Teachers’ professional learning goals What do teachers (still) like to learn?

Monika L. Louws, MSc

This research visit has been sponsored by Leiden University Fund CSET Speaker series

2-13-2014

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Background • ICLON Leiden university graduate school of teaching • Collaborating with Prof. Klaas van Veen, Prof. Jan van Driel & dr. Jacobiene Meirink

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Teachers’ professional learning Constraints for successful teacher learning • Experiencing a gap between theory & practice • No match in PD and individual learning preferences • “Teachers are not heard” when designing PD

-> focus on articulation of teachers’ learning preferences 3

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Framing teacher learning • Professional Learning Preferences • Preferences for features of Professional Development (PD) • Learning activities (how?) • Learning goals (what?)

• Learning goal Determined, planned action to change cognition, behavior, and beliefs

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Research question What is the relationship between secondary school teachers’ professional learning goals and their years of teaching experience?

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Teaching experience Teachers at the beginning of their career

Teachers at the end of their career

-> focus on teaching experience 6

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Professional Life Cycle “The hypothesis is fairly obvious: Teachers have different aims and different dilemmas at various moments in their professional cycle, and their desires to reach out for more information, knowledge, expertise and technical competence will vary accordingly. A core assumption here is that there will be commonalities among teachers in the sequencing of their professional lives and that one particular form of professional development may be appropriate to these shared sequences” (Huberman, 1995, p. 193) 7

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

0 – 3 years

4 – 7 years

8 – 15 years

16 – 29 years

30 + years

Induction

Competency building

Growth

Stability

Exit

(Day et al., 2007; Fessler & Christensen, 1992; Huberman, 1993)

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Theoretical Framing • Notion of Professional Life Cycle (Day et al., 2007; Fessler & Christensen, 1992; Huberman, 1993)

• Notion of teacher expertise development (Berliner, 2004; Genberg, 1992)

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Methodology Observing teachers in their classrooms and during meetings Selecting teachers - teaching experience - subject area - gender

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Interviews with 31 selected teachers from 2 secondary schools Interview question: What do you like to learn?

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results – Learning domains Domain A. Communication and classroom organization

Examples - Classroom management - Improve interaction with students

B. Curriculum and instruction

- Broaden repertoire of instructional strategies - Activating students during class - Differentiating between students - Curriculum development - Efficiency in assessment

C. Socialisation

- Learning school rules

D. (technological) Innovation

- Use of IT applications in classroom - Learn to use hardware/software

E. Extra-curricular tasks

- Becoming a manager - Developing as coach for beginning teachers

F. Teacher as professional

- To organize my work better - To behave more professionally in classroom

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results – descriptives • 92 learning goals in total • 2.97 goals on average per teacher • Number of goals per teacher decrease over phases Phase Years N teachers Mean # goals

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1 0-3

2 4-7

3 8-15

4 16-29

5 30+

6

5

8

7 [8]

3 [4]

4.50

3.80

3.25

2.29

1.33

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results – descriptives • 92 learning goals in total • 2.97 goals on average per teacher • Number of goals per teacher decrease over phases 3%

7%

(12 %) (48 %)

9%

(3 %)

48% 12%

(7 %) (9 %) (21 %)

21% 13

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results per phase 0 – 3 years Learning goals per domain 80 70 60 Percentage

50 40

0 - 3 years

30 20

10 0 C&C

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C&I

Soc

Innov

Extra

Prof

N=6 M = 4.5

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results per phase 4 – 7 years Learning goals per domain 80 70 60 Percentage

50 0 - 3 years

40

4 - 7 years

30 20

10 0 C&C

15

C&I

Soc

Innov

Extra

Prof

N=5 M = 3.8

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results per phase 8 – 15 years Learning goals per domain 80 70 60 Percentage

50 0 - 3 years

40

4 - 7 years

30

8 - 15 years

20

10 0 C&C

16

C&I

Soc

Innov

Extra

Prof

N=8 M = 3.25

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Results per phase 16 – 29 years Learning goals per domain 80 70

Percentage

60 50

0 - 3 years

40

4 - 7 years 8 - 15 years

30

16 - 29 years

20

10 0 C&C

17

C&I

Soc

Innov

Extra

Prof

N=7 M = 2.29

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Summary results Learning goals per domain 80 70 60 0 - 3 years

Percentage

50

4 - 7 years

40

8 - 15 years

30

16 - 29 years 30+ years

20

10 0 C&C

18

C&I

Soc

Innov

Extra

Prof

Phase 5 N=3 M = 1.33

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper – curriculum & instruction How did they formulate their learning goals? - Differentiated instruction - Motivating and engaging students - Curriculum development

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper – curriculum & instruction How did they formulate their learning goals? - Differentiated instruction - Motivating and engaging - Curriculum development

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Quote Ryan (0-3 years, school 1)

bending towards the students, for my HAVO 3 class that is really difficult for me, but I don’t students have lesson materials, I haven’t received any tools to explain at that level, sometimes my language is too difficult, sometimes my language is too visual, while they just want really concrete explanations

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper – curriculum & instruction How did they formulate their learning goals? - Differentiated instruction - Motivating and engaging - Curriculum development

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Quote Sara (4-7 years, school 1)

During the teacher education program I’ve created my own rule of thumb which is ‘let them do the students work’ and that’s something that I’m still working on, that I want to use more activating instructional strategies in my classes, because I think that students learn more when they produce language

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper – curriculum & instruction How did they formulate their learning goals? - Differentiated instruction

Quote Richard (16 - 29, school 1)

I’ve been appointed to adapt that - Motivating and engaging students curriculum to new standards from

- Curriculum development

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the ministry and I can see growth in that and that also connects directly with the content of my lessons

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper – example phase 2 Relating learning goals and professional life phases Sara (school 1) - Classroom management - Instructional strategies to activate students - Deal with lack of time - Assessment of students’ skills - Curriculum development - Control emotions - Content knowledge for teaching literature

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John (school 2) - Time to improve content knowledge - Time to try out instructional strategies - Time to differentiate between students - Learn to say ‘no’ to requests

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Digging deeper - articulation How did they formulate their learning goals? Preliminary findings Varying ways of articulating learning - Deficit Growth - Long-term Daily - Classroom practice-related Career-related

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Conclusions • Curriculum & instruction learning goals are salient to all teachers • Different emphasizes across other learning domains • Teaching experience important indicator to show patterns in teachers’ learning goals • Articulating learning goals differs (deficit growth)

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Implications - Tailoring PD to teachers’ individual learning preferences - Balancing what ‘needs’ or ‘ought’ to be learnt & what’s ‘preferred’ - The role of the school organization in teacher’s learning

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Teachers’ professional learning Teachers at the beginning of their career

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Teachers at the end of their career

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Thank you for your attention [email protected] Discussion & questions?

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Discussion Returning to theoretical notions • Professional life cycle • Different preferences per phase • Integrating teachers’ lives in framework on teachers’ learning

• Teacher expertise development • Learning particular skills in a particular order?

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Induction

Competency building

Growth

Stability

Exit

0–3

4–7

8 – 15

16 – 29

30 +

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Discussion questions 1. In many cases of PD, teachers are required to join and don't participate voluntary. Would starting from teachers' own learning preferences make PD more effective? 2. How would workplace conditions look like for effective school-based PD? 3. Phase-based learning curriculum. Do earlycareer teachers profit from PD focused only on curriculum & instruction? And what kind of PD would fit with mid- and late-career teachers (15+ years)? 30

ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Literature references Berliner, D. C. (2004). Expert teachers: Their characteristics, development and accomplishments. In R. Batllori i Obiols, A. E Gomez Martinez, M. O. i. Freixa & J. P. i. Blanch (Eds.), De la teoria... a l'aula: Formacio del professorat ensenyament de las ciències socials (pp. 13-28). Barcelona, Spain: Departament de Didàctica de la Llengua de la Literatura I de les Ciències Socials, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Day, C., Sammons, P., Stobart, G., Kington, A., & Gu,. Q. (2007). Teachers matter: connecting work, lives and effectiveness. Berkshire: Open University Press, McGraw Hill. Fessler, R., & Christensen, J. C. (1992). The teacher career cycle: Understanding and guiding the professional development of teachers: Allyn & Bacon. Genberg, V. (1992). Patterns and organizing perspectives: A view of expertise. Teaching and Teacher Education, 8(5), 485-495.

Huberman, M. E. (1993). The lives of teachers. New York: Teacher College Press.

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ICLON, Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching