Suchergebnisse

Professional development (PD) can be costly with the outcomes often difficult to measure and sometimes, even intangible. Training and education organisations are seeking new ways of responding to the challenge of developing the expertise of their teachers to teach effectively in times characterised by changing student profiles and changing government and community expectations and demands. This paper reports on an 18 month long action research project involving three Queensland TAFE institutes that trialled a grassroots PD model. Three features characterised the model; the PD was planned, prepared and delivered by teachers for teachers. The project included a formal evaluation of the trials. This paper explains the rationale for this model to PD delivery and reports on the results of its implementation. It discusses how and why the model evolved in different ways in the three sites and it analyses the strengths and weaknesses of such an approach to delivering professional development in TAFE institutes. The paper concludes with some insights that the trial offered on how PD fits or can fit in the organisational life of 21st century TAFE institutes.

Teacher identity is one of the key factors influencing the form and quality of educational processes. The aim of our literature review is an analysis of research on teachers' narrative identity in primary and secondary education. We used the Web of Science database and selected studies from 2010–2020 in English. The analysis shows that the area of teacher identity can be viewed from the points of personal and professional identity and their interplay. The data about teacher identity were collected mostly as narratives showing teachers' experience of their profession and their selves. Professional identity is investigated in terms of diversity in classroom discourse, curriculum, and professional development. Research on a teachers' personal identity focuses primarily on gender, parenting, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, political orientation, and national identity. The study illustrates an interplay of professional and personal identity. ; Teacher identity is one of the key factors influencing the form and quality of educational processes. The aim of our literature review is an analysis of research on teachers' narrative identity in primary and secondary education. We used the Web of Science database and selected studies from 2010–2020 in English. The analysis shows that the area of teacher identity can be viewed from the points of personal and professional identity and their interplay. The data about teacher identity were collected mostly as narratives showing teachers' experience of their profession and their selves. Professional identity is investigated in terms of diversity in classroom discourse, curriculum, and professional development. Research on a teachers' personal identity focuses primarily on gender, parenting, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, political orientation, and national identity. The study illustrates an interplay of professional and personal identity.

The article gives an overview of foreign research on the key topics in contemporary philosophy of education. The first two sections are devoted to discussing epistemic, moral and political objectives of education. The last section discusses one of the most controversial topics of contemporary philosophy of education—the professional status of teachers. Ability to comprehend critically social and political conditions of formation and spread of knowledge appears to be one of the essential epistemic objectives of education. Attention towards implicit fundamentals of expert knowledge and ability to find relevant information to verify beliefs are epistemic virtues contributing to formation of an autonomous cognizing individual. Among ethical objectives of education, we have traditionally singled out personal autonomy, ability to live a full social and economic life, comprehensive personal development, civic (democratic) competencies, and cooperation skills. The last twenty years, largely due to feminist and communitarian criticism, have witnessed development of an attitude that consists in finding the paramount goal of education in inculcating the ideals of love, care and community spirit, instead of autonomy of a rational individual. Implicitly ethical objectives of education are closely related to "distributive" objectives that define the final provider of teaching efforts. Having analyzed discussions on professionalization of teachers' activities, we conclude that, although teaching is characterized by some prominent features of professional activity, its specific nature makes it difficult to establish distinct criteria of professionalization.

The relevance of the research is explained by the contradiction between the needs of the society and the state in teachers with a high level of professional identity capable to create a convincing, positive, socially significant image of modern person, and the lack progress in a number of theoretical, methodological, ontological and structural aspects of the problem of motivation of a modern teacher for professional self-improvement. The article analyzes the accumulated information about professional identity in the national and foreign Pedagogy of the late XX – early XXI centuries and the empirical data obtained during the Russian-Latvian project in 2013-2017 in the field of structural components of teachers' professional identity. The leading method of the research of this problem was a questionnaire survey, conducted among 721 teachers of secondary schools of Smolensk and Riga, which allowed identifying the components having a statistically significant impact on the teacher's professional identity. The article presents data indicating that, generally, the professional identity of both Russian and Latvian teachers, regardless of the years of their teaching experience, is characterized by a democratic style of work. Among the alarming indicators revealed in the course of the Russian-Latvian survey is a psychological and emotional state in their professional activity and value orientations in the profession. The practical usage of the results will contribute to the formation of professional identity not only of young teachers but also of students of pedagogical universities.

The relevance of the research is explained by the contradiction between the needs of the society and the state in teachers with a high level of professional identity capable to create a convincing, positive, socially significant image of modern person, and the lack progress in a number of theoretical, methodological, ontological and structural aspects of the problem of motivation of a modern teacher for professional self-improvement. The article analyzes the accumulated information about professional identity in the national and foreign Pedagogy of the late XX – early XXI centuries and the empirical data obtained during the Russian-Latvian project in 2013-2017 in the field of structural components of teachers' professional identity. The leading method of the research of this problem was a questionnaire survey, conducted among 721 teachers of secondary schools of Smolensk and Riga, which allowed identifying the components having a statistically significant impact on the teacher's professional identity. The article presents data indicating that, generally, the professional identity of both Russian and Latvian teachers, regardless of the years of their teaching experience, is characterized by a democratic style of work. Among the alarming indicators revealed in the course of the Russian-Latvian survey is a psychological and emotional state in their professional activity and value orientations in the profession. The practical usage of the results will contribute to the formation of professional identity not only of young teachers but also of students of pedagogical universities.

The focus of this collaborative research project of King's College London, and the Weizmann Institute, Israel. project 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 programs (CPD) that lead towards such practice. The interest lies in what processes and inputs are required to help secondary school science teachers develop expertise in a specific aspect of science teaching. It focuses on the design of the CPD programmes and examines the importance of an evidence-based approach through portfolio-construction in which professional dialogue pathes the way for teacher learning. The set of papers highlight the need to set professional challenge while tailoring CPD to teachers' needs to create the environment in which teachers can advance and transform their practice. The cross-culture perspective added to the richness of the development and enabled the researchers to examine which aspects were fundamental to the design by considering similarities and differences between the domains.

This paper was read by Professor Converse, head of the Department of Technical Journalism, Iowa State College, as his presidential address to the American Association of Teachers of Journalism at Columbus in December.

With the development of globalization and continuous changes in terms of the formal inclusion of children in social systems, the need for acceptance and inclusion in the system of children with special social support needs has been recognized. The research aimed to determine the circumstances that are significant for the professional development of preschool teachers (frequency, motivation, forms, self-assessment of abilities, application of new knowledge, and cooperation) for the needs of inclusive educational practice in preschool institutions. A convenience sample of 141 preschool teachers from the territory of the cities of Pirot and Niš participated in the research. Teachers expressed their views on this topic using a Likert-type scale composed of 52 items divided into 7 subscales, through the use of a Google Forms questionnaire. The obtained results show that: teachers consider continuous professional development for the organization and implementation of inclusive practice to be significant and necessary; teachers enhance their expertise in the field of inclusion through activities such as thematic workshops, online programs, and joint activities with other teachers, while individual and group research is less frequently applied. Preschool teachers with fewer years of work experience apply various forms of professional development in the field of inclusion. Teachers who implement inclusive educational practices with the nursery or younger preschool group are less motivated for professional development in the field of inclusion. Preschool teachers with less work experience tend to apply new knowledge in the field of inclusion (acquired through professional development). Based on the obtained results, it is recommended to encourage and support teachers in choosing activities for professional development that contribute to the development of skills and knowledge for working in inclusive educational practice.