Group items tagged

The was written in 1997 (by professional development specialists), so it is a little older, however it is a nice overview of the importance of evaluating professional development programs for teachers. Anyone interested in action research related to professional development would find this useful!

Through narrative and reflection, this paper explores how somatic awareness can add to professional development in areas that, historically, have been 'disembodied'. It addresses my subjective experience of a critical incident, a cycle accident, and how it interrupted my habitual sense of embodiment. It explores how the experience presented an opportunity to visit again my body as 'ground of my being' and 'my body as first home' (Halprin 2003), and to listen through silence to the layers that give way to somatic awareness. Reflection offers an opportunity to pause, and explore the space for deep engagement in what it means to be professional. This paper addresses itself to the theme of the embodied professional educator.

The "Evaluation Exchange" is a periodical published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It reports new ideas in evaluating programs and policies.This is a great resource because they include short yet in-depth articles focused on evaluation. I am sure that most CCT students could find useful resources and information within this site. One article I read, called "Evaluating the Impact of Professional Development," was of interest to me because it directly relates to my topic of evaluating a potential professional development opportunity for teachers.

This is a reference guide for Environment-Based Education for advanced learning skills and character education. EBL stresses developing lifelong learners; effective future workers and problem solvers; thoughtful community leaders and participants; and people who care about the people, creatures, and places around them. The article references the outdoors environment, specifically science and math learning, but I think that the 'environment' can take on a vast definition and the concepts are applicable to many learning objectives/situations.

"Woodhead, M. (1988). "When psychology informs public policy." American Psychologist 43(6): 443-454."

Jenal Austin December 2010 "When Psychology Informs Public Policy" According to this article, there has been significant evidence that early childhood programs in the United States increase cognitive competence, school readiness, school achievement, social development, and health status in young children. Regardless, the government has not fully acknowledged the importance of such programs on the political agenda. Leaders should know that providing preschool education is a solid financial investment for the country. Children who attend these programs have shown promising long-term impact including higher high school completion rates, greater occupational aspirations, and improved employments rates and reductions in referrals to special education, juvenile delinquency, and teenage pregnancy. However, the author reminds us that there are limits to how much we can generalize these findings. He explains that this will not be a one-all, fix-all solution to our society's complex social and economic problems. It is also important to understand that the effects of early childhood intervention cannot be taken in isolation from the context in which it occurs and it may not be possible to replicate all aspects of an experiment of such programs on a national level. "..Effects are the result of a complex interaction of variables in home and school, throughout the school years and beyond, but also… the children themselves play an active part in the process through the images they project and the self-concept they acquire of themselves, either as competent and motivated, or apathetic, problematic, and unwilling." Governments should use the research on the positive impacts of preschool education when designing public policy; however they should not expect a simple solution. "..Where human development is concerned even an experimental approach can rarely yield definitive universally applicable statements about the extent to which a program is effec

"Madison Metropolitan School District (2001). "Classroom action research." http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/carhomepage.html"

This website is a very helpful tool for anyone taking on the task of an action research project. In the section "Reasons to Do Actions Research" it cites collegiality, personal/professional development, consistency, and challenging the norm, all as reasons why action research needed to be done in this situation. Under the section, "A process for Analyzing Your Data" the site goes through some steps to go through in order to get a big picture of the data that has been collected. Some of the steps include, look for themes or patterns, identify the main points, and draw the information together to include some of the evidence which supports each of your themes. The site also has many other links to topics such as "What is Action Research?", "Guidelines for Developing a Question", "Techniques for Collecting Data", and "Ideas for Your Final Write-Up".

In recent years, Action Learning has gained currency as an approach to developing people by using work-based or problem-based learning. This book introduces theory, research, and practice of the two authors and colleagues (O'Neil & Marsick) who have both researched and applied Action Learning.

A RaW Stemä refers to an open-ended statement or question that leads your mind to reflecting on the past, in the present and/or for the future. The 'R' stands for reflective; the 'a' stands for and; the 'W' stands for writing. A Reflection and Writing Stem is like a sentence completion or question which allows you to fill in your thoughts.

I consider myself a "reflectologist", a term I created during one of my reflection sessions. A reflectologist believes in the importance of reflection for growth and change. A RaW Stemä refers to an open-ended statement or question that leads your mind to reflecting on the past, in the present and/or for the future. The 'R' stands for reflective; the 'a' stands for and; the 'W' stands for writing. A Reflection and Writing Stem is like a sentence completion or question which allows you to fill in your thoughts.

This article briefly examines communication skills. Although the article approaches such skills from a teacher to student perspective, I think a lot of the material can be used in any type of group or individual setting. After defining oral communication and listening, the article offers two methods for assessing speaking skills-the observational approach and the structured approach. Both methods can be assessed through a rating system. The assessment of listening skills is similar to a reading comprehensive test. The elements of a listening test are the stimuli, the question, and the test environment. The article offers assessment for communication skills in hopes to develop such skills and abilities to listen criticlly and to express oneself clearly.

All diagrams simply; many do so in a way that makes it hard to depict the way the situation has developed and the way further influences can move the situation into new places. Some of the diagrams cataloged here, e.g., the force-field diagram, allow for a more dynamic sense of competing influences and possibilities of change.

This article discusses technology improving communication within the education realm, among all levels. Examples are drawn from multiple schools but specifically Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon where they are using technology to increase the improve staff communication and professional development. The main focus is around blogs as a means to improve staff communication and collaboration. The blogs are used with the school system as well as connecting parents and the larger community. The use of wikis and blackboard are also discussed.

This is actually a chapter out the book Social Work with Groups that I found eventually through EBSCO. I'm hoping some of the overall concepts will be beneficial or relatable for some of the group dynamics and communications people are addressing. The article discusses how co-facilitation can be effective if it is well planned and characterized by close communication among co-workers of equal status. The authors of this article describe their experience co-teaching a group work course. They examine the potential of co-facilitation in a classroom setting for role modeling an effective group co-leadership relationship to students and for contributing to the professional development of teachers.

New scientific research study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of TheJournal of the American Medical Association, delves into linking mitochondrial dysfunction with autism. "Certainly, these findings need to be confirmed in larger studies," study researcher Cecilia Giulivi, PhD, of the University of California, Davis tells WebMD. "More research is also needed to understand how mitochondrial dysfunction might contribute to autism." This study helps to bridge scientific and medical uncertainties surrounding the little known causes of autism, which are believed to be both environmental and genetic.

(access full PDF via Umass databases page to SAGE journals online) "In this article we delve into the potential learning capacity inherent in project-based organizations derived from conclusions drawn from action research as well as extensive field experience. We propose project-based learning as a means to deal with the challenge of sustainable growth of learning capacity, i.e. developing learning capabilities that enable reasoning beyond the short term; knowledge creation and sharing beyond the individual or team. Based on stories from the field, we explore the distinguishing features of project-based learning and ways in which project-based learning can be instrumental in building communities of reflective practitioners."

This is an interesting perspective on learning styles and options. I've experienced working in a Charter School with this philosophy, project based learning, which of course is appealing to some learners, but not all. It is an excellent option to pursue for particular students who may thrive in this learning environment, where they might otherwise flounder in a traditional setting. It would be nice to see this option incorporated more widely in regular public schools in addition to traditional tracks (business, college prep, vocational education). Mary Ann p.s. E.K. READ THIS ONE!

This article can be used for those who may want to begin using humor in your class without losing sight of the learning objectives.

This is a great read and humor has many long term benefits for overall health and well being. In nursing, it can be very stressful and humor can be a very effective measure to relieve stress.

The brain-based learning material that I have been reading recommends surprise as an important tool to gain and hold students' attention. Humor fits with this. The article recommends a highly organized, thought-out, and planned approach which may work for some but other teachers might just want to wing it.

University of Maryland cooperative program that empowers communities through community/collaborative work programs. The site promotes and supports land trusts, employee-owned firms, universities, community development corporations etc.

Spiritual principles of organizations from someone who is a respected trainer, emerging from the "agile" approach to software development. It would be interesting to compare and contrast these principles with those animating the cycles and epicycles of action research.

"The ten major characteristics of Servant Leadership are: listening, empathy, healing relationships, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to human resource development, and commitment to building community."

"developmental evaluation" contrasted with traditional: Complexity-Based, Developmental Evaluations... provide feedback, generate learnings, support direction or affirm changes in direction. develop new measures and monitoring mechanisms as goals emerge & evolve. position evaluation as an internal, team function integrated into action and ongoing interpretive processes. design the evaluation to capture system dynamics, interdependencies, and emergent interconnections. aim to produce context-specific understandings that inform ongoing innovation. accountability centered on the innovators' deep sense of fundamental values and commitments. learning to respond to lack of control and stay in touch with what's unfolding and thereby respond strategically. evaluator collaborates in the change effort to design a process that matches philosophically and organizationally. evaluation supports hunger for learning.