Teacher educators inquiring into their own practice

<p>Recent trends in the professional learning and development of teachers are moving more towards the activation of learning rather than content delivery. Teachers are expected to take more responsibility for their learning within collaborative environments. This has implications for the practice and learning of inservice teacher educators. Evidence-based inquiry into practice (EBIP) is one approach that is being adopted, which involves evaluation of practice against values, beliefs and assumptions. This study investigated the professional learning and development experiences and perceptions of a group of 10 inservice teacher educators, who participated in the Inservice Teacher Education Practice (INSTEP) project from 2005 to 2009. INSTEP was a New Zealand Ministry of Education project designed to investigate and develop professional learning approaches for inservice teacher educators. In particular, its focus was on the implementation of collaborative EBIP to improve practice. Collective case study and grounded theory methodologies were adopted. Semistructured interviews were conducted with participants in 2008 and 2010. The interviews were analysed using inductive content analysis. Theoretical sampling was applied to identify further participants and document sources such as artefacts, reports and publications, which were also used to inform the research. The findings indicate that, while all participants improved practice and gained knowledge through EBIP, some experienced transformations in their perceptions of themselves, their practice, and their role as inservice teacher educators. Rigorous and systematic EBIP was most effective, and only sustained, when it was supported within formal, informal and social organisational contexts. Such contexts incorporated collective responsibility for learning. This included negotiation and development of shared meanings, tools, mechanisms, and frameworks, which systematised and reified the process of EBIP. This also enabled individual professional learning goals to be located within an overall infrastructure incorporating a shared vision, and alignment with strategic priorities and resourcing. The study suggests that sustainability of change and improvement of practice within system-wide educational reform is more likely to be achieved by individuals working coherently within an educational system and organisations that value and adopt an inquiry approach and nurture collaborative environments. Such environments provide safety to expose vulnerabilities, and enable opportunities for learning that minimise the impact of power relations and contestable environments, while offering challenge, support and diversity of perspectives. The theoretical framework for EBIP derived from the research, and an integrative analysis of the literature, identifies three interconnected and interdependent components linked by a common vision of purpose, and a collective commitment to learning. The components are: individual learning and transformation; communities and connectedness; and systematisation and reification. The study includes recommendations for more research into the contexts and processes of collaborative models of professional learning, and into the changing role and professional learning requirements of inservice teacher educators. It also identifies a need to investigate valid means of judging effectiveness of practice for inservice teacher educators, since evidence of enhanced student learning is linked only by a chain of influence to inservice teacher educator practice.</p>

Aligned with the development of human capital, in-service teacher education is globally conceived as a key lever in economic development. However, teacher education is also a critically important process to leverage teacher political awareness and social justice. This article provides a socio-materialist account of continuous professional development (CPD) that recognises the transversality of objects, space and bodies as a rich and complex assemblage. Investigations into agential matter are of increasing research interest. The authors use collective biography that draws on their CPD work with teachers in Aotearoa/New Zealand, to provide a ‘new material’ analysis of the multiplicitous nature of the agency of objects. Although agency in education is predominantly theorised in humanist terms, this article gives consideration to the co-constitutive nature of material objects in professional learning spaces. In particular, the research highlights the importance of material concerns in the relational and fluid dynamics of heterarchical coaching practices.

This paper proposes a collaborative partnership between practicing and pre-service teachers as a model for implementing science teacher education and professional development. This model provides a structure within which partnerships will work collaboratively to plan, implement and reflect on a series of Science lessons in cycles of action-reflection adapted from Korthagen’s (2001) ALACT model. Issues within Science education, teacher professional development and teacher education are considered in the development of the model which attempts to deepen constructivist approaches to teachers’ professional learning. It attempts to address issues with teacher professional development in the science area and improve professional experience practice for pre-service teachers. The nexus between theory and practice is the focus of the model which hopes to inform both teacher education and professional development for science teachers in the primary sector.

Despite the growing research on teachers’ identity tensions, the tensions experienced by teacher educators, especially that of in-service teacher educators, remain underexplored. To address this issue, this narrative inquiry investigates the identity tensions of English language teachers who concurrently perform the role of in-service teacher educators. The data consists of semi-structured interviews, narrative frames, and visual documents. The thematic analysis of the findings suggested that the participants experienced tensions at three levels: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and institutional. While coping with these tensions, they developed new interpersonal skills, continued their professional learning, received peer and mentor support, engaged in other communities of practice, and persisted on finding their own ways of developing. The study concludes that although tensions unsettle professional identity development, they might still offer new developmental trajectories and help in-service teacher educators strengthen their identity.

Historically, the field of middle-level education has taken it as a given that teachers of young adolescents should be specially prepared to teach in the middle grades, developing a teacher identity that centers around responding to and advocating for the age group above an identity as a subject area teacher. Defined broadly as teachers’ dynamic conceptualizations of themselves as educators and their related roles, decisions, and actions, teacher professional identity has garnered considerable attention in the research literature as a potential source of leverage in multiple dimensions of schooling, preservice teacher education and in-service teachers’ professional learning, and teachers’ professional lives. Teacher identity at the middle level is ideally grounded in a deep commitment to helping young adolescents realize their power and possibilities. While the literature on teacher identity development is well-established in some educational contexts, studies specifically examining the potentially unique developmental trajectory of teacher identity among middle-level educators remain limited. To address this gap, we conducted a review of the literature to address the question: what does the research say about middle-level teacher development and identity? Our review identified 26 relevant sources on middle-level teacher development and identity, published from 2015 through the first half of 2024, and yielded key ideas within three themes: (a) the development of teacher identity, (b) the intersectionality of teacher identity, and (c) critical consciousness, agency, and teacher identity. This review identifies both progress and gaps in the current literature, recognizes potential future directions for research on middle-level teacher identity, and offers possible implications for preservice and in-service middle-level teacher education.

This qualitative study described the impact of mandatory professional development and school-based professional development as situated learning on English language and literacy teachers' professional knowledge and instructional practices in Qatar's middle school. A hermeneutic approach was used to determine the impact of both a school-based and mandatory professional development on teachers' instructional practices. The theory guiding this study was situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) where professional learning is seen to be context related. Constructivism, andragogy, school leadership theory and reflective inquiry were used to inform this study. The study considered whether reflection and dialogue with other practitioners contribute to effective professional learning that improves English language and literacy pedagogical content knowledge. Data collection methods included individual interviews, a focus group, document analysis and journal writing to provide insight into teacher professional development. The results revealed that both mandatory (formal) professional development and school-based development (professional learning communities as situated learning) could help teachers make changes in their thinking and practice, which might have a bearing on results. However, with a few exceptions, most teachers found mandatory professional development less helpful. The results revealed that teachers need more comprehensive formal training in English language and literacy instructional practices. They also need more opportunities to experience school-based professional development as authentic learning. They also need to collaborate in professional learning communities and specific professional development programmes to assess students' English language and literacy deficiencies. These findings were of significance to both school leaders and teachers as they sought to increase meaningful professional development aimed at improving English language and literacy instruction in their schools. The study recommended rethinking the current mandatory English language and literacy professional development components within a constructivist framework and developing a set of clear guidelines for high-quality literacy professional development to improve teachers' professional learning.

This article proposes that professional development models for inservice teachers should shift to a collaborative design that includes partnerships between Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education and public school personnel. The traditional model of professional development supports theory over practice, decontextualized research over contextualized action research, and the advanced knowledge of teacher educators over school-based, applied knowledge. The theoretical underpinnings of an alternative model of professional development and examples of its application are presented in this article.

This is a collection of essays dealing with ESL/EFL/FL teacher education by experienced ESL/EFL/FL teacher educators and student teachers of different cultural backgrounds, and from different countries. The essays cover topics that focus both on the teacher as learner and the learner as teacher. This book recognizes that the language classroom has a particular culture of its own while being part of a broader school culture. As a result, the multi-foci nature of the chapters serve to present the varied and diverse language education needs, programs, and approaches. Contents: The National Foreign Languages: Can we Get from Here to There?, Sophie Jeffries; FLES Teacher Preparation: Competencies, Content and Complexities, Gladys C. Lipton; Journaling: A Path to Reflective Teacher Development, Aleiline J. Moeller; Alternative Assessment in Foreign Second Language: What do we in Foreign Language Know?, Charles R. Hancock; Where are the African American Foreign Language Teachers?, Mark English; Foreign Language Teacher Education in a Professional Development School, Alan Garfinkel and Carol Sosa; Portfolio Design and the Decision Making Process and in Teacher Education, JoAnn Hammadou; Peer Evaluation in In-Service Teacher Education, Jeannette Morris; Professional Development for Japanese Teachers, Yoshiko Saito; Successful Listening Comprehension Strategies: Implications for Foreign Language Teaching and Teacher Training, Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; Emergent L2 Writing in the French Immersion Classroom: Implications for Teacher Education of Where are the Holes in Whole Language?, Stephen Carey and Rishma Dunlop; Multimedia and Foreign Language Teacher: A Humananistic Perspective, Josef Hellebrandt; Culture: How do Teachers Teach it?, Zena Moore.

This research work is the result of an ethnographic study at a Municipal School in the city of So Paulo. It is about inservice teacher education's contexts and situations using Communication and Information Technologies. For the data analyses, added to focal observations , it was examined some official registries done by teachers during the joint hours and interviews with eight teachers from the same school. The idea was to discuss how the technology is incorporated by the teachers, how this happened (if this happened) and also how this is linked to their inservice education; to analyze if the technology integration is developed because of the teachers interest and to verify the possibilities of education by using those technologies. The data analysis was guided by some concepts such as: contexts, situations and inservice teacher education, including inservice teacher education using communication and information technologies. The inservice education is understood according to reflective teacher and research-teacher concepts. Those concepts are based on metaphors that have its origins in the deregulation of education phenomenon. In this research work, it was developed a methodological possibility to didactic situations for inservice teacher education in similar contexts.

Despite significant investments in pre-service and in-service teacher education, disparities in instructional quality and learning achievements persist across the country, particularly between urban and rural schools. The purpose of the study was to assess how structured teacher training, continuous professional development, and school-based learning communities influence instructional competence and classroom performance. The study was guided by Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, which posits that critical reflection on prior assumptions facilitates meaningful changes in beliefs, perspectives, and behaviours. A secondary data methodology was employed, analysing peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, policy documents, and previous empirical studies published between 2020 and 2024. Data were synthesised using content analysis to identify trends, gaps, and outcomes related to teacher development initiatives. The findings indicated that pre-service training equips teachers with foundational pedagogical knowledge, while continuous professional development and mentoring programs significantly improve learner-centred teaching, classroom management, and assessment strategies. School-based professional learning communities enhanced collaboration, reflective practice, and adoption of innovative instructional methods. However, challenges such as limited resources, unequal access, large class sizes, and inadequate monitoring constrained the effectiveness of these programs. The study concluded that sustained, contextually relevant, and collaborative teacher development initiatives are crucial for improving teaching quality. Based on the findings, the study recommended expanding equitable access to training, integrating mentoring and technology, providing adequate resources, and establishing systematic follow-up and evaluation mechanisms.

The power of teacher inquiry is revealed when educators examine their practices with the purpose of making necessary changes to improve the learning opportunities of their multilingual students, and working conditions in schools. Dr. Nevárez-La Torre, proposes a model for conducting classroom inquiry that teachers may follow to pursue important questions about their practice and multilingual students’ learning process.There are eight chapters in this book divided into three sections. The first section introduces the idea for the book a model for using teacher inquiry as a tool for professional development. The second section includes the analyses of the trajectory followed by three teachers into using teacher inquiry to grow as professionals in ESL and bilingual classrooms. The third section of the book situates professional development using teacher inquiry within a broader theoretical framework and examines some key implications of this work for the education of in-service and pre-service teachers.

Pre-service and in-service teacher education in Brazil has increasingly moved online, with 6 out of 10 teachers graduating from exclusively online programs (Todos pela Educao, 2022).While there could be benefits to online learning in terms of access, evidence from the learning sciences and teacher accounts call for limitations of such approach, and more in-person learning experiences in the context of school systems in developing countries.Based on evidence from the design and implementation of a hybrid professional development constructionist learning program, we aim to shed light on the challenges and affordances of synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person modalities for professional development.

This study examined History teachers’ perceptions and experiences on teaching and learning history in secondary schools in Kigoma region in Tanzania. The study focused on teachers’ perceptions of significance of teaching and learning History, teaching methods, perception of how students learn history, perception of learnability of History, and perceived challenges. About fifteen history teachers from seven secondary schools were involved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using content analysis method. The findings indicated that the teachers highly perceived History as an important subject in secondary school education. They acknowledged the use of both teacher-centred and learner-centred teaching methods in teaching History, with more use of teacher-centred methods. Teachers highlighted various challenges to history teaching and learning in their schools. These include shortage of teaching and learning materials, use of English as the medium of instruction, lack of professional development opportunities and examination oriented teaching. It is recommended that educational authorities give priority to in-service teacher education and professional development and ensure availability of teaching and learning materials in schools. Article visualizations:

Case studies exploring how educational policies can help teachers serve learners disadvantaged through cultural marginalization are urgently needed to inform education systems internationally. The study reported here explored perceptions of Pacific cultural values at the heart of education policy in New Zealand that were intended to improve opportunities of learners with Pacific heritage. Participants included early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary teachers of Pacific and non-Pacific heritage. Data included interviews and teaching observations. Results indicate that the Pacific values can be more deeply felt, understood, and enacted by Pacific teachers than their non-Pacific counterparts. Results are discussed in relation to tenets of culturally sustaining pedagogy and aspects of the Pacific-based Fonofale model. Implications of this work include that initial and in-service teacher education must assist teachers to develop working understandings of values as they are felt and experienced by policy target groups. This study contributes to the literature by discussing how a culturally-embedded model can be a useful tool towards ensuring teachers can understand cultural nuances inherent within educational policy and align their practice with these. Keywords: policy; cultural values; Pacific nations; teacher perspectives; initial teacher education; teacher professional development

Pre-service and in-service teacher learning is a complex and culturally situated process. What and how teachers learn about themselves, about curriculum content, and about pedagogical approaches fo...