Pub Date : 2020-07-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480219894408
R. French, W. Imms, M. Mahat
This article explores the characteristics of a successful transition of a school from traditional classrooms to an innovative learning environment. Many schools today are converting traditional classrooms into spaces which are flexible, supporting a wide array of teaching and learning possibilities (i.e. an ‘innovative learning environment’). These schools envision a future in which teaching, culture and space align to result in engaged students achieving deep learning. Many of these schools, however, fail to align teaching practices, organisational structures and leadership with their design’s intended vision. This results in a misalignment between the pedagogical goals of the building and its subsequent use. Through case studies of four schools in Australia and New Zealand, this study identifies the commonalities between the schools’ independent transitions resulting in four shared characteristics of a successful transition from traditional to innovative learning environments – Culture, Nudges, Structure and Expectations. Within each characteristic, specific strategies are provided to enable alignment between the design and use of a school building.
{"title":"Case studies on the transition from traditional classrooms to innovative learning environments: Emerging strategies for success","authors":"R. French, W. Imms, M. Mahat","doi":"10.1177/1365480219894408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480219894408","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the characteristics of a successful transition of a school from traditional classrooms to an innovative learning environment. Many schools today are converting traditional classrooms into spaces which are flexible, supporting a wide array of teaching and learning possibilities (i.e. an ‘innovative learning environment’). These schools envision a future in which teaching, culture and space align to result in engaged students achieving deep learning. Many of these schools, however, fail to align teaching practices, organisational structures and leadership with their design’s intended vision. This results in a misalignment between the pedagogical goals of the building and its subsequent use. Through case studies of four schools in Australia and New Zealand, this study identifies the commonalities between the schools’ independent transitions resulting in four shared characteristics of a successful transition from traditional to innovative learning environments – Culture, Nudges, Structure and Expectations. Within each characteristic, specific strategies are provided to enable alignment between the design and use of a school building.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"16 1","pages":"175 - 189"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480219894408","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65352442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480219880129
Marlon I. Cummings, J. Olson
In today’s era of increased accountability and standards-based reforms within the United States educational system, Community Partner Organizations (CPOs) can offer essential support to teachers, schools, and districts. CPOs have the potential to have a positive impact in urban schools in particular, where high-stakes testing and accountability policies are often more demanding and the threat of school closure or turnaround is the everyday reality for teachers who are under enormous pressure to improve student outcomes. Collaborative social relationships between schools and community organizations can facilitate school improvement, combat social and economic barriers, and meet the increasing demands of local, state, and federal accountability policies.
{"title":"The importance and potential of community partnerships in urban schools in an era of high-stakes accountability","authors":"Marlon I. Cummings, J. Olson","doi":"10.1177/1365480219880129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480219880129","url":null,"abstract":"In today’s era of increased accountability and standards-based reforms within the United States educational system, Community Partner Organizations (CPOs) can offer essential support to teachers, schools, and districts. CPOs have the potential to have a positive impact in urban schools in particular, where high-stakes testing and accountability policies are often more demanding and the threat of school closure or turnaround is the everyday reality for teachers who are under enormous pressure to improve student outcomes. Collaborative social relationships between schools and community organizations can facilitate school improvement, combat social and economic barriers, and meet the increasing demands of local, state, and federal accountability policies.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"109 - 124"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480219880129","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41922521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480219886145
Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez
The involvement of families in Spanish schools is a legally recognised right, a social demand, an educational need and a permanent challenge. However, there are limited opportunities for families to become engaged with schools in Spain. Their primary avenues for involvement are Parents’ Associations (Asociaciones de Madres y Padres de Alumnos, known as AMPAs), but there has been little research on them to date. This article describes a qualitative study carried out in collaboration with 36 AMPAs from Spanish state schools, aimed at understanding how their members describe, interpret and assess their current situation. The findings showed that AMPAs foster activities to galvanise schools, but that they demanded increased decision-making powers, additional training and support in managing the association. It can be concluded that AMPAs are a means of promoting significant parental involvement, which merits further study and a wider social dissemination.
家庭参与西班牙学校是一项法律承认的权利、一种社会需求、一种教育需求和一项永久性挑战。然而，在西班牙，家庭与学校接触的机会有限。他们参与的主要途径是家长协会（Asociaciones de Madres y Padres de Aluminos，简称AMPA），但迄今为止对他们的研究很少。本文描述了与西班牙公立学校的36名AMPA合作进行的一项定性研究，旨在了解其成员如何描述、解释和评估他们的现状。研究结果表明，AMPA促进了激励学校的活动，但他们要求增加决策权、额外的培训和对协会管理的支持。可以得出结论，AMPA是促进父母积极参与的一种手段，值得进一步研究和更广泛的社会传播。
{"title":"Parental involvement in Spanish schools: The role of Parents’ Associations (AMPAs)","authors":"Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez","doi":"10.1177/1365480219886145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480219886145","url":null,"abstract":"The involvement of families in Spanish schools is a legally recognised right, a social demand, an educational need and a permanent challenge. However, there are limited opportunities for families to become engaged with schools in Spain. Their primary avenues for involvement are Parents’ Associations (Asociaciones de Madres y Padres de Alumnos, known as AMPAs), but there has been little research on them to date. This article describes a qualitative study carried out in collaboration with 36 AMPAs from Spanish state schools, aimed at understanding how their members describe, interpret and assess their current situation. The findings showed that AMPAs foster activities to galvanise schools, but that they demanded increased decision-making powers, additional training and support in managing the association. It can be concluded that AMPAs are a means of promoting significant parental involvement, which merits further study and a wider social dissemination.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"125 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480219886145","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48809843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480219869425
Ghazi Alrasheedi, Farah Almutawa
Many educational centers for instructing Muslim children in the principles of Islam and the Arabic language have been established in Europe. These centers are called weekend schools; students attend these schools on the weekend to learn the Holy Qur’an in addition to Arabic language skills. The current study aimed to examine the nature of these schools and their instructional focuses. The study used a qualitative method for data collection and conducted interviews based on semi-open questions. A total of 26 participants were interviewed during the Annual Conference of the Islamic Organization Union in France in 2012. The results indicate that there is no detailed database that shows the total number or overall percentage of Muslim students who attend weekend schools in Europe. The results also show that the rate of enrollment is increasing. The results of the study confirm that most of the students are primary school students who attend these schools for only 3 to 4 hours every week. The findings show that these weekend schools face several challenges. The most important of these challenges are the weak qualifications of the teachers, inadequate curriculum, an inconvenient instructional environment, and other challenges that will be covered in this research. The researcher argues that the efforts exerted by mosques and Islamic centers to maintain the identity represented in the supplementary schools and classes called weekend schools are insufficient due to the numerous challenges that these schools are facing.
{"title":"Weekend Islamic schools in Europe: Challenges and means of development","authors":"Ghazi Alrasheedi, Farah Almutawa","doi":"10.1177/1365480219869425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480219869425","url":null,"abstract":"Many educational centers for instructing Muslim children in the principles of Islam and the Arabic language have been established in Europe. These centers are called weekend schools; students attend these schools on the weekend to learn the Holy Qur’an in addition to Arabic language skills. The current study aimed to examine the nature of these schools and their instructional focuses. The study used a qualitative method for data collection and conducted interviews based on semi-open questions. A total of 26 participants were interviewed during the Annual Conference of the Islamic Organization Union in France in 2012. The results indicate that there is no detailed database that shows the total number or overall percentage of Muslim students who attend weekend schools in Europe. The results also show that the rate of enrollment is increasing. The results of the study confirm that most of the students are primary school students who attend these schools for only 3 to 4 hours every week. The findings show that these weekend schools face several challenges. The most important of these challenges are the weak qualifications of the teachers, inadequate curriculum, an inconvenient instructional environment, and other challenges that will be covered in this research. The researcher argues that the efforts exerted by mosques and Islamic centers to maintain the identity represented in the supplementary schools and classes called weekend schools are insufficient due to the numerous challenges that these schools are facing.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"190 - 203"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480219869425","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47087161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-06-19DOI: 10.1177/1365480220929767
Lena Glaés-Coutts, Henrik Nilsson
When Sweden began to experience a steady decline in student achievement results in PISA and TIMMS, the Swedish National Agency of Education initiated a model of collaboration with Swedish universities aimed at providing support to schools with falling student achievement scores. In this article, we examine how such projects can work at the local school level. Our focus is mainly on how knowledge construction can be realized for teachers and principals; we reflect on whose knowledge is valued, and we explore what role research texts play in school improvement. Working within the frames of both social and cultural processes, we looked at how teachers and principals are provided opportunities to develop and define their own professional understanding of school improvement. We found that knowledge construction of school improvement, as both a political and cultural process, needed to be based on local needs. The guidance of a knowledgeable other in interpreting research literature on school improvement can support such knowledge construction only when the local needs and history are part of the process.
{"title":"Who owns the knowledge? Knowledge construction as part of the school improvement process","authors":"Lena Glaés-Coutts, Henrik Nilsson","doi":"10.1177/1365480220929767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480220929767","url":null,"abstract":"When Sweden began to experience a steady decline in student achievement results in PISA and TIMMS, the Swedish National Agency of Education initiated a model of collaboration with Swedish universities aimed at providing support to schools with falling student achievement scores. In this article, we examine how such projects can work at the local school level. Our focus is mainly on how knowledge construction can be realized for teachers and principals; we reflect on whose knowledge is valued, and we explore what role research texts play in school improvement. Working within the frames of both social and cultural processes, we looked at how teachers and principals are provided opportunities to develop and define their own professional understanding of school improvement. We found that knowledge construction of school improvement, as both a political and cultural process, needed to be based on local needs. The guidance of a knowledgeable other in interpreting research literature on school improvement can support such knowledge construction only when the local needs and history are part of the process.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"24 1","pages":"62 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480220929767","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42217608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-06-18DOI: 10.1177/1365480220929440
Yolanda Muñoz-Martínez, Carlos Monge-López, Juan Carlos Torrego Seijo
This article presents the study of the perception of teachers and principals participating in a teacher training program about cooperative learning with the focus on the transformation of teaching practices for inclusive education. The aim is to analyze the effect of a teacher training program on teaching practices and school transformation. We carried out an exploratory case study involving eight public schools of the Community of Madrid. Twenty-nine teachers (including principals) and two counselors agreed to participate. The process involved discussion groups, in-depth interviews, questionnaires about the training received, and analysis of documents (reports, stories, and projects). The results found that there is a positive influence on how students live together, their learning, emotional intelligence, and social relationships.
{"title":"Teacher education in cooperative learning and its influence on inclusive education","authors":"Yolanda Muñoz-Martínez, Carlos Monge-López, Juan Carlos Torrego Seijo","doi":"10.1177/1365480220929440","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480220929440","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents the study of the perception of teachers and principals participating in a teacher training program about cooperative learning with the focus on the transformation of teaching practices for inclusive education. The aim is to analyze the effect of a teacher training program on teaching practices and school transformation. We carried out an exploratory case study involving eight public schools of the Community of Madrid. Twenty-nine teachers (including principals) and two counselors agreed to participate. The process involved discussion groups, in-depth interviews, questionnaires about the training received, and analysis of documents (reports, stories, and projects). The results found that there is a positive influence on how students live together, their learning, emotional intelligence, and social relationships.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"277 - 290"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480220929440","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45772792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-05-28DOI: 10.1177/1365480220923413
Mir Afzal Tajik, A. Wali
This study aimed to explore the principal’s perceptions about, and strategies for, increasing students’ active participation in the day-to-day affairs and decision-making at a secondary school located in a rural, mountainous region of Pakistan. By exploring the principal’s leadership practices, this study aims to answer the question, ‘how can school principals promote students’ participation in school leadership and, in turn, how can such participation ultimately lead to a socially just and democratic community?’ To us ‘school leadership’ is not a set of skills or positional authority that lies in one individual – the principal – but it is a practice which is widely distributed and engaged by a range of people including students in the day-to-day affairs and business of the school. Although, students’ participation in curricular and co-curricular activities and decision-making processes in schools is widely studied elsewhere, there is hardly any study on this topic in the context of Pakistan, particularly with reference to rural schools. Therefore, an empirical investigation based on a qualitative case study method was conducted to collect data from the principal as well as from other members of the school community regarding the leadership practices that promote students’ active participation in school affairs. The findings of the study reveal a number of interesting and contextually relevant strategies used by the principal as well as the gaps between his beliefs and practices and the challenges he faces in increasing students’ participation in various activities and decisions at the school.
{"title":"Principals’ strategies for increasing students’ participation in school leadership in a rural, mountainous region in Pakistan","authors":"Mir Afzal Tajik, A. Wali","doi":"10.1177/1365480220923413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480220923413","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to explore the principal’s perceptions about, and strategies for, increasing students’ active participation in the day-to-day affairs and decision-making at a secondary school located in a rural, mountainous region of Pakistan. By exploring the principal’s leadership practices, this study aims to answer the question, ‘how can school principals promote students’ participation in school leadership and, in turn, how can such participation ultimately lead to a socially just and democratic community?’ To us ‘school leadership’ is not a set of skills or positional authority that lies in one individual – the principal – but it is a practice which is widely distributed and engaged by a range of people including students in the day-to-day affairs and business of the school. Although, students’ participation in curricular and co-curricular activities and decision-making processes in schools is widely studied elsewhere, there is hardly any study on this topic in the context of Pakistan, particularly with reference to rural schools. Therefore, an empirical investigation based on a qualitative case study method was conducted to collect data from the principal as well as from other members of the school community regarding the leadership practices that promote students’ active participation in school affairs. The findings of the study reveal a number of interesting and contextually relevant strategies used by the principal as well as the gaps between his beliefs and practices and the challenges he faces in increasing students’ participation in various activities and decisions at the school.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"245 - 263"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480220923413","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47040125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480219886148
Lorna Hepburn, W. Beamish
Proactive classroom management is associated with increased teacher wellbeing and improved student learning outcomes. Yet research indicates that many teachers over-report and underuse practices associated with this approach. The research findings reported here were drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with 26 government secondary school teachers in Queensland, Australia. These teachers favoured a classroom management approach based on establishing positive relationships with students, but they raised challenges related to cultivating student engagement, meeting the diverse needs of learners and adherence to school disciplinary procedures. Although they felt generally confident with classroom management and were relatively satisfied with student behaviour, they identified a need for better initial teacher preparation, improved induction support and opportunities for ongoing professional development for classroom management.
{"title":"Influences on proactive classroom management: Views of teachers in government secondary schools, Queensland","authors":"Lorna Hepburn, W. Beamish","doi":"10.1177/1365480219886148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480219886148","url":null,"abstract":"Proactive classroom management is associated with increased teacher wellbeing and improved student learning outcomes. Yet research indicates that many teachers over-report and underuse practices associated with this approach. The research findings reported here were drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with 26 government secondary school teachers in Queensland, Australia. These teachers favoured a classroom management approach based on establishing positive relationships with students, but they raised challenges related to cultivating student engagement, meeting the diverse needs of learners and adherence to school disciplinary procedures. Although they felt generally confident with classroom management and were relatively satisfied with student behaviour, they identified a need for better initial teacher preparation, improved induction support and opportunities for ongoing professional development for classroom management.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"33 - 46"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480219886148","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43367828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480220909631
Terry Wrigley
This issue of Improving Schools brings together an interesting collection of papers which examine questions of inclusion and social justice, and particularly the possibilities for including pupils more successfully. First, Lea Lund (Odense, Denmark) looks at building professional learning communities which enable teachers to scrutinise their own practices. In particular, routine actions and thinking are questioned, and teachers are able to experiment systematically and collectively develop a shared language. This form of school-based staff development promotes collective responsibility, and is characterised by reflective dialogue, and an awareness of your own beliefs. Attitudes change towards ‘hard-to-reach’ students, so instead of writing off individuals as ‘unmotivated’ or ‘lazy’, teachers discover ways of talking with them more. A key element is peer observation and coaching to refine practice. Bernice Garnett and colleagues (Vermont, USA) examine the problem that exclusionary disciplinary procedures continue to damage educational outcomes for students from specific racial, income and ability categories. They look at the potential for restorative practices to mitigate these disparities and improve the school climate. Their research and development is built on a foundation of community-based participatory research supported by a partnership between a university and the school district. Oscar Espinoza and colleagues (Chile) report on an initiative to provide Second Opportunity Centres for young people who have not completed high school. The centres have some similarities to ‘alternative schools’ in parts of Europe and the United States. An emphasis is placed on high levels of student participation, rather than on teacher-dominated methods. This paper carefully examines the reasons why young people had dropped out of school, including defeatism and disengagement due to the traditional school’s misrecognition of their life circumstances or academic potential. Lorna Hepburn and Wendi Beamish (Griffith University, Queensland, Australia) write about the importance of proactive classroom management with the intentional use of strategies to avoid and preempt problem behaviour. Based on interviews with secondary school teachers, they relate these strategies to engagement and achievement. The interviews reveal the importance of authentic relationships and a recognition that some of the causes of poor behaviour lie in difficulties in understanding and carrying out the set tasks. Their conclusions point to a need for improved teacher education. Martin Brown and colleagues (Dublin City University, Ireland) are interested in the scope for greater parent and student voice in evaluation and planning in schools. This becomes particularly important given an international trend towards school self-evaluation and decision-making. The authors review the different conceptualisations of parent and student voice and the conflicts of perspective and power involved. Key
{"title":"Working towards inclusion and social justice: Multiple perspectives","authors":"Terry Wrigley","doi":"10.1177/1365480220909631","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480220909631","url":null,"abstract":"This issue of Improving Schools brings together an interesting collection of papers which examine questions of inclusion and social justice, and particularly the possibilities for including pupils more successfully. First, Lea Lund (Odense, Denmark) looks at building professional learning communities which enable teachers to scrutinise their own practices. In particular, routine actions and thinking are questioned, and teachers are able to experiment systematically and collectively develop a shared language. This form of school-based staff development promotes collective responsibility, and is characterised by reflective dialogue, and an awareness of your own beliefs. Attitudes change towards ‘hard-to-reach’ students, so instead of writing off individuals as ‘unmotivated’ or ‘lazy’, teachers discover ways of talking with them more. A key element is peer observation and coaching to refine practice. Bernice Garnett and colleagues (Vermont, USA) examine the problem that exclusionary disciplinary procedures continue to damage educational outcomes for students from specific racial, income and ability categories. They look at the potential for restorative practices to mitigate these disparities and improve the school climate. Their research and development is built on a foundation of community-based participatory research supported by a partnership between a university and the school district. Oscar Espinoza and colleagues (Chile) report on an initiative to provide Second Opportunity Centres for young people who have not completed high school. The centres have some similarities to ‘alternative schools’ in parts of Europe and the United States. An emphasis is placed on high levels of student participation, rather than on teacher-dominated methods. This paper carefully examines the reasons why young people had dropped out of school, including defeatism and disengagement due to the traditional school’s misrecognition of their life circumstances or academic potential. Lorna Hepburn and Wendi Beamish (Griffith University, Queensland, Australia) write about the importance of proactive classroom management with the intentional use of strategies to avoid and preempt problem behaviour. Based on interviews with secondary school teachers, they relate these strategies to engagement and achievement. The interviews reveal the importance of authentic relationships and a recognition that some of the causes of poor behaviour lie in difficulties in understanding and carrying out the set tasks. Their conclusions point to a need for improved teacher education. Martin Brown and colleagues (Dublin City University, Ireland) are interested in the scope for greater parent and student voice in evaluation and planning in schools. This becomes particularly important given an international trend towards school self-evaluation and decision-making. The authors review the different conceptualisations of parent and student voice and the conflicts of perspective and power involved. Key","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"3 - 4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480220909631","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43458899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-01DOI: 10.1177/1365480218772638
L. Lund
Research in the field of professional development (PD) stresses the importance of the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) designed to promote the process of inquiry in teaching. PLCs are of great importance with regard to both school improvement and in-service teacher training. This article shows that it is possible to teach teachers to reflect on their beliefs and actions, making them visible to teachers and their colleagues during a cooperative process of inquiry in the classroom. The empirical data stem from a 2-year, school-based, in-service teacher-training program involving 16 teachers at two Danish high schools. The research question is ‘how can teachers’ reflections, pedagogical awareness, and perspectives on their beliefs be sharpened by in-service teacher training?’ With regard to school improvement, two conclusions are drawn: (1) teachers’ pedagogical awareness is sharpened and their classroom behavior and educational thinking change when their routine actions and thinking are questioned and scrutinized; (2) teachers who experiment systematically with their own teaching alongside their colleagues find the process and product rewarding.
{"title":"When school-based, in-service teacher training sharpens pedagogical awareness","authors":"L. Lund","doi":"10.1177/1365480218772638","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480218772638","url":null,"abstract":"Research in the field of professional development (PD) stresses the importance of the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) designed to promote the process of inquiry in teaching. PLCs are of great importance with regard to both school improvement and in-service teacher training. This article shows that it is possible to teach teachers to reflect on their beliefs and actions, making them visible to teachers and their colleagues during a cooperative process of inquiry in the classroom. The empirical data stem from a 2-year, school-based, in-service teacher-training program involving 16 teachers at two Danish high schools. The research question is ‘how can teachers’ reflections, pedagogical awareness, and perspectives on their beliefs be sharpened by in-service teacher training?’ With regard to school improvement, two conclusions are drawn: (1) teachers’ pedagogical awareness is sharpened and their classroom behavior and educational thinking change when their routine actions and thinking are questioned and scrutinized; (2) teachers who experiment systematically with their own teaching alongside their colleagues find the process and product rewarding.","PeriodicalId":45995,"journal":{"name":"Improving Schools","volume":"23 1","pages":"20 - 5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1365480218772638","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42097420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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