Sample records for professional development projects

  1. Teacher Quality, Professionalism and Professional Development: Findings from a European Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, Gillian; Flores, Maria Assunção; Niklasson, Laila

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents and discusses findings from a European project concerning strengthening the teacher's voice in defining professional quality. In the project tools were developed and evaluated to help teachers reflect on their professional quality. Twelve countries participated and twelve tools were tested with help of student teachers,…

  2. Professional Competence Development at the Cooper Union School of Engineering. Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bussard, Ellen

    A 3-year project was developed to increase students' abilities to perform competently as professional engineers. The project sought to infuse into existing courses concern for, practice with, and development of three competencies critical to professional success: problem-solving, communication, and value clarification. Eight elementary and…

  3. Using Professional Development to Achieve Classroom Reform and Science Proficiency: An Urban Success Story from Southern Nevada, USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crippen, Kent J.; Biesinger, Kevin D.; Ebert, Ellen K.

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides a detailed description and evaluation of a three-year professional development project in a large urban setting in the southwestern United States. The impetus for the project was curriculum development focused on integrated scientific inquiry. Project goals included the development of a professional learning community, reformed…

  4. Teachers as Researchers: Supporting Professional Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gennaoui, Michele; Kretschmer, Robert E.

    1996-01-01

    Contrasts traditional professional development and a teacher-as-researcher project implemented at the Saint Francis de Sales School for the Deaf. Discusses ways the project influenced the professional development of teachers, the effects on the school community of group collaboration among diverse professional staff, support mechanisms required,…

  5. Professional Competence Development at the Cooper Union School of Engineering. Course Development and Course Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bussard, Ellen

    A 3-year project was developed to increase students' abilities to perform competently as professional engineers. The project sought to infuse into existing courses concern for, practice with, and development of three competencies critical to professional success: problem-solving, communication, and value clarification. Eight elementary and…

  6. Train-the-Trainer for Adult Education. Quality Professional Development Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida Community Coll., Jacksonville.

    This manual aids professional development adult education (AE) facilitators in conducting AE workshops using Quality Professional Development (QPD) Project materials. A workshop outline is provided. Six sections correspond to the six manuals in the training package. Section components are as follows: objectives for five or six units; activities;…

  7. Issues and Challenges in Financing Professional Development in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Carol E.

    In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report reflects and summarizes what the Finance Project learned during the planning year about both traditional systems of professional development and reform efforts and how they are financed, focusing on…

  8. INTERACT: Building a Virtual Community of Practice to Enhance Teachers' Intercultural Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hajisoteriou, Christina; Karousiou, Christiana; Angelides, Panayiotis

    2018-01-01

    This project focuses on the design and implementation of an online professional development platform tailored to teachers' needs to improve and promote their intercultural knowledge. Drawing upon the framework of virtual communities of practice, the project escapes from traditional professional development programmes. Although a total of 103…

  9. Mathematics Teachers' Take-Aways from Morning Math Problems in a Long-Term Professional Development Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sevis, Serife; Cross, Dionne; Hudson, Rick

    2017-01-01

    Considering the role of mathematics-focused professional development programs in improving teachers' content knowledge and quality of teaching, we provided teachers opportunities for dealing with mathematics problems and positioning themselves as students in a large-scale long-term professional development (PD) project. In this proposal, we aimed…

  10. Collaborative Teacher Learning: Findings from Two Professional Development Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erickson, G.; Minnes Brandes, G.; Mitchell, I.; Mitchell, J.

    2005-01-01

    This article discusses two projects that were aimed at enhancing the opportunities for professional development of the participants through collaboration between classroom teachers and teacher educators. The two projects, the Australian Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL) and the Canadian Learning Strategies Group (LSG), focused on the…

  11. Application of a contextual instructional framework in a continuing professional development training program for physiotherapists in Rwanda.

    PubMed

    Dunleavy, Kim; Chevan, Julia; Sander, Antoinette P; Gasherebuka, Jean Damascene; Mann, Monika

    2018-06-01

    Continuing professional development is an important component of capacity building in low resource countries. The purpose of this case study is to describe the use of a contextual instructional framework to guide the processes and instructional design choices for a series of continuing professional development courses for physiotherapists in Rwanda. Four phases of the project are described: (1) program proposal, needs assessment and planning, (2) organization of the program and instructional design, (3) instructional delivery and (4) evaluation. Contextual facilitating factors and needs informed choices in each phase. The model resulted in delivery of continuing professional development to the majority of physiotherapists in Rwanda (n = 168, 0.48 rural/0.52 urban) with participants reporting improvement in skills and perceived benefit for their patients. Environmental and healthcare system factors resulted in offering the courses in rural and urban areas. Content was developed and delivered in partnership with Rwandan coinstructors. Based on the domestic needs identified in early courses, the program included advocacy and leadership activities, in addition to practical and clinical instruction. The contextual factors (environment, healthcare service organization, need for rehabilitation and status and history of the physiotherapy profession) were essential for project and instructional choices. Facilitating factors included the established professional degree and association, continuing professional development requirements, a core group of active professionals and an existing foundation from other projects. The processes and contextual considerations may be useful in countries with established professional-level education but without established postentry-level training. Implications for Rehabilitation Organizations planning continuing professional development programs may benefit from considering the context surrounding training when planning, designing and developing instruction. The surrounding context including the environment, the organization of healthcare services, the population defined need for rehabilitation, and the domestic status and history of the physiotherapy profession, is important for physiotherapy projects in countries with lower resources. Facilitating factors in low resource countries such as an established professional degree and association, continuing professional development requirements, a core group of active professionals and an existing foundation from other projects impact the success of projects. Methods that may be useful for relevance, dissemination and consistency include involvement of in-country leaders and instructors and attendance in multiple courses with consistent themes. Rehabilitation professionals in low resource countries may benefit from continuing professional development courses that emphasize practical skills, and clinical reasoning, accompanied by clinical mentoring and directed coaching that encourages knowledge transfer to the clinical setting. Active learning approaches and multiple progressive courses provide opportunities to develop peer support through professional communities of practice.

  12. An Analysis of How Building a Collaborative Community of Professional Social Studies Teachers through Targeted Ambient Professional Development Impacts Social Studies Classroom Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas-Brown, Karen; Shaffer, LaShorage; Werner, Sharon

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the impact of a yearlong ambient professional development (PD) program-The Wayne Schools Global Geography Project (WSGG-project)-that focused on improving teacher quality through PD and classroom observations for in-service social studies teachers. The project targeted middle and high school social studies teachers and used…

  13. Using the Communication in Science Inquiry Project Professional Development Model to Facilitate Learning Middle School Genetics Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Dale R.; Lewis, Elizabeth B.; Uysal, Sibel; Purzer, Senay; Lang, Michael; Baker, Perry

    2011-01-01

    This study describes the effect of embedding content in the Communication in Inquiry Science Project professional development model for science and language arts teachers. The model uses four components of successful professional development (content focus, active learning, extended duration, participation by teams of teachers from the same school…

  14. Critical Reflections of Action Research Used for Professional Development in a Middle Eastern Gulf State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGee, Alyson

    2008-01-01

    This article describes and critically reflects on an action research project used for professional development purposes in a Middle Eastern Gulf State. The aim of the project was to improve professional development experiences for a group of in-service teacher educators, who were English as Second Language advisers. The initial discussion…

  15. An Examination of Oregon Writing Project Teachers: A Qualitative Study of Professional Development Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obery, Angela D.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the influence of the 2011 Oregon Writing Project (OWP) Summer Institute (SI) on the professional development of six teachers in the following ways: 1. The development of case descriptions of teachers' personal and professional backgrounds relevant to their teaching of writing. 2. An examination of the effects of the…

  16. Intersections: A Professional Development Project in Multicultural and Global Education, Asian and Asian American Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swartz, Leslie, Ed.; Warner, Linda, Ed.; Grossman, David L., Ed.

    This publication presents a sampling of the writings of participants in the Intersections Project, a professional development program to bridge gap between multicultural and global education for urban schools that involved four participating entities, each with a local project that focused on Asia and Asian Americans. The project was specifically…

  17. A Professional Development Project for Improving the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Science Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lavonen, Jari; Juuti, Kalle; Aksela, Maija; Meisalo, Veijo

    2006-01-01

    This article describes a professional development project aiming to develop practical approaches for the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into science education. Altogether, 13 two-day face-to-face seminars and numerous computer network conferences were held during a three-year period. The goals for the project were…

  18. Adoption of ICT in Science Education: A Case Study of Communication Channels in a Teachers' Professional Development Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Juuti, Kalle; Lavonen, Jari; Aksela, Maija; Meisalo, Veijo

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyses the use of various communication channels in science teachers' professional development project aiming to develop versatile uses for ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in science teaching. A teacher network was created specifically for this project, and the researchers facilitated three forms of communication…

  19. Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Annetta, Leonard A.; Frazier, Wendy M.; Folta, Elizabeth; Holmes, Shawn; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

    2013-01-01

    Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based…

  20. Mentoring for Business Engagement as Continuing Professional Development of University Academic Staff

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helyer, Ruth; Lee, Dionne

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports an innovative continuing professional development (CPD) project for academic staff in a UK university. The aim of the project is to develop academics' skills in relating to the business environment. The project has a number of strands, but the principal focus of this paper is upon a mentoring initiative. Much CPD in universities…

  1. Characterizing Cross-Professional Collaboration in Research and Development Projects in Secondary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schenke, Wouter; van Driel, Jan H.; Geijsel, Femke P.; Sligte, Henk W.; Volman, Monique L. L.

    2016-01-01

    Collaboration between practitioners and researchers can increasingly be observed in research and development (R&D) projects in secondary schools. This article presents an analysis of cross-professional collaboration between teachers, school leaders and educational researchers and/or advisers as part of R&D projects in terms of three…

  2. 76 FR 50199 - National Center To Enhance the Professional Development of School Personnel Who Share...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No. 84.325F] National Center To Enhance the Professional Development... of project period and waiver for the National Center to Enhance the Professional Development of... waiver enables the currently funded National Center to Enhance the Professional Development of School...

  3. A case study of the Physics Enhancement Project for Two Year Colleges, its effects and outcomes on the teaching of undergraduate physics at two year colleges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leif, Todd Robert

    This dissertation reports on a naturalistic evaluation study of a series of NSF grant projects collectively known as PEPTYC -- Physics Enhancement Project for Two Year College Physics Instructors. The project encompassed seven different cycles of professional development occurring during the 1990's via May Institutes, held at Texas A&M University. Follow-up meetings were held at American Association of Physics Teachers - Texas Section Meetings. The research was conducted post hoc. The research evaluated the characteristics of effective professional development under an evaluation frame work designed by D.L. Kirkpatrick (1959) and adapted by the researcher to address issues that are pertinent to the professional development of faculty. This framework was adapted to be viewed through an educator's eye in an effort to ascertain the long term affects of the program and determine how the program affected the participants' attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, and instructional practices. The PEPTYC program philosophy was based on the premise, supported by research, that professional development programs addressing specific teaching practices are more successful than generic programs. Furthermore, professional development is more effective in helping teachers use alternative approaches when teachers are engaged in active learning experiences rather than passively listening to lectures or presentations. The naturalistic study was based on surveys and semi-structured interviews with 14 individuals who participated in PEPTYC workshops, as well as presenters of the PEPTYC program. The interviews were analyzed to describe how the PEPTYC project influenced the participants long after they had completed their training. This project can inform the development of similar evaluation studies of other professional development programs.

  4. The Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP): A Project to Enhance Scientific Literacy through the Creation of Science Classroom Discourse Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Dale R.; Lewis, Elizabeth B.; Purzer, Senay; Watts, Nievita Bueno; Perkins, Gita; Uysal, Sibel; Wong, Sissy; Beard, Rachelle; Lang, Michael

    2009-01-01

    This study reports on the context and impact of the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) professional development to promote teachers' and students' scientific literacy through the creation of science classroom discourse communities. The theoretical underpinnings of the professional development model are presented and key professional…

  5. Collaborative School Innovation Project as a Pivot for Teachers' Professional Development: The Case of Acharnes' Second Chance School in Greece

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katsarou, Eleni; Tsafos, Vassilis

    2008-01-01

    A collaborative school innovation project is explored as a pivot for the professional development of the teachers involved. The Second Chance School (SCS) of Acharnes in Greece constitutes such a collaborative innovative project, regarding the underlying theory of multiliteracies, its decentralised character, respect for student individuality, and…

  6. Use of Online Training Modules for Professional Development with School-Based Therapists: Outcome Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawdis, Katina; Baist, Heidi; Pittman, Corinthus O.

    2017-01-01

    This evidence-based project provided a professional development opportunity for school-based therapists to gain knowledge about evidence-based practice and learn strategies to integrate newly learned knowledge for the purpose of becoming an evidence-based practitioner. The purpose of the project was to determine whether a six-module online course…

  7. Establishing Foundations for University/Professional Association Collaboration: The Profession Selection Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Queeney, Donna S.; Melander, Jacqueline J.

    The selection of professions that became part of the Continuing Professional Education Development Project, a joint research and development effort of The Pennsylvania State University and the Kellogg Foundation, is discussed. In addition to establishing collaboration between the university and the professions, the project sought to develop and…

  8. Learning from the Past: Supporting Teaching through the "Facing the Past" History Project in South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tibbitts, Felisa

    2006-01-01

    This article presents an innovative professional development project, "Facing the Past-Transforming Our Future," developed collaboratively by the Western Cape Educational Department, the Cape Town Holocaust Centre (CTHC), and the US-based teacher professional development organization Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO). "Facing the…

  9. An in-depth study of a teacher engaged in an innovative primary science trial professional development project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watters, James J.; Ginns, Ian S.

    1997-03-01

    The implementation of effective science programmes in primary schools is of continuing interest and concern for professional developers. As part of the Australian Academy of science's approach to creating an awareness of Primary Investigations, a project team trialed a series of satellite television broadcasts of lessons related to two units of the curriculum for Year 3 and 4 children in 48 participating schools. The professional development project entitled Simply Science, included a focused component for the respective classroom teachers, which was also conducted by satellite. This paper reports the involvement of a Year 4 teacher in the project and describes her professional growth. Already an experienced and confident teacher, no quantitative changes in science teaching self efficacy were detected. However, her pedagogical content knowledge and confidence to teach science in the concept areas of matter and energy were enhanced. Changes in the teacher's views about the co-operative learning strategies espoused by Primary Investigations were also evident. Implications for the design of professional development programmes for primary science teachers are discussed.

  10. Increasing Bellevue School District's elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science: Using ideas from contemporary learning theory to inform professional development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maury, Tracy Anne

    This Capstone project examined how leaders in the Bellevue School District can increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science through the use of professional learning activities that are grounded in ideas from human learning theory. A framework for professional development was constructed and from that framework, a set of professional learning activities were developed as a means to support teacher learning while project participants piloted new curriculum called the Isopod Habitat Challenge. Teachers in the project increased their understanding of the learning theory principles of preconceptions and metacognition. Teachers did not increase their understanding of the principle of learning with understanding, although they did articulate the significance of engaging children in student-led inquiry cycles. Data from the curriculum revision and professional development project coupled with ideas from learning theory, cognition and policy implementation, and learning community literatures suggest Bellevue's leaders can encourage peer-to-peer interaction, link professional development to teachers' daily practice, and capitalize on technology as ways to increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science. These lessons also have significance for supporting teacher learning and efficacy in other subject areas and at other levels in the system.

  11. The peer-professional interface in a community-based, breast feeding peer-support project.

    PubMed

    Curtis, Penny; Woodhill, Rose; Stapleton, Helen

    2007-06-01

    to explore key elements of the peer-professional interface within one breast feeding peer-support project. a descriptive, qualitative study design. Data were generated through focus-group discussions with volunteer peer supporters and health professionals. the Breastfriends scheme was a community-based, peer-support project located in Doncaster, a town in the North of England. all of the volunteer peer supporters who were involved in the scheme at the time of data collection (n=7). In addition, a convenience sample of health professionals (community midwives and health visitors [n=9]) was also generated. thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Two key themes that have relevance to understanding the peer-professional interface were derived: benefits of working together, and constraints on enabling working relationships. benefits associated with participating in the breast feeding peer-support scheme were highlighted by volunteers and health professionals. Volunteers experienced enhanced social support and increased self-esteem and personal development. Health professionals benefited from being able to 'spread the load' of breast feeding support. Some health professionals were also able to learn from volunteers' specialist experiential and cultural knowledge. Health professionals were concerned about volunteers transgressing (poorly defined) boundaries. Both volunteers and health professionals described gate-keeping activities and surveillance behaviours practised by health professionals in an effort to control aspects of volunteers' access to, and work with, breast feeding women. as a cohort of peer supporters develops, members may derive benefits from their participation that extend beyond those predicted and planned for in the project. They may also exert a proactive influence upon the evolution of the peer-support project and upon the relationships between volunteers and health professionals. However, midwives and health professionals may also seek to exert influence over the work of peer supporters, preferring the volunteers to work for, rather than with, them as health professionals. It is at the peer-professional interface that any disjuncture between the project ideal and the reality of the group may be most evident and most problematic. in order to reduce tension at the peer-professional interface, and optimise relationships between volunteers and health professionals, an ongoing process of development involving volunteers and health professionals is essential. Such a process would need to proactively identify and diffuse professionals' concerns while addressing both volunteers' vulnerabilities and their potential for semi-autonomous development within and beyond the context of the peer-support scheme.

  12. PHOTON2: A web-based professional development model for photonics technology education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Massa, Nicholas M.; Washburn, Barbara A.; Kehrhahn, Marijke; Donnelly, Judith F.; Hanes, Fenna D.

    2004-10-01

    In this paper, we present a web-based teacher professional development model for photonics technology education funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program. In response to the rapidly growing demand for skilled photonics technicians, the PHOTON2 project will increase the number of high school teachers and community college faculty across the US proficient in teaching photonics technology at their own institutions. The project will also focus on building the capacity of educators to engage in lifelong learning through web-based professional development. Unlike the traditional professional development model whereby educators receive training through intensive short-term workshops, the PHOTON2 project team has developed a pedagogical framework designed specifically for adult learners in which technical content, curriculum development, and learner self-regulatory development are integrated into an active, collaborative, and sustained online learning environment. In Spring 2004, two cohorts of science and technology educators, career/guidance counselors, and industry mentors from eleven states including California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Hawaii, and the six New England states commenced participation in the three-year project. Qualitative and quantitative research, focused on individual and environmental factors related to web-based learning, will examine the viability of web-based teacher/faculty professional development in engineering technology education.

  13. An Inquiry Safari

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomson, Norman; Chapman, Seri

    2004-01-01

    The Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project--a professional development project--is a collaboration of middle and high school inservice teachers, Zoo Atlanta primatologists, science and computer educators, and students. During a 10-day professional development summer workshop, middle and high school teachers explore the world of the gorilla through…

  14. Development and Validation of a Measure of Elementary Teachers' Science Content Knowledge in Two Multiyear Teacher Professional Development Intervention Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maerten-Rivera, Jaime Lynn; Huggins-Manley, Anne Corinne; Adamson, Karen; Lee, Okhee; Llosa, Lorena

    2015-01-01

    Using data collected from two multiyear teacher professional development projects employing randomized control trials, this study describes the development and validation of a paper-based test of elementary teachers' science content knowledge (SCK). Evidence of construct validity is presented, including evidence on internal structural…

  15. Developing an Automatic Crawling System for Populating a Digital Repository of Professional Development Resources: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Jung-ran; Yang, Chris; Tosaka, Yuji; Ping, Qing; Mimouni, Houda El

    2016-01-01

    This study is a part of the larger project that develops a sustainable digital repository of professional development resources on emerging data standards and technologies for data organization and management in libraries. Toward that end, the project team developed an automated workflow to crawl for, monitor, and classify relevant web objects…

  16. Statewide and District Professional Development in Standards: Addressing Teacher Equity. Models of Inservice. National Writing Project at Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koch, Richard; Roop, Laura; Setter, Gail

    2006-01-01

    The National Writing Project at Work (NWP) monograph series documents how the National Writing Project model is implemented and developed at local sites across the country. These monographs describe NWP work, which is often shared informally or in workshops. Richard Koch and Laura Roop present a model of standards-based professional development…

  17. Professional Development of Teacher Educators: A Cross Border Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laws, Kevin; Harbon, Lesley; Nguyen, Nam; Trinh, Lap

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a collaborative project between the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, Australia, and the School of Education at Can Tho University, Vietnam. The project aimed to develop a model for the professional development of teacher educators in the context of educational innovations in…

  18. Developing Collaborative Approaches to Enhance the Professional Development of Primary Mathematics Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeill, Jane; Butt, Graham; Armstrong, Andy

    2016-01-01

    This research project promoted a collaborative model of professional development between lead teachers from three schools, supported by a project coordinator and a researcher from a local university. Each lead teacher worked with their head teacher to design, lead, and evaluate an innovative, personalised, and school-based mathematics continuing…

  19. Multifamily Retrofit Project Manager Job/Task Analysis and Report: September 2013

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Owens, C. M.

    The development of job/task analyses (JTAs) is one of three components of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project and will allow industry to develop training resources, quality assurance protocols, accredited training programs, and professional certifications. The Multifamily Retrofit Project Manager JTA identifies and catalogs all of the tasks performed by multifamily retrofit project managers, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform the identified tasks.

  20. Classroom Effects of an Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Algozzine, Bob; Babb, Julie; Algozzine, Kate; Mraz, Maryann; Kissel, Brian; Spano, Sedra; Foxworth, Kimberly

    2011-01-01

    We evaluated an Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) project that provided high-quality, sustained, and intensive professional development designed to support developmentally appropriate instruction for preschool-age children based on the best available research on early childhood pedagogy, child development, and preschool…

  1. Development of a Total Energy, Environment and Asset Management (TE2AM tm) Curriculum

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'Leary, Phillip R.

    2012-12-31

    The University of Wisconsin Department of Engineering Professional Development (EPD) has completed the sponsored project entitled, Development of a Total Energy, Environment and Asset Management (TE2AM) Curriculum. The project involved the development of a structured professional development program to improve the knowledge, skills, capabilities, and competencies of engineers and operators of commercial buildings. TE2AM advances a radically different approach to commercial building design, operation, maintenance, and end of life disposition. By employing asset management principles to the lifecycle of a commercial building, owners and occupants will realize improved building performance, reduced energy consumption and positive environmental impacts. Through our commercializationmore » plan, we intend to offer TE2AM courses and certificates to the professional community and continuously improve TE2AM course materials. The TE2AM project supports the DOE Strategic Theme 1 Energy Security; and will further advance the DOE Strategic Goal 1.4 Energy Productivity. Through participation in the TE2AM curriculum, engineers and operators of commercial buildings will be eligible for a professional certificate; denoting the completion of a prescribed series of learning activities. The project involved a comprehensive, rigorous approach to curriculum development, and accomplished the following goals: 1. Identify, analyze and prioritize key learning needs of engineers, architects and technical professionals as operators of commercial buildings. 2. Design and develop TE2AM curricula and instructional strategies to meet learning needs of the target learning community. 3. Establish partnerships with the sponsor and key stakeholders to enhance the development and delivery of learning programs. 4. Successfully commercialize and sustain the training and certificate programs for a substantial time following the term of the award. The project team was successful in achieving the goals and deliverables set forth in the original proposal. Though attempts were made to adhere to the original project timeline, the team requested, and was granted a 6 month project extension, during which time the project was completed.« less

  2. Oklahoma's Marshall Plan: Combining Professional Development and Summer Writing Camps in Low-Income Elementary Schools. National Writing Project at Work. Volume 1, Number 8

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Eileen

    2004-01-01

    Eileen Simmons, a veteran teacher-consultant from the Oklahoma State University Writing Project, describes collaboration among writing project teacher-consultants and site-based teachers to plan professional development before, during, and after a summer writing camp for students at their school. This model, which has been adapted in a variety of…

  3. Student development and ownership of ethical and professional standards.

    PubMed

    Hall, Kevin D

    2004-04-01

    Ethics and professional conduct are vital to civil engineering undergraduate curricula. Many programs struggle to ensure that students are given an adequate exposure to and appreciation of ethical and professional conduct issues. This paper describes a two-part ethics/professionalism project used in a senior-level course taught at the University of Arkansas. Initially, students scrutinize ethical canons and standards of professional conduct published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and prepare an essay concerning the applicability of these standards. The second part of the project builds on the first: based on the opinion(s) generated in Part 1, students are asked to develop a set of canons or standards targeted specifically to the undergraduate student, and suggest processes for implementing those standards within the department. Project objectives include: (1) exposure to nationally-recognized ethical canons and standards of professional conduct; (2) personal formulation of ethical and professional standards; (3) skill enhancement for non-technical written communications. Feedback by students prior to and after the project indicates success in meeting all objectives. The feedback also indicates that for some students, definitions and applications of ethics and professionalism are being broadened to include more than academic honesty issues.

  4. Supporting Action Research in a Field-Based Professional Development School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menchaca, Velma D.; Peterson, Cynthia L.; Nicholson, Sheila

    A collaborative project between a Professional Development School (PDS) and a public school supported teachers' action research and initiated preservice teachers into action research. This paper describes one team's action research project in an inclusive high school classroom that shared the duties of teaching, assisting, modifying instruction,…

  5. Professional Development Integrating Technology: Does Delivery Format Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Claesgens, Jennifer; Rubino-Hare, Lori; Bloom, Nena; Fredrickson, Kristi; Henderson-Dahms, Carol; Menasco, Jackie; Sample, James

    2013-01-01

    The goal of the two Power of Data (POD) projects was to increase science, technology and math skills through the implementation of project-based learning modules that teach students how to solve problems through data collection and analysis utilizing geospatial technologies. Professional development institutes in two formats were offered to…

  6. Joint Center for Operational Analysis Journal. Volume 12, Issue 3, Winter 2010-2011

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    building . One technique that worked well involved demonstra- tion projects such as green houses, center-pivot and drip irrigation, and grain silos...or other professional objectives such that failure is not really verifiable. A common example from foreign assistance project objectives is... professionals . Indeed, there is a long litany of far more egregious and damaging projects wholly planned and executed by development professionals

  7. The development of the nursing profession in a globalised context: A qualitative case study in Kerala, India.

    PubMed

    Timmons, Stephen; Evans, Catrin; Nair, Sreelekha

    2016-10-01

    In the paper, we are looking at the relationship between globalisation and the professional project, using nursing in Kerala as an exemplar. Our focus is on the intersection of the professional project, gender and globalisation processes. Included in our analysis are the ways in which gender affects the professional project in the global south, and the development of a professional project which it is closely tied to global markets and global migration, revealing the political-economic, historical, and cultural factors that influence the shape and consequences of nurse migration. The phenomenon that enabled our analysis, by showing these forces at work in a particular time and place, was an outbreak of strikes by nurses working in private hospitals in Kerala in 2011-2012. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. An Innovative Model for Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMurray, Sharon; O'Neill, Susan; Thompson, Ross

    2016-01-01

    This paper considers an innovative model of continuing professional development in addressing the needs of children with literacy difficulties, namely the Special Educational Needs Continuing Professional Development Literacy Project. Stranmillis University College, in partnership with St Mary's University College, Belfast secured £4.06 million…

  9. ICT, Professional Learning: Towards Communities of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Ivan; Robertson, Margaret; Fluck, Andrew

    2005-01-01

    This article reports on findings from "action research" pilot projects in four Tasmanian primary schools. The projects focused on the provision of professional learning to support the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. These pilot projects used an approach developed from observations of…

  10. Work-Family Conflict, Perceived Organizational Support and Professional Commitment: A Mediation Mechanism for Chinese Project Professionals

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Projects are characterized by long working hours, complex tasks and being a kind of temporary organization. As such, work-family conflict is particularly prominent for project employees. This research examined whether and how work-family conflict affects professional commitment among Chinese project professionals. Research hypotheses were developed to explore the relationship between work-family conflict, professional commitment to the project and the mediating effects of perceived organizational support. Data were collected from 327 project managers or professionals working in construction enterprises in China; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, applying the bootstrapping method. Results showed that there were three dimensions of work-family conflict: time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. There were two dimensions of perceived organizational support: emotional support and instrumental support. The study also tested the negative effect of work-family conflict on professional commitment and the positive effect of perceived organizational support on professional commitment. Specifically, time-based conflict and emotional support had positive effects on professional commitment. Perceived organizational support had a total mediating effect between work-family conflict and professional commitment. The strain-based conflict dimension of work-family conflict had negative impacts on professional commitment through perceived emotional support and instrumental support. Overall, our findings extend a better understanding of work-family conflict and professional commitment in the project setting and verify the importance of social support in balancing work and family and improving employee mobility. PMID:29462860

  11. Work-Family Conflict, Perceived Organizational Support and Professional Commitment: A Mediation Mechanism for Chinese Project Professionals.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Junwei; Wu, Guangdong

    2018-02-15

    Projects are characterized by long working hours, complex tasks and being a kind of temporary organization. As such, work-family conflict is particularly prominent for project employees. This research examined whether and how work-family conflict affects professional commitment among Chinese project professionals. Research hypotheses were developed to explore the relationship between work-family conflict, professional commitment to the project and the mediating effects of perceived organizational support. Data were collected from 327 project managers or professionals working in construction enterprises in China; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, applying the bootstrapping method. Results showed that there were three dimensions of work-family conflict: time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. There were two dimensions of perceived organizational support: emotional support and instrumental support. The study also tested the negative effect of work-family conflict on professional commitment and the positive effect of perceived organizational support on professional commitment. Specifically, time-based conflict and emotional support had positive effects on professional commitment. Perceived organizational support had a total mediating effect between work-family conflict and professional commitment. The strain-based conflict dimension of work-family conflict had negative impacts on professional commitment through perceived emotional support and instrumental support. Overall, our findings extend a better understanding of work-family conflict and professional commitment in the project setting and verify the importance of social support in balancing work and family and improving employee mobility.

  12. Holistic Approach to Secondary Earth Science Teacher Professional Development: the Triad of Project-based Instruction, Earth Science Content, and GIS Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubino-Hare, L.; Sample, J. C.; Fredrickson, K.; Claesgens, J.; Bloom, N.; Henderson-Dahms, C.; Manone, M.

    2011-12-01

    We have provided two years of professional development for secondary and middle school teachers with a focus on project-based instruction (PBI) using GIS. The EYE-POD project (funded by NSF-ITEST) involved pairs of teachers from Arizona and the surrounding region in two-week institutes during Summer, 2010, and an advanced institute in Summer, 2011. The NAz-POD project (funded by Arizona Department of Education and administered by Science Foundation Arizona) provided similar PD experiences, but the institutes occurred during weekends in the academic year. The institutes were led by a team with expertise in Earth science content, professional development and pedagogy, and GIS. The teachers developed learning modules using the project based learning instructional model. Pedagogy, content, and GIS skills were combined throughout the professional development activities. Academic year follow up by NAU personnel included classroom observations and technical support. For assessing student work we provided a rubric, but learned that teachers were not prepared to assess GIS products in order to determine the level of student understanding. In year two of the project we incorporated strategies for assessment of student products into the professional development. Teacher-participants and their students completed several pre- and post- assessments. Teacher assessments included a geospatial performance assessment, classroom observations, and content tests. Student data collection included attitude and efficacy questionnaires, content tests, and authentic assessments including products using GIS. Content tests were the same for teachers and students and included spatial reasoning, data analysis, and Earth science content. Data was also collected on teacher perception of professional development delivery and self-reported confidence in teaching with PBI and geospatial technology. Student assessments show that improvement occurred in all areas on the content test. Possible factors resulting in this improvement will be shared, and placed in the context of other assessment results.

  13. Profiles of Selected Promising Professional Development Initiatives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Carol; Gerber, Peter; Handley, Claire; Kronley, Robert; Parry, Megan

    In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report represents efforts to identify and develop a database on promising new approaches to professional development in education, profiling 16 initiatives recommended by knowledge experts and representing a…

  14. Development of professional knowledge in action: experiences from an action science design focusing on acknowledging communication in mental health.

    PubMed

    Vatne, Solfrid; Bjornerem, Heidi; Hoem, Elisabeth

    2009-03-01

    This article reports a multi-professional development project that was based on an action science design. The purpose was to develop 'acknowledging communication' in a psychiatric department for young people, and the objective to study the staffs' experiences of participating in the project. The professional part of the project has its foundation in Schibbye's treatment theory of inter-subjective understanding of relationships, and involves three main approaches from her theory: self-reflection, self-delimitation and emotional presence. The article presents the specific action design used, where reflection processes were developed in three different arenas: multidisciplinary Reflection groups, a Leader support group for the group leaders of the Reflection groups and collective Project seminars for all employees. A formal study programme designed to increase professional expertise, 15 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), was also offered. The research methods included the researcher's process notes taken during the process, field notes from participating in the Leader support group, and qualitative interviews of eight informants participating in the various reflection arenas. The article presents and discusses the experiences evolved from the methods that were developed during the professional action science project: reflection on specific situations of interaction with patients in the form of oral/written narratives and the development of video presentations in combination with 'reflective teams'. The study showed that to facilitate change in the role of staff members, it is important to combine several reflection arenas where theoretical principles can be converted into practical action. By drawing data from only one study site, the study has a limited transferability, but should be of interest for professionals working with clinical change processes.

  15. Appropriating and Enacting Literacy Teaching Practices in the Context of the Pathway Project Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chung, Huy Quoc

    2015-01-01

    Given that teacher professional development is a part of teachers' professional lives and given that billions of dollars have been invested in teacher professional development, this dissertation advocates for research that studies teacher learning and the conditions under which they learn, as an equally important component of studying the impact…

  16. Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners: Discursive Norms, Learning Processes, and Professional Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molle, Daniella

    2010-01-01

    The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

  17. The Canada/China Teacher Education Project: A Chinese Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fahmy, Jane Jackson; And Others

    In 1991, Saint Mary's University (SMU) (Canada) and Beijing Normal University (BNU) (China) began an 18-month joint teacher education project intended to meet professional needs of BNU foreign language teachers. The project had three components: professional development of teachers; adaptation of the existing national curriculum to meet special…

  18. Evaluation of a Web-Based Professional Development Program (Project ACE) for Teachers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rakap, Salih; Jones, Hazel A.; Emery, Alice Kaye

    2015-01-01

    This article describes the development, implementation, and second-year evaluation of Project Autism Competencies for Endorsement (ACE), a web-based professional development (PD) program that is designed to train teachers currently working in the field to meet the unique and diverse needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A…

  19. Orchestrating Professional Development for Baby Room Practitioners: Raising the Stakes in New Dialogic Encounters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goouch, Kathleen; Powell, Sacha

    2013-01-01

    This article has emerged from a research and development project, The Baby Room, which was designed to examine how babies are cared for in daycare settings. Within the project, a form of professional development was created which designated a central space for dialogic encounter, primarily to enable the baby room practitioners who participated in…

  20. Improving Vocabulary of English Language Learners through Direct Vocabulary Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Meghan; Feng, Jay

    2016-01-01

    This is a report of a professional development project. The purpose of the project was to provide professional development to teachers in vocabulary instructional strategies and to examine vocabulary acquisition of English language learners. The participants were 8 second grade ELL students and 6 second grade teachers. The eight second grade…

  1. Making Mathematics Matter: Professional Development Improving Outcomes in High-Poverty Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siebers, Carolyn A.

    2012-01-01

    This research study is a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed data from an intensive, long-term professional development project named, "Project: Making Mathematics Matter. (PM[superscript 3])" carried out in two low-performing, high-poverty districts. Two of the districts served as treatment districts and ALL…

  2. Teaching, as Learning, as Inquiry: Moving beyond Activity in the Analysis of Teaching Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandoval, William A.; Deneroff, Victoria; Franke, Megan L.

    This paper describes an ongoing high school science teacher professional development project, Beyond Final Form Science, that focuses on developing teachers' ideas of scientific inquiry and inquiry pedagogy. It analyzes the first several months of the project, highlighting analyses of teachers' interactions during monthly professional development…

  3. Authentic Project-Based Design of Professional Development for Teachers Studying Online and Blended Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dabner, Nicki; Davis, Niki; Zaka, Pinelopi

    2012-01-01

    Online learning and teaching is rapidly increasing in many countries, including high schools in the USA and teacher education worldwide. Online and blended approaches to professional and organizational development are, therefore, becoming essential to enable effective and equitable education. Authentic project-based learning to support the…

  4. Teachers Teaching Teachers: The Belen Goals 2000 Professional Development Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norton, Priscilla; Sprague, Debra

    Belen Public Schools (New Mexico) received a Goals 2000 grant for teacher education and technology integration. The Belen Goals 2000 professional development project established two three-day teachers-teaching-teachers workshops. The first focused on using an integrated software package and the second focused on using e-mail and the Internet.…

  5. Impact Evaluation of National Writing Project Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallagher, H. Alix; Woodworth, Katrina; McCaffrey, Teresa; Park, Christina J.; Wang, Haiwen

    2014-01-01

    Improving teacher effectiveness is a key strategy to ensure student readiness for college and careers and to address achievement gaps and persistent low performance. In response to the new Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) the National Writing Project (NWP) created a professional development (PD) program to support…

  6. Purposeful Action Research: Reconsidering Science and Technology Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    vanOostveen, Roland

    2017-01-01

    Initial plans for this project arose from a need to address issues of professional development of science and technology teachers that went beyond the norm available within school board settings. Two teams of 4 teachers responded to an invitation to participate in a collaborative action research project. Collaborative action research was chosen in…

  7. What Makes Professional Development Coherent? Uncovering Teacher Perspectives on a Science Literacy Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kohnen, Angela M.; Whitacre, Michelle P.

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the authors sought to uncover the characteristics of professional development (PD) that were identified by teacher-participants as being important to their implementation of project ideas. Using phenomenological interviewing, the authors talked with nine teacher-participants about changes to their teaching practices after they…

  8. Challenges of Critical Colleagueship: Examining and Reflecting on Mathematics Teacher Study Group Interactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Males, Lorraine M.; Otten, Samuel; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth A.

    2010-01-01

    This article examines mathematics teacher collegiality by focusing on both the ways in which teachers interacted as critical colleagues in a long-term professional development project and the evolving role of the teacher-educator-researcher as the facilitator of this project. The professional development collaboration comprised two phases: one…

  9. Cost Framework for Teacher Preparation and Professional Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rice, Jennifer King

    In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report contributes to the understanding of resources required to successfully implement, replicate, or scale up professional development initiatives. The first section examines what preservice and inservice…

  10. Development, implementation, and process evaluation of a regional palliative care quality improvement project.

    PubMed

    Dudgeon, Deborah J; Knott, Christine; Chapman, Cheryl; Coulson, Kathy; Jeffery, Elizabeth; Preston, Sharon; Eichholz, Mary; Van Dijk, Janice P; Smith, Anne

    2009-10-01

    The delivery of optimal palliative care requires an integrated and coordinated approach of many health care providers across the continuum of care. In response to identified gaps in the region, the Palliative Care Integration Project (PCIP) was developed to improve continuity and decrease variability of care to palliative patients with cancer. The infrastructure for the project included multi-institutional and multisectoral representation on the Steering Committee and on the Development, Implementation and Evaluation Working Groups. After review of the literature, five Collaborative Care Plans and Symptom Management Guidelines were developed and integrated with validated assessment tools (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and Palliative Performance Scale). These project resources were implemented in the community, the palliative care unit, and the cancer center. Surveys were completed by frontline health professionals (defined as health professionals providing direct care), and two independent focus groups were conducted to capture information regarding: 1) the development of the project and 2) the processes of implementation and usefulness of the different components of the project. Over 90 individuals from more than 30 organizations were involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the PCIP. Approximately 600 regulated health professionals and allied health professionals who provided direct care, and over 200 family physicians and medical residents, received education/training on the use of the PCIP resources. Despite unanticipated challenges, frontline health professionals reported that the PCIP added value to their practice, particularly in the community sector. The PCIP showed that a network in which each organization had ownership and where no organization lost its autonomy, was an effective way to improve integration and coordination of care delivery.

  11. The Impact of "Writing Project" Professional Development on Teachers' Self-Efficacy as Writers and Teachers of Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Locke, Terry; Whitehead, David; Dix, Stephanie

    2013-01-01

    This paper arises from a two-year project: "Teachers as writers: Transforming professional identity and classroom practice'" and draws on self-efficacy questionnaire data collected at the beginning and end of the project and interview data from five participating high-school teachers who were also co-researchers in the project.…

  12. Combining Project-based Instruction, Earth Science Content, and GIS Technology in Teacher Professional Development: Is this Holistic Approach Sustainable?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubino-Hare, L.; Bloom, N.; Claesgens, J.; Fredrickson, K.; Henderson-Dahms, C.; Sample, J. C.

    2012-12-01

    From 2009-2011, with support from the National Science Foundation (ITEST, DRL-0929846) and Science Foundation Arizona (MSAG-0412-09), educators, geologists and geographers at Northern Arizona University (NAU) partnered to offer professional development for interdisciplinary teams of secondary and middle school teachers with a focus on project-based instruction (PBI) using geospatial technologies (GST). While participating in professional development teachers received support and were held accountable to NAU staff. They implemented activities and pedagogical strategies presented, increased knowledge, skills, and confidence teaching with project-based instruction integrating GST, and their students demonstrated learning gains. Changes in student understanding are only observed when teachers continue to implement change, so the question remained: did these changes in practice sustain after official project support ended? In order to determine what, if anything, teachers sustained from the professional development and the factors that promoted or hindered sustained use of teaching with GST and PBI, data were collected one to two years following the professional development. Research questions included a) what pedagogical practices did teachers sustain following the professional learning experiences? and b) what contexts were present in schools that supported or limited the use of geospatial technologies as a teaching and learning tool? Findings from this study indicate that teachers fall into three categories of sustaining implementation - reformed implementers, mechanical implementers and non-implementers. School context was less of a factor in level of implementation than teachers' beliefs and philosophy of teaching and teachers' understanding of technology integration (teaching with technology vs. teaching technology). Case studies of teacher experiences will be presented along with implications for future professional development.

  13. Use of a Numerical Strategy Framework in the Professional Development of Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laxman, Kumar; Hughes, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Derived initially from a strategic analysis of children's methods of counting, the New Zealand Numeracy Projects used, as a starting point for the professional development of teachers, a strategy framework that traces children's development in number reasoning. A pilot study indicated the usefulness of professional development where teachers use…

  14. The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Teachers' Understandings about Watersheds, Water Quality, and Stream Monitoring.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepardson, Daniel P.; Harbor, Jon; Cooper, Barbara; McDonald, Jim

    2002-01-01

    Professional development programs should provide teachers with experiences that develop their knowledge and skills to integrate environmental field studies into their school curriculum. Reports on a professional development model that engaged teachers in designing and conducting local environmental science research projects. (Author/YDS)

  15. Boundary Crossing in R&D Projects in Schools: Learning through Cross-Professional Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schenke, Wouter; van Driel, Jan; Geijsel, Femke P.; Volman, Monique L. L.

    2017-01-01

    Background/Context: School leaders, teachers, and researchers are increasingly involved in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects in schools, which encourage crossing boundaries between the fields of school and research. It is not clear, however, what and how professionals in these projects learn through cross-professional…

  16. Framing the Field: Professional Development in Context.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kronley, Robert A.; Handley, Claire

    In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report examines key factors and conditions that contribute to or hinder the success of professional development initiatives, especially as those factors and conditions relate to the financing of these…

  17. Professional Development for Rural and Remote Teachers Using Video Conferencing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maher, Damian; Prescott, Anne

    2017-01-01

    Teachers in rural and remote schools face many challenges including those relating to distance, isolation and lack of professional development opportunities. This article examines a project where mathematics and science teachers were provided with professional development opportunities via video conferencing to help them use syllabus documents to…

  18. Training Teachers to be Professional Development Leaders.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leslie, Jessica B.

    1982-01-01

    A Teacher Corps project conducted by the Edgewood Independent School District and Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas) is described. A classroom teacher at each participating school is trained to lead professional development activities at his or her school. Teacher involvement in designing professional development at each school is emphasized.…

  19. Relational Restorative Justice Pedagogy in Educator Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vaandering, Dorothy

    2014-01-01

    What would a professional development experience rooted in the philosophy, principles, and practices of restorative justice look and feel like? This article describes how such a professional development project was designed to implement restorative justice principles and practices into schools in a proactive, relational and sustainable manner by…

  20. Transfer of training through a science education professional development program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sowards, Alan Bosworth

    Educational research substantiates that effective professional development models must be developed in order for reform-based teaching strategies to be implemented in classrooms. This study examined the effectiveness of an established reform-based science education professional development program, Project LIFE. The study investigated what impact Project LIFE had on participants implementation of reform-based instruction in their classroom three years after participation in the science inservice program. Participants in the case studies described use of reform-based instruction and program factors that influenced transfer of training to their classrooms. Subjects of the study were 5th--10th grade teachers who participated in the 1997--98 Project LIFE professional development program. The study employed a mixed design including both qualitative and quantitative methodology. The qualitative data was collected from multiple sources which included: an open-ended survey, classroom observations, structured interviews, and artifacts. Three purposeful selection of teachers for case studies were made with teacher approval and authorization from building principals. Interview responses from the three case studies were further analyzed qualitatively using the microcomputer software NUD*IST. Tables and figures generated from NUD*IST graphically represented the case study teachers response and case comparison to six established categories: (1) continued implementation of reform-based instruction, (2) use of reform-based instruction, (3) program factors supporting transfer of training, (4) professional development, (5) goals of Project LIFE, and (6) critical issues in science education. Paired t-tests were used to analysis the quantitative data collected from the Survey of Attitudes Toward Science and Science Teaching. The study concluded the 1997--98 Project LIFE participants continued to implement reform-based instruction in their classrooms three years later. According to the teachers the program factors having the most influence on transferring training to their classroom were the positive responses from students; reflections with other teachers regarding instructional activities and strategies; modeling of activities and strategies they received from Project LIFE staff while participating in the program; and teachers commitment to reform-based instruction. These findings are important in enhancing national science reform goals. In order for teachers to be able to implement science-reform-based instruction in their classrooms they must experience effective professional development models. Designers of professional development programs must understand which factors in staff development programs most contribute to transfer of training.

  1. Developing and Piloting a Form for Student Assessment of Faculty Professionalism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Todhunter, Sarah; Cruess, Sylvia R.; Cruess, Richard L.; Young, Meredith; Steinert, Yvonne

    2011-01-01

    One of the impediments to teaching professionalism is unprofessional behavior amongst clinical teachers. No method of reliably assessing the professional behavior of clinical teachers has yet been reported. The aim of this project was to develop and pilot such a tool. Thirty-four desirable professional behaviors in clinical teachers were…

  2. How Professional Development in Project Lead the Way: Changes High School STEM Teachers' Beliefs about Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nathan, Mitchell J.; Atwood, Amy K.; Prevost, Amy; Phelps, L. Allen; Tran, Natalie A.

    2011-01-01

    This quasi-experimental study measured the impact of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) instruction and professional development training on the views and expectations regarding engineering learning, instruction and career success of nascent pre college engineering teachers. PLTW teachers' initial and changing views were compared to the views exhibited…

  3. The Professional Development Requirements of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme Practitioners. An Adult Literacy National Project Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berghella, Tina; Molenaar, John; Wyse, Linda

    2006-01-01

    This report examines the extent and nature of professional development required to meet the current and future needs of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme practitioners. While the working environment for such practitioners is becoming more complex, with greater demands on them to have industry knowledge and project management…

  4. Is Changing Teaching Practice the Mission Impossible? A Case Study of Continuing Professional Development for Primary School Teachers in Senegal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyazaki, Takeshi

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on research into a continuing professional development (CPD) project, "Projet de Renforcement de l'Enseignement des Mathématiques, des Sciences et de la Technologie" (PREMST) [Strengthening Mathematics, Science, and Technologies in Education Project]. The literature review reveals few examples of CPD changing the…

  5. A Practice-Centered Approach to Professional Development: Teacher-Librarian Collaboration in Capstone Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harada, Violet H.

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on a professional development initiative that targeted teams of teachers and librarians working with high school students on strengthening an inquiry approach to capstone projects. While much has been written about student-focused models for information search and use, little has been reported on how training for the…

  6. The Black Teacher Project: How Racial Affinity Professional Development Sustains Black Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mosely, Micia

    2018-01-01

    The Black Teacher Project (BTP) is an organization that supports, develops and sustains Black teachers for schools in the United States. The organization is building a Black teaching force that reflects the diversity and excellence of Black people in the United States. In our pilot year, BTP offered racial affinity-based professional development…

  7. Identifying Professional Development Environment for Mentor Teachers at a Learning Centre

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheng, May May-hung; Yeung, Yau-Yuen

    2010-01-01

    This paper argues with evidence that conditions for teacher professional development can be enhanced for mentor teachers through a Learning Centre (LC) project which has been introduced in Hong Kong as a collaborative project between the government, a primary school, a secondary school, and the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The LC teachers…

  8. 34 CFR 646.30 - What are allowable costs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... participant development, project administration, or project recordkeeping. (g) Professional development travel... of the participants' academic progress and personal development. (e) Transportation and, with the...

  9. Staging a Reflective Capstone Course to Transition PharmD Graduates to Professional Life

    PubMed Central

    Hobson, Eric H.; Spinelli, Alisa J.

    2015-01-01

    Objective. To develop and implement a capstone course that would allow students to reflect on their development as a professional, assess and share their achievement of the college’s outcomes, complete a professional portfolio, establish a continuing professional development plan, and prepare to enter the pharmacy profession. Design. Students were required to complete a hybrid course built around 4 online and inclass projects during the final semester of the curriculum. Assessment. Faculty used direct measures of learning, such as reading student portfolios and program outcome reflections, evaluating professional development plans, and directly observing each student in a video presentation. All projects were evaluated using standardized rubrics. Since 2012, all graduating students met the course’s minimum performance requirements. Conclusion. The course provided an opportunity for student-based summative evaluation, direct observation of student skills, and documentation of outcome completion as a means of evaluating readiness to enter the profession. PMID:25741030

  10. New way of working: Professionals' expectations and experiences of the Culture and Health Project for clients with psychiatric disabilities: A focus group study.

    PubMed

    Wästberg, Birgitta A; Sandström, Boel; Gunnarsson, Anna Birgitta

    2018-02-01

    There is a need for various types of interventions when meeting needs of clients with psychiatric disabilities and complementary interventions may also influence their well-being. The Culture and Health project, based on complementary interventions with 270 clients, was created in a county in Sweden for clients with psychiatric disabilities and for professionals to carry out the interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the professionals' expectations regarding the project and their clients' possibilities for participating, and to investigate the professionals' experiences of the project after its completion. Focus group data with a total of 30 professionals participating were collected. A qualitative content analysis revealed four categories of the professionals' expectations before entering the project: "Clients' own possibilities and limitations for their development and independence", "Professionals' possibilities for supporting the clients", "Societal prerequisites", and "Expectations of a new way of working". Furthermore, the analysis regarding professionals' experiences after working with the project revealed three categories: "Adopting the challenges", "Having ways of working that function - prerequisites and possibilities", and "Meeting the future - an ambition to continue". Working in the Culture and Health project together with the clients in group-based activities was perceived as beneficial, although challenges arose. When implementing cultural activities, support from stakeholder organisations is needed. © 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

  11. Evolving Jobs and Nonteaching Professional Staff in Universities: An Alternative Perspective on Career Mobility Processes. Final Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Estler, Suzanne E.

    Three technical reports and abstracts of colloquium papers are presented as part of a research project concerning the specification and testing of alternative models of intraorganizational career mobility among nonteaching professionals in universities. This project phase involved: the development of a model of evolving jobs as an alternative to…

  12. Reclaiming the Word "Standards": Professional Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (the STELLA Project).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doecke, Brenton; Gill, Margaret; McClenaghan, Douglas

    In 1998, the Australian Research Council provided funding for a three year research project to develop professional standards and assessments for the English teaching profession. The project team is a consortium of researchers from three major universities together with the two national English teaching associations and representatives from state…

  13. Industry Academia Partnership Project: Computerized Drafting and Electronic Program Improvements through Job Experiences, Curriculum Development and Faculty Professional Growth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodriguez, Felix; Colon, Elsie M.

    The Industry-Academia Partnership Pilot Project (IAPPP) was undertaken by Huertas Junior College (HJC), in Caguas, Puerto Rico, to improve advanced technical education, enhance the competitive capabilities of the region, and reduce the region's unemployment rate. The project consisted of three basic components: professional growth opportunities…

  14. Professional Development Strategically Connecting Mathematics and Science: The Impact on Teachers' Confidence and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baxter, Juliet A.; Ruzicka, Angie; Beghetto, Ronald A.; Livelybrooks, Dean

    2014-01-01

    The press to integrate mathematics and science comes from researchers, business leaders, and educators, yet research that examines ways to support teachers in relating these disciplines is scant. Using research on science and mathematics professional development, we designed a professional development project to help elementary teachers improve…

  15. Practice Brief: Faculty Perspectives on Professional Development to Improve Efficacy when Teaching Students with Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Hye Jin; Roberts, Kelly D.; Stodden, Robert

    2012-01-01

    "Innovative and Sustainable Teaching Methods and Strategies" project staff provided professional development to instructional faculty to enhance their attitudes, knowledge, and skills in meeting the diverse needs of students with disabilities. This practice brief describes one of the professional development programs, delivered over the course of…

  16. Professional Development to Enhance Instructional Leadership and Practice of Central Office Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCue, Cheryl A. R.

    2016-01-01

    Decades of research and practice suggest that educational administrators need to experience opportunities for professional development and continuous learning. This project study addressed the problem regarding the lack of a formal or systemic plan for professional development of central office administrators in a large suburban school district in…

  17. Open Educational Resources for Professionals: A New Era in the Training and Development of Legislative Counsel

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dewhurst, Dale; Keyes, John Mark; Zariski, Archie

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses a current project to develop open educational resources (OER) for legislative counsel in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The project is the latest step in a 20-year old distance education program for those professionals. The paper explores best practices for investment in freely available OER for use by professionals…

  18. Maintaining project consistency with transportation plans throughout the project life cycle with an emphasis on maintaining air quality conformity.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-11-01

    This document was developed for transportation professionals responsible for project : development and has three basic goals: : 1. Define project consistency and identify the causes of project inconsistencies and the : critical junctures in the proje...

  19. Developing Secure Power Systems Professional Competence: Alignment and Gaps in Workforce Development Programs—Summary Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'Neil, Lori Ross; Assante, Michael; Tobey, D. H.

    2013-07-01

    This document is a summarization of the report, Developing Secure Power Systems Professional Competence: Alignment and Gaps in Workforce Development Programs, the final report for phase 2 of the SPSP (DOE workforce study) project.

  20. Climate Literacy: Supporting Teacher Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Dunlap, C.; Bardar, E.; Youngman, B.; Ellins, K. K.; McNeal, K. S.; Libarkin, J.

    2012-12-01

    Confronting the Challenges of Climate Literacy (CCCL) is an NSF-funded (DRK-12) project that includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at high school teachers and students. The project's evaluation efforts inform and guide all major components of the project. The research effort addresses the question of what interventions are most effective in helping high school students grasp the complexities of the Earth system and climate processes, which occur over a range of spatial and temporal scales. The curriculum unit includes three distinct but related modules: Climate and the Cryosphere; Climate, Weather, and the Biosphere; and Climate and the Carbon Cycle. Climate-related themes that cut across all three modules include the Earth system, with the complexities of its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. The professional development component of the project includes online science resources to support the teaching of the curriculum modules, summer workshops for high school teachers, and a support system for developing the teacher leaders who plan and implement those summer workshops. When completed, the project will provide a model high school curriculum with online support for implementing teachers and a cadre of leaders who can continue to introduce new teachers to the resource. This presentation will introduce the curriculum and the university partnerships that are key to the project's success, and describe how the project addresses the challenge of helping teachers develop their understanding of climate science and their ability to convey climate-related concepts articulated in the Next Generation Science Standards to their students. We will also describe the professional development and support system to develop teacher leaders and explain some of the challenges that accompany this approach of developing teacher leaders in the area of climate literacy.

  1. Pacific CRYSTAL Teacher Professional Development Models: Lessons Learned

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Flier-Keller, E.; Yore, L.

    2010-12-01

    From 2005 to 2010 Pacific CRYSTAL (Centre for Research in Youth Science Teaching and Learning) has been engaged in community-based research fostering teacher leadership in innovative science education through a variety of approaches to teacher professional development. Pacific CRYSTAL is a University of Victoria based, NSERC funded project founded on a collaborative research model involving scentists, science educators and community members including schools, teachers, community groups and government. Pacific CRYSTAL professional development approaches embrace both in-service teachers and pre-service teachers, and include Lighthouse schools, workshops (ongoing as well as one-time), community-based partnerships in Pacific CRYSTAL research projects, teachers as researchers, and university science courses and workshops for pre-education and education students. A number of common themes, identified through these approaches, should be considered in the development and implementation of future science professional development initiatives. They include; teacher turnover, expanding and adding schools and participating teachers, teacher apprehension, building leadership capacity, further engagement of 'tourist' teachers, continuing professional support for teachers, as well as on-going mentoring.

  2. The Influence of Mathematics Professional Development, School-Level, and Teacher-Level Variables on Primary Students' Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polly, Drew; Wang, Chuang; Martin, Christie; Lambert, Richard; Pugalee, David; Middleton, Catherina

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the influence of a professional development project about an internet-based mathematics formative assessment tool and related pedagogies on primary teachers' instruction and student achievement. Teachers participated in 72 h of professional development during the year. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses of…

  3. Looking to the Future: Producing Transdisciplinary Professionals for Leadership in Early Childhood Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cartmel, Jennifer; Macfarlane, Kym; Nolan, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on an Australian initiative "Developing and Sustaining Pedagogical Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care Professionals," where academics and professionals shared knowledge, experience and research about transdisciplinary practice. The project aimed to develop an understanding of the strategies and skills…

  4. Continuing Professional Development in a Chamber Orchestra: Player and Management Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oakland, Jane; Ginsborg, Jane

    2014-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a pilot project undertaken by a professional freelance chamber orchestra in collaboration with conservatoire-based researchers exploring the potential value of professional development activities for musicians and their employers. Key members of the orchestra took part in two improvisation workshops,…

  5. A Narrative Analysis of a Teacher Educator's Professional Learning Journey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanassche, Eline; Kelchtermans, Geert

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on a narrative analysis of one teacher educator's learning journey in a two-year professional development project. Professional development is conceived of as the complex learning processes resulting from the meaningful interactions between the individual teacher educator and his/her working context. Our analysis indicates…

  6. Motivating Teachers to Enact Free-Choice Project-Based Learning in Science and Technology (PBLSAT): Effects of a Professional Development Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fallik, Orna; Eylon, Bat-Sheva; Rosenfeld, Sherman

    2008-01-01

    We investigated the effects of a long-term, continuous professional development (CPD) model, designed to support teachers to enact Project-Based Learning (PBLSAT). How do novice PBLSAT teachers view their acquisition of PBLSAT skills and how do expert PBLSAT teachers, who enacted the program 5-7 years, perceive the program? Novice teachers…

  7. Knowledge Is Power: Empowering the Autism Community through Parent-Professional Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Mary M.; Ackerman-Spain, Karen; Williams, Ellen U.; Ryley, Anderia T.

    2011-01-01

    Partnerships for Autism through Collaborative Community Choice and Empowerment (Project PACE) was developed to empower parents and professionals (e.g., general or special education teachers, therapists, social workers, school counselors, psychologists) through training and education. Project PACE was designed to provide participants with basic…

  8. Teaching of students technology early professional orientation of schoolchildren

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmanshina, S. I.; Sagitova, R. N.; Gilmanshin, I. R.; Kamaleeva, A. R.

    2017-09-01

    The necessity of early professional orientation of schoolchildren on the engineering profession and a new type of teacher was proved. Theoretically substantiated and experimentally tested pedagogical conditions of training of students - future teachers of technology early professional orientation of schoolchildren in the system of university preparation of teacher of a new type. This development of courses of special disciplines, aimed at developing of future teachers of readiness for early career guidance activities; development of interactive group projects for schoolchildren of different age groups (including primary school), expanding their understanding of the world of professions; practical testing of career guidance projects dealing with children’s audience.

  9. Competencies for the provision of comprehensive medication management services in an experiential learning project

    PubMed Central

    de Freitas, Erika Lourenço; Ramalho de Oliveira, Djenane

    2017-01-01

    Objective To understand students’ and tutors’ perceptions of the development of clinical competencies for the delivery of comprehensive medication management services in an experiential learning project linked to a Brazilian school of pharmacy. Methods An autoethnographic qualitative study was carried out based on participant observation, focus groups and individual interviews with students and tutors involved in an experiential learning project. Results The study revealed the development of competencies related to the philosophy of practice, the pharmacotherapy workup of drug therapy and interprofessional relationships. Conclusions The experiential learning project contributed to the professional development of pharmacy students in pharmaceutical care practice, pointing to its potential benefits for incorporation into professional pharmacy curricula. PMID:28950021

  10. Competencies for the provision of comprehensive medication management services in an experiential learning project.

    PubMed

    Mendonça, Simone de Araújo Medina; Freitas, Erika Lourenço de; Ramalho de Oliveira, Djenane

    2017-01-01

    To understand students' and tutors' perceptions of the development of clinical competencies for the delivery of comprehensive medication management services in an experiential learning project linked to a Brazilian school of pharmacy. An autoethnographic qualitative study was carried out based on participant observation, focus groups and individual interviews with students and tutors involved in an experiential learning project. The study revealed the development of competencies related to the philosophy of practice, the pharmacotherapy workup of drug therapy and interprofessional relationships. The experiential learning project contributed to the professional development of pharmacy students in pharmaceutical care practice, pointing to its potential benefits for incorporation into professional pharmacy curricula.

  11. Wisconsin Earth and Space Science Education

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bilbrough, Larry (Technical Monitor); French, George

    2003-01-01

    The Wisconsin Earth and Space Science Education project successfilly met its objectives of creating a comprehensive online portfolio of science education curricular resources and providing a professional development program to increase educator competency with Earth and Space science content and teaching pedagogy. Overall, 97% of participants stated that their experience was either good or excellent. The favorable response of participant reactions to the professional development opportunities highlights the high quality of the professional development opportunity. The enthusiasm generated for using the curricular material in classroom settings was overwhelmingly positive at 92%. This enthusiasm carried over into actual classroom implementation of resources from the curricular portfolio, with 90% using the resources between 1-6 times during the school year. The project has had a positive impact on student learning in Wisconsin. Although direct measurement of student performance is not possible in a project of this kind, nearly 75% of participating teachers stated that they saw an increase in student performance in math and science as a result of using project resources. Additionally, nearly 75% of participants saw an increase in the enthusiasm of students towards math and science. Finally, some evidence exists that the professional development academies and curricular portfolio have been effective in changing educator behavior. More than half of all participants indicated that they have used more hands-on activities as a result of the Wisconsin Earth and Space Science Education project.

  12. Creating effective scholarly posters: a guide for DNP students.

    PubMed

    Christenbery, Thomas L; Latham, Tiffany G

    2013-01-01

    Dissemination of scholarly project outcomes is an essential component of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education. This article provides guidelines for professional poster development and presentation as well as suggestions for integrating poster development as part of the DNP curriculum. This article was prepared by reviewing both theoretical and research-based literature regarding professional poster development. Evidence indicates that poster presentations at professional conferences are an excellent venue for DNP students to successfully share the results of their scholarly projects. For posters to be both well perceived and received at conferences, certain guidelines must be followed regarding poster development. Guidelines include emphasizing a consistent message, clear focus, logical format, and esthetically pleasing design. Poster development guidelines and strategies need to be taught early and regularly throughout the DNP student's education. DNP scholarly projects provide forward-looking solutions to some of society's most formidable healthcare challenges. The dissemination of knowledge gleaned from the DNP scholarly projects is vital to 21st century global health. Effective poster presentations are critical to the dissemination of scholarly knowledge. ©2012 The Author(s) Journal compilation ©2012 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  13. Cooperative Learning through Team-Based Projects in the Biotechnology Industry †

    PubMed Central

    Luginbuhl, Sarah C.; Hamilton, Paul T.

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a cooperative-learning, case studies project model that has teams of students working with biotechnology professionals on company-specific problems. These semester-long, team-based projects can be used effectively to provide students with valuable skills in an industry environment and experience addressing real issues faced by biotechnology companies. Using peer-evaluations, we have seen improvement in students’ professional skills such as time-management, quality of work, and level of contribution over multiple semesters. This model of team-based, industry-sponsored projects could be implemented in other college and university courses/programs to promote professional skills and expose students to an industry setting. PMID:24358386

  14. Cooperative Learning through Team-Based Projects in the Biotechnology Industry.

    PubMed

    Luginbuhl, Sarah C; Hamilton, Paul T

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a cooperative-learning, case studies project model that has teams of students working with biotechnology professionals on company-specific problems. These semester-long, team-based projects can be used effectively to provide students with valuable skills in an industry environment and experience addressing real issues faced by biotechnology companies. Using peer-evaluations, we have seen improvement in students' professional skills such as time-management, quality of work, and level of contribution over multiple semesters. This model of team-based, industry-sponsored projects could be implemented in other college and university courses/programs to promote professional skills and expose students to an industry setting.

  15. Professional services contract manager development and certification strategy : spr 696 : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-02-27

    SCDOT hires many consultants to provide professional services in support of its planning, design, construction and : maintenance projects. SCDOT personnel responsible for procuring and administering these professional service : contracts, especially ...

  16. Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors Toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Annetta, Leonard A.; Frazier, Wendy M.; Folta, Elizabeth; Holmes, Shawn; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

    2013-02-01

    Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based curricula was employed to determine how science teacher's attitudes and efficacy where impacted while designing science-based video games. The study's mixed-method design ascertained teacher efficacy on five factors (General computer use, Science Learning, Inquiry Teaching and Learning, Synchronous chat/text, and Playing Video Games) related to technology and gaming using a web-based survey). Qualitative data in the form of online blog posts was gathered during the project to assist in the triangulation and assessment of teacher efficacy. Data analyses consisted of an Analysis of Variance and serial coding of teacher reflective responses. Results indicated participants who used computers daily have higher efficacy while using inquiry-based teaching methods and science teaching and learning. Additional emergent findings revealed possible motivating factors for efficacy. This professional development project was focused on inquiry as a pedagogical strategy, standard-based science learning as means to develop content knowledge, and creating video games as technological knowledge. The project was consistent with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework where overlapping circles of the three components indicates development of an integrated understanding of the suggested relationships. Findings provide suggestions for development of standards-based science education software, its integration into the curriculum and, strategies for implementing technology into teaching practices.

  17. 77 FR 45944 - Final Priorities and Definitions; State Personnel Development Grants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-02

    ... designed broadly to focus on the effective and efficient delivery of professional development using... development. For example, some commenters recommended including references to universal design for learning... culturally competent, provided the project is designed to improve professional development in this area...

  18. Examining the ELL Professional Development Experiences of General Educators with English Language Learners: A Narrative Research Study Using Schon's Theory of the Reflective Practitioner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Celozzi, Christopher L.

    2017-01-01

    This narrative research study explored how general education teachers describe their ELL professional development experiences. Specifically, this project revealed general educators' reflective practices in terms of how they translated completed professional development training into the learning environment of their own classrooms. The theoretical…

  19. The Delivery, Financing, and Assessment of Professional Development in Education: Pre-Service Preparation and In-Service Training.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neville, Katherine S.; Robinson, Casey J.

    In December 2003, The Finance Project staff published and disseminated a paper that synthesizes the delivery and financing of professional development in education and gives an objective summary of the various debates in the field. This paper outlines the current status of both pre-service and in-service professional development for teachers,…

  20. Leadership Development of Rehabilitation Professionals in a Low-Resource Country: A Transformational Leadership, Project-Based Model.

    PubMed

    Pascal, Maureen Romanow; Mann, Monika; Dunleavy, Kim; Chevan, Julia; Kirenga, Liliane; Nuhu, Assuman

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of the activities and outcomes of the Leadership Institute (LI), a short-term leadership development professional development course offered to physiotherapists in a low-resource country. Previous studies have provided examples of the benefits of such programs in medicine and nursing, but this has yet to be documented in the rehabilitation literature. The prototype of leadership development presented may provide guidance for similar trainings in other low-resource countries and offer the rehabilitation community an opportunity to build on the model to construct a research agenda around rehabilitation leadership development. The course used a constructivist approach to integrate participants' experiences, background, beliefs, and prior knowledge into the content. Transformational leadership development theory was emphasized with the generation of active learning projects, a key component of the training. Positive changes after the course included an increase in the number of community outreach activities completed by participants and increased involvement with their professional organization. Thirteen leadership projects were proposed and presented. The LI provided present and future leaders throughout Rwanda with exposure to transformative leadership concepts and offered them the opportunity to work together on projects that enhanced their profession and met the needs of underserved communities. Challenges included limited funding for physiotherapy positions allocated to hospitals in Rwanda, particularly in the rural areas. Participants experienced difficulties in carrying out leadership projects without additional funding to support them. While the emphasis on group projects to foster local advocacy and community education is highly recommended, the projects would benefit from a strong long-term mentorship program and further budgeting considerations. The LI can serve as a model to develop leadership skills and spur professional growth in low-resource settings. Leadership development is necessary to address worldwide inequities in health care. The LI model presents a method to cultivate transformational leadership and work toward improvements in health care and delivery of service.

  1. The Oral History of Evaluation: The Professional Development of Marvin C. Alkin

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Journal of Evaluation, 2010

    2010-01-01

    Over the past 7 years, the Oral History Project Team has conducted interviews with individuals who have made signal contributions to evaluation theory and practice, tracing their professional development and contextualizing their work within the social and political climates of the time. By capturing the professional evolution of those who have…

  2. Advancing working and learning through critical action research: creativity and constraints.

    PubMed

    Bellman, Loretta; Bywood, Catherine; Dale, Susan

    2003-12-01

    Continuous professional development is an essential component within many health care 'Learning Organisations'. The paper describes the first phase of an initiative to develop a professional practice development framework for nurses in an NHS general hospital. The project was undertaken within a critical action research methodology. A tripartite arrangement between the hospital, a university and professional nursing organisation enabled clinical, educational and research support for the nurses (co-researchers) engaged in the project. Initial challenges were from some managers, educationalists and the ethics committee who did not appear to understand the action research process. A multi-method approach to data collection was undertaken to capture the change process from different stakeholders' perceptions. Triangulation of the data was undertaken. Despite organisational constraints, transformational leadership and peer support enabled the co-researchers to identify and initiate three patient-focused initiatives. The change process for the co-researchers included: enlightening personal journey, exploring the research-practice gap, enhancing personal and professional knowledge, evolving cultural change and collaborative working, empowering and disempowering messages. A hospital merger and corporate staff changes directly impacted on the project. A more flexible time-scale and longer term funding are required to enable continuity for trust-wide projects undertaken in dynamic clinical settings.

  3. Technology Development, Evaluation, and Application (TDEA) FY 2001 Progress Report Environment, Safety, and Health (ESH) Division

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    L.G. Hoffman; K. Alvar; T. Buhl

    2002-05-01

    This progress report presents the results of 11 projects funded ($500K) in FY01 by the Technology Development, Evaluation, and Application (TDEA) Committee of the Environment, Safety, and Health Division (ESH). Five projects fit into the Health Physics discipline, 5 projects are environmental science and one is industrial hygiene/safety. As a result of their TDEA-funded projects, investigators have published sixteen papers in professional journals, proceedings, or Los Alamos reports and presented their work at professional meetings. Supplement funds and in-kind contributions, such as staff time, instrument use, and workspace, were also provided to TDEA-funded projects by organizations external to ESH Divisions.

  4. The Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution: A Model for the Delivery of Earth Science Professional Development to Minority-Serving Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellins, K. K.; Snow, E.; Olson, H. C.; Stocks, E.; Willis, M.; Olson, J.; Odell, M. R.

    2013-01-01

    The Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution was a 5-y teacher professional development project that aimed to increase teachers' content knowledge in Earth science and preparing them to teach a 12th-grade capstone Earth and Space Science course, which is new to the Texas curriculum. The National Science Foundation-supported project was…

  5. Teachers' Assessments of Professional Development Quality, Value, and Benefits: Results from Seven Annual Surveys of Participants in National Writing Project Summer Institutes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stokes, Laura; St. John, Mark

    2008-01-01

    The National Writing Project (NWP) is the nation's premier professional development network dedicated to improving the teaching of writing. The NWP network comprises nearly 200 local sites in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. This report presents the results of a seven-year survey study of teachers participating in NWP summer…

  6. Professional development in photonics: the advanced technology education projects of the New England Board of Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donnelly, Judith; Hanes, Fenna; Massa, Nicholas

    2007-09-01

    Since 1995, the New England Board of Education (NEBHE) has been providing curriculum and professional development as well as laboratory improvement in optics/photonics to middle school and high school teachers and college faculty across the United States. With funding from the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technology Education program, NEBHE's optics/photonics education projects have created a national network of educational and industry alliances resulting in opportunities in optics and photonics for students at participating schools and colleges. The cornerstone of NEBHE projects is collaboration among educational levels, career counselors and teachers/faculty, and industry and academia. In such a rich atmosphere of cooperation, participants have been encouraged to create their own regional projects and activities involving students from middle school through four-year universities. In this paper we will describe the evolution of teacher/faculty professional development from a traditional week-long summer workshop to a collaborative distance learning laboratory course based on adult learning principles and supported by a national network of industry mentors.

  7. [Project HRANAFINA--Croatian anatomical and physiological terminology].

    PubMed

    Vodanović, Marin

    2012-01-01

    HRANAFINA--Croatian Anatomical and Physiological Terminology is a project of the University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. It is performed in cooperation with other Croatian universities with medical schools. This project has a two-pronged aim: firstly, building of Croatian anatomical and physiological terminology and secondly, Croatian anatomical and physiological terminology usage popularization between health professionals, medical students, scientists and translators. Internationally recognized experts from Croatian universities with medical faculties and linguistics experts are involved in the project. All project activities are coordinated in agreement with the National Coordinator for Development of Croatian Professional Terminology. The project enhances Croatian professional terminology and Croatian language in general, increases competitiveness of Croatian scientists on international level and facilitates the involvement of Croatian scientists, health care providers and medical students in European projects.

  8. Supporting Teachers' Understandings of Function through Online Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silverman, Jason

    2017-01-01

    This article explores one segment of an extended research and development project that was conducted to better understand the ways online teacher professional development can support teachers' development of deep and connected mathematical understandings. In particular, this article discusses teachers' understandings of the concept of…

  9. K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators and Higher Education Faculty: Partners Helping Rural Disadvantaged Students Stay on the Pathway to a Geoscience Career

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slattery, W.; Antonucci, C.; Myers, R. J.

    2013-12-01

    The National Science Foundation funded project K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators and Higher Education Faculty: Partners Helping Rural Disadvantaged Students Stay on the Pathway to a Geoscience Career is a research-based proof of concept track 1 pilot project that tests the effectiveness of an innovative model for simultaneous K-12 teacher professional development, student learning and workforce development. The project builds a network of science experiences designed to keep eighth and ninth grade students from the Ripley, Union, Lewis, Huntington (RULH) Ohio school district on the path to a geoscience career. During each summer of the ongoing two-year project teams of RULH students, parents, teachers, administrators and college faculty traveled to the facilities of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium at Sandy Hook, New Jersey to study science from an Earth system perspective. Teachers had the opportunity to engage in professional development alongside their students. Parents participated in the science activities alongside their children. Administrators interacted with students, parents and their teachers and saw them all learning science in an engaging, collaborative setting. During the first academic year of the project professional development was provided to RULH teachers by a team of university scientists and geoscience educators from the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA), a National Science Foundation funded project. Teachers selected for professional development were from science disciplines, mathematics, language arts and civics. The teachers selected, taught and assessed ESSEA Earth system science modules to all eighth and ninth grade students, not just those that were selected to go on the summer trips to New Jersey. In addition, all ninth grade RULH students had the opportunity to take a course that includes Earth system science concepts that will earn them both high school and college science credits. Professional development will continue through the 2013-2014 academic year. Formative assessment of the ongoing project indicates that students, teachers, parents and school administrators rank their experiences highly and that students are motivated to continue on the path to geoscience careers.

  10. Entrustable Professional Activities for Pathology

    PubMed Central

    Domen, Ronald E.; Conran, Richard M.; Hoffman, Robert D.; Post, Miriam D.; Brissette, Mark D.; Raciti, Patricia M.; Cohen, David A.; Roberts, Cory A.; Rojiani, Amyn M.; Kong, Christina S.; Peterson, Jo Elle G.; Johnson, Kristen; Plath, Sue; Powell, Suzanne Zein-Eldin

    2017-01-01

    Competency-based medical education has evolved over the past decades to include the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Accreditation System of resident evaluation based on the Milestones project. Entrustable professional activities represent another means to determine learner proficiency and evaluate educational outcomes in the workplace and training environment. The objective of this project was to develop entrustable professional activities for pathology graduate medical education encompassing primary anatomic and clinical pathology residency training. The Graduate Medical Education Committee of the College of American Pathologists met over the course of 2 years to identify and define entrustable professional activities for pathology graduate medical education. Nineteen entrustable professional activities were developed, including 7 for anatomic pathology, 4 for clinical pathology, and 8 that apply to both disciplines with 5 of these concerning laboratory management. The content defined for each entrustable professional activity includes the entrustable professional activity title, a description of the knowledge and skills required for competent performance, mapping to relevant Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone subcompetencies, and general assessment methods. Many critical activities that define the practice of pathology fit well within the entrustable professional activity model. The entrustable professional activities outlined by the Graduate Medical Education Committee are meant to provide an initial framework for the development of entrustable professional activity–related assessment and curricular tools for pathology residency training. PMID:28725792

  11. The Assimilation of Beginning Teachers into an Established School Improvement Project: A Qualitative Case Study Examining Formats of Job-Embedded Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuller, Lynn A.

    2016-01-01

    This dissertation examined formats of job-embedded professional development that were experienced by beginning teachers at a high-poverty, high-mobility elementary school in the third year of a School Improvement Grant. A qualitative case study was conducted to examine formats of job-embedded professional development that were most useful to help…

  12. Progression in Physical Education Teachers' Career-Long Professional Learning: Conceptual and Practical Concerns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armour, Kathleen; Makopoulou, Kyriaki; Chambers, Fiona

    2012-01-01

    This paper considers the issue of learning "progression" in pedagogy for physical education (PE) teachers in their career-long professional development (CPD). This issue arose from an analysis of findings from three research projects in which the authors were involved. The projects were undertaken in different national contexts (Ireland,…

  13. Essential KPIs for School Nutrition Program Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushing, Keith

    2017-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of the project was to develop a research based resource to support SN professionals in effectively utilizing KPIs to manage their programs. Methods: This project consisted of four phases. In Phase 1, a think tank of eight school nutrition professionals identified the general topic areas and format for the resource.…

  14. Effects of an Interprofessional Project on Students' Perspectives on Interprofessional Education and Knowledge of Health Disciplines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jutte, Lisa S.; Browne, Fredrick R.; Reynolds, Marie

    2016-01-01

    Context: Interprofessional education (IPE) is encouraged in health care education in the hope that it will improve communication among future health care professionals. In response, health professional education programs are developing IPE curricula. Objective: To determine if a multicourse interprofessional (IP) project impacted students'…

  15. Professional development using student-led, community-based activities.

    PubMed

    Martin, Ashley E; Cunningham, Stacey C; Magnus, Jeanette H

    2011-01-01

    As a community health education center affiliated with an academic institution, we recognize that by investing in the professional development of our students, we not only maximize our own outcomes but those of our students as well. Our project, Creating Community Connections, was developed to aid the work of our Center in characterizing the evolving community landscape following Hurricane Katrina while providing opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning. Students in the project could gain skills in program planning and community assessment, as well as leadership and communications. Twenty-three students worked on the project during its 2 years, developing data collection tools, organizing and conducting key informant interviews, facilitating focus groups and community forums, managing data, and summarizing project findings for community presentations. Participation in this project allowed our students to grow as public health leaders and researchers while gaining a greater appreciation for community collaboration.

  16. Teacher-Researcher Professional Development: Case Study at Kansas State University

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rebello, N. Sanjay; Fletcher, Peter R.

    2006-02-01

    We report on a case study which provides professional development to advanced undergraduate and graduate research team members of the Kansas State University Physics Education Research (KSU-PER) group. An integral component of a student's professional development is the opportunity to participate in a range of research activities and work in collaboration — both as a mentor and a junior researcher with a range of individuals. In order to coordinate and facilitate these opportunities KSU-PER established an ongoing research project investigating students' conceptions of the physics underlying devices. The project utilized an integrated methodological and administrative framework — combining elements from grounded theory, phenomenology and action research. This framework provides a forum and research setting allowing junior and experienced researchers to act in various project management roles and perform a range of research activities. We will conclude by reflecting upon our experiences.

  17. Use of Multi-Disciplinary Projects To Develop Competence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trotman-Dickenson, Danusia

    1992-01-01

    Undergraduate technology and business students at the Polytechnic of Wales (United Kingdom) participated in multi-disciplinary team projects to experience real life business challenges and develop competences that employers expect in professionals. Lists characteristics of successful multi-disciplinary projects, discusses cost and industry…

  18. RE-AIM evaluation of the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project: educational resources to inform health professionals about prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

    PubMed

    Payne, Janet M; France, Kathryn E; Henley, Nadine; D'Antoine, Heather A; Bartu, Anne E; O'Leary, Colleen M; Elliott, Elizabeth J; Bower, Carol; Geelhoed, Elizabeth

    2011-03-01

    The objective was to evaluate the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project that provided health professionals in Western Australia (WA) with educational resources to inform them about prevention of prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The authors developed, produced, and distributed educational resources to 3,348 health professionals in WA. Six months later, they surveyed 1,483 of these health professionals. The authors used the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) to evaluate the project. The educational resources were effective in producing a 31% increase in the proportion of health professionals who routinely provided pregnant women with information about the consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. One hundred percent of the settings adopted the project, it reached 96.3% of the target population, it was implemented as intended, and the resources were maintained (http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy). The educational resources for health professionals have potential to contribute to reducing prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD.

  19. Against all odds: Tales of survival and growth of the Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, Karen Kina

    This study examines the dynamics of survival and growth of curricular and instructional innovations. It focuses on the Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) project, a long-term survivor of reform in science education. Key questions guiding this study include: (1) How did the FAST project survive over the past 30 years? (2) What elements are essential for long-term survival and growth of an innovative science program? (3) Why did the project continue to survive amidst several waves of educational reform? The core of my conceptual framework is that the odds of survival and growth of curricular and instructional innovations are increased by the extent to which resources, theory-based curriculum development processes, and professional development strategies are not only incorporated into but also interdependent within a project. With this framework as a guide, the main methods of data collection were document analysis, interviews, and observations. FAST, developed by the University of Hawaii's Curriculum Research and Development Group (CRDG), consists of a sequential and interdisciplinary middle and high school science program for students in grades 6-10. According to the results of this study, the project was able to survive by receiving constant organizational support from CRDG and a steady source of State funding through the university since 1966; it also retained a relatively small but stable staff of highly qualified project personnel. Formulated on a discipline-based theory that values development of students' intellectual capacities as the platform for curriculum research, design, and development, the FAST project translated this vision of science education into key elements of an innovative program that survived and thrived: (1) an interdisciplinary program consisting of physical, biological, and earth sciences; inquiry as content and process; history and philosophy of science; and links between and among sciences, technology, and society; and (2) teaching and learning strategies that model a community of practicing scientists. This study also identified the main elements of professional development strategies essential for an innovative project's survival and growth: linking curriculum development to required pre-implementation inservice training, engaging project personnel in both of these phases recruiting, training a cadre of experienced FAST teachers as inservice trainers, and providing follow-up professional development seminars. In conclusion, the FAST project survived mainly because the longevity of its leaders gave stability and continuity to the project. Against many odds such as limited financial resources and a small number of staff positions relative to the project's scope, the leaders managed with whatever resources were available to link theory-based curriculum development with professional development and, thereby, increase the project's chances for survival and growth.

  20. The Effect Teaching Experience Has on Perceived Effectiveness of Interactive Television as a Distance Education Model for Elementary School Science Teacher's Professional Development: Another Digital Divide?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Annetta, Leonard A.; Minogue, James

    2004-01-01

    The first year of a 5 year professional development project for elementary teachers in two mid-western states integrated a bridge of two distinctly different distance education networks (T-1 and fiber optics) to provide science professional development for elementary school teachers in rural communities. "Interactive television" (ITV), the title…

  1. Building Geographic Information System Capacity in Local Health Departments: Lessons From a North Carolina Project

    PubMed Central

    Miranda, Marie Lynn; Silva, Jennifer M.; Overstreet Galeano, M. Alicia; Brown, Jeffrey P.; Campbell, Douglas S.; Coley, Evelyn; Cowan, Christopher S.; Harvell, Dianne; Lassiter, Jenny; Parks, Jerry L.; Sandelé, Wanda

    2005-01-01

    State government, university, and local health department (LHD) partners collaborated to build the geographic information system (GIS) capacity of 5 LHDs in North Carolina. Project elements included procuring hardware and software, conducting individualized and group training, developing data layers, guiding the project development process, coordinating participation in technical conferences, providing ongoing project consultation, and evaluating project milestones. The project provided health department personnel with the skills and resources required to use sophisticated information management systems, particularly those that address spatial dimensions of public health practice. This capacity-building project helped LHDs incorporate GIS technology into daily operations, resulting in improved time and cost efficiency. Keys to success included (1) methods training rooted in problems specific to the LHD, (2) required project identification by LHD staff with associated timelines for development, (3) ongoing technical support as staff returned to home offices after training, (4) subgrants to LHDs to ease hardware and software resource constraints, (5) networks of relationships among LHDs and other professional GIS users, and (6) senior LHD leadership who supported the professional development activities being undertaken by staff. PMID:16257950

  2. How Fares the "New Professionalism" in Schools? Findings from the "State of the Nation" Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Storey, Anne

    2009-01-01

    In a series of policy documents over the past decade, the idea of a "New Professionalism" for teachers has been constructed. It encompasses three core components: a national framework of professional standards; performance management; and continuing professional development (CPD). The planned interplay of these components into a coherent…

  3. The Possibilities for University-Based Public-Good Professional Education: A Case-Study from South Africa Based on the "Capability Approach"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLean, Monica; Walker, Melanie

    2012-01-01

    The education of professionals oriented to poverty reduction and the public good is the focus of the article. Sen's "capability approach" is used to conceptualise university-based professional education as a process of developing public-good professional capabilities. The main output of a research project on professional education in…

  4. Examining Teachers' Understanding of the Mathematical Learning Progression through Vertical Articulation during Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suh, Jennifer; Seshaiyer, Padmanabhan

    2015-01-01

    This study examines elementary- and middle-grade teachers' understanding of the mathematical learning progression as they participated in a 6-month professional learning project. Teachers participated in a professional development project that consisted of a 1-week summer content-focused institute with school-based follow-up Lesson Study cycles in…

  5. Curriculum Weaving: Developing Creative Curricular Opportunities for Pre-Service Teachers and Elementary Students through Project-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DuBois, Alison Lynn; Keller, Tina Marie

    2016-01-01

    Curriculum Weaving uses multi-layered goal planning designed to activate the students' prior knowledge, connect the student to student competencies and encourage them to engage in professionally-based, project management activities that will cultivate effective professional in the field classroom teacher. The focus of weaving these elements…

  6. Professional development for design-based learning in engineering education: a case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gómez Puente, Sonia M.; van Eijck, Michiel; Jochems, Wim

    2015-01-01

    Design-based learning (DBL) is an educational approach in which students gather and apply theoretical knowledge to solve design problems. In this study, we examined how critical DBL dimensions (project characteristics, design elements, the teacher's role, assessment, and social context) are applied by teachers in the redesign of DBL projects. We conducted an intervention for the professional development of the DBL teachers in the Mechanical Engineering and the Electrical Engineering departments. We used the Experiential Learning Cycle as an educational model for the professionalisation programme. The findings show that the programme encouraged teachers to apply the DBL theoretical framework. However, there are some limitations with regard to specific project characteristics. Further research into supporting teachers to develop open-ended and multidisciplinary activities in the projects that support learning is recommended.

  7. Consumer involvement in Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) projects - lessons from Australia.

    PubMed

    Kirkpatrick, Carl M J; Roughead, Elizabeth E; Monteith, Gregory R; Tett, Susan E

    2005-12-01

    It is essential that knowledge gained through health services research is collated and made available for evaluation, for policy purposes and to enable collaboration between people working in similar areas (capacity building). The Australian Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) on-line, web-based project database, known as the QUMmap, was designed to meet these needs for a specific sub-section of health services research related to improving the use of medicines. Australia's National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines identifies the primacy of consumers as a major principle for quality use of medicines, and aims to support consumer led research. The aim of this study was to determine how consumers as a group have been represented in QUM projects in Australia. A secondary aim was to investigate how the projects with consumer involvement fit into Australia's QUM policy framework. Using the web-based QUMmap, all projects which claimed consumer involvement were identified and stratified into four categories, projects undertaken by; (a) consumers for consumers, (b) health professionals for consumers, (c) health professionals for health professionals, and (d) other. Projects in the first two categories were then classified according to the policy 'building blocks' considered necessary to achieve QUM. Of the 143 'consumer' projects identified, the majority stated to be 'for consumers' were either actually by health professionals for health professionals (c) or by health professionals for consumers (b) (47% and 40% respectively). Only 12 projects (9%) were directly undertaken by consumers or consumer groups for consumers (a). The majority of the health professionals for consumers (b) projects were directed at the provision of services and interventions, but were not focusing on the education, training or skill development of consumers. Health services research relating to QUM is active in Australia and the projects are collated and searchable on the web-based interactive QUMmap. Healthcare professionals appear to be dominating nominally 'consumer focussed' research, with less than half of these projects actively involving the consumers or directly benefiting consumers. The QUMmap provides a valuable tool for policy analysis and for provision of future directions through identification of QUM initiatives.

  8. Entrustable Professional Activities for Pathology: Recommendations From the College of American Pathologists Graduate Medical Education Committee.

    PubMed

    McCloskey, Cindy B; Domen, Ronald E; Conran, Richard M; Hoffman, Robert D; Post, Miriam D; Brissette, Mark D; Gratzinger, Dita A; Raciti, Patricia M; Cohen, David A; Roberts, Cory A; Rojiani, Amyn M; Kong, Christina S; Peterson, Jo Elle G; Johnson, Kristen; Plath, Sue; Powell, Suzanne Zein-Eldin

    2017-01-01

    Competency-based medical education has evolved over the past decades to include the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Accreditation System of resident evaluation based on the Milestones project. Entrustable professional activities represent another means to determine learner proficiency and evaluate educational outcomes in the workplace and training environment. The objective of this project was to develop entrustable professional activities for pathology graduate medical education encompassing primary anatomic and clinical pathology residency training. The Graduate Medical Education Committee of the College of American Pathologists met over the course of 2 years to identify and define entrustable professional activities for pathology graduate medical education. Nineteen entrustable professional activities were developed, including 7 for anatomic pathology, 4 for clinical pathology, and 8 that apply to both disciplines with 5 of these concerning laboratory management. The content defined for each entrustable professional activity includes the entrustable professional activity title, a description of the knowledge and skills required for competent performance, mapping to relevant Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone subcompetencies, and general assessment methods. Many critical activities that define the practice of pathology fit well within the entrustable professional activity model. The entrustable professional activities outlined by the Graduate Medical Education Committee are meant to provide an initial framework for the development of entrustable professional activity-related assessment and curricular tools for pathology residency training.

  9. Teaching Tip: Developing an Intercollegiate Twitter Forum to Improve Student Exam Study and Digital Professionalism.

    PubMed

    Whiting, Martin; Kinnison, Tierney; Mossop, Liz

    #VetFinals has been developed as a novel online Twitter teaching event designed to support intercollegiate veterinary teaching using social media. Previous studies in other fields have suggested that Twitter use within universities may have benefits for undergraduate education. This "teaching tip" paper describes a project using Twitter to host online exam study sessions. The project has been a highly successful collaborative effort between the Royal Veterinary College and Nottingham Veterinary School in the UK. Over 4 years, the #VetFinals project has developed into a long-term, self-sustaining enterprise. This initiative provides a semi-structured means for student exam preparation with direct real-time input from a faculty member. It also creates a network of peers both horizontally across institutions and vertically throughout year groups. Based on similar initiatives in other disciplines, an anticipated outcome of this project was to contribute to student online professionalism. This could help address the veterinary community's recently highlighted problems with professional conduct and appropriate use of social media. Analysis of the success of this endeavor will be available in a future publication.

  10. Using an Investment Project To Develop Professional Competencies in Introduction to Financial Accounting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dudley, Lola Woodard; Davis, Henry H.; McGrady, David G.

    2001-01-01

    A group project involves accounting students in hypothetical creation of a stock portfolio after completing financial analyses. The activity develops decision-making, critical thinking, research, communication, and finance skills. (SK)

  11. Professional Development in the International Year of Astronomy: Expanding the Universe in the Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reinfeld, Erika L.; Harman, P.; Lee, M. H.; Bailey, J. M.

    2008-05-01

    The International Year of Astronomy offers unparalleled opportunity to expand our audiences’ understanding about the universe. However, many learners, students and adults alike, are unfamiliar with the universe beyond the solar system. This collaborative workshop explores strategies for teacher professional development around the origin and evolution of the universe, using the resources of the Beyond the Solar System Professional Development Project as a guide. The Beyond the Solar System (BtSS) Professional Development Project is a NASA-supported initiative from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) designed to foster public understanding of NASA's exciting astronomy and space science research. The BtSS portfolio includes video resources, assessment tools, data about common student ideas, content presentations, online telescope investigations, and other classroom activities designed to deepen content knowledge and improve the quality of teaching and learning about current scientific models and evidence for the origin and evolution of our universe of galaxies. During this session, members of the BtSS Leadership Team from around the country will share their experience using these resources in educator workshops and teacher-training courses, and facilitate discussions among workshop participants about how these materials and pedagogical strategies can be used in their own professional development efforts during the International Year of Astronomy. EPO specialists and scientists will engage in focused exploration of the project's DVD--"Expanding the Universe in the Classroom"--in order make explicit connections between the themes of the International Year of Astronomy and their own work. The goals of this workshop are to equip professional development providers to support IYA education efforts in classrooms, afterschool programs, and informal education venues and to raise awareness about the opportunities for continuing Galileo's legacy of discovery through current science and online telescopes.

  12. Do project management and network governance contribute to inter-organisational collaboration in primary care? A mixed methods study.

    PubMed

    Schepman, Sanneke; Valentijn, Pim; Bruijnzeels, Marc; Maaijen, Marlies; de Bakker, Dinny; Batenburg, Ronald; de Bont, Antoinette

    2018-06-07

    The need for organisational development in primary care has increased as it is accepted as a means of curbing rising costs and responding to demographic transitions. It is only within such inter-organisational networks that small-scale practices can offer treatment to complex patients and continuity of care. The aim of this paper is to explore, through the experience of professionals and patients, whether, and how, project management and network governance can improve the outcomes of projects which promote inter-organisational collaboration in primary care. This paper describes a study of projects aimed at improving inter-organisational collaboration in Dutch primary care. The projects' success in project management and network governance was monitored by interviewing project leaders and board members on the one hand, and improvement in the collaboration by surveying professionals and patients on the other. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to assess the projects. These were analysed, finally, using multi-level models in order to account for the variation in the projects, professionals and patients. Successful network governance was associated positively with the professionals' satisfaction with the collaboration; but not with improvements in the quality of care as experienced by patients. Neither patients nor professionals perceived successful project management as associated with the outcomes of the collaboration projects. This study shows that network governance in particular makes a difference to the outcomes of inter-organisational collaboration in primary care. However, project management is not a predictor for successful inter-organisational collaboration in primary care.

  13. Improving the coordination of patients' medication management: a regional Finnish development project.

    PubMed

    Kivekäs, Eija; Luukkonen, Irmeli; Mykkänen, Juha; Saranto, Kaija

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we present an overview of activities and results from a regional development project in Finland. The aim in this project was to analyze how healthcare providers produce and receive information on a patient's medication, and to identify opportunities to improve the quality, effectiveness, availability and collaboration of social and healthcare services in relation to medication information. The project focused on the most important points in patients' medication management such as home care and care transitions. In a regional development project, data was gathered by interviews and a multi professional workshop. The study revealed that medication information reached only some professionals and lay caregivers despite electronic patient record (EPR) systems and tools. Differences in work processes related to medication reconciliation and information management were discussed in the group meeting and were regarded as a considerable risk for patient safety.

  14. Professional Development Capacity Building in Pennsylvania's Regional Staff Development Program: The "WorkNet" Project. Final Report [and] WorkNet Workplace Literacy Trainer's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carman, Priscilla S.

    These two documents are products of a project to improve the capability of the Pennsylvania Regional Staff Development Centers to provide current, research-based workplace literacy training and technical assistance to adult basic and literacy education programs. The final report describes these project activities: development of training materials…

  15. Comprehensive Evaluation of the 1996 Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction Summer Institute.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meehan, Merrill L.; Cowley, Kimberly S.

    The Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction (ITI) Project was a 2-year project aimed at determining the effects of ITI on teaching and learning and at validating the effectiveness of a professional development model to facilitate development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer institutes and onsite workshops, project staff provided…

  16. Preparing Special Educators in Eastern North Carolina To Use Assistive Technology: A Multimedia Approach to Addressing Training Needs Unique to Rural Areas.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darrow, Melissa; And Others

    This paper describes a project addressing the assistive technology training needs of teachers of children with disabilities in rural eastern North Carolina, through development of a multimedia software tutorial service. The project utilized both a special education/assistive technology professional and an instructional technology professional to…

  17. Teacher Collaborative Inquiry as a Professional Development Intervention: Benefits and Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deni, Ann Rosnida Md.; Malakolunthu, Suseela

    2013-01-01

    The paper reports on a collaborative learning project coded as the teacher inquiry community that was carried out over a year in a private higher education institution to improve the professional capability of language-based subject teachers. Nine teachers completed the project all of whom were females and shared work experience of 2-29 years. Six…

  18. A Largely Unsatisfied Need: Continuing Professional Development for Process and Process Plant Industries. A Summary. FEU/PICKUP Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geldhart, D.; Brown, A. S.

    This summary report outlines the aims of a project that focused on provision of short courses for technical professionals in the chemical and allied process industry and the process plant industry. Continuing education needs of both companies and individuals, as well as corporate policies and attitudes toward continuing education and constraints…

  19. Characteristics of the Process of Culture Development Project Activities (Culture of Social Engineering) at the Future Bachelors of Social Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikitina, Natalya I.; Romanova, Elena Yu.; Vasilyeva, Tatyana V.; Nikishina, Irina N.; Grebennikova, Veronica M.

    2017-01-01

    In modern Russia professional activity productivity of social work specialist depends largely on his abilities and skills in the field of social design. University graduate's (social work bachelor`s) high level of professional-project activity culture can be regarded as one of the necessary conditions of successful labour market adaptation of…

  20. Using information and communication technology to revitalise continuing professional development for rural health professionals: evidence from a pilot project.

    PubMed

    Mugisha, J F

    2009-01-01

    This project revitalised continuing professional development (CPD) among rural health professionals in Uganda, Africa, using information and communication technology (ICT). The project was piloted in 3 rural hospitals where CPD activities were failing to meet demand because activities were not properly coordinated, the meetings were too infrequent, the delivery methods were inappropriate, and the content was highly supply-driven and generally irrelevant to the performance needs of the health workers. The project intervention involved the installation of various ICT equipment including computers, liquid crystal display (LCD) projectors, office copiers, printers, spiral binders and CDs. A number of health workers were also trained in ICT use. Three years later, an evaluation study was conducted using interviews, focus group discussions and document review. The results indicated that there had been a rapid increase in the number of staff attending the CPD sessions, an increased staff mix among participants, improved quality of CPD presentations, increased use of locally produced content, more relevant topics discussed and an increased interest by hospital management in CPD, manifested by commitment of staff training funds. Staff motivation, attitude and responsiveness to clients had also improved as a result of the invigorated CPD activities.

  1. Steps Forward and Back in Adult Numeracy Teacher Professional Development: A Reflection on a Teacher Workshop Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saliga, Linda Marie; Daviso, Al; Stuart, Denise; Pachnowski, Lynne

    2015-01-01

    In this project, a university team of teacher education and mathematics professors conducted eight professional development sessions for General Educational Development (GED) teachers in the area of mathematics teaching. Topics included concretely modeling mathematics concepts in algebra, number sense, geometry, and differentiating instruction in…

  2. Priority Fields of Teachers' Professional Development in Terms of Open Education Worldwide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avshenyuk, Nataliya

    2016-01-01

    The article is devoted to the problem of teachers' professional development within the concept of "open educational resources". The author analyzes the project "Massive Open Online Courses" (MOOC) as one of the modern achievements in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) for the development of adult…

  3. Professional Development for E-Learning: Researching a Strategy for New Zealand's Tertiary Education Sector

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shephard, Kerry; Mansvelt, Juliana; Stein, Sarah; Suddaby, Gordon; Harris, Irene; O'Hara, Duncan

    2011-01-01

    This collaborative research project devised a framework to support professional development for e-learning within New Zealand's diverse and integrated tertiary education sector. The research was supported by New Zealand's Ministry of Education. The research included reviews of developments in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and a…

  4. Lifelong Education, Schools and Curricula in Developing Countries. Report of an International Seminar.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawes, H. W. R.

    A group of 40 education professionals, mainly from Asia and Africa, attended a seminar in Hamburg in December 1974 to consider curriculum development emphasizing lifelong education and adapted to local needs. The majority of participants were professionals involved in national curriculum development programs and with UNESCO curriculum projects.…

  5. Cinemeducation: A pilot student project using movies to help students learn medical professionalism.

    PubMed

    Lumlertgul, Nuttha; Kijpaisalratana, Naruchorn; Pityaratstian, Nuttorn; Wangsaturaka, Danai

    2009-07-01

    Using movies has been accepted worldwide as a tool to help students learn medical professionalism. In the second year, a group of medical students conducted the "Cinemeducation" project to promote professionalism in the "Medical Ethics and Critical Thinking" course. Five movies with professionalism issues were screened with 20-30 students attending each session. After the show, participants then were asked to reflect on what they had learned in terms of professionalism. Two students led group discussion emphasizing questioning and argumentation for 60 min. Additional learning issues emerging from each session were also explored in more depth and arranged into a report. In the Cinemeducation Project, medical students have learned five main ethical issues in each film, which were the doctor-patient relationship, informed consent and clinical trials in patients, management of genetic disorders, patient management, and brain death and organ transplantation. In addition to issues of professionalism, they also developed critical thinking and moral reasoning skills. Using a case-based scenario in movies has proven to be an effective and entertaining method of facilitating students with learning on professionalism.

  6. Online virtual patients - A driver for change in medical and healthcare professional education in developing countries?

    PubMed

    Dewhurst, David; Borgstein, Eric; Grant, Mary E; Begg, Michael

    2009-08-01

    The development of online virtual patients has proved to be an effective vehicle for pedagogical and technological skills transfer and capacity building for medical and healthcare educators in Malawi. A project between the University of Edinburgh and the University of Malawi has delivered more than 20 collaboratively developed, virtual patients, contextualised for in-country medical and healthcare education and, more significantly, a cadre of healthcare professionals skilled in developing digital resources and integrating these into their emerging curricula. The process of engaging with new approaches to teaching and delivering personalised, context sensitive content via a game-informed, technology-supported process has contributed to the ability of healthcare educators in Malawi to drive pedagogical change, meet the substantial challenges of delivering new curricula, cope with increasing student numbers and promote teacher professional development. This initial phase of the project has laid the foundation for a broader second phase that focuses on promoting curriculum change, developing educational infrastructure and in-country capacity to create, and integrate digital resources into education and training across multi-professional groups and across educational levels.

  7. Teaching Inquiry using NASA Earth-System Science: Lessons Learned for Blended, Scaffolded Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ellis, T. D.; TeBockhorst, D.

    2013-12-01

    Teaching Inquiry using NASA Earth-System Science (TINES) is a NASA EPOESS funded program exploring blended professional development for pre- and in-service educators to learn how to conduct meaningful inquiry lessons and projects in the K-12 classroom. This project combines trainings in GLOBE observational protocols and training in the use of NASA Earth Science mission data in a backward-faded scaffolding approach to teaching and learning about scientific inquiry. It also features a unique partnership with the National Science Teachers Association Learning Center to promote cohort building and blended professional development with access to NSTA's collection of resources. In this presentation, we will discuss lessons learned in year one and two of this program and how we plan to further develop this program over the next two years.

  8. The EarthLabs Approach to Curriculum and Professional Development: Earth Science Education in the 21st Century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mote, A. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.

    2011-12-01

    Humans are modifying planet Earth at an alarming rate without fully understanding how our actions will affect the atmosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere. Recognizing the value of educating people to become citizens who can make informed decisions about Earth's resources and challenges, Texas currently offers Earth and Space Science as a rigorous high school capstone course. The new course has created a need for high quality instructional resources and professional development to equip teachers with the most up to date content knowledge, pedagogical approaches, and technological skills to be able to teach a rigorous Earth and Space Science course. As a participant in the NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to create Earth System Science and climate change resources for the EarthLabs collection. To this end, I am involved in multiple phases of the EarthLabs project, including reviewing the lab-based units during the development phase, pilot teaching the units with my students, participating in research, and ultimately delivering professional development to other teachers to turn them on to the new modules. My partnership with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my teaching practice by increasing my involvement with curriculum development and collaboration and interaction with other Earth science educators. Critically evaluating the lab modules prior to delivering the lessons to my students has prepared me to more effectively teach the EarthLabs modules in my classroom and present the material to other teachers during professional development workshops. The workshop was also strengthened by planning meetings held with EarthLabs partner teachers in which we engaged in lively discussions regarding misconceptions in Earth science, held by both students and adults, and pedagogical approaches to uncover these misconceptions. Collaboration and discussion among members of the EarthLabs team and partner teachers was instrumental to improving the quality of the EarthLabs modules and the professional development workshop. Furthermore, leading the workshop alongside other partner teachers gave me the confidence and experience to deliver professional development to my colleagues and introduce the newly developed EarthLabs modules to other teachers. In this session I will share my experiences and report on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from being a part of the EarthLabs curriculum and professional development process.

  9. Professional Development in Action: Improving Teaching for English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Casteel, Catherine J., Ed.; Ballantyne, Keira Gebbie, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    This monograph showcases professional development projects by school districts and colleges of education that train teachers to work successfully with English learners (ELs) across the nation. The papers presented in this monograph offer real-life examples of successful and innovative practices, including institutionalized mentoring programs, new…

  10. Connecting Changes in Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge to Their Experiences in a Professional Development Workshop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boston, Melissa D.

    2013-01-01

    This investigation describes secondary mathematics teachers' learning and instructional change following their participation in a professional development workshop, the Enhancing Secondary Mathematics Teacher Preparation Project (ESP) (2004-2005), specifically focused on the selection and implementation of cognitively challenging mathematical…

  11. Professional Development Models That Promote Teacher Change and Impact Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkins, Dawn

    2017-01-01

    To capture participants' perspectives regarding their experiences in South Carolina's Upstate Writing Project professional development, a series of in-depth, qualitative interviews was conducted with four teachers and two curriculum coaches from participating districts. Data provided insight into participant's perceptions of how their experiences…

  12. Research Says/Does Teacher Collaboration Promote Teacher Growth?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Bryan

    2016-01-01

    A report from TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) raised eyebrows recently when it concluded that much of the professional development teachers receive does little to improve teaching quality. The report, provocatively titled "The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Professional Development," examined the…

  13. The Proposal Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierce, Elizabeth

    2007-01-01

    The proposal project stretches over a significant portion of the semester-long sophomore course Professional Communication (ENG 250) at Monroe Community College. While developing their proposal project, students need to use time management skills to successfully complete a quality project on time. In addition, excellent oral and written…

  14. The ERESE project: Bridging the gap between Digital Science Libraries and Education through Professional Development of Teachers and Database Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Staudigel, H.; Helly, M.; Helly, J.; Koppers, A.; Massel-Symons, C.; Miller, S.

    2004-12-01

    The ERESE (Enduring Resources in Earth Science Education) project involves a close collaboration between teachers, librarians, educators, data archive managers and scientists in Earth sciences and information technology, to create a digital library environment for Earth science education. We report here on an ongoing (NSF-NSDL) project involving teachers' professional development in the pedagogy of plate tectonics in middle and high schools. This work included efforts in scientific database development in terms of contents and search tools, the development of an inquiry based learning approach, a two week professional development workshop attended by 15 teachers from across the nation, a classroom implementation of lesson plans developed by the teachers at the workshop and an evaluation/validation process for the success of their pedagogic approaches. This ERESE project offers a novel path for both science teaching and professional outreach for scientists, and includes four key components: (1) A true, long-term research partnership between educators and scientists, guiding each other with respect to the authenticity of the science taught and the educational soundness of a scientists' elaborations on science concepts. (2) Expansion of existing scientific databases through the use of metadata that tie scientific materials to a particular expert level and teaching goal. (3) The design of interfaces that make data accessible to the educational community. (4) The use of an inquiry based teaching approach that integrates the scientist-educator collaboration and the data base developments. Our pedagogic approach includes the development of a central hypotheses by the student in response to an initial general orientation and presentation of a well chosen central provocative phenomenon by the teacher. Then, the student develops a research plan that is devoted to address this hypothesis through the use of the materials provided by a scientific database allowing a students prove or disprove their hypothesis and to explore the limits of the (current) understanding of a particular science question. Our first experience with this ERESE project involved a steep learning curve, but the initial results are very promising, providing true professional development for educators as well as for the scientists, whereby the former learn about new ways of teaching science and the latter learn to communicate with teachers.

  15. Encouraging Data Use in the Classroom-DLESE Workshop Evaluation Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lynds, S. E.; Buhr, S. M.; Ledley, T. S.

    2005-12-01

    For the last two years, the Data Services Team of the Digital Library for Earth Systems Education (DLESE) has offered annual workshops, bringing scientists, technology specialists, and education professionals together to develop ways of using scientific data in education. Teams comprised of representatives from each of five professional roles (scientist, curriculum developer, data provider, teacher, tool developer) worked on developing online educational units of the Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET--http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/). Workshop evaluation projects elicited a large amount of feedback from participants at both workshops. Consistently, the attendees most highly valued the opportunity to network with those of other professional roles and to collaborate on a real-world education project. Technology and science specialists emphasized their desire for a greater understanding of practical applications for scientific data in the classroom and what educators need for successful curricula. The evaluation project also revealed similarities in the limitations that many attendees reported in using online data. Technological barriers such as data format, bandwidth limitations, and proprietary data were all mentioned by participants regardless of professional role. This talk will discuss the barriers to and advantages of collaborations between scientists, technology specialists, and educators and the potential for this format to result in data-rich curriculum elements.

  16. An Eclectic Professional Development Proposal for English Language Teachers (Una propuesta ecléctica de formación docente para profesores de inglés)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaves, Orlando; Guapacha, Maria Eugenia

    2016-01-01

    This article reports a mixed-method research project aimed at improving the practices of public sector English teachers in Cali (Colombia) through a professional development program. At the diagnostic stage surveys, documentary analysis, and a focus group yielded the teachers' profile and professional needs. The action phase measured the program's…

  17. Development of an interprofessional competency framework for collaborative practice in Japan.

    PubMed

    Haruta, Junji; Yoshida, Kazue; Goto, Michiko; Yoshimoto, Hisashi; Ichikawa, Shuhei; Mori, Youhei; Yoshimi, Kenji; Otsuka, Mariko

    2018-01-30

    Rapid aging of the population necessitates improved collaboration among healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, interprofessional collaboration has yet to be implemented effectively in Japan. Therefore, we aimed to develop an interprofessional competency framework for Japanese healthcare professionals. The project was conducted as a four-step process, starting with initial categorization of potential competency domains,, followed by guiding principle and prototype development, feedback on the prototype, and final consensus. First, authors (JH and MO) collected opinions about competency in interprofessional collaboration at two academic meetings of the Japan Association for Interprofessional Education (JAIPE) and then analyzed the data thematically. Second, a project team consisting of JAIPE and University representatives extracted the domains and statements as prototype 1. Third, seven representatives from professional organizations joined the project team and developed prototype 2. We then called for feedback on the revised prototype 2 at both an open symposium and via public comments. Following revision of prototype 2, a new project team including 20 university, professional organization and health practitioner representatives finally discussed prototype 3, developed the final draft and reached a consensus. In analysis after collecting the data, we extracted 11 themes. We developed four key principles which applied to six domains as prototype 1-3. Finally, our competency framework included two core domains of "Patient-/client-/family-/community-centered" and "Interprofessional communication", and four peripheral domains of "Role contribution", "Facilitation of relationships", "Reflection" and "Understanding of others". We developed an interprofessional competency framework in Japan which consists of two core and four peripheral domains. The interprofessional competency framework is likely to affect the understanding of "high-context" and "relationalism" in Japanese healthcare. We hope that our interprofessional competency framework will encourage the systematic implementation of interprofessional education and collaboration in Japan.

  18. Benefits, challenges, and best practices for involving audiences in the development of interactive coastal risk communication tools: Professional communicators' experiences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephens, S. H.; DeLorme, D.

    2017-12-01

    To make scientific information useful and usable to audiences, communicators must understand audience needs, expectations, and future applications. This presentation synthesizes benefits, challenges, and best practices resulting from a qualitative social science interview study of nine professionals on their experiences developing interactive visualization tools for communicating about coastal environmental risks. Online interactive risk visualization tools, such as flooding maps, are used to provide scientific information about the impacts of coastal hazards. These tools have a wide range of audiences and purposes, including time-sensitive emergency communication, infrastructure and natural resource planning, and simply starting a community conversation about risks. Thus, the science, purposes, and audiences of these tools require a multifaceted communication strategy. In order to make these tools useable and accepted by their audiences, many professional development teams solicit target end-user input or incorporate formal user-centered design into the development process. This presentation will share results of seven interviews with developers of U.S. interactive coastal risk communication tools, ranging from state-level to international in scope. Specific techniques and procedures for audience input that were used in these projects will be discussed, including ad-hoc conversations with users, iterative usability testing with project stakeholder groups, and other participatory mechanisms. The presentation will then focus on benefits, challenges, and recommendations for best practice that the interviewees disclosed about including audiences in their development projects. Presentation attendees will gain an understanding of different procedures and techniques that professionals employ to involve end-users in risk tool development projects, as well as important considerations and recommendations for effectively involving audiences in science communication design.

  19. Pre-Service Teacher Training in Malawi: Findings of a Pilot Study on the Viability of Media Players for Teacher Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrier, Carol; Finholt-Daniel, Matt; Sales, Gregory C.

    2012-01-01

    As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and…

  20. Fostering Special Education Certification through Professional Development, Learning Communities and Mentorship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trahan, Mitzi P.; Olivier, Dianne F.; Wadsworth, Donna E.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to present mixed methodology evaluation data regarding a professional development initiative designed to offer non-certified special education teachers specialized classroom and teacher certification support. The project was grounded in evidence-based strategies that resulted in direct implications for teacher…

  1. Which Way Is Better for Teacher Evaluation? The Discourse on Teacher Evaluation in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Juei-Hsin; Chen, Yen-Ting

    2016-01-01

    There are no summative evaluations for compulsory and basic education in Taiwan. This research discusses and analyzes present teacher evaluation implementation. The implementation of policy nowadays means "Teacher evaluation for professional development". Teacher evaluation for professional development is a voluntary growing project of…

  2. Creative Environment Formation in Design Professional Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zakirova, Venera G.; Purik, Elza E.

    2016-01-01

    The current interest to the issue of this work lies in the fact that a professional competence of a designer needs highly developed abilities to create new and different projects of high aesthetic value in compliance with the current regulations. Image visualization abilities development needs special conditions encouraging personal creativity.…

  3. The School-Based Activities Model: A Promising Alternative to Professional Development Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lachance, Andrea M.; Benton, Cynthia J.; Klein, Beth Shiner

    2007-01-01

    Partnerships, especially the Professional Development School (PDS) model, between institutions of higher education (IHE) and public schools (PS), have become, if not commonplace, a successful model for teacher education. PDS teacher education projects in which preservice teachers and higher education faculty participate in school-based instruction…

  4. A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Teacher-Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bechtel, Patricia L.

    2011-01-01

    Teachers who choose to participate in professional development to acquire new instructional methods or enhance their content knowledge are teacher-learners. For this study, data consisted of the reflective writings of 19 secondary mathematics and science teacher-learners in an 11-month professional development project. These writings provided a…

  5. An Internet Gopher to Support Graduate Education and Professional Development for School Administrators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonzalez, Josue M.

    1995-01-01

    Describes the design and installation of an Internet gopher server to support classroom instruction and professional development projects in a graduate college of education. Topics include use by administrators, selecting the most appropriate technology, hardware and software selection, and informational resources of the gopher. (Author/LRW)

  6. A Year-Round Professional Development Model for World Language Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steele, Tracy M.; Peterson, Margaret D.; Silva, Duarte M.; Padilla, Amado M.

    2009-01-01

    The Bay Area Foreign Language Program (BAFLP), one of nine regional sites of the California Foreign Language Project, offers ongoing, year-round professional development programs for world language educators. In addition, its leadership program prepares selected educators to assume leadership positions at their school sites, building capacity for…

  7. Live, Online Short-Courses: A Case Study of Innovative Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marrero, Meghan E.; Woodruff, Karen A.; Schuster, Glen S.; Riccio, Jessica Fitzsimons

    2010-01-01

    Teachers are searching for new venues through which they may meet stringent professional development requirements. Under competitive funding from NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Office of Education and the NASA Explorer Schools Project, U.S. Satellite Laboratory, Inc. created a series of live, online, interactive…

  8. Involving Stakeholders in Determining Professional Development Center Attendance Policies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Good, Jennifer

    2003-01-01

    This action research project targeted teacher absenteeism at professional development events, findings no significant patterns in time of day, location, workshop topic, and teaching level. Instead, a pattern of chronic absenteeism for some individuals was noted. An action plan included increased marketing, communication with individual no-show…

  9. Nar universitetsadjunkter ansags bildbara (Development of Professional Competence for Junior Lecturers).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartman, Sven G.

    This monograph describes a program for development of professional competence in junior lecturers in teacher education at Linkopings University, Sweden. Seventy junior lecturers participated in the program from 1991 through 1996. The program involved a combination of courses especially designed for the project and individually chosen courses from…

  10. Persistent Teaching Practices after Geospatial Technology Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubino-Hare, Lori A.; Whitworth, Brooke A.; Bloom, Nena E.; Claesgens, Jennifer M.; Fredrickson, Kristi M.; Sample, James C.

    2016-01-01

    This case study described teachers with varying technology skills who were implementing the use of geospatial technology (GST) within project-based instruction (PBI) at varying grade levels and contexts 1 to 2 years following professional development. The sample consisted of 10 fifth- to ninth-grade teachers. Data sources included artifacts,…

  11. Cognitive Coaching: A Critical Phase in Professional Development to Implement Sheltered Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Batt, Ellen G.

    2010-01-01

    This documentary account describes professional development for teachers in the USA serving culturally and linguistically diverse students. The purpose of the project was to monitor effectiveness of training in Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and to assess the value of cognitive coaching. Quantitative and qualitative data sources…

  12. Conceptualising Self-Generating Online Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prestridge, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    In 2012, a research project was implemented to investigate the possibility and effectiveness of instituting a personalised and virtually networked mode of professional development to promote teacher confidence and competence with information and communications technology and its use as a key component of teachers' pedagogy. The aim of the project…

  13. VOLUNTEERS IN THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAM PROJECT--HEAD START.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Economic Opportunity, Washington, DC.

    THE RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, ORIENTATION, AND EFFECTIVE USE OF VOLUNTEERS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS ARE DISCUSSED. VOLUNTEERS WITH PROFESSIONAL SKILLS CAN SERVE AS PHYSICIANS, NURSES, TEACHERS, AND SOCIAL WORKERS. LAY VOLUNTEERS CAN RELIEVE REGULAR STAFF MEMBERS OF ROUTINE DUTIES AND INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. VOLUNTEERS…

  14. Transformational Learning and Community Development: Early Reflections on Professional and Community Engagement at Macquarie University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rawlings-Sanaei, Felicity; Sachs, Judyth

    2014-01-01

    Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) at Macquarie University offers undergraduate students experiential learning opportunities with local, regional, and international partners. In PACE projects, students work toward meeting the partner's organizational goals while they develop their capabilities, learn through the process of engagement,…

  15. Emerging Considerations for Professional Development Institutes for Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freeman, John G.; Marx, Ronald W.; Cimellaro, Luigia

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes two professional development institutes in project-based science. We collected data from these institutes in the form of structured questionnaires, individual written reflections by the teachers, and focus-group interviews. An analysis of the data revealed three factors that had been underrepresented in previous research:…

  16. Establishing a Professional Development Network around Dynamic Mathematics Software in England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lavicza, Zsolt; Hohenwarter, Markus; Jones, Keith; Lu, Allison; Dawes, Mark

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we will outline some results of an NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) funded project that aimed to establish a professional development network with an open-source mathematical software--GeoGebra--in England. During the past few years a large international user and developer community has formed…

  17. Transforming Middle School Geometry: Designing Professional Development Materials that Support the Teaching and Learning of Similarity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seago, Nanette; Jacobs, Jennifer; Driscoll, Mark

    2010-01-01

    Although there are increasing numbers of professional development (PD) materials intended to foster teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching within the topics of number and algebra, little attention has been given to geometry. In this article we describe the Learning and Teaching Geometry project's approach to the development of PD materials…

  18. Dual-Mode Teacher Professional Development: Challenges and Re-Visioning Future TPD in Indonesia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Widodo, Ari; Riandi

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a two-year research project aimed at developing a teacher professional development (TPD) model in Indonesia. New government policies in this nation, its archipelagic nature, vast numbers of teachers and scarcity of support resources present a unique challenge to TPD. A needs assessment was conducted to identify…

  19. Working with the Cracks in the Rigging in Researching Early Childhood Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barron, Ian; Taylor, Lisa; Nettleton, Jan; Amin, Shabnam

    2017-01-01

    This article seeks to explore the development of the relationship between a group of early childhood academics from the same university and practitioners from a particular early years setting in the north of England into an innovative professional development and research project (2-Curious). The article uses Foucauldian notions of heterotopia to…

  20. Less of Me

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Owen, Tim

    2002-01-01

    The author warns that micromanagement of projects can provoke defensive attitudes among employees, and inhibits their professional development. Nevertheless, project managers should still demand some accountability from their subordinates. The article draws upon his own experiences as a NASA project manager and under NASA project managers for these lessons.

  1. Professional development for teaching in higher education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wood, Leigh N.; Vu, Tori; Bower, Matt; Brown, Natalie; Skalicky, Jane; Donovan, Diane; Loch, Birgit; Joshi, Nalini; Bloom, Walter

    2011-10-01

    Due to the changing nature of learning and teaching in universities, there is a growing need for professional development for lecturers and tutors teaching in disciplines in the mathematical sciences. Mathematics teaching staff receive some training in learning and teaching but many of the courses running at university level are not tailored to the mathematical sciences. This article reports on a collaborative research project aimed at investigating the type of professional development that Australian tertiary mathematics teachers need and their preference for delivery modes. Effective teaching promotes effective learning in our students and discipline-specific professional development will enhance outcomes for teachers, students, and mathematics.

  2. OERL: A Tool For Geoscience Education Evaluators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zalles, D. R.

    2002-12-01

    The Online Evaluation Resource Library (OERL) is a Web-based set of resources for improving the evaluation of projects funded by the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) of the National Science Foundation (NSF). OERL provides prospective project developers and evaluators with material that they can use to design, conduct, document, and review evaluations. OERL helps evaluators tackle the challenges of seeing if a project is meeting its implementation and outcome-related goals. Within OERL is a collection of exemplary plans, instruments, and reports from evaluations of EHR-funded projects in the geosciences and in other areas of science and mathematics. In addition, OERL contains criteria about good evaluation practices, professional development modules about evaluation design and questionnaire development, a dictionary of key evaluation terms, and links to evaluation standards. Scenarios illustrate how the resources can be used or adapted. Currently housed in OERL are 137 instruments, and full or excerpted versions of 38 plans and 60 reports. 143 science and math projects have contributed to the collection so far. OERL's search tool permits the launching of precise searches based on key attributes of resources such as their subject area and the name of the sponsoring university or research institute. OERL's goals are to 1) meet the needs for continuous professional development of evaluators and principal investigators, 2) complement traditional vehicles of learning about evaluation, 3) utilize the affordances of current technologies (e.g., Web-based digital libraries, relational databases, and electronic performance support systems) for improving evaluation practice, 4) provide anytime/anyplace access to update-able resources that support evaluators' needs, and 5) provide a forum by which professionals can interact on evaluation issues and practices. Geoscientists can search the collection of resources from geoscience education projects that have been funded by NSF to carry out curriculum development, teacher education, faculty development, and increased access, retention, and preparation of under-represented student populations in science. Over the next two years, additional plans, instruments, and reports from other projects will be added to the OERL collection. Also to be added are more professional development modules and online coaches for constructing key evaluation documents. The presentation overviews the structure of OERL, describes some of the geoscience projects in the collection, and provides some examples of how its resources can be used and adapted for other geoscience education evaluations.

  3. Mid-Career Teachers' Perceptions of Self-Guided Professional Growth: Strengthening a Sense of Agency through Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strahan, David

    2016-01-01

    Opportunities for self-guided professional development provided a context for exploring ways that mid-career teachers designed learning projects and articulated their perceptions of professional growth. In their applications for small grants for materials and released time, participants identified their own personal goals for improving…

  4. The Slippery Slope to Efficiency? An Australian Perspective on School/University Partnerships for Teacher Professional Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mockler, Nicole

    2013-01-01

    Large-scale school/university partnerships for the enhancement of teacher professionalism and teacher professional learning have been part of the teacher development landscape in Australia for the past two decades. This paper takes a historical perspective on Australian school/university partnerships through detailing three national projects over…

  5. The Impact of a Professional Development Model on ABE Teachers' Instructional Practice: Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bingman, Mary Beth; Schmitt, Mary Jane

    2008-01-01

    The authors present the National Science Foundation project, Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy (TIAN), a collaborative project of the Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee and the Technical Education Research Centers, Inc. (TERC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The project has developed and tested a model for inservice…

  6. Working with Teachers to Develop Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching. MET Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010

    2010-01-01

    In fall 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to develop and test multiple measures of teacher effectiveness. The goal of the MET project is to improve the quality of information about teaching effectiveness available to education professionals within states and districts--information…

  7. 'What I want to do is get half a dozen of them and go and see Simon Cowell': Reflecting on participation and outcomes for people with dementia taking part in a creative musical project.

    PubMed

    McCabe, Louise; Greasley-Adams, Corinne; Goodson, Katy

    2015-11-01

    This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of a creative musical project led by Scottish Opera. The project included people with dementia and their carers in the development, writing, design and performance of a musical production about their experiences of love. The project involved professional singers, artists and choreographers from the opera company. Activities involved practice sessions and performances. People with dementia and their carers reflected on positive outcomes from the project including improved confidence; being part of a group; improved physical strength and people seeing them in a new way. Within the evaluation framework they also reported on how the project had been run and gave ideas for future development. Key elements in the success of this project were the involvement of professionals, the kudos of working with a national organisation and the performances that, while daunting, provided unique and rewarding experiences. © The Author(s) 2013.

  8. Elements Affecting the Development of Professional Learning Communities in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schaap, Harmen; de Bruijn, Elly

    2018-01-01

    This article focuses on the development of professional learning communities (PLCs), which are communities within schools, composed of voluntary participating teachers facilitated by school principals with a specific task to accomplish as part of a larger innovation project. Four PLCs were observed during 3 years by using questionnaires and…

  9. Teacher Research as Professional Development for P-12 Music Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conway, Colleen; Edgar, Scott; Hansen, Erin; Palmer, C. Michael

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of seven music educators who conducted teacher research in their classrooms and to document whether the teachers and the local school district considered the project as professional development. Research questions included: (1) How do these music educators describe the experience of planning…

  10. Evidence-Based Professional Development of Science Teachers in Two Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Christine; Hofstein, Avi; Eylon, Bat-Sheva; Simon, Shirley

    2008-01-01

    The focus of this collaborative research project of King's College London, and the Weizmann Institute, Israel is on investigating the ways in which teachers can demonstrate accomplished teaching in a specific domain of science and on the teacher learning that is generated through continuing professional development (CPD) programmes that lead…

  11. Tailoring Professional Development to Improve Literacy Instruction in Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De La Garza, Tammy Oberg

    2011-01-01

    To address the need for improving instructional practice in literacy, this paper examines whole school, teacher uptake of a professional development initiative over a four-year project. The study takes place in an urban, PK-6 school in a predominantly Mexican-American community. Measuring and analyzing teacher enactment of a professional…

  12. Developing Recreation, Leisure, and Sport Professional Competencies through Practitioner/Academic Service Engagement Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VanSickle, Jennifer; Schaumleffel, Nathan A.

    2016-01-01

    The goal of many universities is to prepare students for professional careers, especially in the applied field of recreation, leisure, and sport (Smith, O'Dell, & Schaumleffel, 2002). While some universities continue to use traditional knowledge-transfer methods to accomplish this goal, others have developed service engagement projects that…

  13. Mediating Artifact in Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Svendsen, Bodil

    2015-01-01

    This article focuses on teacher professional development (TPD) in natural science through the 5E model as mediating artifact. The study was conducted in an upper secondary school, grounded in a school-based intervention research project. My contribution to the field of research on TPD is founded on the hypothesis that teachers would be best…

  14. Self-Discovery and Professional Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Margolin, Edythe

    This paper explores the role of self discovery in the early stages of caregiver professional development, with a focus on the array of choices available to university students. The assumption is that many people do not know their repertoire of skills until asked to complete a project requiring those skills; thus, "the heart of becoming a…

  15. Teaching L2 Pragmatics: Opportunities for Continuing Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vellenga, Heidi

    2011-01-01

    Teaching L2 pragmatics is often not covered in teacher education programs, and is an excellent area for continuing professional development. As part of a larger project on instructed interlanguage pragmatics, volunteer instructor participants were asked to teach a series of lessons on pragmatics to university-aged (19-23) ESL learners in ESL and…

  16. Professional Development: Assuring Quality in E-Learning Policy and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mansvelt, Juliana; Suddaby, Gordon; O'Hara, Duncan; Gilbert, Amanda

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The paper reports on findings of research into the institutional and individual influences on engaging in professional development (PD), reflecting on how PD might be made available in ways which could support quality in e-learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents findings of a research project exploring factors…

  17. University Capital, Community Engagement, and Continuing Education: Blending Professional Development and Social Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Edward T.

    2010-01-01

    Extending the dialogue on community engagement, this article examines the potential of a new programming area for university continuing education (UCE) that blends professional development and social change: the investment of university capital in community projects. Increasing interest in applying social and environmental, as well as financial,…

  18. Exploring Quadrilaterals to Reveal Teachers' Use of Definitions: Results and Implications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salinas, Tracie McLemore; Lynch-Davis, Kathleen; Mawhinney, Katherine J.; Crocker, Deborah A.

    2014-01-01

    About 80 middle and secondary school teachers participated in the professional development sequence as a part of a larger professional development project. Sessions provided participants with half-day experiences in an inquiry-oriented classroom taught by a master teacher, in which they experienced examples of inquiry lessons as both student and…

  19. Factors Associated with Head Start Staff Participation in Classroom-Based Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trivette, Carol M.; Raab, Melinda; Dunst, Carl J.

    2014-01-01

    Factors associated with Head Start staff participation in a classroom-based professional development project to promote their use of evidence-based child learning opportunity practices and evidence-based responsive teaching procedures were examined in a study of 36 teachers and teacher assistants in 19 different classrooms. The factors…

  20. UTEP: Urban Teacher Education Program. Final Report to the Lilly Endowment On Program Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandoval, Pamela A.

    The Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) is a project of Indiana University Northwest (IUN) and three urban school districts (Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond, Indiana) to develop novice teachers, continue professional development among experienced professionals, and provide a forum for research on teacher education. Following discussion of the…

  1. Teacher Education Students: Their Experience of Mathematics Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson, Amy M.

    2014-01-01

    This dissertation adds to the teacher education literature by exploring the experiences education students have of mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy for teaching and learning mathematics. Further, the utility of a specific in-service teacher professional development project, focused on improving rational number instruction, in pre-service…

  2. The SOLS TICE Project: Satellite Television and Audioconferencing in Continuing Professional Development for LIS Staff.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Alun; Priestley, John

    1992-01-01

    Describes SOLS TICE, the Satellite On-Line Searching Interactive Conferencing Experiment, conducted at the University of Plymouth (United Kingdom) to meet the training needs of staff in the library and information science (LIS) sector. Continuing professional development is discussed, instructional effectiveness and cost effectiveness are…

  3. Practitioner Research as Part of Professional Development in Initial Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maaranen, Katriina

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to seek the connection between professional development and an MA thesis research project, which is conducted as part of initial teacher education in Finland. This article examines the experiences of teachers with work experience, but without an official qualification, who recently completed their MA thesis. The…

  4. Constructing a Professional Identity: Some Preliminary Findings from Students of Early Years Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egan, Bridget A.

    2004-01-01

    In this article some preliminary data from an ongoing exploration of student teachers' development of professional identities are explored. This project uses hermeneutic techniques to develop a set of categories which characterise students' articulation of their understanding. This is related to the Aristotelian categories of "praxis",…

  5. More Alike than Different: Early Childhood Professional Development in Guatemala

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardin, Belinda J.; Vardell, Rosemarie; de Castaneda, Albertina

    2008-01-01

    This article describes an early childhood professional development project that took place in the summer of 2005 in Guatemala City. Located in Central America, Guatemala has a population of approximately 12.3 million people, including more than two million children under the age of 5 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2007; UNICEF, 2004). Events…

  6. Professional Development through Lesson Study: Teaching the Derivative Using Geogebra

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verhoef, Nellie C.; Coenders, Fer; Pieters, Jules M.; van Smaalen, Daan; Tall, David O.

    2015-01-01

    This study focuses on mathematics teachers' professional development through elements of Japanese lesson study. The teachers designed a research lesson with regard to sense-making of the derivative using the integration of GeoGebra. In the second year of the four-year lesson study project, seven secondary school teachers--from different Dutch…

  7. The Alabama Counseling Association: A Legacy of Community and Professional Service

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Eddie, Jr.

    2007-01-01

    The Alabama Counseling Association (ALCA) has an ongoing plan for professional growth and development reflective of the multiple counseling professions and the diversity of its members. Based on the development and history of the organization, this research project was designed to assess ALCA's progress toward achieving its stated outcome goals. A…

  8. The Oral History of Evaluation: The Professional Development of Robert Stake

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Robin Lin; King, Jean A.; Mark, Melvin M.; Caracelli, Valerie

    2016-01-01

    Over the past 14 years, AEA's Oral History Project Team (Robin Lin Miller, Jean A. King, Valerie Caracelli, and Melvin M. Mark) has conducted interviews with individuals who have made signal contributions to evaluation theory and practice, tracing their professional development and contextualizing their work within the social and political…

  9. Creating Meaningful Partnerships: Connecting Teaching Candidates with Professional Development Schools through Service Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Lisa; Reiser, Cortney; Hawk, Robin

    2016-01-01

    Through the use of constructed narratives, this article shares the experiences of two preservice teachers and their university professor in implementing service learning projects that took place within their Professional Development School partnerships. Findings suggest that (1) service learning was a valuable instructional strategy to enhance the…

  10. Curriculum Making as Novice Professional Development: Practical Risk Taking as Learning in High-Stakes Times

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clayton, Christine D.

    2007-01-01

    This qualitative case study presents three novices in urban schools who enacted curricular projects as participants in a university-based professional development program. This experience created an opportunity for practical risk taking, enabling them to consider the consequences of curricular choices in personal terms. Such professional…

  11. Female Secondary School Principals: Equity in the Development of Professional Identities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murakami, Elizabeth T.; Törnsen, Monika

    2017-01-01

    This study examines two female principals in upper secondary schools and the development of their professional identities, focusing on schools in Sweden and Texas, USA. The study is part of a larger international research project with global conversations about what successful leadership means, and asks: in what ways do female secondary school…

  12. Innovative Uses of IT Applications in STEM Classrooms: A Preliminary Review of ITEST Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Caroline E.; Stylinski, Cathlyn; Darrah, Marjorie; McAuliffe, Carla; Gupta, Preeti

    2010-01-01

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program provides a unique opportunity to assess a broad spectrum of professional development projects that share key characteristics but were designed to meet distinct local school and community contexts. To better understand how innovative…

  13. Lesson Study for Professional Development and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierce, Robyn; Stacey, Kaye

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we demonstrate that "lesson study" may be adapted from its primary use as a professional development strategy for use as a research strategy, especially to identify principles of good lesson design. We report on a project undertaken in two Australian secondary schools where lesson study research was used to investigate the…

  14. Online Training Impact on Adjunct Faculty Compliance and Satisfaction with Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pete, Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    The problem addressed by this project study was low levels of adjunct faculty compliance and satisfaction with the professional development program at a local college. The purpose of the study was to determine if an alternative delivery method would yield higher levels of compliance and satisfaction than would a traditional professional…

  15. An Interprofessional Collaborative Practice model for preparation of clinical educators.

    PubMed

    Scarvell, Jennie M; Stone, Judy

    2010-07-01

    Work-integrated learning is essential to health professional education, but faces increasing academic and industry resource pressures. The aim of this pilot "Professional Practice Project" was to develop and implement an innovative education intervention for clinical educators across several health disciplines. The project used interprofessional collaboration as its underlying philosophy, and a participatory action research methodology in four cycles: Cycle 1: Formation of an interprofessional project executive and working party from academic staff. Data collection of student insights into work integrated learning. Cycle 2: Formation of an interprofessional reference group to inform curriculum development for a series of clinical education workshops. Cycle 3: Delivery of workshops; 174 clinical educators, supervisors and preceptors attended two workshops: "Introduction to experiential learning" and " utilizing available resources for learning". Cycle 4: Seminar discussion of the Professional Practice Project at a national health-education conference. This pilot project demonstrated the advantages of using collaborative synergies to allow innovation around clinical education, free from the constraints of traditional discipline-specific education models. The planning, delivery and evaluation of clinical education workshops describe the benefits of interprofessional collaboration through enhanced creative thinking, sharing of clinical education models and a broadening of experience for both learners and facilitators.

  16. Examining the Impact of a DSP Project through a Comparative Adult Education Lens: A Snapshot of Principal Professional Development for Education Internationalization in Beijing, China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kang, Haijun; Lyu, Lei; Sun, Qi

    2016-01-01

    Through the lenses of comparative adult education and international educational leadership development, this study explores the learning experiences of local school principals after they participated in a professional development program named "Domestic Study Program" (DSP) in Beijing. A qualitative narrative inquiry was applied and four…

  17. Professional Development for Educators to Promote Literacy Development of English Learners: Valuing Home Connections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant, Leslie; Bell, Angela B.; Yoo, Monica; Jimenez, Christina; Frye, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    While families play a vital role in the early literacy skills of young English Learners, their educators often do not share the same backgrounds or cultures, and may not know how to connect with parents who are linguistically and culturally different. As part of a year-long grant funded professional development project, the authors led teams of…

  18. Teacher's Experience from Collaborative Design: Reported Impact on Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Svendsen, Bodil

    2017-01-01

    This article is based on a research and development project conducted in one upper secondary school in Norway. The participating teachers have been part of a three year longitudinal study, and the findings in the present study are from their third and final year of a professional development study. The aim of this study was to find out how…

  19. Developing a Model of Educators' Professional Training Special for Remote Areas through the Implementation of Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fauziyah, Nur; Uchtiawati, Sri

    2017-01-01

    This study is an R & D (Research and Development) project which has the main goal to develop appropriate model of professional training for remote areas in Indonesia. This research is important because there are still many teachers who teach subjects that are not in accordance with their educational background. These issues will not only…

  20. The development and evaluation of a multimedia resource for family carers of patients receiving palliative care: a consumer-led project.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Kristina; Moore, Gaye

    2015-06-01

    Previous intervention research has shown that group education sessions for carers are effective but not always feasible due to the demands of the caregiving role and the difficulty in getting carers to attend. This project was a consumer-led research initiative to develop and evaluate a multimedia resource (DVD) providing information and support for carers of people receiving palliative care. Eight carers were recruited from a community palliative care service to form a steering committee for the project. In collaboration with two researchers, the committee discussed the topics that would be included in the resource, developed an interview guide, participated in the filmed interviews, and developed the evaluation program. The steering committee participated in a focus group as part of the evaluation to elicit their experiences of the project. An evaluation was conducted that included the following: questionnaires for 29 carers and 17 palliative care health professionals; follow-up telephone interviews with carers; a focus group with health professionals; and a focus group with the Carer Steering Committee. The carers and health professionals reported that the DVD was informative (93 and 94%, respectively), realistic (96 and 88%), supportive (93 and 88%), and helpful (83 and 100%). All health professionals and carers reported that they would recommend the resource to carers. Carers on the steering committee reported substantial benefits that involved the opportunity to help others and to openly discuss and reflect on their experiences. This is an important resource that can be utilized to support family carers and introduce palliative care. Currently, 1500 copies have been distributed to palliative care services and professionals nationwide and is available online at centreforpallcare.org/index.php/resources/carer_dvd/. Development of this DVD represents a strong collaboration between carers and researchers to produce a resource that is informative, supportive, and meaningful.

  1. Teacher/Intern Partnerships in Isolated Areas: A Project Overview.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yarrow, Allan; Ballantyne, Roy; Hansford, Brian; Herschell, Paul; Millwater, Jan

    1998-01-01

    Describes a collaborative project designed to better prepare Australian preservice teachers for teaching in remote schools through six-week rural mentorship programs and joint preservice and inservice professional development. Discusses how development of partnerships among cooperating institutions and between teachers, student teachers, and the…

  2. Developing an online professional network for veterinary education: the NOVICE project.

    PubMed

    Baillie, Sarah; Kinnison, Tierney; Forrest, Neil; Dale, Vicki H M; Ehlers, Jan P; Koch, Michael; Mándoki, Mira; Ciobotaru, Emilia; de Groot, Esther; Boerboom, Tobias B B; van Beukelen, Peter

    2011-01-01

    An online professional network for veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary educationalists, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) educationalists is being developed under the EU (European Union) Lifelong Learning Programme. The network uses Web 2.0, a term used to describe the new, more interactive version of the Internet, and includes tools such as wikis, blogs, and discussion boards. Focus groups conducted with qualified and student veterinarians within the project's five founding countries (The Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania) demonstrated that online professional communities can be valuable for accessing information and establishing contacts. Online networks have the potential to overcome common challenges to face-to-face communities-such as distance, cost, and timing-but they have their own drawbacks, such as security and professionalism issues. The Network Of Veterinary ICt in Education (NOVICE) was developed using Elgg, an open-source, free social networking platform, after several software options had been considered. NOVICE aims to promote the understanding of Web 2.0, confidence to use social software tools, and participation in an online community. Therefore, the Web site contains help sections, Frequently Asked Questions, and access to support from ICT experts. Five months after the network's launch (and just over one year into the project) 515 members from 28 countries had registered. Further research will include analysis of a core group's activities, which will inform ongoing support for and development of informal, lifelong learning in a veterinary context.

  3. A Curriculum for Mainstreamed Preschool Children Who Are Hearing Impaired developed by Project CHIME.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pucciarelli, Catherine S., Ed.

    Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) was developed to create a curriculum for use by professionals who are providing mainstreaming opportunities for hearing-impaired preschoolers. The CHIME curriculum is divided into five activity areas that are part of the growth and development process for all…

  4. Developing European guidelines for training care professionals in mental health promotion.

    PubMed

    Greacen, Tim; Jouet, Emmanuelle; Ryan, Peter; Cserhati, Zoltan; Grebenc, Vera; Griffiths, Chris; Hansen, Bettina; Leahy, Eithne; da Silva, Ksenija Maravic; Sabić, Amra; De Marco, Angela; Flores, Paz

    2012-12-27

    Although mental health promotion is a priority mental health action area for all European countries, high level training resources and high quality skills acquisition in mental health promotion are still relatively rare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the DG SANCO-funded PROMISE project concerning the development of European guidelines for training social and health care professionals in mental health promotion. The PROMISE project brought together a multidisciplinary scientific committee from eight European sites representing a variety of institutions including universities, mental health service providers and public health organisations. The committee used thematic content analysis to filter and analyse European and international policy documents, scientific literature reviews on mental health promotion and existing mental health promotion programmes with regard to identifying quality criteria for training care professionals on this subject. The resulting PROMISE Guidelines quality criteria were then subjected to an iterative feedback procedure with local steering groups and training professionals at all sites with the aim of developing resource kits and evaluation tools for using the PROMISE Guidelines. Scientific committees also collected information from European, national and local stakeholder groups and professional organisations on existing training programmes, policies and projects. The process identified ten quality criteria for training care professionals in mental health promotion: embracing the principle of positive mental health; empowering community stakeholders; adopting an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach; including people with mental health problems; advocating; consulting the knowledge base; adapting interventions to local contexts; identifying and evaluating risks; using the media; evaluating training, implementation processes and outcomes. The iterative feedback process produced resource kits and evaluation checklists linked with each of these quality criteria in all PROMISE languages. The development of generic guidelines based on key quality criteria for training health and social care professionals in mental health promotion should contribute in a significant way to implementing policy in this important area.

  5. Professional development in optics and photonics education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donnelly, Judith F.; Hanes, Fenna; Massa, Nicholas J.; Washburn, Barbara R.

    2002-05-01

    In recent years, several New England projects have promoted professional development and curriculum design in optics and photonics. Funded in part by the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF), these projects have prepared middle and high school teachers, college faculty and career counselors from more than 100 New England institutions to introduce fiber optics, telecommunications and photonics technology education. Four of these projects will be discussed here: (1) The New England Board of Higher Education's (NEBHE) Fiber Optics Technology Education Project, (FOTEP) was designed to teach fiber optics theory and to provide laboratory experiences at the secondary and postsecondary levels. (2) Springfield Technical Community College's Northeast Center for Telecommunications Technologies (NCTT) is developing curricula and instructional materials in lightwave, networking and wireless telecommunications technologies. (3) The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics project ComTech developed a 12-week, hands-on curriculum and teaching strategies for middle and high school science and technology teachers in telecommunications and focused on optical communication (fiber optics). (4) NEBHE's project PHOTON is preparing middle, secondary and postsecondary instructors to introduce theory and laboratory experiences in photonics, including geometric and wave optics as well as principles of lasers and photonics applications.

  6. Guidelines for Project Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ben-Arieh, David

    2001-01-01

    Project management is an important part of the professional activities at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Project management is the means by which many of the operations at KSC take shape. Moreover, projects at KSC are implemented in a variety of ways in different organizations. The official guidelines for project management are provided by NASA headquarters and are quite general. The project reported herein deals with developing practical and detailed project management guidelines in support of the project managers. This report summarizes the current project management effort in the Process Management Division and presents a new modeling approach of project management developed by the author. The report also presents the Project Management Guidelines developed during the summer.

  7. Energy Project professional development: Promoting positive attitudes about science among K-12 teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robertson, Amy D.; Daane, Abigail R.

    2017-12-01

    Promoting positive attitudes about science among teachers has important implications for teachers' classroom practice and for their relationship to science as a discipline. In this paper, we report positive shifts in teachers' attitudes about science, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science (CLASS) survey, over the course of their participation in a professional development course that emphasized the flexible use of energy representations to understand real world scenarios. Our work contributes to the larger effort to make the case that professional development matters for teacher learning and attitudes.

  8. Educating Academic Staff to Reorient Curricula in ESD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biasutti, Michele; Makrakis, Vassilios; Concina, Eleonora; Frate, Sara

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university…

  9. Modularization and Flexibilization.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Meel, R. M.

    Publications in the fields of educational science, organization theory, and project management were analyzed to identify the possibilities that modularization offers to institutions of higher professional education and to obtain background information for use in developing a method for modularization in higher professional education. It was…

  10. Collaborative Action Research between Schools, a Continuing Professional Development Centre for Teachers and the University: A Case Study in Spain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    González Alfaya, Maria Elena; Olivares García, Maria Ángeles; Mérida Serrano, Rosario

    2017-01-01

    This article describes a collaborative action research project developed over the course of the 2011/12 academic year in the Faculty of Education at Cordoba University (Spain). The RIECU school-continuing professional development centre for teachers-university learning network is part of this research process. The aim is to create and consolidate…

  11. Design Framework for an Adaptive MOOC Enhanced by Blended Learning: Supplementary Training and Personalized Learning for Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gynther, Karsten

    2016-01-01

    The research project has developed a design framework for an adaptive MOOC that complements the MOOC format with blended learning. The design framework consists of a design model and a series of learning design principles which can be used to design in-service courses for teacher professional development. The framework has been evaluated by…

  12. Promoting ergonomics in Algeria: activities of "the research and training laboratory" in the University of Oran.

    PubMed

    Mebarki, Bouhafs; El-Bachir, Tebboune Cheikh

    2012-01-01

    The growing need in Algeria to develop ergonomics knowledge and practice in industry was behind the initiative to develop a training and research project within the ergonomics laboratory at Oran University. Since 2005 the laboratory team is running an academic option master in work design and ergonomics. The evaluation of the academic master in 2010 revealed the acute need of the local industry for professional competences in ergonomic and work psychology. A professional training master program in "ergonomics & work psychology" was then developed in partnership with local industry, five European Universities and six Universities from three Maghreb countries. Research projects were initiated around the two training programs, in conjunction with a number of ergonomics dissemination and promotion activities. Preliminary results of the project are presented and discussed in relation to the local context, and in the light of similar cases in Industrially Developing Countries.

  13. The Youth Worker as Jazz Improviser: Foregrounding Education "In the Moment" within the Professional Development of Youth Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Pete

    2014-01-01

    This paper argues for the foregrounding of improvisation and education "in the moment" within youth workers' professional development. Devised in collaboration with third-year Youth and Community Work students and lecturers at a university in Birmingham, this participatory action research project drew on work of jazz ethnomusicologists…

  14. Using Mixed Methods to Analyze Video Data: A Mathematics Teacher Professional Development Example

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeCuir-Gunby, Jessica T.; Marshall, Patricia L.; McCulloch, Allison W.

    2012-01-01

    This article uses data from 65 teachers participating in a K-2 mathematics professional development research project as an example of how to analyze video recordings of teachers' classroom lessons using mixed methods. Through their discussion, the authors demonstrate how using a mixed methods approach to classroom video analysis allows researchers…

  15. Two Large-Scale Professional Development Programs for Mathematics Teachers and Their Impact on Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindvall, Jannika

    2017-01-01

    This article reports on two professional development programs for mathematics teachers and their effects on student achievement. The projects' design and their implementation within a larger municipality in Sweden, working together with over 90 teachers and 5000 students in elementary school, are described by using a set of core critical features…

  16. An Investigation of the Benefits and Challenges of a New Professional Development School Partnership That Embedded the Three-Student Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rieg, Sue

    2017-01-01

    Teacher candidates in one Professional Development School did make a difference in children's academic growth. This paper describes a mixed-methods study that investigated student achievement of elementary children after receiving interventions from teacher candidates and identified the perceived benefits and challenges of a new Professional…

  17. Blending Resources for a Collaborative Service Project in a Professional Development School Focused on Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Julie Jacobs; Tryjankowski, Anne Marie; Tybor, Debra; Brandjes, Elizabeth; Asztalos, Jessica; Smith, Kemily; Muscarella, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Collaborative Professional Development School (PDS) relationships require financing and other supports that may not be typically included in the budgets for partnering schools and colleges. In the current economic climate, budgets are especially tight in many educational institutions. In order to sustain PDS relationships in these times,…

  18. Professional Development: Report from the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Task Force on Improving Kentucky Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington, KY.

    This report presents the Prichard Committee recommendations on professional development of Kentucky teachers. They are based on the results of a steering committee of Kentucky educators and are being implemented in a Pew Charitable Trusts project. The overall finding was that for school reform to succeed in Kentucky, greatly enhanced professional…

  19. A Simulation-Based LED Design Project in Photonics Instruction Based on Industry-University Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, S. -H.; Chen, M. -L.; Kuo, Y. -K.; Shen, Y. -C.

    2011-01-01

    In response to the growing industrial demand for light-emitting diode (LED) design professionals, based on industry-university collaboration in Taiwan, this paper develops a novel instructional approach: a simulation-based learning course with peer assessment to develop students' professional skills in LED design as required by industry as well as…

  20. Effects of a Long-Term Participatory Action Research Project on Science Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eilks, Ingo; Markic, Silvija

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the potential of long-term co-operation between science educators and science teachers concerning the teachers' continuous professional development, based on Participatory Action Research in science education. The discussion is based on a six-year case study observing a group of about ten German chemistry teachers by chemistry…

  1. A Study of Chinese Engineering Students' Communication Strategies in a Mobile-Assisted Professional Development Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheng, Li

    2016-01-01

    The development of students' professional skills is an important issue in higher education in China. This research reports a 3-month study investigating engineering students' communication strategies (CSs) while they were interacting to do a 12-week mobile-assisted learning project, i.e., "Organizing and Attending a Model International…

  2. Reflection on Teachers' Personal and Professional Growth through a Materials Development Seminar

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Núñez Pardo, Astrid; Téllez Téllez, María Fernanda

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative action research study explores the role of reflection on teachers' personal and professional growth through the methodology used in the Materials Development Seminar in the Master's Programme in Education with Emphasis on English Didactics at a private university in Colombia. The project was carried out with 31 English as a…

  3. Motivations of Educators for Participating in an Authentic Astronomy Research Experience Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rebull, L. M.; Roberts, T.; Laurence, W.; Fitzgerald, M. T.; French, D. A.; Gorjian, V.; Squires, G. K.

    2018-01-01

    [This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) partners small groups of educators with a research astronomer for a year-long authentic research project. This program aligns well with the characteristics of high-quality professional development (PD) programs…

  4. Teacher Capabilities in a Multicultural Educational Environment: An Analysis of the Impact of a Professional Development Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lauridsen, Karen M.; Lauridsen, Ole

    2018-01-01

    With more programmes being taught through English in non-Anglophone contexts, higher education lecturers are faced with new challenges. This article briefly presents a professional development initiative carried out at departmental level as an intervention for all English Medium Instruction lecturers. In order to assess the effect of such an…

  5. Enhancing Literacy Practices in Science Classrooms through a Professional Development Program for Canadian Minority-Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivard, Léonard P.; Gueye, Ndeye R.

    2016-01-01

    'Literacy in the Science Classroom Project" was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers' use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted…

  6. Teacher Perspectives about Lesson Study in Secondary School Departments: A Collaborative Vehicle for Professional Learning and Practice Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cajkler, Wasyl; Wood, Phil; Norton, Julie; Pedder, David; Xu, Haiyan

    2015-01-01

    Two departments in a secondary school in England participated in "lesson study" projects over a five-month period to explore its usefulness as a vehicle for professional development. Through a cycle of two research lessons, conducted separately in each department, teachers identified challenges that inhibited the learning of their…

  7. What Motivates Biology Instructors to Engage and Persist in Teaching Professional Development?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCourt, Jill S.; Andrews, Tessa C.; Knight, Jennifer K.; Merrill, John E.; Nehm, Ross H.; Pelletreau, Karen N.; Prevost, Luanna B.; Smith, Michelle K.; Urban-Lurain, Mark; Lemons, Paula P.

    2017-01-01

    We conducted a study of 19 biology instructors participating in small, local groups at six research-intensive universities connected to the Automated Analysis of Constructed Response (AACR) project (www.msu.edu/~aacr). Our aim was to uncover participants' motivation to persist in a long-term teaching professional development effort, a topic that…

  8. Creating Teachers' Perceptual, Behavioral, and Attitudinal Change Using Professional Development Workshops

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shriner, Michael; Schlee, Bethanne; Hamil, Melissa; Libler, Rebecca

    2009-01-01

    As part of an on-going project designed to impact teacher quality at the pre-service, induction, and professional development levels, this paper summarizes the parametric results of a series of four different workshops conducted in the summer of 2007. In an effort to glean a better understanding of their knowledge, attitudinal, perceptual, and…

  9. Do We Do Dewey? Using a Dispositional Framework to Examine Reflection within Internship Professional Development Plans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zoellner, Brian P.; Chant, Richard H.; Lee, Kosze

    2017-01-01

    Our revised secondary teacher education professional development plan (PDP) project required preservice teachers to identify their teaching beliefs, use these beliefs to analyze practice, and create an action plan centered on a research question from this analysis. We predicted these plans would show evidence of Dewey's (1964) reflective…

  10. Charting New Waters: Collaborating for School Improvement in U.S. High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schneider, Melanie; Huss-Lederman, Susan; Sherlock, Wallace

    2012-01-01

    When professional learning communities (PLCs) are developed to promote the academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs), the results can benefit not only ELLs but the whole school. This article examines the ventures of three high schools that implemented PLCs as part of a Title III National Professional Development Project. The authors…

  11. Multi-Year Professional Development Grounded in Educative Curriculum Focused on Integrating Technology with Reformed Science Teaching Principles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longhurst, Max L.; Coster, Daniel C.; Wolf, Paul G.; Duffy, Aaron M.; Lee, Hyunju; Campbell, Todd

    2016-01-01

    Visions of science teaching and learning in the newest U.S. standards documents are dramatically different than those found in most classrooms. This research addresses these differences through closely examining one professional development (PD) project that connects teacher learning and teacher practice with student learning/achievement. This…

  12. An Analysis of the Factors That Affect Engagement of Higher Education Teachers with an Institutional Professional Development Scheme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Botham, Kathryn Ann

    2018-01-01

    An evaluation project was carried out to consider the factors that influence university teachers engagement with an institutional professional development scheme. Data was collected via an online questionnaire followed up by semi-structured interviews. This paper will consider those factors that encourage and act as barriers to engagement. The…

  13. Relational Agency and Teacher Development: A CHAT Analysis of a Collaborative Professional Inquiry Project with Biology Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNicholl, Jane

    2013-01-01

    Teacher quality largely determines student outcomes and many argue for high quality teacher training and professional development (PD). Much PD has been heavily critiqued and what constitutes effective provision for teachers remains contested. Disenfranchisement of teachers, through neglect of prior expertise and failure to acknowledge teachers'…

  14. Technology Development, Evaluation, and Application (TDEA) FY 1998 Progress Report Environment, Safety, and Health (ESH) Division

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Larry G. Hoffman; Kenneth Alvar; Thomas Buhl

    1999-06-01

    This progress report presents the results of 10 projects funded ($504K) in FY98 by the Technology Development, Evaluation, and Application (TDEA) Committee of the Environment, Safety, and Health Division. Nine projects are new for this year; two projects were completed in their third and final TDEA-funded year. As a result of their TDEA-funded projects, investigators have published 19 papers in professional journals, proceedings, or Los Alamos reports and presented their work at professional meetings. Supplemental funds and in-kind contributions, such as staff time, instrument use, and work space were also provided to the TDEA-funded projects by organizations external to ESHmore » Division. Products generated from the projects funded in FY98 included a new extremity dosimeter that replaced the previously used finger-ring dosimeters, a light and easy-to-use detector to measure energy deposited by neutron interactions, and a device that will allow workers to determine the severity of a hazard.« less

  15. K-4 Keepers Collection: A Service Learning Teacher Professional Development Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwerin, T. G.; Blaney, L.; Myers, R. J.

    2011-12-01

    This poster focuses on the K-4 Keepers Collection, a service-learning program developed for the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA). ESSEA is a NOAA-, NASA- and NSF-supported program of teacher professional development that increases teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of climate-related Earth system science. The ESSEA program -- whether used in formal higher education courses or frequented by individual teachers who look for classroom activities in the environmental sciences -- provides a full suite of activities, lessons and units for teachers' use. The ESSEA network consists of 45 universities and education centers addressing climate and environment issues. K-4 Keepers Collection - ESSEA K-4 module collections focus on five specific themes of content development: spheres, Polar Regions, oceans, climate and service learning. The K-4 Keepers collection provides the opportunity for teachers to explore topics and learning projects promoting stewardship of the Earth's land, water, air and living things. Examination of the impacts of usage and pollution on water, air, land and living things through service-learning projects allows students to become informed stewards. All of the modules include short-term sample projects that either educate or initiate action involving caring for the environment. The K-4 Keepers course requires teachers to develop similar short or long-term projects for implementation in their classrooms. Objectives include: 1. Increase elementary teachers' environmental literacy addressing ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, stewardship, weather and climate science standards and using NOAA and NASA resources. 2. Develop elementary teachers' efficacy in employing service learning projects focused on conserving and preserving Earth's land, air, water and living things. 3. Prepare college faculty to incorporate service learning and environmental literacy into their courses through professional development and modules on the ESSEA website.

  16. A Realistic Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muske, Kenneth R.; Myers, John A.

    2007-01-01

    A realistic applied chemical engineering experimental design and statistical analysis project is documented in this article. This project has been implemented as part of the professional development and applied statistics courses at Villanova University over the past five years. The novel aspects of this project are that the students are given a…

  17. When Theory Meets Practice: Applying Cambourne's Conditions for Learning to Professional Development for Elementary School EFL Teachers (Cuando la teoría y la práctica se encuentran: implementación de las condiciones de aprendizaje de Cambourne en el desarrollo profesional de docentes de inglés de la básica primaria)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cadavid Múnera, Isabel Cristina; Díaz Mosquera, Claudia Patricia; Quinchía Ortiz, Diana Isabel

    2011-01-01

    This article presents a reflection on an action research project carried out by a group of teachers and students at Universidad de Antioquia. The action research project aimed at determining the impact of a professional development proposal for elementary school English teachers in Medellin, Colombia. In the first section, the article describes…

  18. Using EarthLabs to Enhance Earth Science Curriculum in Texas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chegwidden, D. M.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.

    2012-12-01

    As an educator in Texas, a state that values and supports an Earth Science curriculum, I find it essential to educate my students who are our future voting citizens and tax payers. It is important to equip them with tools to understand and solve the challenges of solving of climate change. As informed citizens, students can help to educate others in the community with basic knowledge of weather and climate. They can also help to dispose of the many misconceptions that surround the climate change, which is perceived as a controversial topic. As a participant in a NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to develop and test education resources for the EarthLabs climate literacy collection. I am involved in the multiple phases of the project, including reviewing labs that comprise the Climate, Weather and Biosphere module during the development phase, pilot teaching the module with my students, participating in research, and delivering professional development to other Texas teachers to expose them to the content found in the module and to encourage them to incorporate it into their teaching. The Climate, Weather and the Biosphere module emphasizes different forms of evidence and requires that learners apply different inquiry-based approaches to build the knowledge they need to develop as climate literate citizens. My involvement with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my overall knowledge and confidence to teach about Earth's climate system and climate change. In addition, the project has produced vigorous classroom discussion among my students as well as encouraged me to collaborate with other educators through our delivery of professional development to other teachers. In my poster, I will share my experiences, describe the impact the curriculum has made on my students, and report on challenges and valuable lessons gained by being an active participant in the EarthLabs curriculum review, implementation and professional development process.

  19. Experiences of using the Theoretical Domains Framework across diverse clinical environments: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Cameron J; Marshall, Andrea P; Chaves, Nadia J; Jankelowitz, Stacey K; Lin, Ivan B; Loy, Clement T; Rees, Gwyneth; Sakzewski, Leanne; Thomas, Susie; To, The-Phung; Wilkinson, Shelley A; Michie, Susan

    2015-01-01

    The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) is an integrative framework developed from a synthesis of psychological theories as a vehicle to help apply theoretical approaches to interventions aimed at behavior change. This study explores experiences of TDF use by professionals from multiple disciplines across diverse clinical settings. Mixed methods were used to examine experiences, attitudes, and perspectives of health professionals in using the TDF in health care implementation projects. Individual interviews were conducted with ten health care professionals from six disciplines who used the TDF in implementation projects. Deductive content and thematic analysis were used. Three main themes and associated subthemes were identified including: 1) reasons for use of the TDF (increased confidence, broader perspective, and theoretical underpinnings); 2) challenges using the TDF (time and resources, operationalization of the TDF) and; 3) future use of the TDF. The TDF provided a useful, flexible framework for a diverse group of health professionals working across different clinical settings for the assessment of barriers and targeting resources to influence behavior change for implementation projects. The development of practical tools and training or support is likely to aid the utility of TDF.

  20. Experiences of using the Theoretical Domains Framework across diverse clinical environments: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    Phillips, Cameron J; Marshall, Andrea P; Chaves, Nadia J; Jankelowitz, Stacey K; Lin, Ivan B; Loy, Clement T; Rees, Gwyneth; Sakzewski, Leanne; Thomas, Susie; To, The-Phung; Wilkinson, Shelley A; Michie, Susan

    2015-01-01

    Background The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) is an integrative framework developed from a synthesis of psychological theories as a vehicle to help apply theoretical approaches to interventions aimed at behavior change. Purpose This study explores experiences of TDF use by professionals from multiple disciplines across diverse clinical settings. Methods Mixed methods were used to examine experiences, attitudes, and perspectives of health professionals in using the TDF in health care implementation projects. Individual interviews were conducted with ten health care professionals from six disciplines who used the TDF in implementation projects. Deductive content and thematic analysis were used. Results Three main themes and associated subthemes were identified including: 1) reasons for use of the TDF (increased confidence, broader perspective, and theoretical underpinnings); 2) challenges using the TDF (time and resources, operationalization of the TDF) and; 3) future use of the TDF. Conclusion The TDF provided a useful, flexible framework for a diverse group of health professionals working across different clinical settings for the assessment of barriers and targeting resources to influence behavior change for implementation projects. The development of practical tools and training or support is likely to aid the utility of TDF. PMID:25834455

  1. Evaluating Dual Career Guidance Programs for High School and College Students. Final Report. Project No. 2-2F11 from July 1, 1981 to June 30, 1982.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amatea, Ellen S.; Cross, E. Gail

    The Dual Career Guidance Project is a career guidance development project to design materials and models for professionals to use in assisting young men and women to develop awareness of and skills in managing a dual worker/career life style. The specific objectives of the project were to design and implement field test evaluation strategies for…

  2. Educational Reform, Enquiry-Based Learning and the Re-Professionalisation of Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Ben; Morgan, John

    2009-01-01

    This article explores the implications for teacher education and continuous professional development (CPD) of enquiry-based learning, by drawing specifically on data collected during a four-year curriculum development and research project, Enquiring Minds (2005-9). Within the partnership approach to curriculum design endorsed by the project,…

  3. Addition Chains: A reSolve Lesson

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, Paul; Thornton, Steve

    2017-01-01

    This article draws on some ideas explored during and after a writing workshop to develop classroom resources for the reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry (www.resolve.edu.au) project. The project develops classroom and professional learning resources that will promote a spirit of inquiry in school mathematics from Foundation to year ten. The…

  4. Research Report for the Organizing for Diversity Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Betsinger, Alicia M.; Garcia, Shernaz B.; Guerra, Patricia L.

    This report describes the Organizing for Diversity Project, which generated professional development modules to prepare teachers to work more effectively with diverse students. Prototype modules were developed in collaboration with teacher volunteers, then field tested. The final 11 modules, which included 33 hours of training, were designed for…

  5. Portraits of Partnership: The Hopes and Dreams Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giovacco-Johnson, Tricia

    2009-01-01

    This article describes an innovative practice in family involvement developed by one early care and education center engaged in professional development. The Hopes and Dreams Project documented family involvement in children's lives and education through the pairing of pictures and narratives about their lives, histories, priorities, goals, and…

  6. The Collaborative Peer Supervision Group Project: A Continuing Education Model to Promote Professional Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomasgard, Michael; Warfield, Janeece

    2005-01-01

    Thomasgard, a physician, and Warfield, a psychologist, describe the multidisciplinary Collaborative Peer Supervision Group Project, originally developed and implemented in Columbus, Ohio. Collaborative Peer Supervision Groups (CPSGs) foster the development of case-based, interdisciplinary, continuing education. CPSGs are designed to improve the…

  7. Building professional capacity in ITS : guidelines for staffing, hiring, and designing ideal project teams

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-04-01

    This guide is intended to help decision makers develop strategies and programs for building and maintaining organizational professional capacity. The guide covers seven different types of local, state and federal agencies and their involvement in twe...

  8. Education for Professional Engineering Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bramhall, Mike D.; Short, Chris

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on a funded collaborative large-scale curriculum innovation and enhancement project undertaken as part of a UK National Higher Education Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme. Its aim was to develop undergraduate curricula to teach appropriate skills for professional engineering practice more…

  9. Using Action Research to Explore the Role of the International Academic Consultant: Drawing on Participants' Perceptions in a Teacher Development Project in Pakistan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hargreaves, Eleanore

    2018-01-01

    This paper problematises the involvement of the UK academic consultant in professional development projects among teachers in a developing, low-income nation. The context for this exploration was a four-year project in Pakistan in which I gave input as a UK consultant. My over-arching research question was: "What was the value of my work as…

  10. Training infection control and hospital hygiene professionals in Europe, 2010: agreed core competencies among 33 European countries.

    PubMed

    Brusaferro, S; Cookson, B; Kalenic, S; Cooper, T; Fabry, J; Gallagher, R; Hartemann, P; Mannerquist, K; Popp, W; Privitera, G; Ruef, C; Viale, P; Coiz, F; Fabbro, E; Suetens, C; Varela Santos, C

    2014-12-11

    The harmonisation of training programmes for infection control and hospital hygiene (IC/HH) professionals in Europe is a requirement of the Council recommendation on patient safety. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control commissioned the 'Training Infection Control in Europe' project to develop a consensus on core competencies for IC/HH professionals in the European Union (EU). Core competencies were drafted on the basis of the Improving Patient Safety in Europe (IPSE) project's core curriculum (CC), evaluated by questionnaire and approved by National Representatives (NRs) for IC/HH training. NRs also re-assessed the status of IC/HH training in European countries in 2010 in comparison with the situation before the IPSE CC in 2006. The IPSE CC had been used to develop or update 28 of 51 IC/HH courses. Only 10 of 33 countries offered training and qualification for IC/HH doctors and nurses. The proposed core competencies are structured in four areas and 16 professional tasks at junior and senior level. They form a reference for standardisation of IC/HH professional competencies and support recognition of training initiatives.

  11. Acclimating international graduate students to professional engineering ethics.

    PubMed

    Newberry, Byron; Austin, Katherine; Lawson, William; Gorsuch, Greta; Darwin, Thomas

    2011-03-01

    This article describes the education portion of an ongoing grant-sponsored education and research project designed to help graduate students in all engineering disciplines learn about the basic ethical principles, rules, and obligations associated with engineering practice in the United States. While the curriculum developed for this project is used for both domestic and international students, the educational materials were designed to be sensitive to the specific needs of international graduate students. In recent years, engineering programs in the United States have sought to develop a larger role for professional ethics education in the curriculum. Accreditation requirements, as well as pressures from the private sector, have helped facilitate this shift in focus. Almost half of all engineering graduate students in the U.S. are international students. Further, research indicates that the majority of these students will remain in the U.S. to work post-graduation. It is therefore in the interest of the profession that these students, coming from diverse backgrounds, receive some formal exposure to the professional and ethical expectations and norms of the engineering profession in the United States to help ensure that they have the knowledge and skills--non-technical as well as technical--required in today's engineering profession. In becoming acculturated to professional norms in a host country, international students face challenges that domestic students do not encounter; such as cultural competency, language proficiency, and acculturation stress. Mitigating these challenges must be a consideration in the development of any effective education materials. The present article discusses the project rationale and describes the development of on-line instructional materials aimed at helping international engineering graduate students acclimate to professional engineering ethics standards in the United States. Finally, a brief data summary of students' perceptions of the usefulness of the content and instructional interface is provided to demonstrate the initial effectiveness of the materials and to present a case for project sustainability.

  12. Promoting Student Engagement through Scholarship in a Teacher Preparation Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, Claudia; Olson-Pacheco, Ali; Grosso, Liliana; Hanley, Elizabeth

    2008-01-01

    A project entitled "Academic Presentations and Publications by Leaders in Education" (Project APPLE) was developed to offer pre-service teachers opportunities to grow professionally outside traditional coursework requirements. Project APPLE seeks to engage students in teacher education programs in two types of scholarly activities: professional…

  13. Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinto, Teresa Almeida; Marreel, Iris; Hatton-Yeo, Alan

    2009-01-01

    "Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects," is for all professionals that are or wish to be enrolled in the development of intergenerational activities. This "Guide" is the main product of the Project MATES--Mainstreaming Intergenerational Solidarity, co-financed by the Lifelong Learning…

  14. Multi Media Madness--Improving Professional Development for Instructional Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thibeault, Nancy

    2004-01-01

    Multi Media Madness (3Ms) was a faculty development program where participants were guided by mentors through the development of a multimedia project. Nine faculty participants attended a week long workshop session in June 2003 taught by three mentors. At the end of the workshop series, the participants submitted a project plan that was reviewed,…

  15. Choosing and Developing the Right Leadership Styles for Projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mueller, Ralf

    2008-01-01

    Analyzing extensive questionnaires completed by 400 project management professionals, Professor Rodney Turner of the Lille Graduate School of Management and I have identified competencies that contribute significantly to project management success. Our research helps define the managerial and emotional competencies needed to make projects work. We also found that different kinds of projects call for different combinations of competencies.

  16. Positive experiences of a vocational rehabilitation intervention for individuals on long-term sick leave, the Dirigo project: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Andersén, Åsa; Ståhl, Christian; Anderzén, Ingrid; Kristiansson, Per; Larsson, Kjerstin

    2017-10-10

    The process of returning to work after long-term sick leave can sometimes be complex. Many factors, (e.g. cooperation between different authorities and the individual as well as individual factors such as health, emotional well-being and self-efficacy) may have an impact on an individual's ability to work. The aim of this study was to investigate clients' experiences with an individually tailored vocational rehabilitation, the Dirigo project, and encounters with professionals working on it. The Dirigo project was based on collaboration between rehabilitation authorities, individually tailored interventions and a motivational interviewing approach. A descriptive qualitative design was used with data collected through interviews. Fourteen individuals on long-term sick leave took part in individual semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using content analysis. The analysis showed overall positive experience of methods and encounters with professionals in a vocational rehabilitation project. The positive experiences were based on four key factors: 1. Opportunities for receiving various dimensions of support. 2. Good overall treatment by the professionals. 3. Satisfaction with the working methods of the project, and 4. Opportunities for personal development. The main result showed that the clients had an overall positive experience of a vocational rehabilitation project and encounters with professionals who used motivational interviewing as a communication method. The overall positive experience indicated that their interactions with the different professionals may have affected their self-efficacy in general and in relation to transition to work. The knowledge is essential for the professionals working in the area of vocational rehabilitation. However, vocational rehabilitation interventions also need a societal approach to be able to offer clients opportunities for job training and real jobs.

  17. Improving 6th Grade Climate Literacy using New Media (CLINM) and Teacher Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, G.; Schmidt, C.; Metzger, E. P.; Cordero, E. C.

    2012-12-01

    The NASA-funded project, Improving 6th Grade Climate Literacy using New Media (CLINM), is designed to improve the climate literacy of California's 450,000 6th-grade students through teacher professional development that presents climate change as an engaging context for teaching earth science standards. The project fosters experience-based interaction among learners and encourages expressive creativity and idea-exchange via the web and social media. The heart of the CLINM project is the development of an online educator-friendly experience that provides content expert-reviewed, teacher-tested, standards-based educational resources, classroom activities and lessons that make meaningful connections to NASA data and images as well as new media tools (videos, web, and phone applications) based on the Green Ninja, a climate-action superhero who fights global warming by inspiring personal action (www.greenninja.info). In this session, we will discuss this approach to professional development and share a collection of teacher-tested CLINM resources. CLINM resources are grounded in earth system science; classroom activities and lessons engage students in exploration of connections between natural systems and human systems with a particular focus on how climate change relates to everyone's need for food, water, and energy. CLINM uses a team-based approach to resource development, and partners faculty in San José State University's (SJSU) colleges of Science, Education, and Humanities and the Arts with 6th-grade teachers from local school districts, a scientist from NASA Ames Research Center and climate change education projects at Stanford University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and the University of Idaho. Climate scientists and other content experts identify relevant concepts and work with science educators to develop and/or refine classroom activities to elucidate those concepts; activities are piloted in pre-service science methods courses at SJSU and in teacher professional development workshops offered through the Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI); workshop attendees frame the activities as lessons appropriate for their 6th grade students; participants who use the lessons and resources in their classrooms provide iterative feedback, which is used to improve the resources for other teachers involved in the project.

  18. Applying a Cognitive-Affective Model of Conceptual Change to Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebert, Ellen K.; Crippen, Kent J.

    2010-04-01

    This study evaluated Gregoire’s (2003) Cognitive-Affective Conceptual Change model (CAMCC) for predicting and assessing conceptual change in science teachers engaged in a long-term professional development project set in a large school district in the southwestern United States. A multiple case study method with data from three teacher participants was used to understand the process of integrating and applying a reform message of inquiry based science teaching. Data sources included: responses to example teaching scenarios, reflective essays, lesson plans, classroom observations, and action research projects. Findings show that the CAMCC functioned well in predicting how these teachers made decisions that impacted how they processed the reform message. When the reform message was communicated in such a way as to initiate stress appraisal, conceptual change occurred, producing changes in classroom practice. If the reform message did not initiate stress appraisal, teachers rejected the professional development message and developed heuristic responses. In order to further research and improve practice, propositions for assessments related to the CAMCC are provided.

  19. A community of educators: professional development for graduate students within the Berkeley Compass Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwab, Josiah; Roth, Nathaniel; Berkeley Compass Project

    2015-01-01

    The Berkeley Compass Project is a self-formed group of graduate and undergraduate students in the physical sciences at UC Berkeley. Our goals are to improve undergraduate physics education, provide opportunities for professional development, and increase retention of students from populations typically underrepresented in the physical sciences. Graduate students, together with upper-level undergraduates, design and run all Compass programs. We strive to create a community of educators that incorporates best practices from the science education literature. Along the way, we develop experience in curriculum development, fundraising, grant writing, interfacing with university administration, and other aspects of running an effective organization. Our experience in Compass leaves us better poised to be successful researchers, teachers, and mentors.

  20. The Role of Collaborative Action Research in Teachers' Professional Development (El papel de la investigación acción colaborativa en el desarrollo profesional docente)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castro Garcés, Angela Yicely; Martínez Granada, Liliana

    2016-01-01

    Teachers' professional development is a key factor to have more reflective educators capable of working on teams to find solutions to problems that arise in their classrooms. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact that the collaborative planning, implementation, and evaluation of classroom projects, developed through collaborative…

  1. Closing the Gap between Professors and Teachers: "Uncoverage" as a Model of Professional Development for History Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Timothy D.; Scott, Renay

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the Central Michigan University Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Teaching American History (TAH) Project has been to forge a model of professional development that would not merely improve teachers' knowledge of events, people, and dates, but to go beyond this to strengthen the understanding of the nature and practice of historical thinking,…

  2. Analysis of Title IIB Mathematics and Science Partnerships in the Northwest Region. Issues & Answers. REL 2007-No. 008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gummer, Edith; Stepanek, Jennifer

    2007-01-01

    This report describes the first year of the funded professional development activities in the Title IIB Math and Science Partnership (MSP) projects in the Northwest Region and the evaluation models. The analysis is structured around the factors of professional development associated with changes in teacher knowledge and practice. This study is…

  3. Results of SEI Independent Research and Development Projects

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-12-01

    contained there. When laptops with a dual-core processor came out, ITunes fails crashed. ITunes was designed as multi-threaded application, but until...involving product portfolio, in-bound technical marketing, research and development, product engineering, supply chain, and out-bound sales and marketing...of quality and process improvement professionals to the marketing, product engineering, supply chain, product test and sales professionals. 3

  4. Chemistry Teachers' Emerging Expertise in Inquiry Teaching: The Effect of a Professional Development Model on Beliefs and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushton, Gregory T.; Lotter, Christine; Singer, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    This study investigates the beliefs and practices of seven high school chemistry teachers as a result of their participation in a year-long inquiry professional development (PD) project. An analysis of oral interviews, written reflections, and in-class observations were used to determine the extent to which the PD affected the teachers' beliefs…

  5. Teaching Argumentative Writing to Teachers and Students: Effects of Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howell, Emily; Hunt-Barron, Sarah; Kaminski, Rebecca; Sanders, Rachel

    2018-01-01

    This multiple-case study design with embedded units of analysis examined a two-year professional development (PD) program in which two rural districts received at least 90 hours of PD. This PD was provided through an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant that the United States Department of Education awarded to the National Writing Project. Two of…

  6. Changes in Student Attitudes Regarding Science When Taught by Teachers without Experiences with a Model Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ali, Mohamed Moustafa; Yager, Robert; Hacieminoglu, Esme; Caliskan, Ilke

    2013-01-01

    This study focuses on two main issues concerning changes in student attitudes toward science study and their perceptions of its usefulness in their lives. Information has been gathered concerning how student attitudes toward science have changed for teachers and schools not involved with any funded professional development project. Pretesting and…

  7. Case Studies on the Use of Technology in TPD (Teacher Professional Development)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gu, Limin; Jiao, Jianli; Wang, Xiaodong; Jia, Yimin; Qin, Dan; Lindberg, J. Ola

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, the progress of a three-year cooperative project investigating the current state of TPD (teacher professional development) in Sweden and China in the area of TPD and ICT (information and communication technologies) is summarized. A brief introduction to the field of TPD is given, and thereafter, ICT is related to what in the project…

  8. Hands-On Professional Development: Middle School Teachers' Experiences with a Curriculum Intervention Research Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Jennifer D.; Gonzalez, Eileen M.; López-Velásquez, Angela M.; Howard, Elizabeth R.

    2013-01-01

    The importance of professional development (PD) is clearly understood; however, little is known about how the most effective PD influences teachers' learning and how teachers perceive PD that goes beyond the typical two-hour session on an aspect of instruction. In this article, the authors present the response of a group of middle school teachers…

  9. Adaptive Capacity in the Pacific Region: A Study of Continuous Professional Development for In-Service Teachers in Kiribati

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Tess; Thomson, Ian

    2018-01-01

    This study of I-Kiribati secondary school teachers used a project-based approach to investigate the notions of school-based and collaborative learning as a suitable model for in-service teacher continuous professional development (CPD). The design and methodology adopted by the study framed the argument that since collaborative behavior is…

  10. Studying Teachers' Degree of Classroom Implementation, Teachers' Implementation Practices, and Students' Learning as Outcomes of K-12 STEM Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Peiyi

    2013-01-01

    With a growing demand for an enhanced K-12 education for strengthening students' conceptual learning, interest, and career awareness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, teacher professional development projects have been viewed as an efficient approach. However, a variety of external and teacher factors may prevent such projects…

  11. Applying Program Theory-Driven Approach to Design and Evaluate a Teacher Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Su-ching; Wu, Ming-sui

    2016-01-01

    This study was the first year of a two-year project which applied a program theory-driven approach to evaluating the impact of teachers' professional development interventions on students' learning by using a mix of methods, qualitative inquiry, and quasi-experimental design. The current study was to show the results of using the method of…

  12. One Science Teacher's Professional Development Experience: A Case Study Exploring Changes in Students' Perceptions of Their Fluency with Innovative Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebenezer, Jazlin; Columbus, Russell; Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Zhang, Lin; Ebenezer, Devairakkam Luke

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this case-study is to narrate a secondary science teacher's experience of his professional development (PD) education and training in innovative technologies (IT) in the context of engaging students in environmental research projects. The sources from which the narrative is derived include (1) the science teacher's reflective…

  13. Insights From the Development of an Environmental Science Professional Development Field Course for Undergraduates from Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmidt, C. M.; Hall, S. R.; Walker, B.; Paul, J.

    2017-12-01

    Existing STEM retention and diversity programs have identified access to field and professional experiences as critical to helping students identify as scientists, form networks, and gain important skills necessary for employment. This program reimagines the traditional geology field course as a professional development experience for students at 2-year and 4-year institutions interested in environmental careers. Students participate in a summer field course in the Sierra Nevada of California, during which time they complete geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology field projects designed to compliment the curriculum of Environmental Geoscience, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies programs. During the course students interact with local professionals in the environmental sector and work to earn badges based on the skills demonstrated during field projects. Badges create transparent documentation of skill mastery for students and provide a new way for students to understand and market their skills and competencies to potential employers. We will report on the curriculum development, implementation and assessment of the first cohort of students to participate in the program. Preliminary results of formative and summative assessments and their implications for student success and program design will be addressed.

  14. Explore-create-share study: An evaluation of teachers as curriculum innovators in engineering education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berry, Ayora

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a curriculum design-based (CDB) professional development model on K-12 teachers' capacity to integrate engineering education in the classroom. This teacher professional development approach differs from other training programs where teachers learn how to use a standard curriculum and adopt it in their classrooms. In a CDB professional development model teachers actively design lessons, student resources, and assessments for their classroom instruction. In other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, CDB professional development has been reported to (a) position teachers as architects of change, (b) provide a professional learning vehicle for educators to reflect on instructional practices and develop content knowledge, (c) inspire a sense of ownership in curriculum decision-making among teachers, and (d) use an instructional approach that is coherent with teachers' interests and professional goals. The CDB professional development program in this study used the Explore-Create-Share (ECS) framework as an instructional model to support teacher-led curriculum design and implementation. To evaluate the impact of the CDB professional development and associated ECS instructional model, three research studies were conducted. In each study, the participants completed a six-month CDB professional development program, the PTC STEM Certificate Program, that included sixty-two instructional contact hours. Participants learned about industry and education engineering concepts, tested engineering curricula, collaborated with K-12 educators and industry professionals, and developed project-based engineering curricula using the ECS framework. The first study evaluated the impact of the CDB professional development program on teachers' engineering knowledge, self-efficacy in designing engineering curriculum, and instructional practice in developing project-based engineering units. The study included twenty-six teachers and data was collected pre-, mid-, and post-program using teacher surveys and a curriculum analysis instrument. The second study evaluated teachers' perceptions of the ECS model as a curriculum authoring tool and the quality of the curriculum units they developed. The study included sixty-two participants and data was collected post-program using teacher surveys and a curriculum analysis instrument. The third study evaluated teachers' experiences implementing ECS units in the classroom with a focus on identifying the benefits, challenges and solutions associated with project-based engineering in the classroom. The study included thirty-one participants and data was collected using an open-ended survey instrument after teachers completed implementation of the ECS curriculum unit. Results of these three studies indicate that teachers can be prepared to integrate engineering in the classroom using a CDB professional development model. Teachers reported an increase in engineering content knowledge, improved their self-efficacy in curriculum planning, and developed high quality instructional units that were aligned to engineering design practices and STEM educational standards. The ECS instructional model was acknowledged as a valuable tool for developing and implementing engineering education in the classroom. Teachers reported that ECS curriculum design aligned with their teaching goals, provided a framework to integrate engineering with other subject-area concepts, and incorporated innovative teaching strategies. After implementing ECS units in the classroom, teachers reported that the ECS model engaged students in engineering design challenges that were situated in a real world context and required the application of interdisciplinary content knowledge and skills. Teachers also reported a number of challenges related to scheduling, content alignment, and access to resources. In the face of these obstacles, teachers presented a number of solutions that included optimization of one's teaching practice, being resource savvy, and adopting a growth mindset.

  15. Experiences of Practice-Based Learning in Phenomenographic Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rovio-Johansson, Airi

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The paper aims to examine, within the context of professional practice and learning, how designers collaboratively working in international teams experience practice-based learning and how such occasions contribute to professional development. Design/methodology/approach: The paper introduces the cooperation project between Tibro Training…

  16. PRiME: integrating professional responsibility into the engineering curriculum.

    PubMed

    Moore, Christy; Hart, Hillary; Randall, D'Arcy; Nichols, Steven P

    2006-04-01

    Engineering educators have long discussed the need to teach professional responsibility and the social context of engineering without adding to overcrowded curricula. One difficulty we face is the lack of appropriate teaching materials that can fit into existing courses. The PRiME (Professional Responsibility Modules for Engineering) Project (http://www.engr.utexas.edu/ethics/primeModules.cfm) described in this paper was initiated at the University of Texas, Austin to provide web-based modules that could be integrated into any undergraduate engineering class. Using HPL (How People Learn) theory, PRiME developed and piloted four modules during the academic year 2004-2005. This article introduces the modules and the pilot, outlines the assessment process, analyzes the results, and describes how the modules are being revised in light of the initial assessment. In its first year of development and testing, PRiME made significant progress towards meeting its objectives. The PRiME Project can strengthen engineering education by providing faculty with an effective system for engaging students in learning about professional responsibility.

  17. Multiple Intelligences Theory, Action Research, and Teacher Professional Development: The Irish MI Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanafin, Joan

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents findings from an action research project that investigated the application of Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory in classrooms and schools. It shows how MI theory was used in the project as a basis for suggestions to generate classroom practices; how participating teachers evaluated the project; and how teachers responded to…

  18. Experiments in Mental Health Training. Project Summaries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silverstein, Sam, Ed.; And Others

    This report contains summaries of mental health training projects conducted under grants awarded by the Experimental and Special Training Branch of the Division of Manpower and Training Programs. The projects have been developed in both academic and non-academic settings for professional, subprofessional, and nonprofessional training for a variety…

  19. Developing Learning Strategies Based on Research Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ampuero-Canellas, Olga; Gonzalez-Del-Rio, Jimena; Jorda-Albinana, Begona; Rojas-Sola, Jose Ignacio

    2011-01-01

    Research projects are a very important part of any professor life sheet. Through these projects, they use their knowledge to solve real problems within professional area. Besides being an advance in research area, they can essentially contribute to improving teaching process. This work originates from the idea that the experienced gotten from…

  20. Focus on Adaptation. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Focus, 1997

    1997-01-01

    A panel of state staff, Professional Development Center directors, and other experts reviewed current or previous exemplary projects in Pennsylvania and in the U.S. and published project descriptions in a newsletter ("FOCUS" bulletin). Twenty-two special projects were selected as exemplary based on a five-point scale for innovation,…

  1. 12 CFR 1291.5 - Competitive application program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... (excluding the value of sweat equity), provided that the project's uses of funds also include or exclude... project. Cash costs do not include in-kind donations, voluntary professional labor or services, or sweat... services (excluding the value of sweat equity) committed to the project as part of the total development...

  2. 12 CFR 1291.5 - Competitive application program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... (excluding the value of sweat equity), provided that the project's uses of funds also include or exclude... project. Cash costs do not include in-kind donations, voluntary professional labor or services, or sweat... services (excluding the value of sweat equity) committed to the project as part of the total development...

  3. 12 CFR 1291.5 - Competitive application program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (excluding the value of sweat equity), provided that the project's uses of funds also include or exclude... project. Cash costs do not include in-kind donations, voluntary professional labor or services, or sweat... services (excluding the value of sweat equity) committed to the project as part of the total development...

  4. 12 CFR 1291.5 - Competitive application program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... (excluding the value of sweat equity), provided that the project's uses of funds also include or exclude... project. Cash costs do not include in-kind donations, voluntary professional labor or services, or sweat... services (excluding the value of sweat equity) committed to the project as part of the total development...

  5. The Review of and Reaction to Selected Anthropology Projects by Professional Anthropologists.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dynneson, Thomas L.; Taylor, Bob L.

    The main concern of this paper is to determine the accuracy and representativeness of anthropology material from: Anthropology Curriculum Project (ACP); Education Development Center's Man A Course of Study (MACOS); Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children (MATCH); University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies; Anthropology Curriculum…

  6. A European Languages Virtual Network Proposal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    García-Peñalvo, Francisco José; González-González, Juan Carlos; Murray, Maria

    ELVIN (European Languages Virtual Network) is a European Union (EU) Lifelong Learning Programme Project aimed at creating an informal social network to support and facilitate language learning. The ELVIN project aims to research and develop the connection between social networks, professional profiles and language learning in an informal educational context. At the core of the ELVIN project, there will be a web 2.0 social networking platform that connects employees/students for language practice based on their own professional/academic needs and abilities, using all relevant technologies. The ELVIN remit involves the examination of both methodological and technological issues inherent in achieving a social-based learning platform that provides the user with their own customized Personal Learning Environment for EU language acquisition. ELVIN started in November 2009 and this paper presents the project aims and objectives as well as the development and implementation of the web platform.

  7. Information dissemination and training: two key issues for consolidating and strengthening the results of health telematic projects.

    PubMed

    Arcarese, T; Boi, S; Gagliardi, R

    2000-01-01

    The concepts expressed in this paper concerns the activities to be developed within HEALTHLINE, a European project under the Telematics Application programme. HEALTHLINE is an umbrella project which takes initiatives and provides links to other international projects on health telematics. The projects involved are NIVEMES and RISE; they represent the starting point from which a common approach will be developed. The experience gained from these projects has highlighted two emerging requirements: information dissemination and training. To fulfil the needs of information, an Internet corner will be set up; it will allow citizens and health professionals to find and exchange information as well as to discuss themes concerning health care. Due to the most advanced technologies recently introduced, the Health care sector has had to modify its traditional ways of working to aid professionals in exploiting new training techniques and Health Care provision methods. HEALTHLINE will focus on training and on the development of the use of new tools and services. Furthermore, the project will exploit the training methodologies based on multimedia technology for developing training-on-the-job modules. The entire system, in its final stage, will consist of a network for co-operating training and information dissemination; European sites in the project will share information, training material and provide education and information on tele-health, medical and health-care issues to health care providers, beneficiaries and the general public.

  8. Project NANO (nanoscience and nanotechnology outreach): a STEM training program that brings SEM's and stereoscopes into high-school and middle-school classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cady, Sherry L.; Blok, Mikel; Grosse, Keith; Wells, Jennifer

    2014-09-01

    The program Project NANO (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Outreach) enables middle and high school students to discover and research submicroscopic phenomena in a new and exciting way with the use of optical and scanning electron microscopes in the familiar surroundings of their middle or high school classrooms. Project NANO provides secondary level professional development workshops, support for classroom instruction and teacher curriculum development, and the means to deliver Project NANO toolkits (SEM, stereoscope, computer, supplies) to classrooms with Project NANO trained teachers. Evaluation surveys document the impact of the program on student's attitudes toward science and technology and on the learning outcomes for secondary level teachers. Project NANO workshops (offered for professional development credit) enable teachers to gain familiarity using and teaching with the SEM. Teachers also learn to integrate new content knowledge and skills into topic-driven, standards-based units of instruction specifically designed to support the development of students' higher order thinking skills that include problem solving and evidence-based thinking. The Project NANO management team includes a former university science faculty, two high school science teachers, and an educational researcher. To date, over 7500 students have experienced the impact of the Project NANO program, which provides an exciting and effective model for engaging students in the discovery of nanoscale phenomena and concepts in a fun and engaging way.

  9. Competency-Based Approaches: Linking Theory and Practice in Professional Education with Particular Reference to Health Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonczi, Andrew

    2013-01-01

    Paul Hager and I worked on a large number of research projects and publications throughout the 1990s. The focus of this work was on developing a competency-based approach to professional education and assessment. I review this work and its impact over the years. Notwithstanding the fact that most professional associations today have a competency…

  10. Partnerships for Improving Literacy in Urban Schools: Advanced Reading Development Demonstration Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reading Teacher, 2008

    2008-01-01

    How many times have researchers and professional developers approached you or your school with "the answer" to improving literacy achievement? How did it work out? If changes occurred during the engagement with these outside partners, what remained after the project ended? Did such efforts lead to lasting change and improvement in…

  11. Fostering Teacher Development to a Tetrahedral Orientation in the Teaching of Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewthwaite, Brian; Wiebe, Rick

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on the initial outcomes from the end of the fourth year of a 5 year research and professional development project to improve chemistry teaching among three cohorts of chemistry teachers in Manitoba, Canada. The project responds to a new curriculum introduction advocating a tetrahedral orientation (Mahaffy, "Journal of…

  12. Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Lesson Study Approach to Professional Development in Camden (London)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Chris; Taylor, Carol; Ponambalum, Lorna

    2016-01-01

    The Haverstock Primary to Secondary Transition Project was designed to improve the experience of transition to secondary school for vulnerable pupils in Camden (London). The project used lesson study to help primary and secondary practitioners work collaboratively, to develop effective cross-phase pedagogical approaches to teaching…

  13. From "At Risk" to "At Promise": An Evaluation of an Early Reading First Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zoll, Susan Marie

    2012-01-01

    This study demonstrates the impact of an Early Reading First intervention on preschool children's language and literacy development using an ex post facto, causal-comparative research design. The project's professional development model was evaluated to produce a process and outcome evaluation to answer two overarching research questions: (1) What…

  14. Fostering Creativity through Educational Video Game Development Projects: A Study of Contextual and Task Characteristics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fabricatore, Carlo; López, Ximena

    2013-01-01

    The increasing demand for creative individuals in the labor market requires well-prepared professionals, capable of enhancing competitiveness through new ideas and innovative actions. Educational programs should, therefore, rely on approaches and learning environments that foster creativity. In this study, video game development projects were used…

  15. Identifying, Measuring and Monitoring Value during Project Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kliniotou, Maria

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes the findings of the research done by Loughborough University in conjunction with ten construction industry collaborators in an attempt to identify what construction professionals mean by value. The aim of the research is to establish a common approach to identify value in projects and to monitor its development throughout the…

  16. A Collaborative Action Research Project towards Embedding ESD within the Higher Education Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cebrián, Gisela

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to present a collaborative action research project conducted at the University of Southampton with the aim to promote curriculum and professional development in education for sustainable development (ESD) and learn from everyday practices of academics. Design/methodology/approach: An action research approach guided by…

  17. Communicating through humour: A project of stand-up comedy about science.

    PubMed

    Pinto, Bruno; Marçal, David; Vaz, Sofia G

    2015-10-01

    A study of a project on science stand-up comedy developed in Portugal between 2009 and 2013 is presented, in which thirteen scientists, coordinated by a science communicator and a professional actor, created and presented comedy acts. Eleven of these scientists were asked about their motivations to participate, the process of performance development and the perceived value of the project. Personal motivations were highly important, but professional reasons were also mentioned. Working in a group with the guidance of coordinators, testing and re-writing the texts and gradually gaining confidence on stage were considered fundamental in the development of the shows. Additionally, a questionnaire revealed that the audience, most of whom were young adults, and held a higher education degree, were satisfied with the show. Overall, both participating scientists and audience members considered that stand-up comedy has potential for science communication. © The Author(s) 2013.

  18. Certification of computer professionals: A good idea?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boggess, G.

    1994-12-31

    In the early stages of computing there was little understanding or attention paid to the ethical responsibilities of professionals. Compainies routinely put secretaries and music majors through 30 hours of video training and turned them loose on data processing projects. As the nature of the computing task changed, these same practices were followed and the trainees were set loose on life-critical software development projects. The enormous risks of using programmers with limited training has been by the GAO report on the BSY-2 program.

  19. Developing midwifery practice through work-based learning: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Jayne E

    2012-09-01

    To explore what effect the introduction of a Work-Based Learning Module undertaken by midwives in a range of maternity settings has had on their personal professional development, as well as the impact on developing local maternity and neonatal care provision. A case study approach was used consisting of mixed methods. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires from midwives and their Clinical Supervisors at the end of the module, with a survey questionnaire to each midwifery manager, six months following the implementation of the midwives' project in practice. Qualitative data were collected by focus groups at six different work place locations, with health professionals who had experienced the midwives' projects within the workplace. Quantitative data were manually analysed whereas content analysis was used to identify recurrent themes from the qualitative data, with the support of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. The University of Nottingham granted ethical approval for the study. Twelve midwives who undertook the work-based module, their respective Clinical Supervisors (n = 12), their employers/managers (n = 12) and health professionals (n = 28) within six individual National Health Service Trusts in the East Midlands of the United Kingdom took part in the study. The work-based learning module not only led to the personal and professional development of the midwife, but also to improving multi-professional collaboration and the consequential development of maternity services within the local Trusts. The value of leading change by completing an innovative and tangible work-based project through a flexible mode of study strengthened the midwives' clinical credibility among colleagues and employers and supports the philosophy of inter-professional learning and working. This novel Work Based approach to learning has the potential to further develop the provision of post-registration education for midwives and other health professionals, as it helps to bridge the theory-practice gap. Learning in the workplace is efficient and cost effective to employee and employer and serves in increasing the link between higher education and the workplace. Furthermore, as the principles of work-based learning could be transferred to other contexts outside of the United Kingdom, such an approach has the potential to directly influence the development of global midwifery education and maternity services and ultimately benefit mothers, their babies and families throughout the world. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Technology Education Professional Enhancement Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Thomas A., Jr.

    1996-01-01

    The two goals of this project are: the use of integrative field of aerospace technology to enhance the content and instruction delivered by math, science, and technology teachers through the development of a new publication entitled NASA Technology Today, and to develop a rationale and structure for the study of technology, which establishes the foundation for developing technology education standards and programs of the future.

  1. The effects of professional development related to classroom assessment on student achievement in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mazzie, Dawn Danielle

    This study investigated the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher participation in a Teacher Quality Research (TQR) project on classroom assessment. The samples for these studies were teachers from underperforming schools who volunteered to take part in a professional development program in classroom assessment. School groups were randomly assigned to the treatment group. For Study 1, teachers in the treatment received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach. Teachers in the control received no professional development. For Study 2, teachers in Treatment 1 received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach and teachers in Treatment 2 received professional development in classroom assessment from a facilitator with one day of training. Teachers in both groups completed a measure of assessment literacy, the Teacher Quality Research Test of Assessment Literacy Skills (TQR_TALS), prior to the beginning and then again at the conclusion of the four month professional development program. A hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher TQR status. Based upon these analyses, the professional development program increased teachers' assessment literacy skills; however, the professional development had no significant impact on students' achievement.

  2. Nevada Underserved Science Education Program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nicole Rourke; Jason Marcks

    2004-07-06

    Nevada Underserved Science Education Program (NUSEP) is a project to examine the effect of implementing new and innovative Earth and space science education curriculum in Nevada schools. The project provided professional development opportunities and educational materials for teachers participating in the program.

  3. 78 FR 46860 - Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period for the Technical Assistance Coordination Center

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-02

    ... funded centers, professional organizations, and other stakeholders to collaborate, solve problems...; (b) maintaining a Web site that houses tools that TA&D Network projects have developed or can use in...

  4. Project Management Professional Development: An Industry Led Programme.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gale, Andrew; Brown, Mike

    2003-01-01

    Describes a modular master's program in project management. Explores relationships between return on investment, management competencies, and learning outcomes in the context of industry-academic partnerships. Discusses the managed learning environment using WebCT. (Contains 40 references.) (SK)

  5. Determining Behavioral Task Content of the Curriculum in Occupational and Professional Education Programs: The Dental Auxiliaries. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terry, David R.; Evans, Rupert N.

    The document is the final report of a project to develop a suitable method for studying the task content of accredited dental auxiliary education programs and the relationship between the tasks taught in such programs and the tasks involved in a professional situation. The set of instruments developed and pilot tested in 63 programs was used to…

  6. Preparing Teachers to Use GIS: The Impact of a Hybrid Professional Development Program on Teachers' Use of GIS

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Steven; Haviland, Don; Moore, William; Tran, Michael

    2016-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a 3-year study of a hybrid professional development program designed to prepare science and mathematics teachers to implement GIS in their classrooms. The study was conducted as part of the CoastLines Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers project funded by the National Science Foundation.…

  7. Investigating the Impact of NGSS-Aligned Professional Development on PreK-3 Teachers' Science Content Knowledge and Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuttle, Nicole; Kaderavek, Joan N.; Molitor, Scott; Czerniak, Charlene M.; Johnson-Whitt, Eugenia; Bloomquist, Debra; Namatovu, Winnifred; Wilson, Grant

    2016-01-01

    This pilot study investigates the impact of a 2-week professional development Summer Institute on PK-3 teachers' knowledge and practices. This Summer Institute is a component of [program], a large-scale early-childhood science project that aims to transform PK-3 science teaching. The mixed-methods study examined concept maps, lesson plans, and…

  8. Navigations: The Road to a Better Orientation.

    PubMed

    Rizzo, Leah Heather

    2016-01-01

    A team of nursing professional development specialists from a large Magnet® healthcare network transformed new employee orientation using a themed, interdisciplinary, learner-centered approach. Guided by project management principles, the nursing professional development team created an engaging program that serves as an interactive guide for new hires' orientation journey. This unique approach differs from traditional orientation programs through its incorporation of gaming, video clips, and group discussions.

  9. On the Use of Spreadsheet Algebra Programs in the Professional Development of Teachers from Selected Township High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gierdien, M. Faaiz

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on the initial stages of a small-scale project involving the use of "spreadsheet algebra programs" in the professional development of eight teachers from three township high schools. In terms of the education context, the paper draws on social practice theory. It then details what is meant by spreadsheet algebra. An…

  10. Observatório da Educação: An Investigation of Teacher Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia Silva, Angélica F.; Campos, Tania Maria M.; Pietropaolo, Ruy Cesar

    2014-01-01

    This paper aims to present the results of an investigation regarding the professional development of teachers who worked in the early years of basic education. The qualitative research involved teachers who participated in the "Observatório da Educação" project (MEC/CAPES). Because of the data amount, we choose to present the data…

  11. A marriage of continuance: professional development for mathematics lecturers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barton, Bill; Oates, Greg; Paterson, Judy; Thomas, Mike

    2015-06-01

    In a 2-year project, we developed and trialled a mode of lecturing professional development amongst staff in our department of mathematics. Theoretically grounded in Schoenfeld's resources, orientations, and goals (ROG) model of teacher action, a group met regularly to discuss both the video excerpts of themselves lecturing along with written pre- and post-lecture statements of their "ROGs". We found evidence of improved teaching performance but more interestingly, identified key aspects of our practice and of undergraduate mathematics that received repeated attention and developed further theoretical insight into lecturer behaviour in mathematics. The trial has been successful enough to be expanded into further groups that now constitute a professional development culture within our department.

  12. [Application of the technique of analytical structure of project for the sub-project of websites catalog of the Virtual Health Library-Nursing].

    PubMed

    dos, Santos Luís Augusto; Marin, Heimar de Fátima; Marques, Isaac Rosa; Cunha, Isabel Cristina Kowal Olm

    2007-01-01

    This work intents, in a didactic form, to explain the benefits of use of a technique of project management, named Work Breakdown Structure: a graphical tool to identify the main results to be developed in a project. The real examples are applied to a sub-project of the Virtual Library in Health in Nursing (BVS-Enfermagem) to development of the Sites Catalogs. The benefits of graphical visualization for a major agreement between professionals of different expertise are presented.

  13. The Effect of Technical Assistance on Involvement and Use: The Case of a Research, Evaluation, and Technical Assistance Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roseland, Denise; Volkov, Boris B.; Callow-Heusser, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    In contrast to typical National Science Foundation program evaluations, the Utah State Math Science Partnership-Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance Project (MSP-RETA) provided technical assistance (TA) in two forms: direct TA for up to 10 projects a year, and professional development sessions for a larger number of project staff. Not…

  14. A PDS Partnership Goes International: Phase I of an American-Slovenian Collaborative Research Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Catelli, Linda; Carlino, Joan; Jackson, Valerie; Petraglia, GinaMarie

    2011-01-01

    The focus of the article is on Phase I of an American-Slovenian collaborative research project that was aimed at investigating effective classroom teaching-learning performances. The international project involved Dowling College and its first Professional Development School (PDS)--the Belmont Elementary PDS--and the University of Primorska at…

  15. Academic Mobility Projects Management: Challenges for Ukrainian Professional Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zabolotna, Oksana

    2015-01-01

    The article is devoted to the academic mobility projects management on the example of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University in the Erasmus Mundus Projects, namely, EMINENCE and EMINENCE II. It has been pointed out that modern university is a constantly developing system possessing a hidden potential for innovations. Thus, the…

  16. Building I.S. Professionals through a Real-World Client Project in a Database Application Development Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Podeschi, R. J.

    2016-01-01

    Information systems curricula are increasingly using active learning methodologies to help students learn "through" technology rather than just "about" technology. While one way to achieve this is through the assignment of semester-long projects, previous research suggests that real-world projects provide more meaningful…

  17. Online Peer Observation: An Exploration of a Cross-Discipline Observation Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicolson, Margaret; Harper, Felicity

    2014-01-01

    In this article the authors compare two phases of an ongoing, annual online peer observation project at the Open University. Adopting a non-managerialist approach, the project aims to give teachers a renewed sense of collegiality, allowing them to take responsibility for aspects of their professional development and share practice points. While…

  18. Using Sociotransformative Constructivism to Create Multicultural and Gender-Inclusive Classrooms: An Intervention Project for Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zozakiewicz, Cathy; Rodriguez, Alberto J.

    2007-01-01

    Maxima was an intervention project that focused on assisting teachers to establish more inquiry-based, gender-inclusive, and culturally relevant learning environments. The authors grounded the project by using sociotransformative constructivism as a theoretical framework to steer the implementation of three guiding concepts for professional…

  19. Perspectives from Ethiopia regarding U.S. military humanitarian assistance: how to build a better medical civil action project (MEDCAP).

    PubMed

    Miles, Shana; Malone, Joseph L

    2013-12-01

    Assuming that budgetary constraints continue over the next several years, the U.S. military's overseas medical activities including medical civic action projects (MEDCAPs) and humanitarian assistance projects could comprise an increasing proportion of the contributions of U.S. government (USG) to improving global health. We have identified several issues with MEDCAPs in Ethiopia since 2009 that resulted in delays or project cancellations. These were mostly related to lack of a plan to develop sustainable capacities. Although there are many obvious medical needs for civilian populations in Ethiopia, the provision of sustainable development assistance involving these Ethiopian populations on behalf of the USG is a complex undertaking involving coordination with many partners and coordination with several other USG agencies. Military medical professionals planning MEDCAPs and other cooperative global health projects would benefit from consultation and close coordination with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) experts who are involved in supporting medium- and long-term health projects in Ethiopia. The establishment of durable military medical academic relationships and involvement of overseas military medical research units could also help promote sustainable projects and build robust professional relationships in global health. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  20. Health Professionals' Attitudes and Educational Needs regarding New Food Processing Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Delgado-Gutierrez, C.; Bruhn, C. M.

    2008-01-01

    This project evaluates the attitudes of food and health professionals to 3 new food processing technologies that have been developed to respond to consumer demands such as superior taste, longer shelf life, higher nutritional content, health benefits, and environment-friendly processing. Educational brochures for high pressure (HP), pulsed…

  1. Engaging with the Profession: Communities of Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meiers, Marion

    2007-01-01

    In 2005 the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA) established a professional learning project focused on the Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA) professional standards developed earlier in the decade by the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and ALEA. The key question for…

  2. Collaboration Creation: Lessons Learned from Establishing an Online Professional Learning Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, Colin; Smyth, Keith

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the design, implementation, evaluation and further refinement of an ELGG-based social networking site to support professional development activity, project group and special interest groups, and the discussion and sharing of educational experiences and resources across Edinburgh Napier University in the United Kingdom.…

  3. The Role of Pharmacology in the Education of Health-Care Professionals (Pharmacy)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freston, James W.

    1976-01-01

    Focus is on the place of pharmacology as a faculty and discipline in the education of health professionals, particularly pharmacists. Curriculum concerns are addressed, and the projections of Abraham Flexner in 1910 are reviewed. The need for the development of clinical pharmacy is emphasized. (LBH)

  4. Learning about Professional Growth through Listening to Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Phil

    2017-01-01

    This article explores teacher learning and development, drawing on insights gained during two study visits and an international collaborative project. The article also charts a phase in the author's own learning, reflecting a growing recognition of the complexities of professional growth, gained through listening to teachers. A tentative process…

  5. Multi-Disciplinary Learning through a Database Development Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Vincent; Lau, Chloe; Shum, Pearl

    2012-01-01

    Recently, there are many good examples of how multi-disciplinary learning can support students to learn collaboratively and not solely focus on a single professional sector. During the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters, we have attempted to gather students studying different professional domains together. Students from the Department of…

  6. Evolving Uses of Technology in Case-Based Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Janet C.; Diaz, Ricardo

    Case study-based teacher education has been advocated since the mid-1980s. The evolution of technology-facilitated, case study-based professional development for adult education professionals may be traced by examining three projects involving the National Center on Adult Literacy and the International Literacy Institute at University of…

  7. Looking Across and Within: Studying Ourselves as Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tannehill, Deborah; Parker, Melissa; Tindall, Daniel; Moody, Brigitte; MacPhail, Ann

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe the ongoing self-study of a community of physical education teacher educators (PETE) striving to enhance their research capacity and program effectiveness. The underpinnings of the project reside within professional development/professional learning and self-study. Engaging in self-study projects…

  8. Professionals' views on the development process of a structural collaboration between child and adolescent psychiatry and child welfare: an exploration through the lens of the life cycle model.

    PubMed

    Van den Steene, Helena; van West, Dirk; Peeraer, Griet; Glazemakers, Inge

    2018-03-23

    This study, as a part of a participatory action research project, reports the development process of an innovative collaboration between child and adolescent psychiatry and child welfare, for adolescent girls with multiple and complex needs. The findings emerge from a qualitative descriptive analysis of four focus groups with 30 professionals closely involved in this project, and describe the evolution of the collaborative efforts and outcomes through time. Participants describe large investments and negative consequences of rapid organizational change in the beginning of the collaboration project, while benefits of the intensive collaboration only appeared later. A shared person-centred vision and enhanced professionals' confidence were pointed out as important contributors in the evolution of the collaboration. Findings were compared to the literature and showed significant analogy with the life cycle model for shared service centres that describe the maturation of collaborations from a management perspective. These findings enrich the knowledge about the development process of collaboration in health and social care. In increasingly collaborative services, child and adolescent psychiatrists and policy makers should be aware that gains from a collaboration will possibly only be achieved in the longer term, and benefit from knowing which factors have an influence on the evolution of a collaboration project.

  9. Synthesis of the project leadership staffing needs for successful development of alternative delivery programs.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-08-01

    This research provides a synthesis of practices in organizational structuring and professional staffing of the innovative delivery units in several state DOTs across the nation that are actively utilizing alternative project delivery. Several major c...

  10. [Dental professionals in the future: flexible team players. The vision of dental professionals on future professional structure and occupation].

    PubMed

    Bolk, M H; Kroezen, N M; van Dam, B A

    2003-07-01

    The project 'From care-demand for care to a social dental occupational and educational structure' was carried out to reach an agreement about the organization of the future social occupational and educational structure and the future performance of one's profession. A descriptive analysis of data, obtained by literature search and consensus-meetings was used. All relevant professional associations participated in this project. The project resulted in profiles for the future dental professionals and for the future dental team. In this project the dental professionals come to an agreement about the future professional performance. However, the discussion has not yet been finished. Further collaboration between the professional associations is recommended.

  11. Examining the Professional Development Experiences and Non-Technical Skills Desired for Geoscience Employment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Houlton, H. R.; Ricci, J.; Wilson, C. E.; Keane, C.

    2014-12-01

    Professional development experiences, such as internships, research presentations and professional network building, are becoming increasingly important to enhance students' employability post-graduation. The practical, non-technical skills that are important for succeeding during these professional development experiences, such as public speaking, project management, ethical practices and writing, transition well and are imperative to the workplace. Thereby, graduates who have honed these skills are more competitive candidates for geoscience employment. Fortunately, the geoscience community recognizes the importance of these professional development opportunities and the skills required to successfully complete them, and are giving students the chance to practice non-technical skills while they are still enrolled in academic programs. The American Geosciences Institute has collected data regarding students' professional development experiences, including the preparation they receive in the corresponding non-technical skills. This talk will discuss the findings of two of AGI's survey efforts - the Geoscience Student Exit Survey and the Geoscience Careers Master's Preparation Survey (NSF: 1202707). Specifically, data highlighting the role played by internships, career opportunities and the complimentary non-technical skills will be discussed. As a practical guide, events informed by this research, such as AGI's professional development opportunities, networking luncheons and internships, will also be included.

  12. Professional development for primary science teaching in Thailand: Knowledge, orientations, and practices of professional developers and professional development participants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Musikul, Kusalin

    The purpose of this study was to examine an entire PD project as a case to understand the dynamic nature of science PD in a holistic manner. I used a pedagogical content knowledge model by Magnusson, Krajcik, and Borko (1999) as my theoretical framework in examining the professional developers' and teacher participants' knowledge, orientation, and practice for professional development and elementary science teaching. The case study is my research tradition; I used grounded theory for data analysis. The primary data sources were interview, card sort activity, and observation field notes collected during the PD and subsequently in teacher participants' classrooms. Secondary data sources were documents and artifacts that I collected from the professional developers and teachers. An analysis of the data led me to interpret the following findings: (a) the professional developers displayed multiple orientations. These orientations included activity-driven, didactic, discovery, and pedagogy-driven orientations. The orientations that were found among the professional developers deviated from the reformed Thai Science Education Standards; (b) the professional developers had limited PCK for PD, which were knowledge of teachers' learning, knowledge of PD strategies, knowledge of PD curriculum, and knowledge of assessment.; (c) the professional developers' knowledge and orientations influenced their decisions in selecting PD activities and teaching approaches; (d) their orientations and PCK as well as the time factor influenced the design and implementation of the professional development; (e) the elementary teachers displayed didactic, activity-driven, and academic rigor orientations. The orientations that the teachers displayed deviated from the reformed Thai Science Education Standards; and (f) the elementary teachers exhibited limited PCK. It is evident that the limitation of one type of knowledge resulted in an ineffective use of other components of PCK. This study demonstrates the nature of PD in the context of Thailand in a holistic view to understand knowledge, orientation, and implementation of professional developers and professional development participants. Furthermore, the findings have implications for professional development and professional developers in Thailand and include worldwide with respect to promoting sustain and intensive professional development and developing professional developers.

  13. Teacher-Researchers in the "Zone of Proximal Development": Insights for Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres, Myriam N.

    This study is part of a larger project on teacher research and professional development in the Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP), a master's degree mid-career collaborative program for inservice teachers. Research was initially planned and implemented as a new course which required teachers to do a Systematic Inquiry Project (SIP) in their…

  14. Driving and Dementia in Older Adults: Implementation and Evaluation of a Continuing Education Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meuser, Thomas M.; Carr, David B.; Berg-Weger, Marla; Niewoehner, Pat; Morris, John C.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: We aimed to develop and evaluate a multimedia workshop curriculum to educate physicians and other health professionals about (a) driving-related assessment in older adults with dementia, and (b) strategies to encourage driving retirement for impaired individuals. Design and Methods: A curriculum developed by the Older Drivers Project of…

  15. Collaborative Action Research Approach Promoting Professional Development for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment in Assistive Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Argyropoulos, Vassilios; Nikolaraizi, Magda; Tsiakali, Thomai; Kountrias, Polychronis; Koutsogiorgou, Sofia-Marina; Martos, Aineias

    2014-01-01

    This paper highlights the framework and discusses the results of an action research project which aimed to facilitate the adoption of assistive technology devices and specialized software by teachers of students with visual impairment via a digital educational game, developed specifically for this project. The persons involved in this…

  16. Chapter 2: Navigating the Mentoring Process in a Research-Based Teacher Development Project: A Situated Learning Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patton, Kevin; Griffin, Linda L.; Sheehy, Deborah; Henninger, Mary L.; Arnold, Ruth; Pagnano, Karen; Gallo, Anne Marie; Dodds, Patt; James, Alisa

    2005-01-01

    The authors examine the various communities of practice that were formed throughout a teacher development project that included a formal mentoring component. The authors describe a theoretical approach to understanding learning in communities of practice and present an approach for analyzing professional learning resulting from social interactions…

  17. Service-Learning Linking Family Child Care Providers, Community Partners, and Preservice Professionals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garner, Pamela W.; Parker, Tameka S.

    2016-01-01

    This article describes the implementation of a service-learning project, which was infused into a child development course. The project linked family child care providers, their licensing agency, and 39 preservice teachers in a joint effort to develop a parent handbook to be used by the providers in their child care businesses and to support…

  18. Meeting the Learning Needs of Students: A Rural High-Need School District's Systemic Leadership Development Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Browne-Ferrigno, Tricia; Maynard, Brenda

    2005-01-01

    The Principals Excellence Program (PEP), a cohort-based professional development project for administrator-certified practitioners, is one of 24 projects across the United States supported by federal funds from the No Child Left Behind legislation. The three-year program is conducted through a partnership between Pike County School District, a…

  19. Integrating Problem- and Project-Based Learning Opportunities: Assessing Outcomes of a Field Course in Environment and Sustainability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kricsfalusy, Vladimir; George, Colleen; Reed, Maureen G.

    2018-01-01

    Improving student competencies to address sustainability challenges has been a subject of significant debate in higher education. Problem- and project-based learning have been widely celebrated as course models that support the development of sustainability competencies. This paper describes a course developed for a professional Master's program…

  20. Teacher Professional Development through a Collaborative Curriculum Project--An Example of TPACK in Maine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allan, Walter C.; Erickson, Jeryl L.; Brookhouse, Phil; Johnson, Judith L.

    2010-01-01

    Maine's one-to-one laptop program provides an ideal opportunity to explore conditions that optimize teacher integration of technology-focused curriculum into the classroom. EcoScienceWorks (ESW) is an ecology curriculum that includes targeted simulations and a code block programming challenge developed through an NSF-ITEST grant. The project was…

  1. Developing Online Problem-Based Resources for the Professional Development of Teachers of Children with Visual Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLinden, Mike; McCall, Steve; Hinton, Danielle; Weston, Annette; Douglas, Graeme

    2006-01-01

    This article presents a summary of the results from phase 1 of a two-phase research project. Drawing on the principles of problem-based learning (PBL), the aims of phase 1 were to design, develop and evaluate a set of flexible online teaching resources for use within a virtual learning environment. Participants in the project (n = 10) were…

  2. "Someone Had to Have Faith in Them as Professionals": An Evaluation of an Action Research Project to Develop Educational Leadership across the Early Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Linda

    2017-01-01

    This article reports on an evaluation of three action research projects developed by a group of teachers working across the early years in three independent schools. The article examines the role of action research in developing educational leadership capabilities. Drawing on the educational leadership literature, concepts and ideas of action and…

  3. Building an Understanding: What Motivates Teachers to use Science in Motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spuck, Karen M.

    Science education reform documents call for instructional practices that include scientific equipment and materials. Often, these types of resources are inaccessible for schools, especially those which are rural and socio-economically challenged, due largely to budgetary considerations. Science outreach partnerships are able to bridge the gap between what is called for in science education reform documents and the realities of many schools. Science in Motion is a science outreach partnership project located in rural Northwestern Pennsylvania, supported by state funds, that provides equipment, curricular materials, and professional development free of charge for area science educators. Teacher participation in this project is completely voluntary. Not a grassroots initiative, nor a top down mandated project, why do teachers decide to use this project? This study examined the volitional use of the Science in Motion project at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Qualitative research methods were used to answer the following research question: what are the reasons for project use reported by teachers who use the project on a regular basis? Sub research questions were: what is it about the teacher that encouraged her/him to initiate Science in Motion services, and what is it about the teacher that encourages her/him to continue using Science in Motion services? Two focus group interviews as well as a paper/pencil questionnaire were used to collect data from teacher participants who use the project on a regular basis. A phenomenological lens was used to examine data. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data. Research findings reveal teachers initiated use because: the project provided opportunities for teaching and learning that otherwise were inaccessible, the project was perceived as user friendly and easy to access, the project embedded professional development provided the support needed to encourage initial use, and the project resources were perceived as a means to facilitate teaching and learning goals and beliefs held by this group of teachers. Reasons for continued use included the project was found to be user friendly and the project maintained a variety of equipment, and updated labs and equipment on a regular basis. In addition, teachers were given an opportunity to have a voice in the project, selecting labs and materials as the project expanded over the years, which gave teachers a sense of ownership and empowerment. Assertions about this group of teachers were also developed. These teachers were found to be reflective about their teaching practices, and resourceful problem-solvers. They also maintain strong professional attitudes, and value life-long learning. The research participants believe maintaining a dynamic curriculum and continued professional growth keep the teaching processes exciting for themselves, which then sparks student interest excitement and motivation to learn.

  4. The use of a mobile assistant learning system for health education based on project-based learning.

    PubMed

    Wu, Ting-Ting

    2014-10-01

    With the development of mobile devices and wireless technology, mobile technology has gradually infiltrated nursing practice courses to facilitate instruction. Mobile devices save manpower and reduce errors while enhancing nursing students' professional knowledge and skills. To achieve teaching objectives and address the drawbacks of traditional education, this study presents a mobile assistant learning system to help nursing students prepare health education materials. The proposed system is based on a project-based learning strategy to assist nursing students with internalizing professional knowledge and developing critical thinking skills. Experimental results show that the proposed mobile system and project-based learning strategy can promote learning effectiveness and efficiency. Most nursing students and nursing educators showed positive attitudes toward this mobile learning system and looked forward to using it again in related courses in the future.

  5. A model of professional competences in mathematics to update mathematical and didactic knowledge of teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Díaz, Verónica; Poblete, Alvaro

    2017-07-01

    This paper describes part of a research and development project carried out in public elementary schools. Its objective was to update the mathematical and didactic knowledge of teachers in two consecutive levels in urban and rural public schools of Region de Los Lagos and Region de Los Rios of southern Chile. To that effect, and by means of an advanced training project based on a professional competences model, didactic interventions based on types of problems and types of mathematical competences with analysis of contents and learning assessment were designed. The teachers' competence regarding the didactic strategy used and its results, as well as the students' learning achievements are specified. The project made possible to validate a strategy of lifelong improvement in mathematics, based on the professional competences of teachers and their didactic transposition in the classroom, as an alternative to consolidate learning in areas considered vulnerable in two regions of the country.

  6. Undergraduate degree projects in the Swedish dental schools: a documentary analysis.

    PubMed

    Franzén, C; Brown, G

    2013-05-01

    Undergraduate degree projects have currently been introduced into courses in the four Swedish dental schools. The rationale for research projects is that they enable students to develop research expertise skills and to show their ability to apply and develop knowledge relevant to professional practice. This paper reports a qualitative analysis of the curriculum documents and handbooks including the criteria used to assess the students' research reports. The aim was to investigate commonalities and differences in the design of degree projects between the four Swedish dental schools and to explore any inconsistencies within the documents. The documentary analysis was based on the constant comparison method. Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (i) developing scientific expertise, (ii) developing professional expertise, (iii) following rules and (iv) fostering creativity. The documents from the four dental schools revealed similar views on the purposes of the projects and provided similar assessment criteria. The students were requested to formulate an odontological problem, apply a relevant scientific method, analyse texts and empirical data, express critical reflections and write a short thesis. The students were free to choose topics. There were differences between the dental schools on the emphasis placed on practical uses of the projects and theoretical background of the projects. Two of the schools insisted on rigid rules of completing and writing the project yet paradoxically emphasised creativity. There were wide variations in the required length of the project report. The report may prove useful to dental schools in other countries who are about to design undergraduate research projects. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Implementing an electronic medication overview in Belgium.

    PubMed

    Storms, Hannelore; Marquet, Kristel; Nelissen, Katherine; Hulshagen, Leen; Lenie, Jan; Remmen, Roy; Claes, Neree

    2014-12-16

    An accurate medication overview is essential to reduce medication errors. Therefore, it is essential to keep the medication overview up-to-date and to exchange healthcare information between healthcare professionals and patients. Digitally shared information yields possibilities to improve communication. However, implementing a digitally shared medication overview is challenging. This articles describes the development process of a secured, electronic platform designed for exchanging medication information as executed in a pilot study in Belgium, called "Vitalink". The goal of "Vitalink" is to improve the exchange of medication information between professionals working in healthcare and patients in order to achieve a more efficient cooperation and better quality of care. Healthcare professionals of primary and secondary health care and patients of four Belgian regions participated in the project. In each region project groups coordinated implementation and reported back to the steering committee supervising the pilot study. The electronic medication overview was developed based on consensus in the project groups. The steering committee agreed to establish secured and authorized access through the use of electronic identity documents (eID) and a secured, eHealth-platform conform prior governmental regulations regarding privacy and security of healthcare information. A successful implementation of an electronic medication overview strongly depends on the accessibility and usability of the tool for healthcare professionals. Coordinating teams of the project groups concluded, based on their own observations and on problems reported to them, that secured and quick access to medical data needed to be pursued. According to their observations, the identification process using the eHealth platform, crucial to ensure secured data, was very time consuming. Secondly, software packages should meet the needs of their users, thus be adapted to daily activities of healthcare professionals. Moreover, software should be easy to install and run properly. The project would have benefited from a cost analysis executed by the national bodies prior to implementation.

  8. Improving Professional Development to Enhance Reading Outcomes for Students in Special Education.

    PubMed

    Lemons, Christopher J; Otaiba, Stephanie Al; Conway, Sheila J; Mellado De La Cruz, Veronica

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this article is to focus specifically on professional development that is needed to ensure that preservice and in-service teachers are prepared to deliver intensive intervention to enhance reading outcomes of students in special education. Our aim is to provide recommendations to ensure that special educators are prepared to design and implement data-based individualization in the area of reading. We highlight what special educators need to know to implement data-based individualization and provide recommendations for improving professional development using findings from federally funded projects. Implications for practice and next steps for research and policy are provided. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Industry-Supported Team Students' Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glozman, Vladimir

    The industry-supported team students' project enhances professional, intellectual, and personal development of students while addressing the needs of local industry. In addition to achieving academic excellence, the students are exposed to industry requirements, and excel in effective oral communication and cooperative teamwork. The teamwork…

  10. Validation of the Competencies Needed by Vocational Education Teachers, Middle Managers, and Administrators. Phase II of a Professional Development Study for Massachusetts, Volume I.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boston Univ., MA. School of Education.

    This is the first of four volumes reporting phase 2 of a two-phase project to examine the competency-based vocational teacher education movement and analyze the current state of the art (phase 1), and to assess the implications for preservice, inservice, and leadership level professional development programs in career and occupational education in…

  11. Education for Disability Equality through Disabled People's Life Stories and Narratives: Working and Learning Together in a School-Based Professional Development Programme for Inclusion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chrysostomou, Marianna; Symeonidou, Simoni

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports on the findings of an action research project that took place in a primary school in Cyprus. A professional development programme was devised with contributions from teachers involved in the research. The programme was aimed at helping teachers to map the difficulties they encounter when working with their students on…

  12. Multifamily Building Operator Job/Task Analysis and Report: September 2013

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Owens, C. M.

    The development of job/task analyses (JTAs) is one of three components of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project and will allow industry to develop training resources, quality assurance protocols, accredited training programs, and professional certifications. The Multifamily Building Operator JTA identifies and catalogs all of the tasks performed by multifamily building operators, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform the identified tasks.

  13. Multifamily Energy Auditor Job/Task Analysis and Report: September 2013

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Owens, C. M.

    The development of job/task analyses (JTAs) is one of three components of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project and will allow industry to develop training resources, quality assurance protocols, accredited training programs, and professional certifications. The Multifamily Energy Auditor JTA identifies and catalogs all of the tasks performed by multifamily energy auditors, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform the identified tasks.

  14. Mental health leadership and patient access to care: a public-private initiative in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Szabo, Christopher Paul; Fine, Jennifer; Mayers, Pat; Naidoo, Shan; Zabow, Tuviah

    2017-01-01

    Mental health leadership is a critical component of patient access to care. More specifically, the ability of mental health professionals to articulate the needs of patients, formulate strategies and engage meaningfully at the appropriate level in pursuit of resources. This is not a skill set routinely taught to mental health professionals. A public-private mental health leadership initiative, emanating from a patient access to care programme, was developed with the aim of building leadership capacity within the South African public mental health sector. The express aim was to equip health care professionals with the requisite skills to more effectively advocate for their patients. The initiative involved participants from various sites within South Africa. Inclusion was based on the proposal of an ongoing "project", i.e. a clinician-initiated service development with a multidisciplinary focus. The projects were varied in nature but all involved identification of and a plan for addressing an aspect of the participants' daily professional work which negatively impacted on patient care due to unmet needs. Six such projects were included and involved 15 participants, comprising personnel from psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy and nursing. Each project group was formally mentored as part of the initiative, with mentors being senior professionals with expertise in psychiatry, public health and nursing. The programme design thus provided a unique practical dimension in which skills and learnings were applied to the projects with numerous and diverse outcomes. Benefits were noted by participants but extended beyond the individuals to the health institutions in which they worked and the patients that they served. Participants acquired both the skills and the confidence which enabled them to sustain the changes that they themselves had initiated in their institutions. The initiative gave impetus to the inclusion of public mental health as part of the curriculum for specialist training. Despite the significant adverse social and economic costs of mental illness, psychiatric and related services receive a low level of priority within the health care system. Ensuring that mental health receives the recognition and the resources it deserves requires that mental health care professionals become effective advocates through mental health leadership.

  15. The Building Bridges project: Linking disconnected service networks in acquired brain injury and criminal justice.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Glenn; Brown, Suzanne; Simpson, Grahame K

    2018-06-08

    People with acquired brain injury (ABI) are overrepresented in prison populations across many countries. An effective service response to reduce this trend requires collaboration between the ABI and criminal justice (CJ) sectors. The Building Bridges project piloted a novel professional development model designed to increase cross-sectoral knowledge and collaboration between the ABI and CJ sectors. A total of 178 service providers from Victoria, Australia, participated in six professional development forums that included content about ABI, policing, disability and legal supports, and correctional/post-release services. Participants came from the disability, criminal justice, and health and community service sectors. Using a pre-test-post-test design with 6-month follow-up, data were obtained via a project-specific questionnaire evaluating knowledge and behaviour change among participants. Statistically significant gains in knowledge were shown at post-test and maintained at follow-up. Work-related behaviours addressing ABI/CJ issues had increased significantly within both sectors at follow-up compared to the 6 months prior to the forum. Carefully constructed professional forums improved cross-silo collaboration in the ABI/CJ sectors. This pilot project illustrates effective use of existing service resources, and highlights training as an important part of a raft of initiatives needed to address the overrepresentation of people with ABI in the CJ system.

  16. ICT-SUSTOUR and MARKETOUR: Two Second Language Acquisition Projects through a Virtual Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colomar, M. Pilar Alberola; Guzman, Eva Gil

    2009-01-01

    We are presenting a methodological approach that aims to increase students' motivation by asking them to develop tasks based on professional settings. In order to meet this objective a collaborative methodology was designed and applied to two multidisciplinary projects: MARKETOUR and ICT-SUSTOUR. Both projects made students face real workplace…

  17. Negotiating the Rub between Cultures: Teacher Talk and Sustained Shifts in Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meth, Jessica Matthews; Azano, Amy

    2012-01-01

    This article examines the outcomes of an eight-month professional development initiative, designed to support six Writing Project teachers' classroom inquiry projects, each focused on improving an aspect of student writing. We begin by introducing the genesis of these classroom research projects as well as the structure and content of the support…

  18. Guia de ideas para la Planificacion y Aplicacion de Proyectos Intergeneracionales (Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinto, Teresa Almeida; Marreel, Iris; Hatton-Yeo, Alan

    2009-01-01

    This version of "Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects," written in Spanish, is for all professionals that are or wish to be enrolled in the development of intergenerational activities. This "Guide" is the main product of the Project MATES--Mainstreaming Intergenerational Solidarity,…

  19. Reaping the harvest: nursing student service involvement with a campus gardening project.

    PubMed

    Ahonen, Kathleen; Lee, Carolyn; Daker, Emily

    2012-01-01

    The authors describe the development and incorporation of a multidisciplinary community garden as a service project in a baccalaureate nursing cohort in an urban university. The concepts of professional ethics and service, application of nutritional theory to a community cohort, and competencies in community health nursing are briefly discussed and applied to this service project.

  20. Campus Eco Tours: An Integrative & Interactive Field Project for Undergraduate Biology Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boes, Katie E.

    2013-01-01

    Outdoor areas within or near college campuses offer an opportunity for biology students to observe the natural world and apply concepts from class. Here, I describe an engaging and integrative project where undergraduate non-major biology students work in teams to develop and present professional "eco tours." This project takes place over multiple…

  1. Guia de Ideias para Planear e Implementar Projectos Intergeracionais (Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinto, Teresa Almeida; Marreel, Iris; Hatton-Yeo, Alan

    2009-01-01

    This version of "Guide of Ideas for Planning and Implementing Intergenerational Projects," written in Portuguese, is for all professionals that are or wish to be enrolled in the development of intergenerational activities. This "Guide" is the main product of the Project MATES--Mainstreaming Intergenerational Solidarity,…

  2. [Professional values: a strategic component of health professionals. The contribution of decisional research at the Toulouse University Hospital Center].

    PubMed

    Péoc'h, Nadia; Ceaux, Christine

    2012-03-01

    The organizational involvement concept is often developed by many researchers and practitioners. This study is in the right inheritance of Allen and Meyer (1990) and Thevenet and Neveu (2002) works who all considered the involvement as "an affective or emotional attachment towards the organization such as an individual strongly involved identifies himself, reinforces his own agreement and enjoys being a member of the organization that employs him". The aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of professional values (in terms of adherence to the purposes, norms and values of the establishment upon the subject's involvement in professional activities). 1538 health professionals practising in Toulouse academic hospital center have answered a questionnaire upon the subject's individual perception of his personal involvement in his workplace; the possible working impacts upon his own motivation, the perceptions upon professional values. Results indicate that if involvement is subject to professional values, it turns towards a double determination: technical and axiological or ethical. The professional and axiological dimension introduces a moral position and a cognitive framework that participates in the decision-making action : working together, creating a climate of confidence, trusting the group, and progressing for greater cohesion. The ethical dimension joins historic and humanist values: self respect and altruism; developing human values for oneself and for others. Specifying values is already a project in itself, in terms of consciousness. Understanding those impacts upon health professionals involvements' is also the aim to include the historical of our Care Project in collective interaction, alteration and construction purposes.

  3. Teacher education professionals as partners in health science outreach.

    PubMed

    Houtz, Lynne E; Kosoko-Lasaki, Omofolasade; Zardetto-Smith, Andrea M; Mu, Keli; Royeen, Charlotte B

    2004-01-01

    Medical school and other health science outreach programs to educate and recruit precollege students always have relied on successful collaborative efforts. Creighton University shares the value, significance, and strategies of involving teacher education professionals in several of its current outreach programs, including HPPI, Brains Rule! Neuroscience Expositions, and HHMI Build a Human Project. The education department partner serves as an essential team member in the development, implementation, assessment, and dissemination of these projects to promote science and mathematics achievement and interest in medical careers. Specific examples and mistakes to avoid are included.

  4. Professional Learning with Action Research in Innovative Middle Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Netcoh, Steven; Olofson, Mark W.; Downes, John M.; Bishop, Penny A.

    2017-01-01

    This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1)…

  5. Towards a New Model of LIS Competences Management in Portugal: Implications for the Praxis and Academia Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ochoa, Paula; Pinto, Leonor Gaspar

    2008-01-01

    After briefly presenting INCITE, The Portuguese Association for Information Management's, main research projects on LIS competences development and professional qualifications, this paper discusses the Association's contribution to the redesign of LIS professional competences pathways in the working environment; namely the movement from a pilot…

  6. Using Simulation to Teach Project Management in the Professional Writing Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krause, Tim

    2010-01-01

    It hardly bears noting that when writing instructors teach professional writing they focus on helping students learn to analyze complex communication scenarios, conduct careful research to support their position, and to responsibly and succinctly apply the process of writing any number of supporting documents. Developing these skills are essential…

  7. The Impact of Conducting Practitioner Research Projects on Teachers' Professional Growth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, Annette; Hilton, Geoff

    2017-01-01

    There is growing interest in the effectiveness of practitioner research for promoting teachers' professional learning. It is important to determine if and why practitioner research is effective for teachers, however, it is also necessary to determine what support they need to develop research skills to design and implement practitioner research.…

  8. Creating Supportive and Subversive Spaces as Professional Dyads Enact Culturally Relevant Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glover, Crystal P.; Harris, Chinyere N.; Polson, Bilal; Boardman, Alicia

    2017-01-01

    In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teacher-educator dyads from various locations across the United States work…

  9. Opportunities and Challenges for Teacher Professional Development: A Case of Collaborative Learning Community in South Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Minjeong; So, Kyunghee

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates how characteristics of a collaborative professional learning activity support and hinder teacher learning and growth by examining the experiences of three Korean secondary teachers who participated in a school-initiated collaborative teacher learning project. The findings demonstrated that this learning opportunity…

  10. The CoRe of the Matter: Developing Primary Teachers' Professional Knowledge in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hume, Anne

    2016-01-01

    In an educational landscape of primary teachers' underdeveloped professional knowledge and low feelings of self-efficacy around science teaching, the prospects for science losing status in the primary school curriculum seems grim. This paper reports positive findings from a New Zealand research project designed to support and enhance primary…

  11. Learning through Life Books: Teaching Human Growth and Development in an Emotionally Rich Community Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korsmo, John; Baker-Sennett, Jacquelyn; Nicholas, Trula

    2009-01-01

    One challenge experienced by many educators working in pre-professional programs involves designing courses to support students as they learn how to apply subject area knowledge to professional practice. This article describes a successful collaborative community-based project that contextualizes the often abstract and predominately linear…

  12. Research-Based Insights on Initial Teacher Education in Spain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sancho-Gil, Juana M.; Sánchez-Valero, Joan-Anton; Domingo-Coscollola, Maria

    2017-01-01

    This paper builds on two research projects on initial and in-service education of teachers, their professional experience, and the pathways they travelled to become teachers. The policy documents analysed and the teachers' professional histories, the micro-ethnographies and the discussion groups developed, allowed us to draw a broad picture of the…

  13. Synthetic Report of Research and Development of Professional Knowledge Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toiviainen, Hanna; Hoynalanmaa, Mikko; Lallimo, Jiri; Moen, Anne; Smordal, Ole; Morch, Anders; Toikka, Seppo

    2006-01-01

    This deliverable has been produced in the context of the Knowledge-Practice Laboratory (KP-Lab) project, which is aimed at facilitating innovative practices of working with knowledge in higher education, teacher training, and professional networks. This deliverable is a synopsis of the first experiences encountered during the first 6 months of the…

  14. Personnel Recruitment and Retention in Special Education: Meeting the Challenge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitworth, Jerry E.

    This paper was developed for the Illinois State Board of Education as part of a year long project to address the issue of personnel shortages in special education. Recommendations from a number of state committees and professional organizations were analyzed and additional input obtained from various professionals in regular and special education.…

  15. Assessing the Merits of International Service-Learning in Developing Professionalism in Mass Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motley, Phillip; Sturgill, Amanda

    2013-01-01

    This project assessed how an international service-learning course affected mass communication students' knowledge of professionalism. Using written reflections and focus group transcripts from four courses that took place in Central America, we observed that placing students in immersive environments, where they are able to work on authentic…

  16. Constructing a Global Learning Partnership in Physiotherapy: An Ireland-Uganda Initiative.

    PubMed

    O'Sullivan, Cliona; Kazibwe, Herman; Whitehouse, Zillah; Blake, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    There is a strong correlation between disability and poverty and it is acknowledged that until disability issues are addressed, the goal of poverty reduction in low-income countries is unlikely to be achieved. Despite the high prevalence of disability in developing countries, there remains a significant shortage of rehabilitation professionals as highlighted by the WHO report, Human resources for Health (2006). The purpose of this project was to develop a collaborative and sustainable partnership to strengthen educational and research capacity in global health, disability, and rehabilitation between two physiotherapy schools; University College Dublin, Ireland, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. This article aims to describe the approach used and initial project outcomes. This project involved a bilateral visit to both institutions by two members of staff of respective physiotherapy programs. These visits entailed stakeholder meetings, clinical site visits, and workshops to identify the priorities for the partnership and shape the collaboration going forward. Appreciative inquiry methodology was used during the workshops and the four-dimensional framework for curriculum development was used to guide analysis and underpin findings. The key priorities identified were (i) development of joint global health learning initiative, (ii) to explore the possibility of postgraduate learning and research opportunities for Ugandan colleagues, and (iii) to develop joint clinical placements. The rationale and context and a plan of action is described. The project is ambitious and in order to be sustainable, the importance of long-term interinstitutional commitment and further funding cannot be ignored. This work provides a framework for other universities and institutions wishing to undertake similar activities. Such partnerships provide rich learning opportunities for students and health professionals and facilitate a deeper understanding of global health issues, social and cultural health determinants, and development of enhanced professional skills.

  17. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harris, R.C.

    The National Conference of State Legislatures' Geothermal Policy Project concentrated its efforts in two areas: (1) state activities and (2) development of project materials. Six states were to participate in the project during its first year: Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Virginia. The project pamphlet, a final draft of the Issue Paper and the review of state statutes and regulations were completed. Project activities are also discussed in the following areas: publicity, liaison activities, professional papers, and conferences.

  18. School-Based Multidisciplinary Teacher Team-Building Combining On-Line Professional Development (ESSEA) and Field-Based Environmental Monitoring (GLOBE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Low, R.

    2003-12-01

    The multidisciplinary nature of Earth system science provides a strong foundation for integrated science teaching at the K-12 level. In a Minneapolis-St. Paul based project, urban middle school teaching teams composed of language arts and math specialists as well as physical, Earth, and biological science teachers participate in the NASA Earth system science course (ESSEA) and in the international GLOBE environmental monitoring project. For students, the goal is to integrate science throughout the curriculum as well as involve classes from different subjects in a high-interest school science project. For teachers, the project provides greatly-needed classroom support and teacher team building, as well as professional development. The on-line course provides continuity and communication between the different team members. Face-to-face meetings with the instructors on site are conducted every 4 weeks. The problem-based learning approach to environmental issues developed in the ESSEA course lends itself to application to local environmental issues. New ESSEA modules developed for the project highlight environmental problems associated with flooding, introduced species, and eutrofication of lakes and rivers located near the participating schools. In addition, ESSEA participants are certified as GLOBE teachers, and assist their students in monitoring water quality. The synergistic partnership of ESSEA and GLOBE provides an attractive package upon which long-term school-based environmental monitoring projects can be based.

  19. Increasing student confidence in technical and professional skills through project based learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robinson, Alice L.

    This work focuses on developing undergraduate students' technical and professional skills through a project-based spiral curriculum in the Agricultural & Biological Engineering department at Purdue that can be implemented campus wide. Through this curriculum, Purdue engineers will be prepared for leadership roles in responding to the global technological, economic, and societal challenges of the 21st century by exposure to the relationships between engineering and its impacts on real world needs and challenges. Project-based learning uses projects as the focus of instruction and has shown increased understanding, motivation, and confidence through application of engineering principles to real-world problems. The strength of a spiral curriculum is that it continually revisits basic ideas and themes with increasing complexity and sophistication. The proposed spiral curriculum incorporates the target attributes of the Purdue Engineer of 2020 through project based courses during sophomore, junior, and senior year. These courses will build on concepts taught during first year engineering as well. The Engineer of 2020 (NAE and Purdue) target attributes include strong technical and professional skills to solve societal and technological burdens. A prototype course has been developed, taught, and evaluated during the previous two fall semesters in the sophomore level of the Biological and Food Process Engineering curriculum. The target students met 3 hours a week in a traditional lecture setting plus 2 hours a week in a project based lab setting. The control group met only 3 hours a week in a traditional lecture setting. Peer and self assessment results from student surveys show increased confidence in every area surveyed. Focus groups revealed student reactions to the course. Students enjoyed the course but felt it difficult to handle ambiguity with project work. Future work includes course revisions to the content, assessment, and pedagogy of the prototype class, development of the remaining project courses in the curriculum, and increasing graduate student instruction in the courses to gain teaching and leadership experience.

  20. Teachers, Technology, and Policy: What Have We Learned?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, N. A.; Nichols, P.

    This paper summarizes Technology Integration Project efforts in four urban elementary schools that were involved in Professional Development Schools (PDSs). Project activities centered on: supporting the rooting of technology integration into school culture and teachers' efforts to integrate technology into their classrooms and strengthening the…

  1. Project Evolve User-Adopter Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joiner, Lee M.

    An adult basic education (ABE) program for mentally retarded young adults between the ages of 14 and 26 years, Project Evolve can provide education agencies for educationally handicapped children with detailed information concerning an innovative program. The manual format was developed through interviews with professional educators concerning the…

  2. Plans for Embedding ICTs into Teaching and Learning through a Large-Scale Secondary Education Reform in the Country of Georgia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Jayson W.; Sales, Gregory; Sentocnik, Sonja

    2015-01-01

    Integrating ICTs into international development projects is common. However, focusing on how ICTs support leading, teaching, and learning is often overlooked. This article describes a team's approach to technology integration into the design of a large-scale, five year, teacher and leader professional development project in the country of Georgia.…

  3. Teachers and Game-Based Learning: Improving Understanding of How to Increase Efficacy of Adoption

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ketelhut, Diane Jass; Schifter, Catherine C.

    2011-01-01

    Interest in game-based learning for K-12 is growing. Thus, helping teachers understand how to use these new pedagogies is important. This paper presents a cross-case study of the development of teacher professional development for the River City project, a games-based multi-user virtual environment science curriculum project for middle school…

  4. E-learning for assistive technology professionals--a review of the TELEMATE project.

    PubMed

    Turner-Smith, Alan; Devlin, Aisling

    2005-09-01

    The Telematic Multidisciplinary Assistive Technology Education project (TELEMATE) was conducted during 1998-2001 by a consortium of seven European organisations involved in rehabilitation engineering and education. Assistive technology professionals work in a rapidly developing field but are few in number and widely dispersed, therefore, electronic delivery of their education is particularly advantageous. TELEMATE took existing concepts and standards in education to create and test an e-learning framework. As well as providing an appropriate learning environment, the aim was to share teaching resources and encourage a sound and consistent understanding of assistive technology across the European Union. This paper explores work carried out and the subsequent outcomes of the project.

  5. Integration of educational and scientific-technological areas during the process of education of aerospace engineers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mayorova, Vera

    2011-09-01

    National priorities, defined by modern state of high-tech industries, demand adequate problem solving of training professionals possessing required modern qualifications. Modern tendencies of the development of aerospace technologies, harsh competition in the market of space services and expansion of international cooperation for implementation of space projects, demand sharp increase of the scientific/technical level and competitiveness of the developed projects. Especially important is to be able to solve technological problems, which in turn define the cost and quality attributes of the designed item, as well as the ability to utilize the most modern design principles. Training of highly efficient, creative professionals who are capable of generating and implementing new ideas is a very important factor driving not only the development of national economy and industry, but also enriching the human capital of the country. Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman developed and successfully implemented the project-oriented technology of professional training for aerospace industry. It assumes a multitude of forms, methodologies and organizational events, which allow preparing the specialists - on the basis of integration of scientific/technological and educational environment - who are adapted to the conditions of the intellectual market. The Youth Space Center of the University is the base where graduate and post-graduate students attend unique lectures as a part of the facultative course "Applied Cosmonautics", participate in annual International Youth Science School "Space Development: Theory and Practice" and develop innovative technical projects aimed at creation of real-life space hardware. Microsatellite technologies are being developed in Bauman University through various projects, which are implemented in a coordinated manner by way of accomplishing the following steps: development of small-size satellites by universities, using them as test-beds for quick and affordable trial-and-test of new technologies and design solutions in aerospace followed by implementation of selected efficiencies in the industry; development and improvement of ground control infrastructure based in the university, which includes the Mission Control Center and the Earth Remote Sensing Center; development of cooperative partnerships with international partners in the field of microsatellite technologies with the goal of sharing experience, uniting efforts in preparing and running scientific and educational experiments and creating next-generation spacecraft by multi-national student groups. Such approaches allow creating seamless environment that unites educational, scientific and innovative processes. This allows students to develop high professionalism, modern engineering thinking and stable engineering skills at an early stage of education at the university.

  6. AGU Pathfinder: Career and Professional Development Resources for Earth and Space Scientists

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harwell, D. E.; Asher, P. M.; Hankin, E. R.; Janick, N. G.; Marasco, L.

    2017-12-01

    The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is committed to inspiring and educating present and future generations of diverse, innovative, and creative Earth and space scientists. To meet our commitment, AGU provides career and educational resources, webinars, mentoring, and support for students and professionals at each level of development to reduce barriers to achievement and to promote professional advancement. AGU is also working with other organizations and educational institutions to collaborate on projects benefiting the greater geoscience community. The presentation will include an overview of current Pathfinder efforts, collaborative efforts, and an appeal for additional partnerships.

  7. Summarizing Expository Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westby, Carol; Culatta, Barbara; Lawrence, Barbara; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This article reviews the literature on students' developing skills in summarizing expository texts and describes strategies for evaluating students' expository summaries. Evaluation outcomes are presented for a professional development project aimed at helping teachers develop new techniques for teaching summarization. Methods: Strategies…

  8. From industry to academia: Benefits of integrating a professional project management standard into (geo)science research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cristini, Luisa

    2017-04-01

    Scientific and technological research carried out within universities and public research institutions often involves large collaborations across several countries. Despite the considerable budget (typically millions of Euros), the high expectations (high impact scientific findings, new technological developments and links with policy makers, industry and civil society) and the length of the project over several years, these international projects often rely heavily on the personal skills of the management team (project coordinator, project manager, principal investigators) without a structured, transferable framework. While this approach has become an established practice, it's not ideal and can jeopardise the success of the entire effort with consequences ranging from schedule delays, loss of templates/systems, financial charges and ultimately project failure. In this presentation I will show the advantages of integrating a globally recognised standard for professional project management, such as the PMP® by the Project Management Institute, into academic research. I will cover the project management knowledge areas (integration management, scope management, time management, cost management, quality management, human resources management, risk management, procurement management, and stakeholder management) and the processes within these throughout the phases of the project lifetime (project initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closure). I will show how application of standardised, transferable procedures, developed within the business & administration sector, can benefit academia and more generally scientific research.

  9. Professional Development in Remote Sensing for Community College Instructors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allen, J. E.; Cruz, C.

    2014-11-01

    The ingredients for the highly successful, ongoing educator professional development program, "Integrated Geospatial Education and Technology Training-Remote Sensing (iGETT-RS)" came into place in 2006 when representatives of public and private organizations convened a two-day workshop at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore issues around integrating remote sensing with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instruction at two-year (community and Tribal) colleges. The results of that 2006 workshop informed the shape of a grant proposal, and two phases of iGETT-RS were funded by NSF's Advanced Technological Education Program (NSF DUE #0703185, 2007-2011, and NSF DUE #1205069, 2012-2015). 76 GIS instructors from all over the country have been served. Each of them has spent 18 months on the project, participating in monthly webinars and two Summer Institutes, and creating their own integrated geospatial exercises for the classroom. The project will be completed in June 2015. As the external evaluator for iGETT expressed it, the impact on participating instructors "can only be described as transformative." This paper describes how iGETT came about, how it was designed and implemented, how it affected participants and their programs, and what has been learned by the project staff about delivering professional development in geospatial technologies for workforce preparedness.

  10. Fostering cultural inclusiveness and learning in culturally mixed business classes.

    PubMed

    Mak, Anita S; Daly, Anne; Barker, Michelle C

    2014-01-01

    Business educators have advocated that in order to build faculty's intercultural capability, it is vital to provide them with professional development in using intercultural training resources and with "community of practice" support in adapting such resources for enhancing their students' intercultural learning. This approach has been adopted in an Australian action research project titled "Internationalisation at Home" (IaH), which involved providing faculty with professional development adapted from an established intercultural training resource - the EXCELL (Excellence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership) Program. In this paper, we present two case studies of the implementation of the IaH Project in business schools at the University of Canberra and at Griffith University. Lessons learned from the first study were incorporated in the design and evaluation of the second one. Faculty leaders will describe how they engage and support colleagues in adapting components of EXCELL to foster cultural inclusiveness and facilitate students' intercultural competence development. As part of project evaluation, we hypothesised that students who participated in IaH courses would report greater levels of (1) cultural inclusiveness in their educational environment, and (2) cultural learning development, compared with students who were not enrolled in IaH courses. Research participants in the Canberra case study comprised an intervention group of 140 business undergraduates enrolled in an IaH course, and a control group of 59 non-IaH undergraduates. At Griffith, participants were 211 first year management students in the intervention group and 84 students enrolled in a non-IaH first year course. In each case study, an end-of-semester survey showed that students who had completed courses with the IaH project intervention reported significantly greater levels of perceived cultural inclusiveness in multicultural classes, and of cultural learning development, than students in the control group. Faculty's reflections on project processes and outcomes further suggest that implementing strategic, structured active learning interventions such as in the IaH Project, could bring about more productive social interactions in multicultural classes and benefit domestic and especially international students. We will discuss implications of the findings for students' intercultural learning, faculty's needs for continual professional development, and the role of institutional support in intercultural competence development.

  11. Teachers Learning to Research Climate: Development of hybrid teacher professional development to support climate inquiry and research in the classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Odell, M. R.; Charlevoix, D. J.; Kennedy, T.

    2011-12-01

    The GLOBE Program is an international science and education focused on connecting scientists, teachers and students around relevant, local environmental issues. GLOBE's focus during the next two years in on climate, global change and understanding climate from a scientific perspective. The GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign (SCRFC) will engage youth from around the world in understanding and researching climate through investigations of local climate challenges. GLOBE teachers are trained in implementation of inquiry in the classroom and the use of scientific data collection protocols to develop inquiry and research projects of the Earth System. In preparation for the SCRC, GLOBE teachers will need additional training in climate science, global change and communicating climate science in the classroom. GLOBE's reach to 111 countries around the world requires development of scalable models for training teachers. In June GLOBE held the first teacher professional development workshop (Learning to Research Summer Institute) in a hybrid format with two-thirds of the teachers participating face-to-face and the remaining teachers participating virtually using Adobe Connect. The week long workshop prepared teachers to integrate climate science inquiry and research projects in the classrooms in the 2011-12 academic year. GLOBE scientists and other climate science experts will work with teachers and their students throughout the year in designing and executing a climate science research project. Final projects and research results will be presented in May 2012 through a virtual conference. This presentation will provide the framework for hybrid teacher professional development in climate science research and inquiry projects as well as summarize the findings from this inaugural session. The GLOBE Program office, headquartered in Boulder, is funded through cooperative agreements with NASA and NOAA with additional support from NSF and the U.S. Department of State. GLOBE is supported in countries around the world through bi-lateral agreements between U.S. Department of state and national governments.

  12. Communicating Microbiology Concepts from Multiple Contexts through Poster Presentations.

    PubMed

    Gruss, Amy Borello

    2018-01-01

    Accredited environmental engineering degrees require graduates to be able to apply their scholarship to concepts of professional practice and design. This transferable skill of relating what you learn in one setting to another situation is vital for all professions, not just engineering. A course project involving designing and presenting a professional poster was implemented to enhance student mastery in Environmental Engineering Microbiology while also developing communication and transferable skills vital for all majors. Students were asked to read a contemporary non-fiction book relating to microbiology and expand upon the book's thesis by integrating course content, news articles, and peer-reviewed journal articles. They then were required to present this information in class using a professional poster. Students felt the project allowed them to synthesize and organize information, analyze ideas, and integrate ideas from various sources. These transferable skills are vital for students and professionals alike to be able to communicate advanced information and master a topic.

  13. Multifamily Quality Control Inspector Job/Task Analysis and Report: September 2013

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Owens, C. M.

    The development of job/task analyses (JTAs) is one of three components of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project and will allow industry to develop training resources, quality assurance protocols, accredited training programs, and professional certifications. The Multifamily Quality Control Inspector JTA identifies and catalogs all of the tasks performed by multifamily quality control inspectors, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform the identified tasks.

  14. Nursing Professional Development Organizational Value Demonstration Project.

    PubMed

    Harper, Mary G; Aucoin, Julia; Warren, Joan I

    2016-01-01

    A common question nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners ask is, "How many NPD practitioners should my organization have?" This study examined correlations among facility size and structure, NPD practitioner characteristics and time in service, and organizational outcomes. Organizations with a higher rate of NPD full-time equivalents per bed had higher patient satisfaction with nurses' communication and provision of discharge instruction on their HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems) scores.

  15. Continued multidisciplinary project-based learning - implementation in health informatics.

    PubMed

    Wessel, C; Spreckelsen, C

    2009-01-01

    Problem- and project-based learning are approved methods to train students, graduates and post-graduates in scientific and other professional skills. The students are trained on realistic scenarios in a broader context. For students specializing in health informatics we introduced continued multidisciplinary project-based learning (CM-PBL) at a department of medical informatics. The training approach addresses both students of medicine and students of computer science. The students are full members of an ongoing research project and develop a project-related application or module, or explore or evaluate a sub-project. Two teachers guide and review the students' work. The training on scientific work follows a workflow with defined milestones. The team acts as peer group. By participating in the research team's work the students are trained on professional skills. A research project on a web-based information system on hospitals built the scenario for the realistic context. The research team consisted of up to 14 active members at a time, who were scientists and students of computer science and medicine. The well communicated educational approach and team policy fostered the participation of the students. Formative assessment and evaluation showed a considerable improvement of the students' skills and a high participant satisfaction. Alternative education approaches such as project-based learning empower students to acquire scientific knowledge and professional skills, especially the ability of life-long learning, multidisciplinary team work and social responsibility.

  16. Promising Practices in Building Geospatial Academic Pathways and Educator Capacity: Findings from a Multiyear Evaluation Study.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peery, B.; Wilkerson, S.

    2015-12-01

    Geospatial technology, including geographical information systems, global positioning systems, remote sensing and the analysis and interpretation of spatial data, is a rapidly growing industry in the United States and touches almost every discipline from business to the environment to health and sciences. The demand for a larger and more qualified geospatial workforce is simultaneously increasing. The GeoTEd project aims to meet this demand in Virginia and the surrounding region by 1) developing academic-to-workforce pathways, 2) providing professional development for educators, and 3) increasing student participation and impact. Since 2009, Magnolia Consulting has been evaluating the GeoTEd project, particularly its professional development work through the GeoTEd Institute. This presentation will provide a look into the challenges and successes of GeoTEd, and examine its impact on the geospatial academic pathways in the Virginia region. The presentation will highlight promising elements of this project that could serve as models for other endeavors.

  17. Geology at Our Doorstep: Building a Partnership for Standards-Based Curriculum and Professional Development in Middle School Earth Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laursen, S.; Lester, A.; Cannon, E.; Forrest, A.; Bencivengo, B.; Hunter, K.

    2003-12-01

    Geology at Our Doorstep is a collaboration between a science outreach program (CIRES Outreach), students and faculty in a university geology department (U. Colorado at Boulder), and a local school district (St. Vrain Valley) to develop locally relevant geology classroom resources for use by the district's middle-school teachers. The project grew out of direct conversations with teachers about their ideas and needs and was explicitly based on district and state standards in Earth science and scientific thinking, drawing on close work with the district on standards implementation and assessment over the past two years. We intended to draw on existing curriculum resources and substitute local geologic examples to construct a "place-based" teaching resource. However, we found that generic, national-level curricula did not effectively match the rich geologic resources of our area, and instead developed a rather more substantial set of original materials, including classroom collections of regional rocks, reference materials on local geology, classroom activities, and media resources, all shared with teachers at a series of professional development workshops. While the original project was small in scale, a number of spin-off projects have evolved. This project models several important features in the development of university-K12 partnerships: consultation with districts, piloting of small projects, and the role of outreach programs in facilitating participation of university faculty and students.

  18. Partnering Community Decision Makers with Early Career Scientists - The NASA DEVELOP Method for Dual Capacity Building

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, K. W.; Childs-Gleason, L. M.; Cripps, G. S.; Clayton, A.; Remillard, C.; Watkins, L. E.; Allsbrook, K. N.; Rogers, L.; Ruiz, M. L.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA DEVELOP National Program carries out many projects every year with the goal of bringing the benefits of NASA Earth science to bear on decision-making challenges that are local in scale. Every DEVELOP project partners end users with early/transitioning science professionals. Many of these projects invited communities to consider NASA science data in new ways to help them make informed decisions. All of these projects shared three characteristics: they were rapid, nimble and risk-taking. These projects work well for some communities, but might best be suited as a feasibility studies that build community/institutional capacity towards eventual solutions. This presentation will discuss DEVELOP's lessons learned and best practices in conducting short-term feasibility projects with communities, as well as highlight several past successes.

  19. Assessing the health information needs of unaffiliated health professionals and using training on openly available search tools and resources to provide solutions to their information access challenges and barriers.

    PubMed

    Matsoukas, Konstantina

    2014-01-01

    This article will describe a year-long (2010-11) joint project between Columbia University Medical Center's Health Sciences Library and the Institute for Family Health (IFH), a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving disadvantaged populations in New York State. This National Institutes of Health-funded pilot project aimed to (a) determine the medical literature and training needs of IFH personnel, (b) develop generic licensing agreements with publishers that would enable a health sciences library to provide access to electronic resources for FQHC personnel, and (c) develop reference/education services for IFH personnel. How the reference and education aims were met will be described and discussed here as the lessons learned from this project may be useful to librarians considering doing instructional outreach to unaffiliated health professionals working at FQHCs nationwide.

  20. Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning, 2003-2006. Project Brief. AACC-PB-04-2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Gail

    2004-01-01

    The "Horizons" project features model programs, national data collection and dissemination, and an information clearinghouse. In addition, "Horizons" provides professional development opportunities and technical assistance through regional workshops on service learning and civic responsibility, chief academic officer summits,…

  1. Interdisciplinary Robotics Project for First-Year Engineering Degree Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aznar, Mercedes; Zacarés, José; López, Jaime; Sánchez, Rafael; Pastor, José M.; Llorca, Jaume

    2015-01-01

    The acquisition of both transversal and specific competences cannot be achieved using conventional methodologies. New methodologies must be applied that promote the necessary competences for proper professional development. Interdisciplinary projects can be a suitable tool for competence-based learning. A priori, this might be complicated, as…

  2. Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Saber-Tooth Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Phillip

    1999-01-01

    Introduces a theme issue on the Saber-Tooth Project, an ongoing reform effort involving a university and school district that collaborate to improve middle school physical education by improving teaching conditions and engaging teachers in professional development emphasizing curriculum improvement. The monograph explains the nature of…

  3. Caseload midwifery as organisational change: the interplay between professional and organisational projects in Denmark.

    PubMed

    Burau, Viola; Overgaard, Charlotte

    2015-05-27

    The large obstetric units typical of industrialised countries have come under criticism for fragmented and depersonalised care and heavy bureaucracy. Interest in midwife-led continuity models of care is growing, but knowledge about the accompanying processes of organisational change is scarce. This study focuses on midwives' role in introducing and developing caseload midwifery. Sociological studies of midwifery and organisational studies of professional groups were used to capture the strong interests of midwives in caseload midwifery and their key role together with management in negotiating organisational change. We studied three hospitals in Denmark as arenas for negotiating the introduction and development of caseload midwifery and the processes, interests and resources involved. A qualitative multi-case design was used and the selection of hospitals aimed at maximising variance. Ten individual and 14 group interviews were conducted in spring 2013. Staff were represented by caseload midwives, ward midwives, obstetricians and health visitors, management by chief midwives and their deputies. Participants were recruited to maximise the diversity of experience. The data analysis adopted a thematic approach, using within- and across-case analysis. The analysis revealed a highly interdependent interplay between organisational and professional projects in the change processes involved in the introduction and development of caseload midwifery. This was reflected in three ways: first, in the key role of negotiations in all phases; second, in midwives' and management's engagement in both types of projects (as evident from their interests and resources); and third in a high capacity for resolving tensions between the two projects. The ward midwives' role as a third party in organisational change further complicated the process. For managers tasked with the introduction and development of caseload midwifery, our study underscores the importance of understanding the complexity of the underlying change processes and of activating midwives' and managers' interests and resources in addressing the challenges. Further studies of female-dominated professions such as midwifery should offer good opportunities for detailed analysis of the deep-seated interdependence of professional and organisational projects and for identifying the key dimensions of this interdependence.

  4. Modelling Levels of Collaboration Among Health and Social Care Professionals in the Management of a Mental Health Plan.

    PubMed

    Luzi, Daniela; Pecoraro, Fabrizio; Tamburis, Oscar

    2018-01-01

    Professional collaboration among health and social care providers is considered an essential pattern to improve the integration of care. This is particularly important considering the planning activities for children with complex conditions. In this paper the level of collaboration among professionals in the development and implementation of the personalized plan in the mental health domain is analysed across 30 EU/EEA countries within the MOCHA project.

  5. Practice and professional development plans (PPDPs): results of a feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Elwyn, G; Carlisle, S; Hocking, P; Smail, S

    2001-01-01

    Dissatisfaction with uniprofessional education structures as a means of improving the quality of healthcare has led to proposals to develop ways of integrating professional learning and organisational development. Test the feasibility of introducing practice and professional development plans using a centrally sponsored project in Wales. Qualitative observational study. All 541 practices in Wales were alerted to the project and invited to apply. A selection process was suggested to Health Authorities but not always efficiently conducted: 23 practices were selected and 18 participated in the process. Central funding was made available to health authorities. The project framework was designed by an educational department and conceptualised as the development of personal portfolios linked to one key organisation change in each practice, facilitated by external consultants who would typically hold workshops or other events. An independent researcher using non-participant observation techniques at workshops and practices undertook documentary analysis and fieldwork in four health authorities. Difficulties were encountered with the process of implementing the project: marketing and practice selection inconsistencies delayed the work and it was difficult to recruit practices into the project. The lack of experienced individuals to do the work and practitioner suspicion about perceived 'management' agendas were significant problems. After initial hesitancies most practices appreciated the value of developing wider ownership and commitment to proposed practice changes. Organisations found it difficult to support individual completion of the personal portfolio component of the plans. The ability to develop systems for clinical services was dependent on having already established a culture of effective teamwork in the organisation. This work supports the view that organisational development has considerable potential for bringing about effective change, and individual contributions could form a valuable component of personal portfolios. We believe that the existing structures in education and management in the health service are not yet able to support these processes. Evidence from the fields of risk management and quality improvement all point to the need to develop effective organisational systems and the results of this feasibility study indicate that alternative models of sustaining organisational development need careful evaluation.

  6. Practice and professional development plans (PPDPs): results of a feasibility study

    PubMed Central

    Elwyn, Glyn; Carlisle, Sandra; Hocking, Paul; Smail, Simon

    2001-01-01

    Background Dissatisfaction with uniprofessional education structures as a means of improving the quality of healthcare has led to proposals to develop ways of integrating professional learning and organisational development. Aims Test the feasibility of introducing practice and professional development plans using a centrally sponsored project in Wales. Design Qualitative observational study. Study sample All 541 practices in Wales were alerted to the project and invited to apply. A selection process was suggested to Health Authorities but not always efficiently conducted: 23 practices were selected and 18 participated in the process. Method Central funding was made available to health authorities. The project framework was designed by an educational department and conceptualised as the development of personal portfolios linked to one key organisation change in each practice, facilitated by external consultants who would typically hold workshops or other events. An independent researcher using non-participant observation techniques at workshops and practices undertook documentary analysis and fieldwork in four health authorities. Results Difficulties were encountered with the process of implementing the project: marketing and practice selection inconsistencies delayed the work and it was difficult to recruit practices into the project. The lack of experienced individuals to do the work and practitioner suspicion about perceived 'management' agendas were significant problems. After initial hesitancies most practices appreciated the value of developing wider ownership and commitment to proposed practice changes. Organisations found it difficult to support individual completion of the personal portfolio component of the plans. The ability to develop systems for clinical services was dependent on having already established a culture of effective teamwork in the organisation. Conclusions This work supports the view that organisational development has considerable potential for bringing about effective change, and individual contributions could form a valuable component of personal portfolios. We believe that the existing structures in education and management in the health service are not yet able to support these processes. Evidence from the fields of risk management and quality improvement all point to the need to develop effective organisational systems and the results of this feasibility study indicate that alternative models of sustaining organisational development need careful evaluation. PMID:11299046

  7. Project CRISS[R] (CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

    2010-01-01

    Project CRISS[R] (CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) is a professional development program for teachers that aims to improve reading, writing, and learning for 3rd- through 12th-grade students. The implementation of Project CRISS[R] does not require a change in the curriculum or materials being used in the classroom, but…

  8. The START Collaboratory: Broadening Participation in Astronomy Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pennypacker, C. R.; Raddick, M. J.; Greenberg, G. J.; Hoette, V.; Meredith, K.

    2005-12-01

    The START Collaboratory is a three-year, NSF-funded project to create a Web-based national astronomy research collaboratory for high school students that will bring authentic scientific research to classrooms across the country. The project brings together the resources and experience of Hands-On Universe at the University of California at Berkeley, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey / National Virtual Observatory at Johns Hopkins University and the Northwestern University Collaboratory Project. START Collaboratory documents enable students to create, share and discuss Web-based astronomy research notebooks and research reports. These documents include seamless access to gigabytes of searchable data from the SDSS and the NVO. The START Collaboratory also supports observation requests to a "Telescope Request Broker" that automatically coordinates access to telescopes around the world, and a Web Visualization Tool for visualization and measurement of FITS files from professional observatories or user observations. The project has developed a set of research scenarios that use real astronomical problems to introduce students to the resources and tools available through the START Collaboratory. These scenarios also introduce a model for network-based collaboration that engages students, teachers and professional scientists. Great attention has been paid to ensuring that the research scenarios result in accurate and authentic research products that are of real interest to working astronomers. With the START Collaboratory, students will study science by doing science, generating useful scientific results just as professional astronomers do. As the third and last year of the project finalizes integrating tools and resources, an NSF-funded two-year CI-TEAM project with the Adler Planetarium will begin to create a professional development program for high school teachers interested in learning how to use the START Collaboratory to engage their students in astrophysical research. Through this program, we will begin to implement the tools and research scenarios that we have designed.

  9. The National Health Educator Competencies Update Project: Celebrating a Milestone and Recommending next Steps to the Profession

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Airhihenbuwa, Collins O.; Cottrell, Randall R.; Adeyanju, Matthew; Auld, M. Elaine; Lysoby, Linda; Smith, Becky J.

    2005-01-01

    For more than 60 years, the health education profession has worked to develop, implement, and refine guidelines for preparing and training health educators. Among the seminal works documenting this dedication to, and quest for, quality assurance in professional preparation and practice are guidelines for professional education of health educators…

  10. The Development of Professional Competences Using the Interdisciplinary Project Approach with University Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    González-Carrasco, Mònica; Francés Ortega, Jesús; de Castro Vila, Rodolfo; Castañer Vivas, Margarida; San Molina, Joan; Marti Bonmati, Joan

    2016-01-01

    This work describes an experience conducted by a group of professors from different departments at the University of Girona (Catalonia, Spain) which arose from the need for interdisciplinary work in university classrooms in order to promote competences relevant to the professional sector. As part of this experience, students from different degree…

  11. Blogs: Enhancing Links in a Professional Learning Community of Science and Mathematics Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loving, Cathleen C.; Schroeder, Carolyn; Kang, Rui; Shimek, Christine; Herbert, Bruce

    2007-01-01

    Anyone who can access the Internet can be part of the knowledge-access, knowledge-building, information-exchanging culture, regardless of location. The research presented in this article is about blogs and their use in a new teacher professional development project. Weblogs were first named and described in 1997 by Jorn Barger (Blood, 2000) and…

  12. Transformative Professional Development and the Promotion of Literacy through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Sara S.; Garcia, Christina Favela

    2016-01-01

    This article recounts a narrative of professional transformation inspired by the works of Paulo Freire and Gloria Ladson-Billings and advanced by a participatory action research (PAR) project. The PAR team for this case study, consisting of the university teacher educator as a "coach" and a high school classroom teacher along with her…

  13. Forming a Professional Identity: Conversations between English Method Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doecke, Brenton; McKnight, Lucinda

    This paper aims to show how its author/researchers were brought to reconsider some of the assumptions behind a small arc project that was being conducted on the professional development of student teachers in Australia. A small group of English Method students were invited to participate in three focus group interviews: before their first teaching…

  14. Bridging the Gap from Classroom-Based Learning to Experiential Professional Learning: A Hong Kong Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Du-Babcock, Bertha

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes and evaluates a funded longitudinal teaching development project that aims to bridge the gap from classroom-based theory learning to experiential professional learning, and thereby prepare ideal and competent world class graduates. To align with the University's shared mission to foster links with the business community, the…

  15. A Study of the Vestiges of Studio Classroom Projects in Two Middle School Mathematics Departments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nordquist, Lora

    2010-01-01

    Lesson study, a form of school-based professional development widely practiced in Japan, has gained popularity in the United States over the last two decades. However, research on its effectiveness has been limited in scope, typically conducted shortly after the conclusion of the professional learning and focused primarily on the practices of…

  16. Creation of a competency-based professional development program for infection preventionists guided by the APIC Competency Model: steps in the process.

    PubMed

    Bernard, Heather; Hackbarth, Diana; Olmsted, Russell N; Murphy, Denise

    2018-06-07

    Infection Preventionists have varying levels of educational preparation. Many have no prior experience in IP. The diversity makes design of professional development programs challenging. Recent surveys suggest that only about half of practicing IPs are board certified. There is an urgent need to employ competent IP's to drive improvement in patient outcomes. This is a project that utilized the APIC Competency Model to create a professional development program characterizing three career stages. Methods included a review of literature on professional development; a survey of IP competence; an assessment of job descriptions and performance evaluations; and a crosswalk of IP competencies. The professional development program includes competency - based IP job descriptions and performance evaluations for each career stage; a professional portfolio; and a toolkit for supervisors. Participants agreed that application of the model resulted in tools which are more closely aligned with current roles for IPs; and increased satisfaction and motivation with the new program. Competent and knowledgeable IP's are crucial to optimizing efficacy of IPC programs. A professional development program has the potential to guide staff orientation, improve satisfaction and retention, improve patient outcomes and promote a positive trajectory in advancing practice. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. A training and development project to improve services and opportunities for social inclusion for children and young people with autism in Romania.

    PubMed

    Pasco, Greg; Clark, Bruce; Dragan, Ioana; Kalambayi, Fidelie; Slonims, Vicky; Tarpan, Adelaide Katerine; Wittemeyer, Kerstin

    2014-10-01

    In 2010, the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation launched a 3-year national training and development programme to develop and deliver a model of diagnostic and therapeutic services aimed at promoting social inclusion for children and young people with autism spectrum disorders. The project adopted a number of strategies aimed at developing knowledge and skills among professionals and increasing awareness in political and public spheres: (a) a three-stage training programme designed to increase knowledge of autism spectrum disorders and promote best practice among professionals working in services providing for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families, on a nationwide basis; (b) two online courses for general practitioners and psychiatrists, with content relating to the identification, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders; (c) a total of 40 counselling and assistance centres for people with autism spectrum disorders were launched in partnership with local authorities; (d) a national strategy for social and professional integration of people with autism spectrum disorders developed through consultation with political, statutory and voluntary sector partners; and (e) a nationwide media campaign to raise awareness of the needs of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders that reached over eight million people. The project provides a transferable model to achieve important improvements in the quantity and quality of services on a national level within a brief time frame. © The Author(s) 2014.

  18. What students learn about professionalism from faculty stories: an "appreciative inquiry" approach.

    PubMed

    Quaintance, Jennifer L; Arnold, Louise; Thompson, George S

    2010-01-01

    To develop a method for teaching professionalism by enabling students and faculty members to share positive examples of professionalism in a comfortable environment that reflects the authentic experiences of physicians. Medical educators struggle with the teaching of professionalism. Professionalism definitions can guide what they teach, but they must also consider how they teach it, and constructs such as explicit role modeling, situated learning, and appreciative inquiry provide appropriate models. The project consisted of students interviewing faculty members about their experiences with professionalism and then reflecting on and writing about the teachers' stories. In 2004, 62 students interviewed 33 faculty members, and 193 students observed the interviews. Using a project Web site, 36 students wrote 132 narratives based on the faculty's stories, and each student offered his or her reflections on one narrative. The authors analyzed the content of the narratives and reflections via an iterative process of independent coding and discussion to resolve disagreements. Results showed that the narratives were rich and generally positive; they illustrated a broad range of the principles contained in many definitions of professionalism: humanism, accountability, altruism, and excellence. The students' reflections demonstrated awareness of the same major principles of professionalism that the faculty conveyed. The reflections served to spark new ideas about professionalism, reinforce the values of professionalism, deepen students' relationships with the faculty, and heighten students' commitment to behaving professionally. Narrative storytelling, as a variant of appreciative inquiry, seems to be effective in deepening students' understanding and appreciation of professionalism.

  19. The Oral History of Evaluation Part II: The Professional Development of Lois-ellin Datta

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Robin; King, Jean; Mark, Melvin; Stockdill, Stacey

    2004-01-01

    In early 2002, Jean King, Mel Mark, Robin Miller, and Stacey Stockdill began a project to conduct oral history interviews with individuals who have made signal contributions to the program evaluation field and those well-placed observers who were present at and played a role in pivotal moments in the field. In developing this project, it is our…

  20. Secondary science teachers' view toward and classroom translation of sustained professional development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, Elizabeth Blake

    This study concerns the phenomenon of secondary science teacher learning and enacting instructional strategies learned at the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) teacher professional development events, as well as teacher perception of, and relationship to, this year-long professional development program. The CISIP program teaches science teachers how to build scientific classroom discourse communities with their students. Some of the science teachers were previous participants in the professional development, and acted as mentor teachers. The research design employed an integrated conceptual framework of situated learning theory with an analytical lens of teachers' professional, institutional and affinity, identities. A multi-method approach was used to generate data. Throughout the 2007-2008 academic year, the teachers' fidelity to the professional development model was measured using a classroom observation instrument aligned with the professional development model. From these observation data a longitudinal model, using hierarchical linear modeling, was constructed. In addition, surveys and interview data were used to construct both whole group and case studies of two high school science teachers who taught biology at the same school. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between previous and new participants; specifically, the longer teachers had participated in the professional development, and adopted a mentorship role, the greater their fidelity of classroom instruction to the CISIP model. Additionally, the case study teacher who developed a CISIP model-aligned affinity identity implemented more of the instructional strategies than the teacher who maintained his school-based institutional identity.

  1. Lesson Study and History Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halvorsen, Anne-Lise; Kesler Lund, Alisa

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the experiences of a group of fifth-grade teachers who used lesson study, a teacher-driven form of professional development, to teach history in a project supported by a Teaching American History Grant. The project addressed the following questions: What does a lesson study cycle for history education look like? What…

  2. The Purchasing Power of Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenthal, Amy; Mavrolas, Pamela; Rusmore, Barbara; Liquori, Toni

    2017-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: School Food Focus (Focus) developed the Focus Midwest project on the premise that school food professionals (SFPs) could work together to minimize effort and maximize potential to find new or improved products to serve. Focus designed this project as an experiment to explore how and to what extent this collaborative approach…

  3. Promoting the Role of Occupational Therapy in School-Based Collaboration: Outcome Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christner, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    This evidence-based project provided a professional development opportunity for educators to enhance the awareness of school-based occupational therapy and promote a collaborative approach when supporting student participation in daily learning tasks. Through asynchronous web-based delivery, participants viewed five narrated PowerPoint…

  4. Competency-Based Curriculum: An Effective Approach to Digital Curation Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Jeonghyun

    2015-01-01

    The University of North Texas conducted a project involving rigorous curriculum development and instructional design to address the goal of building capacity in the Library and Information Sciences curriculum. To prepare information professionals with the competencies needed for digital curation and data management practice, the project developed…

  5. Making the Invisible Visible: The Oklahoma Science Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarty, Robbie; Pedersen, Jon E.

    2002-01-01

    Reports that teachers in preservice education programs still view the teaching of science much in the same traditional ways as our predecessors. "The Oklahoma Science Project (OSP) Model for Professional Development: Practicing Science Across Contexts" will build discourses and relationships that can be extended across contexts to establish…

  6. Strategizing Teacher Professional Development for Classroom Uses of Geospatial Data and Tools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zalles, Daniel R.; Manitakos, James

    2016-01-01

    Studying Topography, Orographic Rainfall, and Ecosystems with Geospatial Information Technology (STORE), a 4.5-year National Science Foundation funded project, explored the strategies that stimulate teacher commitment to the project's driving innovation: having students use geospatial information technology (GIT) to learn about weather, climate,…

  7. The Interplay Between Estrogen and Replication Origins in Breast Cancer DNA Amplification

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-11-01

    using the CHEF Genomic DNA Plug Kit (Biorad), following the manufacturer’s instructions. Briefly, after the labeling, cells were washed twice with...with BD-CellQuest software. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? During the funded project period I

  8. Being Right Isn't Persuasive!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bianchi, Lynne

    2015-01-01

    In this article, Lynne Bianchi shares a project that has proved successful with helping schools to discover and overcome their barriers. "Deep Dives" was a pilot project supported by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT), initially piloted in Sheffield, and now forms part of the continuing professional development toolkit offered by…

  9. Encouraging Civic Engagement through Extended Community Writing Projects: Rewriting the Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Michele

    2010-01-01

    Developing community writing projects that effectively benefit students, the community, and the goals of the writing program is a tricky task. Drawing from recent scholarship and the author's own challenges with integrating meaningful civic engagement into the professional writing classes at her university, she examines limitations of single…

  10. Project Laboratory for First-Year Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Planinsic, Gorazd

    2007-01-01

    This paper reports the modification of an existing experimental subject into a project laboratory for first-year physics students studying in the first cycle of university level and at a higher professional level. The subject is aimed at developing important science-related competences and skills through concrete steps under circumstances that are…

  11. Transforming Teacher Behaviour to Increase Student Participation in Classroom Discourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sedova, Klara

    2017-01-01

    This article draws on data from an action research project carried out in a lower secondary school environment in the Czech Republic. The project involved the implementation of a teacher professional development programme aimed at transforming teacher-student communication and reinforcing opportunities for student participation in classroom…

  12. Changing the Subject: The Challenge to Teacher Professionalism of Innovation in OECD Countries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson, John; James, Edwyn; Lang, Manfred

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study, "Innovations in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education" (SMTE), documents 23 projects aimed at enhancing the appeal of science, mathematics, and technology education. The projects began in 13 OECD countries that believed that curricula must be more…

  13. 7 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Alcohol Production Facilities Planning, Performing, Development and Project Control

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... imposed by construction, equipment, material or service contracts, penalty payments, damage claims, awards... consultants with suitable experience, training and professional competence in the design and construction of... engineering services for design and construction inspection for all project facilities. Resident inspection by...

  14. 7 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Alcohol Production Facilities Planning, Performing, Development and Project Control

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... imposed by construction, equipment, material or service contracts, penalty payments, damage claims, awards... consultants with suitable experience, training and professional competence in the design and construction of... engineering services for design and construction inspection for all project facilities. Resident inspection by...

  15. Project KITES: Kids Interacting with Technology and Education Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Harriet G.; Stuhlmann, Janice M.

    Faculty and administrators at the College of Education at Louisiana State University recognized the need to incorporate technology into all of their programs. Project KITES (Kids Interacting with Technology and Education Students) was developed to give students just beginning their professional education component real experiences with children…

  16. 78 FR 26758 - Applications for New Awards; School Leadership Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-08

    ... professional development programs. Invitational priority one encourages applicants to design projects that will... of Intent to Apply: June 7, 2013. Date of Pre-Application Meeting: May 22, 2013. Further information... competition to propose projects that will implement pre- and in-service programs that produce the most highly...

  17. Middle School to Professional Development: Interdisciplinary STEM for Multiple Stakeholders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suriel, Regina L.; Spires, Robert W.; Radcliffe, Barbara J.; Martin, Ellice P.; Paine, Deborah G.

    2018-01-01

    The STEMITL project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between a Southeastern University's middle grades education department and local PDS partner school districts incorporating six full-day immersive projects for seventh-grade students. During the 2016-2017 academic year, seventh-grade students were brought to the university's newly…

  18. Positionings in an Immature Triad in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klemp, Torunn; Nilssen, Vivi

    2017-01-01

    This article presents and discusses experiences from an intervention project in Norwegian teacher education focusing on a triadic collaboration between student teachers, mentors and lecturers. The aim of the project was to establish a written, digital meeting place supporting the student teachers' professional development. The question explored in…

  19. The development of an assessment system for dental vocational training and general professional training: a Scottish approach.

    PubMed

    Prescott, L E; McKinlay, P; Rennie, J S

    2001-01-13

    The role of competencies in postgraduate dental education and training has been a major topic of interest in recent years. Concerns have been voiced from all sides of the profession about how the competence of trainees and the quality of training can be assured so that high standards of patient care can be maintained. A three year project which seeks to develop a competency-based assessment system for general professional training is underway which hopes to answer some of the concerns and provide an evidence-based system of assessment for the early postgraduate years. This paper looks at the reasoning behind the project, its aims, and the progress made to date.

  20. Implementing and evaluating a professional practice framework in child and family health nursing: a pilot project.

    PubMed

    Guest, Eileen M; Keatinge, Diana R; Reed, Jennifer; Johnson, Karen R; Higgins, Helen M; Greig, Jennifer

    2013-09-01

    This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of the NSW Child and Family Health Nursing Professional Practice Framework in one health district in New South Wales, Australia. Child and family health nurses provide specialised, community based primary health care to families with children 0-5 years. A state wide professional practice framework was recently developed to support child and family health nurses. Online learning, clinical practice consultancies and skill assessments related to routine infant and child health surveillance were developed and implemented. Child and family health nurse reviewers gained competency in the various education and assessment components. Reviewers replicated this process in partnership with 21 child and family health nurses from two rural and one regional cluster. Evaluation questionnaires and focus groups were held with stakeholder groups. Participation provided nurses with affirmation of clinical practice and competency. Education and assessment processes were user friendly and particularly helpful for rural and remote nurses. Managers reported greater confidence in staff competence following project participation. Detailed planning and consultation is recommended before implementation of the Framework. Online learning, skills assessments and model of clinical practice consultancies were identified as central to ongoing orientation, education and professional development. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. AIM - Agile Instrumented Monitoring for Improving User Experience of Participation in HealthIT Development.

    PubMed

    Pitkänen, Janne; Nieminen, Marko

    2017-01-01

    Participation of healthcare professionals in information technology development has emerged as an important challenge. As end-users, the professionals are willing to participate in the development activities, but their experiences on the current methods of participation remain mostly negative. There is lack of applicable methods for meeting the needs of agile development approach and scaling up to the largest implementation projects, while maintaining the interest of the professional users to participate in development activities and keeping up their ability to continue working in a productive manner. In this paper, we describe the Agile Instrumented Monitoring as a methodology, based on the methods of instrumented usability evaluation, for improving user experience in HealthIT development. The contribution of the proposed methodology is analyzed in relation to activities of whole iteration cycle and chosen usability evaluation methods, while the user experience of participation is addressed regarding healthcare professionals. Prospective weak and strong market tests for AIM are discussed in the conclusions for future work.

  2. International education and reflection: transition of Swedish and American nursing students to authenticity.

    PubMed

    Lepp, Margret; Zorn, CeCelia R; Duffy, Patricia R; Dickson, Rana J

    2003-01-01

    Reflection, a process grounded in distancing from the self to enhance self-awareness, can be used as a pedagogic activity to promote students' transition to a greater authenticity and professionalism and, therefore, improve patient care and nursing practice. In this international educational project (implemented in 2001) using interactive videoconferencing technology (IVC), Swedish and U.S. nursing students and faculty incorporated reflective journaling, drama in education, photolanguage, and off-air meeting discussions to enhance personal and professional development. Highlights from the literature, a description of the project, and student and faculty appraisals are presented.

  3. Improve strategic supplier performance using DMAIC to develop a Quality Improvement Plan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jardim, Kevin P.

    Supplier performance that meets the requirements of the customer has long plagued quality professionals. Despite the vast efforts by organizations to improve supplier performance, little has been done to standardize the plan to improve performance. This project presents a guideline and problem-solving strategy using a Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) structured tool that will assist in the management and improvement of supplier performance. An analysis of benchmarked Quality Improvement Plans indicated that this topic needs more focus on how to accomplish improved supplier performance. This project is part of a growing body of supplier continuous improvement efforts. With the input of Zodiac Aerospace quality professionals this project's results provide a solution to Quality Improvement Plans and show objective evidence of its benefits. This project contributes to the future research on similar topics.

  4. Early Development and the Brain: Teaching Resources for Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilkerson, Linda, Ed.; Klein, Rebecca, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    This nine-unit curriculum translates current scientific research on early brain development into practical suggestions to help early childhood professionals understand the reciprocal link between caregiving and brain development. The curriculum was created and extensively field-tested by the Erikson Institute Faculty Development Project on the…

  5. Navigating Bioethical Waters: Two Pilot Projects in Problem-Based Learning for Future Bioscience and Biotechnology Professionals.

    PubMed

    Berry, Roberta M; Levine, Aaron D; Kirkman, Robert; Blake, Laura Palucki; Drake, Matthew

    2016-12-01

    We believe that the professional responsibility of bioscience and biotechnology professionals includes a social responsibility to contribute to the resolution of ethically fraught policy problems generated by their work. It follows that educators have a professional responsibility to prepare future professionals to discharge this responsibility. This essay discusses two pilot projects in ethics pedagogy focused on particularly challenging policy problems, which we call "fractious problems". The projects aimed to advance future professionals' acquisition of "fractious problem navigational" skills, a set of skills designed to enable broad and deep understanding of fractious problems and the design of good policy resolutions for them. A secondary objective was to enhance future professionals' motivation to apply these skills to help their communities resolve these problems. The projects employed "problem based learning" courses to advance these learning objectives. A new assessment instrument, "Skills for Science/Engineering Ethics Test" (SkillSET), was designed and administered to measure the success of the courses in doing so. This essay first discusses the rationale for the pilot projects, and then describes the design of the pilot courses and presents the results of our assessment using SkillSET in the first pilot project and the revised SkillSET 2.0 in the second pilot project. The essay concludes with discussion of observations and results.

  6. Orientations for the Teaching of Writing: A Legacy of the National Writing Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitney, Anne Elrod; Friedrich, Linda

    2013-01-01

    Background/Context: Founded in 1974 by James Gray and a group of teacher colleagues who came together as the Bay Area Writing Project in California, the National Writing Project is a professional development network that has spread from one site to 197 university-based sites across the U.S. After such a long period of time in operation, it becomes…

  7. Professional development for university scientists around issues of equity and diversity: Investigating dissent within community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bianchini, Julie A.; Hilton-Brown, Bryan A.; Breton, Therese D.

    2002-10-01

    We investigated the role of dissent in a community of university scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and social scientists engaged in a 2-year professional development project around issues of equity and diversity. Members of this teacher learning community explored issues related to gender and ethnicity in science education, and attempted to develop course materials and instructional strategies inclusive of students from underrepresented groups. We focused our attention on those professional development sessions (6 of the 19) devoted to a contentious yet integral topic in science education: the gendered and multicultural nature of science. We examined conversations initiated by a member's concerns to learn how dissent led (or failed to lead) to new insights into feminist science studies scholarship or to greater understanding of ways to address equity issues in undergraduate science education. We also explored how teacher learners' resulting views of feminist science studies scholarship informed (or failed to inform) changes in their own educational practices. From our qualitative analyses, we highlight the challenges in balancing respect for members' individual voices with collective progress toward project goals, and in structuring conversations initiated by dissent to provide adequate space for deliberation and movement toward deeper understanding of equity and excellence.

  8. Clinical Transition Framework: Integrating Coaching Plans, Sampling, and Accountability in Clinical Practice Development.

    PubMed

    Boyer, Susan A; Mann-Salinas, Elizabeth A; Valdez-Delgado, Krystal K

    The clinical transition framework (CTF) is a competency-based practice development system used by nursing professional development practitioners to support nurses' initial orientation or transition to a new specialty. The CTF is applicable for both new graduate and proficient nurses. The current framework and tools evolved from 18 years of performance improvement and research projects engaged in both acute and community care environments in urban and rural settings. This article shares core CTF concepts, a description of coaching plans, and a professional accountability statement as experienced within the framework.

  9. Using focus groups to guide development of a public health Web site.

    PubMed

    Henner, Terry A; Charles, Patricia

    2002-01-01

    This paper explores a project funded through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine to enhance effective use of the Internet by public health professionals. The processes and outcome of an effort to develop a statewide Web site for public health professionals are described. A series of focus groups was conducted as a preliminary data-gathering tool to evaluate the information needs of the target population. Results of the focus group provided a valuable framework upon which to build a successful schema for Web site development.

  10. Development of the Professional Self-Care Scale.

    PubMed

    Dorociak, Katherine E; Rupert, Patricia A; Bryant, Fred B; Zahniser, Evan

    2017-04-01

    In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on the importance of self-care for psychologists and other mental health professionals. With the growth of positive psychology and preventive medicine, self-care is an emerging topic, promulgated as a means of avoiding the adverse effects of stress and promoting professional functioning and well-being. However, the research on self-care is limited because of the lack of an empirically based, psychometrically sound measure of this construct. Thus, the purpose of this project was to develop a measure of professional self-care. Professional psychologists were the focus of study, with the goal being to develop a measure that can be used in this population and similar groups of professionals. Based on expert feedback and a preliminary study of 422 licensed psychologists in Illinois, a 5-factor, 21-item scale was created. Factor analysis identified the following self-care factors: Professional Support, Professional Development, Life Balance, Cognitive Awareness, and Daily Balance. Preliminary analyses provided initial support for the validity of the 5 factors. A follow-up study was conducted with a second sample of clinical psychologists. The 5-factor structure provided a good fit to the data with the second sample. Thus, based on factor analysis and validity data, a 5-factor, 21-item Professional Self-Care Scale was established for further study and use in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. The Status of Career Guidance in Michigan Schools. An Opinion Research Study of Career Guidance Professionals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michigan State Dept. of Education, Lansing.

    Project Outreach, the opinion research division of the Michigan State Board of Education, conducted a study on the current status of career guidance in Michigan public schools, using in-depth telephone interviews with career guidance professionals (N=445) in November and December of 1989. The interview questionnaire, developed with the advice of…

  12. South African Universities and Human Development: Towards a Theorisation and Operationalisation of Professional Capabilities for Poverty Reduction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Melanie; McLean, Monica; Dison, Arona; Peppin-Vaughan, Rosie

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports on a research project investigating the role of universities in South Africa in contributing to poverty reduction through the quality of their professional education programmes. The focus here is on theorising and the early operationalisation of multi-layered, multi-dimensional transformation based on ideas from Amartya Sen's…

  13. The North Dakota Mental Health and Aging Education Project: Curriculum Design and Training Outcomes for a Train-the-Trainer Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzgerald, Margaret A.; Chromy, Barbara; Philbrick, Candace A.; Sanders, Gregory F.; Muske, Kara L.; Bratteli, Marlys

    2009-01-01

    A training curriculum on mental health and aging was developed and disseminated to 32 natural caregivers throughout a frontier state using a train-the-trainer model. Those certified as trainers included social workers, religious professionals, volunteers, long-term care employees, nurses, home health workers, and professional and informal…

  14. Demystifying the Process? A Multi Disciplinary Approach to Assessing Capacity for Adults with a Learning Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skinner, Rachael; Joiner, Chris; Chesters, Liz; Bates, Louise; Scrivener, Louise

    2011-01-01

    There appears to be some degree of hesitation and lack of confidence among professionals in conducting capacity assessments. This document explains a two-phase process developed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary group of professionals during a pilot project. The first phase in the decision making process is to determine to what extent the…

  15. Changing Roles, Changing Relationships: Parent-Professional Collaboration on Behalf of Children with Emotional Disabilities. Families as Allies Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vosler-Hunter, Richard W.

    This handbook aims to help parents of emotionally disabled children and professionals serving emotionally disabled children to put the concept of collaboration into practice, to understand the barriers to collaboration, and to develop strategies to overcome those barriers and promote a working partnership. Factors that may influence or inhibit the…

  16. The Impact of Professional Development about Weight-Related Issues for Pre-Service Teachers: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Ireland, Alana; Peat, Gavin

    2012-01-01

    Many teachers do not have a working knowledge of body image or weight issues. This pilot project examined body image satisfaction and eating/weight-related behaviours before and after a professional in-service with physical education pre-service teachers (N = 16). At the three-month follow-up, measures were repeated and qualitative data (critical…

  17. Storytellers as partners in developing a genetics education resource for health professionals

    PubMed Central

    Kirk, Maggie; Tonkin, Emma; Skirton, Heather; McDonald, Kevin; Cope, Buddug; Morgan, Rhian

    2013-01-01

    Summary Advances in genetics are bringing unprecedented opportunities for understanding health and disease, developing new therapies and changes in healthcare practice. Many nurses and midwives lack competence and confidence in integrating genetics into professional practice. One approach to enhance understanding of genetics is to simulate clinical exposure through storytelling. Stories are acknowledged as a powerful learning tool, being understandable and memorable, stimulating critical thinking, and linking theory to practice. Telling Stories, Understanding Real Life Genetics is a freely accessible website that sets people's stories within an education framework. The links between the stories and professional practice are made explicit and additional features support learning and teaching. Care of the storytellers within an ethical framework is of paramount importance. Storytellers are viewed as partners in the project. The challenges encountered include preserving the authentic voice and dignity of the storyteller. Project team members have also experienced ‘professional shame’ when negative experiences have been recounted, and the stories have had an impact on the team. The experience of working with storytellers has been positive. The storytellers want to be heard so that others will benefit from their stories. They serve as a reminder of why this work is important. PMID:22197414

  18. Bridging Cultures with Classroom Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothstein-Fisch, Carrie; Greenfield, Patricia M.; Trumbull, Elise

    1999-01-01

    Collectivism, stressing family members' interdependence, is common to Latino cultures. In contrast, schools foster independence and individual achievement. To help teachers understand assumptions underlying these different values, the authors developed the "Bridging Cultures Project" as a research-based professional-development program.…

  19. People's Participation and Action Research in Community Development: Experiences from Nicaragua.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lammerink, Marc P.

    1994-01-01

    Describes projects of the School of Social Work at Central America University, Nicaragua: (1) development of a postgraduate course for professionals; (2) discovery learning and participatory action research in a fishing village; and (3) application of participatory approaches to rural development. (SK)

  20. The PMDP Roadmap

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    NASA's complex and highly technical missions rely on effective project teams and managers. Since 1993, through its Project Management Development Process (PMDP), the Academy of Program and Project Leadership (APPL) has offered direction to the Agency's project practitioners as they advance in their careers. PMDP helps identify and sequence professional experiences, courses, and other project-based learning experiences that support individual career goals and center activities by outlining competencies at four levels of development. The result is that PMDP provides NASA project practitioners with a road map to the knowledge and competencies appropriate for their job and the jobs to which they aspire. Plus, new this year, APPL has rolled out its electronic Project Management Development Process (ePMDP) tool, a learning management system that includes a dynamic presentation of the PMDP levels, competency areas, competency organizational structures, Individual Development Plans (IDP), and online PMDP enrollment. APPL's website, www.appl.nasa.gov, provides access to ePMDP as well as other online resources for NASA practitioners enrolled in the Project Management Development Process.

Top