Organizational climate of kindergartens and teacher professional learning: mediating effect of teachers' collective efficacy and moderating effect of mindfulness in teaching.

Introduction: This study was aimed at testing a moderated mediation model of teaching mindfulness and teachers' collective efficacy in the relationships between the organizational climate of kindergartens and teacher professional learning. Methods: A sample of 1,095 kindergarten teachers completed self-report questionnaires assessing their perceptions of the organizational climate of kindergartens, collective efficacy, teaching mindfulness, and professional learning. Results: Controlling for teaching experience and kindergarten level, the results show that kindergarten organizational climate significantly and positively predicted teacher professional learning and the collective efficacy of teachers played a partial mediating role between them.Furthermore, moderation analysis revealed that teaching mindfulness moderated the relationship between kindergarten organizational climate and teacher professional learning. Discussion: These results expand our understanding of how the organizational climate of kindergartens affects teacher professional learning. In practice, professional learning of kindergarten teachers can be facilitated by creating an open organizational climate and improving their ability to perceive the collective. Furthermore, the moderating role of teaching mindfulness suggests that intervening in teachers' teaching mindfulness possibly is an influential way to maximize the impact of kindergarten organizational climate on professional learning.

STEM Teacher Professional Learning Through Immersive STEM Learning Placements in Industry: a Systematic Literature Review.

Over the past two decades, there has been an increased focus on designing STEM learning experiences for primary and second-level students. We posit that for teachers to design rich learning experiences for their students, they must first have the opportunity to develop their own STEM knowledge and competences, either during their pre-service teacher education or as part of their professional learning as in-service teachers. This systematic review of literature examines programmes which offer either pre-service or in-service teachers immersive learning experiences through placements in STEM roles in business or industry. A total of nine papers were identified in this review, featuring three unique programmes-one in the UK for pre-service teachers, and two in the USA involving in-service teachers. The findings indicate a variation in motivation and structures across the three programmes. The influence on teachers' personal and professional development, and their intentions to change their classroom practices or behaviours to incorporate more 'real-world' contexts into their STEM learning activities, inspired by their experiences in industry, is discussed. This study presents recommendations for the design and implementation of immersive learning placements in industry to support STEM teacher professional learning, as well as suggestions for further studies to examine the influence on their classroom practice.

Learning analytics for enhanced professional capital development: a systematic review.

Background/Motivation: This article presents a systematic review aimed at examining the utilization of learning analytics (LA) to enhance teachers' professional capital. Aim: The study focuses on three primary research questions: (1) exploring the characteristics and approaches of LA in professional capital, (2) investigating suggestions from LA for assessing and improving professional capital, and (3) examining variables studied in enhancing the most intricate dimension of professional capital using LA. Methodology: To address the research objectives, a systematic review was conducted focusing on the key concepts "learning analytics" and "professional capital." Following the procedures outlined encompassed in four stages: identification, screening, inclusion, and adequacy. The PRISMA 2009 protocol guided the systematic review process. Principal findings: The findings of the study underscore the efficacy of LA as a catalyst for improving professional capital, particularly through collaborative learning and the utilization of tools like forums and online learning platforms. Social capital emerges as a pivotal component in integrating diverse types of professional capital, fostering opportunities for knowledge creation and social networking. Conclusion/Significance: In conclusion, the study highlights the paramount significance of addressing teachers' professional capital development through collaborative approaches and leveraging technology, particularly in primary education. The article concludes by emphasizing the imperative for more research and knowledge dissemination in this field, aiming to ensure equity in learning and address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coffee and conversation: A genuine dialogue on authentic professional learning between genetic counselor educators.

Lifelong learning is a term frequently referred to in the training and continuing professional development of genetic counselors. It implies the ability to continuously engage in self-motivated reflection to identify knowledge gaps and develop a learning plan to address identified needs or interests. In contrast to this definition, the path to continuing professional development for most genetic counselors involves attendance at conferences; yet much data suggest that other forms of learning are more effective at leading to practice change and improved patient or quality outcomes. These conflicting ideas beg the question: what is professional learning? A dialogue between two genetic counselor educators, both with advanced training in health professional education, shares personal beliefs regarding lifelong learning in the genetic counseling profession. This discourse represents an authentic conversation that was audio-recorded and transcribed with minimal editing to improve clarity and readability. The views presented in this dialogue are highly personal, yet grounded in educational theory. References are provided to those that desire further reading on the topics discussed. Several authentic learning strategies are described, including communities of practice, peer supervision, and personal learning projects. The authors consider ways to increase knowledge acquisition from conference attendance and discuss how learning on the job becomes embedded in practice. As a result of this discourse, the authors hope to inspire genetic counselors to reflect over their continuing professional development and consider their job as a learning environment that presents rich, ongoing, and unique opportunities for growth. The authors invite and challenge readers to identify learning needs and set goals for themselves to address those needs. For those with interest in education, it is hoped that the conversation sparks new or invigorated interest that will lead to novel or more effective learning opportunities with improved outcomes for patients, students, and colleagues alike.

"We All Sort of Jump to That Relationship Piece": Science Teachers' Collaborative Professional Learning About the Role of Relationships in Argumentation.

This study investigates how a professional learning approach that draws on elements from collaborative autoethnography (CAE) can support science teachers' learning about argumentation. It provides an account of how six secondary science teachers collectively explored their views and understandings of the importance of relationships for fostering argumentative sensemaking in classrooms. The educators partnered across four sessions to identify themes that emerged from their autoethnographic writings and discussions. The construct of "diffraction" later helped provide a situated, entangled analysis of how ideas traveled within the group over time. Findings highlight how teachers surfaced the importance of cultivating trusting classroom relationships (between teachers and students as well as between students with one another) to foster the social dialogic elements of argumentation and collective sensemaking. This insight is one not generally emphasized in teacher professional development related to argumentation and has only recently been examined in the research literature. Teachers also reclaimed the idea of "rigor" to encompass discourse that is connected to students' lives and engages them in knowledge-building with others. This study demonstrates how a CAE-inspired teacher professional development model that emphasizes teacher agency and professional knowledge can help educators develop nuanced understandings of argumentation. As more classrooms focus on engaging students in argumentative practices, this study suggests the need for the field of science education to shift its focus to attend more fully to the role of classroom relationships, vulnerability, and trust. This study also suggests promising strategies for helping teachers increase their commitment to enacting productive and expansive classroom argumentation practices that center students' experiences, value diverse sensemaking, and increase equitable opportunities for learning.

Integrating AI tools in teacher professional learning: a conceptual model and illustrative case.

This conceptual paper aims to explore the complex nature of integrating AI technologies in teacher professional learning, highlighting the potential for AI to synergize teacher noticing and decision-making processes, support adaptive teaching, foster alignment with competence frameworks, and cultivate professional vision, thereby framing teacher practices within the framework of professional vision. We argue that rather than looking at the process of adopting AI solutions by teachers from a technology perspective or how teachers contribute to designing and developing such tools, we take the perspective of the teacher and ask how such tools are meaningfully integrated into teacher practices. In our conceptual paper, we illustrate the case of a novel approach to the teacher training model where the development of teacher' professional vision and professional learning is combined with the design of the AI solutions. We argue the importance of involving teachers into the design of AI solutions through professional learning models to support teachers to develop knowledge-based reasoning skills and at the same time to learn about pedagogical concepts and develop new mental models.

Departmental conditions for professional learning of instructors in vocational and professional education.

Background: For vocational and professional education to remain relevant, instructors need to keep developing themselves and their practices. Much of instructor learning happens on-the-job. Drawing on literature on teacher learning in the workplace, this article explores how structural and cultural conditions shape professional learning of instructors in departments for post-secondary vocational and professional education in western Canada. Methods: A multiple case study approach was used to explore how instructors perceive departmental conditions as enhancing or inhibiting professional learning. Interview data, meeting observations, and program documentation was collected from 27 instructors from 5 departments in three institutes for post-secondary vocational and professional education. The educational programming in the five departments cover four industry sectors: two healthcare departments, one building trades, one business, and one social services department. Results: Structural conditions reported to facilitate instructor professional learning at the department level include student feedback, job-rotation, coordinating work-placements, and whether participation in continuing professional development is a licensing requirement of the profession. Heavy workload and the way teaching is scheduled are most often reported as conditions inhibiting learning. Considering cultural conditions, three in-depth case descriptions illustrate how instructors draw on beliefs and practices prevalent in their original trade/profession when shaping their departmental culture as a learning environment. Conclusions: The concept of sense-making proved useful to describe how instructors draw on elements of the occupational culture taught in the program when shaping their workplace as a learning environment. This influence of occupational culture could help explain previously observed differences in how instructors from various industry sectors engage in professional learning. Organizational support is warranted for facilitating organizational conditions for instructor learning including the development of departmental leaders' capacity to influence workplace conditions for professional learning. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40461-023-00151-z.

Early childhood educator outcomes from online professional development for physical literacy: A randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Early childhood is recognised as a critical window of opportunity for physical literacy development, however early childhood educators typically lack the training required to effectively provide appropriate physical literacy opportunities for children. We examined the effects of an online physical literacy professional development program-relative to continuing with 'standard' practice-on early childhood educators' physical literacy knowledge and application. METHODS: We conducted a parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial, in which 88 early childhood educators were randomly assigned to an online professional development program designed to support educators' physical literacy instructional skills (intervention arm; n = 37), or a 'standard practice' control condition (n = 51). Data were collected prior to and after the four-week intervention period. We measured educators' physical literacy knowledge and application (our primary outcome) through independent coding of open-ended survey responses, and educators' self-reported perceptions of values, confidence, behaviours, and barriers (secondary outcomes). Between-group differences were assessed through analysis of covariance. RESULTS: One intervention arm participant withdrew from the study, resulting in 87 participants included in analysis. Educators in the intervention arm scored significantly higher on post-intervention physical literacy knowledge (d = 0.62) and application (d = 0.33) than those in the control arm. Educators in the intervention arm also scored significantly higher than controls on confidence in teaching physical activity (d = 0.42) and significantly lower than controls on perceived personal barriers to physical activity (d = 0.53). Thirteen participants in the intervention arm (36%) did not begin the online professional development program. CONCLUSION: Improvements in physical literacy instructional outcomes indicate the potential for further investigation into broader implementation of online professional development programs of this nature in the future.

Are two occupational therapists better than one? Occupational therapists' perspectives of intra-disciplinary practice within community health.

INTRODUCTION: Intra-disciplinary practice is rarely discussed in occupational therapy and the broader health-care literature. Community-based occupational therapists often work autonomously in clients' homes and consequently have limited access to routine intra-disciplinary practices. Additionally, the community-based role covers a large scope of practice requiring comprehensive expertise. This study aimed to describe occupational therapists' perspectives on intra-disciplinary practice within community health settings. METHODS: This study utilised an online cross-sectional survey design, collecting quantitative and qualitative data to explore perspectives of occupational therapists working within Australian community health services. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Both forms of data were compared and contrasted. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Eighty occupational therapists completed the survey. Seventy-eight participants (97%) previously used or currently use intra-disciplinary practice in their workplace. Participants predominantly consult their peers when client needs are perceived as complex. Participants indicated that intra-disciplinary practice can benefit the client, therapist, and workplace. Enablers and barriers to the use of intra-disciplinary practice had overlapping themes, including access to therapists, attitudes towards intra-disciplinary practice, management support, and funding influences. Most participants expressed a desire to utilise intra-disciplinary practices (n = 70, 87%) and were also likely or extremely likely to incorporate it into their clinical work (n = 73, 91%). Participants who did not want to utilise intra-disciplinary practices or who were unsure provided reasons related to cost, practice inefficiencies, and being uncertain of the benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational therapists perceive intra-disciplinary practice as beneficial for problem-solving and an opportunity for knowledge sharing that supports therapist confidence with clinical reasoning. Conversely, some therapists believe its use may lead to client confusion, a greater need for communication and coordination among therapists, and that power differentials between therapists may discourage equal collaboration. Greater understanding of intra-disciplinary practice will help guide how it is used and supported in community health settings.

The impact of professional learning communities on pre-service teachers' professional commitment.

While in-service teachers' professional commitment has gained significant attention in recent years, researches on pre-service teachers' professional commitment is still insufficient, particularly with regard to the effect that professional learning communities play on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. In this context, this study employed mixed methods to investigate the impact of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment in China. A questionnaire survey was administered to pre-service teachers who had workshop experiences (n = 43) and their classmates who did not have workshop experiences (n = 98) to examine the effect of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. Follow-up qualitative interviews with 5 pre-service teachers with workshop experiences were conducted to explain the reasons behind such effects. The results showed that workshop experiences had significant and positive effects on pre-service teachers' professional commitment and the characteristics of shared vision, collaboration, and reflective dialogue affected their professional commitment from three perspectives: commitment to teaching as a career, personal time investment, and interest in professional development.

Improving teachers' professional development through professional learning community: Voices from secondary school teachers at Malaysian Chinese independent schools.

The impact of the professional learning community on teachers' professional development has been studied in different contexts. However, the number of studies on the voices of secondary teachers in Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools [MICSS) needs to be more detailed. This study aimed to investigate how teachers in MICSS view the impact of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) on their professional development. Data for this study was collected using semi-structured interviews with eight MICSS teachers selected from two different-scale MICSSs. The patterns were analyzed by repetitive data reading, data coding, and theme creation. The findings show that with the help of PLC, MICSS teachers may improve their professional development more effectively, particularly in enhancing their knowledge of their subject, students, effective teaching methodology, and sense of occupational belonging. Moreover, collective learning and classroom observation procedures are the most effective among all the PLC activities in the MICSS context. The findings have practical implications for teachers and trainers to improve teachers' profession by establishing professional learning groups.

The relationship between social media and professional learning from the perspective of pre-service teachers: A survey.

Social media usage is indispensable for college students, but the connection between social media and learning has received little scientific investigation. By examining pre-service teachers' attention to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching content and presentation in social media apps through WeChat, DingTalk, and TikTok, this study aimed to provide suggestions on using social media apps to promote pre-service teachers' skill learning and teaching development and to understand the relationship between social media and learning. 383 valid surveys were distributed and gathered. The findings indicate that: 1) Social media apps have both beneficial and detrimental effects on education. 2) The degree of agreement differs on "Social media app is an excellent teaching tool" and "social media app has significant promise in boosting educational development". The highest and lowest levels of agreement degrees were obtained for DingTalk and TikTok. The level of identification also affects how much pre-service teachers may pay attention to educational research and how frequently they study new materials in the future. 3) The degree to which pre-service teachers' academic performance in professional learning is affected by their use of social media varies. These findings have implications for pre-service teachers. This study suggests that it is necessary to further investigate the teaching aid function of social media apps and how pre-service teachers can better utilize them to develop professional skills.

ICT and music technology during COVID-19: Australian music educator perspectives.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced music teachers to modify their practice as delivery moved online in education settings around the globe. This article forms part of our wider study, Re-imaging the future: Music teaching and learning, and ICT in blended environments in Australia, that commenced in March 2021. In this article, the authors analyze and discuss Australian music teachers' perceptions of confidence, preference, and usage of music technologies, combined with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while teaching during COVID-19. Employing a quantitative methodology from data collected using an anonymous survey (N = 105), they report on teachers' attitudinal responses about ICT devices, confidence, and technology usage. The findings outline descriptive and correlational analyses between ICT use and teachers' integration of various devices, software, and related music technologies. The data show that teachers adapted their practice during this time of uncertainty, reporting increased confidence, application, and ICT usage. Data revealed an increase in the use of multiple technologies, resources, and software, which became an essential component of online teaching. The article concludes with recommendations for a longitudinal study of ICT usage in music education across Australia, accompanied by suggestions for increased professional learning, initial teacher training, changes in practice, and contingencies to sustain online learning into the future.

Once upon a crush story: transforming relationships and sexuality education with a post-qualitative art-ful praxis.

This paper shares a rhizomatic unfolding of how a creative, post-qualitative praxis for becoming adventurous in the field of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) can unfold in a conducive policy and practice context (Wales, UK). Specifically, we focus on the making and mattering of what we call 'Crush-Cards'. These are a suite of illustrated data calling-cards designed to re-animate research findings and stay close to the ways in which children and young people are entangled in, and navigate their way through, complex human and more-than-human gender and sexuality assemblages. Each section progressively provides a glimpse at how our art-ful rhizomatic praxis has evolved and how the resource and emergent CRUSHing pedagogy is becoming resourceful in unexpected ways.

Professional learning activities in the higher education institution of Ethiopia.

Ample studies have evidenced that the professional development of teachers significantly increases the quality of teaching and improves educational institutions. Nevertheless, adequate studies have not been carried out on the professional development of higher education teachers. Most studies focus on school teachers. Hence, this study investigated the professional learning activities of university teachers in Ethiopia. A case study design was used in which twenty-four teachers participated in the study. A semi-structured interview was used to explore the learning activities used by the participants. The findings demonstrate that various learning activities are utilised, each driven by a different form of inspiration. The learning motives largely depend on incentives and are motivated by outside factors. University instructors' professional learning practices seem to require more advanced learning methodologies to maintain their learning that is underpinned by self-motivated learning.

Child protection social workers facing the Covid-19 challenge.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced social workers to rethink how they perform their functions. This process was particularly challenging for child protection social workers, who had to understand how to continue to support families and children despite social distancing rules and the suspension of some activities. Three online focus groups were conducted with 18 child protection social workers to explore the Italian child protection social workers' functions during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study presents the reflections shared by these social workers on their experiences and the new awareness they acquired while performing their work in support of families during the pandemic.

Standardizing Research Training: a Pilot Curriculum Within a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program.

While scholarly activity is recognized as critical in cancer education, there is an outstanding need for methods to define research learning competencies and tools for formal research productivity and competency assessment. We piloted and studied a novel educational initiative within the University of Wisconsin Hematology/Oncology fellowship program, establishing a professional learning community (PLC) of research mentors and developing a formative evaluation tool, a research portfolio. We developed a PLC engaged in reflective conversations about intended learning outcomes and effective instructional strategies. Subsequently, a research portfolio was piloted with four first-year Hematology/Oncology fellows at the start of the 2020 academic year in which trainees document, critically evaluate, and reflect upon the knowledge, skills, confidence, and productivity acquired during research training. We employed surveys to evaluate the initiative. Seven Hematology/Oncology fellows (7/12, 58%) completed pre-intervention and six-month interim evaluation surveys, with 43% (3/7) identifying an increased confidence in quality of research training strategies following the pilot initiation. All four first-year fellows that piloted the research portfolio (4/4, 100%) completed interim evaluation surveys that demonstrated benefits of the research portfolio including self-reflection and goal setting. Research portfolio scoring correlated with other markers of academic success, suggesting its potential to predict research success. Our data suggest that bringing together a community of research mentors to generate shared learning goals and develop the framework for a formative evaluation portfolio may meet critical needs research training needs in cancer education. Given promising results, we aim to create a new educational tool for research training.

Encouraging teacher participation in Professional Learning Communities: exploring the Facilitating or restricting factors that Influence collaborative activities.

With the ease of using information technology tools, the explosive growth of smartphone applications (apps), and the rise of learning communities on social media, the acceptance of learning communities has become one of the most significant challenges for higher education institutions in Taiwan. In order to better understand teachers' collaborative performance inlearning communities, this study employs the cognitive dimension (opportunism) andinternal tension dimension (e.g. rising expectation, relationship burden) as restrictive factors; on the other hand, it uses emotional support, sense of belonging, and interpersonal altruism as facilitating factors; and community interaction, relationship performance, and collaborative performance as endrogenous factors. With a cross-sectional survey method and a quantitative approach, this study further dives into the collaborative performance of professional learning communities. A total of 157 teachers (87 male and 70 female) were surveyed, and a structural equation modeling approach was used. It was found that social media learning communities have done better than previous courses of field learning in unrestraining learning styles and increasing the breadth of knowledge. Facilitating and restrictive factors led to the rearrangement of the entire knowledge contribution process, enabling new configurations of individuals, members, and community. Moreover, community interactions are important drivers of relationship and collaboration performance supported by empirical data. The findings offer guidelines for policymakers and educators who evaluate teachers' collaborative performance and relationship performance to promote teaching efficiency and effectiveness by incorporating cyberethics in educational activities.

Mathematics coordinators as school team PD leaders before and during COVID-19.

This study explored a professional development (PD) program preparing mathematics coordinators to lead effective PD in their schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic emerging in the midst of this study, the PD program and school team PD were performed online instead of face-to-face. We explored the PD program and school team PD design before and during COVID-19 period, and the coordinators' expertise-based PD leadership professional identity (LPI). Findings revealed structural stability of the PD program design, and support of coordinators' LPI. Coordinators enacted a structural transition of effective PD design into the school team PD, demonstrating their LPI in practice.