This narrative qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of using Twitter as an effective professional learning tool for public school secondary-level teachers in Missouri. In addition, the researcher sought to find the perceptions of teachers who used Twitter for professional use, what they found to be valuable in developing a…

This paper presents the findings of a study that examined the preparation and teaching practice of ten teachers of grades 7-12 from the Shandong province in China. This study revealed that a multi-dimensional training system has been developed to help the teachers gradually build up their knowledge base for teaching. The findings of this study…

While there is widespread agreement that one-size-fits-all professional development (PD) initiatives have limited potential to foster teacher learning, much existing PD is still designed without attention to teachers' motivations and needs. This paper shows that the strengths and weaknesses of middle school mathematics teachers that engage in PD…

A challenge for educational employing authorities is the provision of high-quality, sustainable professional development opportunities that will lead to positive growth in teachers' pedagogical practices. The study reported here sought to devise and implement a model of teacher professional development that would result in such growth by…

While much is known about K-12 teachers' participation in professional development (PD) on inquiry-based science instruction, how professors facilitate such PD is not as well documented. This reflective, descriptive study documents the pedagogical practices of three professors during a two-week summer PD program on inquiry-based science…

Research has proven that teachers have a fundamental influence on student results. Moreover, effective teacher professional development is one of the key mechanisms for improving student achievement. By the most recent OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) definition, "Professional development is defined as activities…

Sustained professional development can support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) reform. The authors describe a 3-year study of sustained professional development for 3 diverse urban schools across the salient factors of fidelity of implementation of project-based learning, development of professional learning communities,…

Study aim: To determine if pupil physical activity and Body Mass Index classifications maintained or improved after a one-year professional development program involving both classroom and physical education teachers. Guskey's model of teacher change guided this study. Material and methods: Indigenous children from ten schools (N = 320) in grades…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two alternative programs in a North Carolina and South Carolina (SC) public school district to determine if they are effective in delivering constructive interventions that modify student behavior once students have left the programs and have returned to their regular learning environments. This…

This article presents an examination of the language demands of cognitively demanding tasks and proposes an initial framework for the language demands of higher-order mathematics thinking practices. We articulate four categories for this framework: "language of generalisation," "language of comparison," "language of proportional reasoning," and…

This paper discusses the implementation of the Tri-Squared Test as an advanced statistical measure used to verify and validate the research outcomes. This type of statistical measure is ideal for teachers professional development as educators can create and validate instruments for educational settings. The initial research investigation published…

In this paper we present the results of an evaluation study of a development project for the introduction and use of tablet computers (iPads) at the lower secondary level in Nordlinga school, a compulsory school in Reykjavík. In the study, we assess the impact of the use of tablet computers on instruction and students' learning in grades 9 to 10,…

This paper introduces a variation on the post-test only cohort control design and addresses questions concerning both the methodological credibility and the practical utility of employing this design variation in evaluations of large-scale complex professional development programmes in mathematics education. The original design and design…

Responding to readers' stories, questions, and requests for extended examples, this book was developed as a complementary volume to "Bringing Words to Life." The authors present additional tools, tips, and explanations of such questions as which words to teach, when and how to teach them, and how to adapt instruction for English language learners.…

Schools contribute heavily to the feelings of isolation and stigmatization that many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth experience. Research demonstrates that the climate of US middle and high schools are generally unsupportive and unsafe for many of these youth who are often susceptible to harassment, discrimination, and other negative events,…