A review of publications in
Teaching and Teacher Education over ten years (2000–2010) on teacher professional development is the subject of the paper. The first part synthesises production referred ...to learning, facilitation and collaboration, factors influencing professional development, effectiveness of professional development and issues around the themes. The second part, selects from the production nine articles for closer examination. The paper concludes by noting how the production brings out the complexities of teacher professional learning and how research and development have taken cognisance of these factors and provided food for optimism about their effects, although not yet about their sustainability in time.
Insufficient awareness of the centrality of pathology and laboratory medicine (PALM) to a functioning health-care system at policy and governmental level, with the resultant inadequate investment, ...has meant that efforts to enhance PALM in low-income and middle-income countries have been local, fragmented, and mostly unsustainable. Responding to the four major barriers in PALM service delivery that were identified in the first paper of this Series (workforce, infrastructure, education and training, and quality assurance), this second paper identifies potential solutions that can be applied in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Increasing and retaining a quality PALM workforce requires access to mentorship and continuing professional development, task sharing, and the development of short-term visitor programmes. Opportunities to enhance the training of pathologists and allied PALM personnel by increasing and improving education provision must be explored and implemented. PALM infrastructure must be strengthened by addressing supply chain barriers, and ensuring laboratory information systems are in place. New technologies, including telepathology and point-of-care testing, can have a substantial role in PALM service delivery, if used appropriately. We emphasise the crucial importance of maintaining PALM quality and posit that all laboratories in LMICs should participate in quality assurance and accreditation programmes. A potential role for public-private partnerships in filling PALM services gaps should also be investigated. Finally, to deliver these solutions and ensure equitable access to essential services in LMICs, we propose a PALM package focused on these countries, integrated within a nationally tiered laboratory system, as part of an overarching national laboratory strategic plan.
Resumo: O estudo teve como objetivo identificar as situações e contextos de aprendizagem mais valorizados por treinadores de tênis, bem como a presença de diferentes perfis em função dos constructos ...avaliados. Participaram da amostra 104 treinadores que atuavam em clubes e academias filiados à Federação Paranaense de Tênis. Os participantes responderam uma ficha contendo as variáveis sociodemográficas e as Escalas de Situações e Contextos de Aprendizagem de Treinadores. Os dados foram analisados por meio de cálculos de frequência, estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais. O estabelecimento dos subgrupos decorreu da análise de Clusters, utilizando-se os testes de Friedman e o post-hoc de Dunn para as comparações gerais e intragrupos. O nível de significância foi pré-estabelecido em 95% (p≤0.05). Os resultados indicaram elevada atribuição de importância para todas as oportunidades de aprendizagem, observando-se uma menor valorização das situações Internas (p<.001) e ao contexto Formal (p<.001). A análise de Clusters evidenciou a presença de três subgrupos, com o grupo composto por treinadores mais experientes (C2) sendo o único a atribuir valorização distinta para as situações e contextos de aprendizagem. A existência de perfis distintos alerta para a necessidade de se conhecer os profissionais (aprendiz), quando se almeja proporcionar ambientes mais favoráveis à aprendizagem.Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify the situations and contexts of learning most valued by tennis coaches, as well as to identify the presence of different profiles according to the assessed constructs. A total of 104 coaches affiliated to the Parana Tennis Federation participated in the study. The coaches answered forms containing the sociodemographic variables and the Coaches Learning Situations and Contexts Scales. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The establishment of subgroups resulted from the Clusters analysis, using Friedman's tests and Dunn's post-hoc for the general and intragroup comparisons. The significance level was 95% (p≤.05). The results indicated a high importance attributed to all learning opportunities, with a lower appreciation to the Internal situations (p<.001) and the Formal context (p<.001). Clusters analysis showed the presence of three subgroups, with the group composed of more experienced coaches (C2) being the only one to attribute distinct appreciation to learning situations and contexts. The existence of distinct profiles warns of the need to know the professionals (learner), when it aims to provide learning environments.Resumen: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar las situaciones y contextos de aprendizaje más valorados por los entrenadores de tenis, así como identificar la presencia de diferentes perfiles de acuerdo con los constructos evaluados. Conformaron la muestra un total de 104 entrenadores que trabajaban en clubes y academias afiliados a la Federación Paranaense de Tenis. Los participantes respondieron a un formulario que contenía variables sociodemográficas y Escalas de Situaciones y Contextos de Aprendizaje para Entrenadores. Los datos se analizaron mediante cálculos de frecuencia, estadística descriptiva e inferencial. El establecimiento de los subgrupos resultó del análisis de Clusters, empleando las pruebas de Friedman y el post-hoc de Dunn para comparaciones generales e intragrupales. El nivel de significancia fue preestablecido en 95% (p≤.05). Los resultados indicaron una gran importancia atribuida a todas las oportunidades de aprendizaje, observando una menor valoración con respecto a las situaciones internas (p<.001) y el contexto formal (p<.001). El análisis de Clusters mostró la presencia de tres subgrupos, siendo el grupo compuesto por entrenadores más experimentados (C2) el único que atribuye una apreciación distinta con relación a las situaciones y contextos de aprendizaje. La existencia de perfiles distintos advierte la necesidad de conocer a los profesionales (aprendices), cuando su objetivo es proporcionar entornos más favorables para el aprendizaje.
Understanding teachers' stress is of critical importance to address the challenges in today's educational climate. Growing numbers of teachers are reporting high levels of occupational stress, and ...high levels of teacher turnover are having a negative impact on education quality. Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE for Teachers) is a mindfulness-based professional development program designed to promote teachers' social and emotional competence and improve the quality of classroom interactions. The efficacy of the program was assessed using a cluster randomized trial design involving 36 urban elementary schools and 224 teachers. The CARE for Teachers program involved 30 hr of in-person training in addition to intersession phone coaching. At both pre- and postintervention, teachers completed self-report measures and assessments of their participating students. Teachers' classrooms were observed and coded using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Analyses showed that CARE for Teachers had statistically significant direct positive effects on adaptive emotion regulation, mindfulness, psychological distress, and time urgency. CARE for Teachers also had a statistically significant positive effect on the emotional support domain of the CLASS. The present findings indicate that CARE for Teachers is an effective professional development both for promoting teachers' social and emotional competence and increasing the quality of their classroom interactions.
This study investigated the process of implementing professional development plans (PDPs) as a tool for teachers' continuing professional learning in Finnish Lapland. The PDP model was developed ...through two cycles following a design-based research (DBR) approach. The data were collected by interviewing teachers and principals, and then analysed thematically. The results showed that factors affecting the PDP process related mainly to structural and strategical work in schools. The lack of clear guidelines and support from principals and colleagues, as well as the absence of discussions on school strategy and its meaning for teachers' professional development, negatively affected the PDP process. As a result, schools' strategic planning only vaguely guided individual PDP processes. The results suggest that, for the successful implementation of a PDP process, schools' strategic planning should be more clearly integrated with teachers' PDPs in order to enhance their personal professional development in meaningful ways.
Abstract
The Italian PLS-“Piano Lauree Scientifiche” project has among its objectives the improvement of school-university cooperation, with a special emphasis on in-service teacher professional ...development. In pursuit of such goal, growing resources and an increasing effort to strengthen the collaboration with schools have been employed in the past years. A working group within the physics section of the PLS project has developed a questionnaire to inquire about teacher formation activities organized during the past five years. After extensive revision and testing, the university network of PLS-Physics was asked to fill the questionnaire. The resulting data from 139 initiatives provides an interesting perspective on the kind of activities, organizational choices and educational priorities for teacher professional development within the PLS-physics project.
PDF
