NIE06 Teacher Learning - What Happens Behind the Scenes Supervisor: Dr Lee Shu-Shing Researchers: Amanda Soh Xuan Min, Chong Kai Qing (Dunman High School) 1
Overview 1 Project Rationale 2 Literature Review 3 Research Questions 4 Methodology 5 Findings and Discussions 6 Conclusion 2
Literature Review Community Real-life situations Co-construct knowledge 5
Enablers Inhibitors ★ Professional Learning - Excessive roles and Teams responsibilities ★ Reflective practice - Excessive leadership ★ Shared norms, beliefs - Lack of clear agenda and attitudes and professional trust ★ Student voices - Pressures from other stakeholders ★ Informal conversations 6
Research Questions 1. What and how do school-based structures and processes enable situated teacher learning? 2. What and how do school-based structures and processes inhibit situated teacher learning? 7
Methodology 8
Context and Focus of Study Context of Study: “Sentosa High School” (SHS) ➢ High-performing school and a COE T&L that leads teacher learning and sharing within zonal clusters of schools ➢ Assumption: Quality teacher learning to inform its history of excellence and teacher competency Focus of Study: Humanities Department in SHS ➢ New inquiry-based demands of Humanities subjects ○ Provide teachers with opportunities to learn, collaborate and craft innovative curricula together 9
Case Description Three teachers with leadership experience: Facilitators (F) Mr Cheng Ms Peh Mr Tang (F) (F) (F) SH, Hist JH, Hist JH, Geog 10
Case Description Two teachers without leadership experience: Participants (P) Mr Stark Mr Choo (P) (P) JH, Hist JH, Geog 11
Semi-structured interviews Interview protocol: a. Teaching experience, roles and responsibilities held b. Participation in teacher learning communities c. School-based guiding structures d. Constraints of situated teacher learning e. Potential solutions to mitigate constraints Transcriptions: Open coding → Thematic analysis 12
Findings and Discussion 13
The Professional Learning Team within timetabled time is a platform for community learning and reflection about student learning. 14
The Professional Learning Team within timetabled time is a platform for community learning and reflection about student learning. “[T]eachers who are more experienced play a guiding role … But sometimes, the young colleagues … will also have something else that we don’t know , so we can other … actually learn from each Feedback is Ms Peh immediate... it is very practical , it really does impact us. ” (F) JH, Geog 15
The Professional Learning Team within timetabled time is a platform for community learning and reflection about student learning. “[When] I want to try out a new pedagogy … [I’ll] just share with the unit … I can gather feedback before I implement the strategies. ” Mr Tang (F) SH, Hist 16
The Professional Learning Team within timetabled time is a platform for community learning and reflection about student learning. “It can also be a post-exam or post-assessment review … We brainstorm to address issues that cropped up … [We] review teaching processes … to consider what is the best way to approach certain assessment Mr Tang (F) techniques . ” SH, Hist 17
Excessive roles and responsibilities, compounded by perceived time constraints, are a practical barrier. “We have to function on a day-to-day basis with a lot of deadlines … Sometimes we use the PLT to handle very urgent admin matters . When there are such pressing responsibilities, we have less time to actually reflect upon how we had Mr Tang (F) conducted our lessons or potentially design more SH, Hist effective lesson packages within the team. ” 18
Excessive roles and responsibilities, compounded by perceived time constraints, are a practical barrier. “I have about 200 students. When it comes to exam periods, … consultations can take hours every day … A lot of this work is not recorded, it’s on a personal basis because when your students ask you for certain things, Mr Choo you are just doing it as an additional favour. ” (P) JH, Geog 19
Excessive roles and responsibilities, compounded by perceived time constraints, are a practical barrier. “It’s actually quite rushed ... cannot talk about serious stuff … But once you warm up, you come to the mid of the session already, and everybody has to go to class. ” Ms Peh (F) JH, Geog 20
Excessive roles and responsibilities, compounded by perceived time constraints, are a practical barrier. “When the school starts, sometimes we are just firefighting … you have to deal with what is not that important but very, very urgent... That’s why the heavy load of discussion always happens during the school Ms Peh (F) holidays . ” JH, Geog 21
The imposition of reflection tools is a double-edged sword. “Within the PLT, what we normally want to do is to use Facilitation Tools to ensure there is a structure behind our professional sharing and development processes … We actually Mr Tang (F) have steps and stages to follow, and there are SH, Hist deliverables at the end of the day. ” 22
The imposition of reflection tools is a double-edged sword. “I don’t really follow strictly. There is a framework that the school encourages. So usually we’ll start off with the- I cannot even Ms Peh remember . It’s only when I have to write the (F) JH, Geog report then I will think about it. ” 23
An open and informal school culture creates a conducive environment for teacher learning beyond PLT sessions. “The work could go beyond the formal into informal settings . It makes for ease of communication - it was very open … easy Mr Stark to bounce ideas off each other … very (P) JH, Hist fluid . ” 24
An open and informal school culture creates a conducive environment for teacher learning beyond PLT sessions. “So we have an open discussion about the problems that they face … you have to have this open conversation and this climate share … where people are willing to Ms Peh … (F) Anyone can contribute they can JH, Geog propose , then all will consider . ” 25
Teachers hold varied beliefs about instruction, practice and professional learning. “Some teachers are comfortable with adapting to changes along the way. Some prefer to just carry out the package they are given at the start of the year. Along the way if you tell them, ‘Can you not Mr Cheng (F) teach in this way? Can you adopt this idea?’, I JH, Hist think it might cause some discomfort … It takes some effort to convince the rest to be more flexible in adapting to changes. ” 26
Teachers hold varied beliefs about instruction, practice and professional learning. “The instance of non-interference is definitely something that I've seen myself. Some teachers are very particular ... they can be very territorial … [If] you see results, and Mr Stark (P) you have deliverables - why fix it if it ain't JH, Hist broke , right?” 27
Teachers hold varied beliefs about instruction, practice and professional learning. “For certain issues, because of the experiences of the more senior teachers , you may feel that your opinions may not be as important as them … Some opinion and Mr Choo feedback that will be given will give you the (P) JH, Geog impression that certain things will not be taken into consideration . ” 28
Teachers hold varied beliefs about instruction, practice and professional learning. “For myself, it took me a while to realise the value of PD. Everyone is busy, busy, busy with work . But there is a tremendous amount of personal and professional development that can be achieved … You can grow from the experience. I think when Mr Stark people recognise the fact that they could be a (P) JH, Hist better teacher, a better person, then they will find a place for it . ” 29
Recommendations 30
The Professional Learning Team within timetabled time is a platform for community learning and reflection about student learning. ✓ Protected duration of one hour weekly ✗ Duration is still inadequate → Too short to cover scope of concerns ➢ Further negotiation amongst teachers to find another common time outside protected time ➢ Process supported by conducive workplace culture 31
Excessive roles and responsibilities, compounded by perceived time constraints, are a practical barrier. ✗ Immediate concerns, unofficial consultations ➢ Schools to co-negotiate with teachers to set aside time and opportunities for teacher learning ✗ Perceived lack of time and space ➢ Teachers have to realise the need to continuously engage in learning in order to better benefit students ➢ Need to self-regulate to prevent overexertion 32
An open and informal school culture creates a conducive environment for teacher learning beyond PLT sessions. ✓ Teacher leadership through positional roles ○ Directly facilitates and sets tone for building rapport within PLC through open but focused discussion ✓ Teachers become informal leaders within personal communities outside PLC ➢ Teacher leaders should recognise need for balance between level of autonomy and extent of leadership for thriving of teacher learning culture 33
Conclusion L 34
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