May 1st, 2011 | RESEARCH
In this paper, we examined data collected as part of a 5-year project designed to foster reform-based urban science teaching through teachers' communities of inquiry. Drawing upon a distributed leadership framework, we analyzed teacher 'talk' during professional learning community (PLC) meetings. This analysis yielded five elements: teacher learning and collaboration, community formation, confidence in knowledge of content and guided inquiry, concerns about the impact of accountability measures on teaching and learning, and sustainability of reform. Follow-up interviews with participants reinforced the importance of these elements. While accountability measures were found to have a significant impact on science teaching, participants were also able to use their PLC-based experiences to develop strategies to deal with such external constraints. Facilitation and leadership also play key roles in establishing and maintaining PLCs in this urban setting. Finally, we present a revised framework that incorporates the elements we identified to describe those local and systemic factors critical for successful implementation and influence of professional development efforts.
Document
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Team Members
Gail Richmond, Author, Michigan State UniversityViola Manokore, Author, Michigan State University
Citation
Identifier Type: DOI
Identifier: 10.1002/sce.20430
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 0036-8326
Publication: Science Education
Volume: 95
Number: 3
Page(s): 543
Related URLs
Tags
Access and Inclusion: Urban
Audience: Educators | Teachers
Discipline: Education and learning science
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Professional Development and Workshops