Ways That Teaching and Learning Become More Visible in a Professional Development Project

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Making Teacher Learning Visible

Abstract

Understanding and responding to students’ developmental needs has become more difficult as educators face budget cuts and accountability pressures. Even so, some teachers continue to become more responsive and student-centered. To learn more about this growth, this study explored the dynamics of curriculum development and instructional improvement with teachers in a professional development project. Analysis of project reports, lesson observations, and interviews showed how participants developed and taught new seminar lessons by considering student engagement and content learning. With some participants, teaching and learning became more visible as they increasingly analyzed student engagement, focused on the understanding of challenging content, and responded to individuals. Although limited by sample size, insights may help educators better understand how teachers become more responsive.

Authors

• David B. Strahan, Western Carolina University

• Kelly N Tracy, Western Carolina University

• Shannon Montgomery, University of North Florida