinned the development of practice, which subsequently leads to details on the implementation and evaluation of the new learning intervention. With the intervention founded on praxis, it is the critically reflective and reflexive conceptual work completed which is of central interest, and the conclusion that spaces for undertaking a genuine reflective and reflexive approach are diminishing in educational practice. As a result, the authors finish the article with a number of recommendations for practitioners to be given space for authentic reflection focusing on classroom practice, dialectical critical enquiry, theory and reflexivity.
A Student Feedback Form That Adds Real Value
Author: Cottam, Martina
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Satisfaction,Feedback (Response),Student Surveys,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Design,Educational Assessment,College Students,Course Evaluation,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Teacher Improvement

During the last decade, universities have endeavoured to continually improve the level of student satisfaction and learning experience. Student evaluative feedback is therefore critical to measure and track progress, and questionnaires are the principal means of collecting this data. In the UK, although the National Student Survey is used to solicit students' opinions on the quality of their degree programmes, various types of Student Feedback Forms (SFFs) -- or similarly named questionnaires -- are employed at the local institutional level. There is no clear consensus on the value of such SFFs as a tool to bring significant improvement to the student learning experience. However, this study proposes that the often low impact and inconclusive results from the use of SFFs are largely due to inadequacies in the design, and implementation process of these questionnaires. Using a specific course that I teach as a case study, I show how a carefully designed SFF that was refined via a piloting exercise, led to clear, actionable outcomes. The SFF had high value in confirming what was working well and identifying areas for improvement. This case study may be used as a guide to improve the future design and implementation of SFFs for other types of courses and teaching programmes.
Catching Them Early: Identifying Potential Early-Career Leavers
Author: Allen, Michael
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Identification,Beginning Teachers,Primary Education,Teacher Persistence,Faculty Mobility,Student Teacher Attitudes,Student Satisfaction,Job Satisfaction,Preservice Teachers,Resilience (Psychology),Foreign Countries,Preservice Teacher Education

This article describes a small-scale quantitative study that explored levels of satisfaction within a sample of student teachers at two points in time. A first questionnaire was completed during students' final year at an English university and comprised of questions relating to their satisfaction with school experience. A second was conducted mid-way through their subsequent Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year, asking similar questions to the first, but applicable to their NQT school. Data indicated that a notable proportion of NQTs had considered leaving the teaching profession since they had qualified. Significantly, it was possible to identify these individuals from the rest of the student cohort by examining their responses from the first questionnaire. This indicates that teachers in danger of leaving the teaching profession at an early stage in their post-qualification career could potentially be recognised during their university training. Finally, issues surrounding the overt labelling of students as being a 'leaving risk' are discussed.
&apos;What Goes on in There?&apos; How Post-Graduate Trainee Teachers Make Use of an Online Learning Community Using Social Networking Sites?
Author: Toyn, Mike
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Preservice Teachers,Communities of Practice,Internet,Social Media,Foreign Countries,Interaction,Content Analysis,Peer Relationship

This study explores the role that social networking sites play in the learning of post-graduate trainee teachers. It is part of a larger study that explored the role that technologies played in student learning via a Networked Learning framework. It draws upon the content posted to closed groups on social network sites, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, to explore two aspects of the impact these groups have. Firstly, the impact on social cohesion; in other words, how the social network site groups support interaction online and subsequently, face-to-face interactions. Secondly, the impact on learning that interactions in these groups has. It uses a threefold analysis strategy: the temporal distribution of usage, the context for interactions and the topic of interactions. It finds that there is a strong social element to student interactions which includes interactions relating to social activities but also interactions which provide moral support and encouragement as well as elements of humour. In addition to this are learning related interactions. These are widespread and cover both academic and professional learning. However, this is largely limited to interactions related to details, support, help and guidance rather than profound theoretical discussions. The survey combines the analysis of the content and context of interactions with a temporal analysis of interactions to explore how the use of these interactions changes in relation to key events in the course such as assignment submissions or school placements. It finds that the participants are discerning users who adopt a functional approach to social network interactions. They make extensive use of such sites prior to assignment submissions or the release of assignment feedback. But, on the other hand, at times of high workload, such as school placements, they will prioritise activity with the greatest potential impact on their success. In other words, they do not allow themselves to be overly distracted by social networking. It concludes that the social network site groups play an important role in supporting students to succeed on a busy and stressful course. Also, that students draw on social media in equal measure for social cohesion and learning related interactions. However, it must be noted that the learning interactions are typically around-task interactions rather than interactions at the heart of their learning.
Empowering Positive Partnerships: A Review of the Processes, Benefits and Challenges of a University and Charity Social and Emotional Learning Partnership
Author: Cobb, Wendy
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Empowerment,Change Agents,Partnerships in Education,Teacher Educators,Universities,Organizations (Groups),Social Development,Emotional Development,Mental Health,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Leadership,Values,Foreign Countries

'Working in partnership to transform society through education' is the inspirational mission statement of our Faculty of Education. But what can and does 'working in partnership' mean in practice? This paper outlines a partnership development story with a charity and a university Faculty. There is limited research surrounding academic partnerships with social enterprises, although no shortage of claims to be 'working in partnership'. This is a research informed review of a social and emotional learning partnership between the charity Family Links and Canterbury Christ Church University which we suggest has had a profound and positive impact on individuals and organisations. We draw on theory based partnership evaluation frameworks and partnership review data, including filmed interviews with project participants, training evaluations and action research case studies to tell this story and discuss the processes, benefits and challenges of our partnership. The impact of key actors' personal responses to participation and subsequent empowerment as agents of change is highlighted. The active nurturing of emotional leaders and agreeing and reviewing protocols at all levels are key review recommendations. The complexity of measuring improved wellbeing outcomes for learning communities as a desired goal is also highlighted.
Realising the Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority through Action-Oriented and Transformative Geography Education
Author: Mills, Reece
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Transformative Learning,Sustainability,Geography Instruction,Interdisciplinary Approach,Teaching Methods,Action Research,National Curriculum,Foreign Countries,Educational Policy,Elementary Secondary Education

Sustainability is an important cross-curriculum priority in Australian education that is not commonly realised in schools and classrooms. In this article, we discuss the challenges and opportunities to enacting sustainability, suggesting that both top-down (systemic schoolwide leadership and support) and bottom-up (individual educator's reflexivity) support for sustainability is needed. We postulate that an action-oriented and transformative geography education may support the realisation of sustainable world views for learners, and we present a simple learning progression for action-oriented education, adapted from the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences, for achieving this aim. In this way, geography teachers may be empowered to embed sustainability in their day-to-day teaching.
Teachers&apos; Voice Problems: Exploring a Possible Solution
Author: Mycroft, Lesley
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Voice Disorders,Fatigue (Biology),Verbal Communication,Speech Communication,Human Posture,Teacher Behavior,Human Body,Intervention,Teachers

A mixed methods or multi-strategy research project considered the vocal demands on teachers in UK classrooms and their ongoing requirement for help. The study was in two parts, the first being a survey through questionnaires and interviews to ascertain the extent of voice problems among teachers and those training to become teachers. The second part collected other first-hand evidence through a detailed exploration with student teachers. It drew on the writings of an actor of the nineteenth/twentieth century, F.M. Alexander, who remedied his own voice problems by considering how they were part of his total approach to activity and what he called his 'psychophysical use'. Considering the potential of this approach is important given the lack of voice training available to many teachers. The exploratory comparison of voice was conducted in a biomechanical laboratory where it was possible to replicate general vocal demand, to make detailed measures of voice quality, and to collect considerable quantitative data. An outline of the results is given. The research aims to contribute towards knowledge of the teacher's voice and to inform provision for teachers in the UK and beyond. It demonstrates that further research is warranted and what form such research could usefully take.
Journal Club: A Mechanism for Bringing Evidenced Based Practice into School?
Author: Boyne, Martha
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Communities of Practice,Clubs,Evidence Based Practice,Reflective Teaching,Journal Writing,Teacher Improvement

Supporting the teacher to consider the value of using evidence based practice, and the contribution to this of the school-based Journal Club, this paper provides an account of an examination of teacher perceptions within one case study school. The examination, undertaken in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Masters in Education degree, revealed there to be a gap between conceptual understanding and teaching practice, and that that gap was argued to be the consequence of the circumstances in which the teacher found themselves operating. Identified influences included the pressure of work, particularly the issue of the availability of time; but the extent to which the teacher had previously had involvement with research activities was also noted. Highlighted is the risk that a Journal Club can be perceived as little more than a 'talking shop'; specifically that there is a fear that the potential a Journal Club has to support the individual to adopt an evidence based approach to their teaching may not be revealed and that the presence of that fear has an inhibiting influence on engagement.
Challenges to Implementing a New Technology in Teacher Education. Phase One: &apos;Meaningful&apos; Digital Reflections
Author: Byrd, Jo
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Integration,Technology Uses in Education,Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Educational Technology,Technological Literacy,Reflection,Student Attitudes,Portfolios (Background Materials)

This paper describes the challenges of introducing a digital tool to trainee teachers. A group of nineteen undergraduate students studying primary education and in their third year of a four year course was introduced to PebblePad5. PebblePad is an online tool which is not new in the world of ITE. However, the latest version has more useful features and is less 'clunky' than older versions. The students each had their own private account where eventually they would be expected to store all of their placement files, add multi-modal content and then choose to share some or all of this content publically or by personal invitation via email. One of the benefits for us as an ITE provider is that we can view our students' files electronically and comment on them without necessarily making the one/two hour round trip to the placement school. Although students used some technology, this research shows that students need more training in using technology competently in the workplace setting. Phase One of the project was to encourage the students to write their reflections on placement digitally. It was hoped that the students would be enthusiastic about using PebblePad and I would see an improvement in the levels of engagement with the reflective process and thus, the quality of teaching and learning as a result of this. Data obtained from questionnaires and a focus group indicate that PebblePad was viewed as a useful tool, but training issues and time constraints of the project meant it was not as successful for this cohort as was hoped. This paper discusses the issues that arose and the plan to overcome these barriers in the next phase of the implementation of PebblePad.
Developing Understanding of Student-Teacher Agency: Implications for Programme Development
Author: Coker, Helen
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Personal Autonomy,Student Teachers,Program Development,Blended Learning,Graduate Students,Student Experience,Reflection,Foreign Countries,Social Support Groups

Developing student teachers to become confident and effective professionals is a central aim of teacher education programmes. Developing understanding of student-teacher agency - the ways in which student teachers actively participate in their learning - has the potential to inform programme development. Working in the context of a blended learning Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme, the research presented here aimed to develop understanding of student-teacher agency, with the purpose of informing programme development. Deepening our understanding of the student teacher experience enabled critical reflection on the design and delivery of the programme, informing our developments. Taking a narrative stance, data were generated from fifty-three student teachers, during a discussion activity in which they reflected on their experiences during the PGDE year. Analysis utilised Priestley, Biesta and Robinson's (2015) framework for Teacher Agency. Findings suggested that student teachers' peripheral positioning, to the community of professional teachers, influences their approach to their own learning during the PGDE year. Findings directly informed the development of programme structures. Deeper understanding of student-teacher agency has informed our practice in a blended learning environment. Understanding these aspects of the student-teacher experience has the potential to inform the development of programmes utilising different methods of delivery: (1) Teacher-education; (2) Student-teacher Agency; (3) Programme development; (4) Blended Learning; and (5) Critical Reflection.