An Evaluation of a Professional Development Program Designed to Improve Teaching and Learning in Physical Education at Elementary School Level

Author(s):

Michael O'LearyFrances M. Murphy

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

16. ICT in Education and Training

Format:

Poster

Session Information

MC_Poster, Poster Session; Main Conference

All Poster are presented in the two Poster Sessions of ECER 2008: - 11 September 12.15 - 13.15 and - 12 September 12.15 - 13.15

Time:

2008-09-11

12:15-13:15

Room:

Poster Exhibition Area

Chair:

Contribution

The publication of the Primary School Curriculum in 1999 (Government of Ireland, 1999a) constituted the first revision of the primary school curriculum in Ireland since 1971. Following on the publication of the curriculum, the Department of Education and Science (DES) established the Primary Curriculum Support Programme (PCSP) to provide and oversee an in-service programme for teachers in implementing the curriculum. The purpose of the programme initiated during the academic year 1999-2000 was to “mediate the Primary School Curriculum for teachers towards enabling them to implement it in their schools” (PCSP, 2007, para.1). An in-service programme for physical education was rolled out in the academic years 2004-2006 with the implementation of the Physical Education Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999b) beginning in primary schools in 2006-2007. In accordance with the PCSP policy for the selection of tutors for training in other subject areas, tutors were selected from the primary teaching profession by open competition to undertake the facilitation of the in-service programme for physical education for teachers. The overall aims of the study described in this paper are (1) to describe the development of a specific programme of professional development for the training of tutors, and (2) to evaluate its effectiveness in helping tutors to implement the national programme of in-service. While there is very little research-based knowledge about the impact on children’s learning of teachers’ practices, the effect of teachers’ professional development, its impact on teacher practice and on children’s learning is gradually becoming a focus of research. A growing body of research shows that to be successful, teacher professional development should address both content and process elements (Reeves, McCall and MacGilchrist, 2001; Wilson and Berne, 1999). Teachers have always needed strong content knowledge and subject matter knowledge. Modern conceptions of teacher growth emphasise also how teachers learn and how transfer of learning takes place. Both elements lie at the heart of the theoretical framework that underpins the programme described in this paper. A key feature of the programme is that it was based on theoretical considerations underpinning two interrelated issues: how tutors as adults learn and how teachers change their practice. The beginnings of adult learning theory and the application of the principles of adult learning (Knowles et al., 1998) based on this theory have formed the basis of the programme. Teacher change was explored informed by the writings of Cuban (1993), Lieberman and Miller (1986) and the extensive review of literature undertaken by Randi and Corno (1997), since change was such a critical issue for both tutors and teachers as they engaged with the tutor programme and the in-service programme respectively. The importance of the promotion of critical thinking (Brookfield, 1987; Moon, 1999, 2004) and transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991; 2000; Cranton, 1996) were emphasised as key principles in the process of change for tutors. As teacher change was discussed, the role of collaboration particularly in the context of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) was explored. While the issues of adult learning, teacher change and the nature of CPD were highlighted as important factors in shaping the tutor programme, sources that explore planning programmes for adults provided the primary material for structuring the model for the programme (Brookfield, 1986; Houle, 1972, 1996; Knowles, 1980; Cervero and Wilson, 1994). Caffarella’s (1998) model of programme planning proved particularly appropriate as it allowed for contextual factors, negotiation and adaptations that could be applied in developing the tutor programme. The programme was informed also by an examination of the implementation of the previous primary school curricula in Ireland and elsewhere.

Method

Deriving from the objectives of the study, the specific research questions that guided the study were: (1) Can a programme of professional development in physical education, based on theoretical considerations centred on how adults learn and on how teachers change their practice, be effective in preparing tutors to facilitate programmes of in-service to teachers? (2) Can a subsequent programme of in-service designed and facilitated by these tutors for teachers in primary schools impact on teachers’ attitudes towards teaching of physical education in primary schools? The evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the programme involved, firstly, examining its effectiveness in preparing the tutors to facilitate the in-service programme which included evaluating the impact of the tutor programme on tutors’ own teaching and evaluating their facilitation of the in-service programme for teachers. Secondly, it involved evaluation of the responses of primary teachers as well as tutors to the facilitation of the in-service programme by tutors after initial engagement with the in-service programme. This aspect of evaluation by teachers is based on teachers’ intentions and on their account of the ways they might endeavour to link the professional development they had experienced with their planning and practice of teaching physical education, while acknowledging that it is difficult to measure the impact of professional development given the level of complexity of the process of teaching and learning. A further constraint is that the study took place before implementation of the curriculum began, which prevented evaluation of actual practice. The research design involved the use of a strategy that would integrate components of the study in a coherent way. Hence, a mixed-methods research design was used to gather and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data from tutors and teachers. Observation, questionnaire surveys and interviews were selected as the methodologies that would provide data that could be used to answer the research questions outlined and contribute to the overall credibility of the findings. Quantitative data were analysed with the aid of SPSS. Qualitative data were analysed with a view to identifying emergent themes.

Expected Outcomes

Evidence provided by this study suggests that tutors embarked on this programme having taught a programme dominated by games. The breadth of content taught by tutors as a result of engagement with the tutor programme was significant and there was evidence, too that tutors were employing a wider variety of methodologies. Although the promotion of reading and examination of materials was considered a very important element of programmes of adult learning, particularly in prompting adults to become self-directed (Knowles et al., 1998), this aspect was not a strong feature of the programme described. Use of journals as a reading resource was the most significant change reported in terms of supports for teaching in this study, but this change may have been attributable to other factors outside of the tutor programme. The development of the concept of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) with its emphasis on collaborative learning and the development of teacher learning communities (specifically composed of teachers from the same school, Garet et al., 2001) has received much attention recently in discussion on teacher learning. This study investigated tutors’ supporting learning by their teaching colleagues. While most tutors supported teaching colleagues to some degree in their teaching prior to engagement with the tutor programme, there was an increase in the amount of support they provided and a different emphasis was apparent in their support. The study found that all of the tutors were satisfied that the programme had prepared them well for facilitation of the in-service programme for teachers. They identified factors that were particularly important as (a) their knowledge of the content to be presented, (b) the benefit of the extended period that they spent teaching physical education in their own teaching contexts as they engaged with the programme, and (c) the time spent on planning for implementation. The opportunities that the group of tutors had to link the work that they undertook on the tutor programme with their own practice were significant for them. The two-year period spent engaging with the tutor programme at various times while they continued to teach in a primary setting, allowed them opportunities to teach physical education to classes at different levels and to teach a broad range of content before they embarked on the implementation of the in-service programme. Regarding the impact of the in-service programme delivered by the tutors on teachers (research question 2) the most significant themes to emerge were greater commitment to physical education and improved planning and reflection on practice. Planning for physical education has been identified within the Physical Education Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999b) as a key factor in providing balanced programmes of physical education. Noting the strong link between teacher reflection and change in the literature, it was significant that a majority of teachers reported that the in-service programme had prompted them to reflect more on their teaching and to plan more carefully.

References

Brookfield, S. (1986). Understanding and facilitating adult learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Brookfield, S. (1987). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Caffarella, R. S. (1998). Planning programs for adult learners: An interactive approach. Adult Learning, (4), pp.27-29. Caffarella, R. S. (2002). Planning programs for adult learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Cervero, R. M., & Wilson, A. L. (1994). Planning responsibly for adult education: A guide to negotiating power and interests. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Craft, A. (1996). Continuing professional development. London: Routledge. Cranton, P. (1996). Professional development as transformative learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Cuban, L. (1993). How teachers taught: Constancy and change in American classrooms 1890-1990 (2nd Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press. Garet, M., Porter, A., Desimone, L., Birman, B., & Suk Yoon, K. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915 Government of Ireland. (1971). Curaclam na bunscoile-primary school curriculum-teachers’ handbooks (2 Volumes). Dublin: Stationery Office. Government of Ireland. (1999a). Primary school curriculum: Introduction. Dublin: Stationery Office. Government of Ireland. (1999b). Primary school curriculum: Physical education. Dublin: Stationery Office. Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union: A study. Retrieved April 15, 2007, from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/expert/eStudies Houle, C. O. (1972). The design of education. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Houle, C. O. (1996). The design of education (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Knowles, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. New York: Cambridge Books. Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (1998). The adult learner (5th ed.). Houston: Gulf Publishing. Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (1986). School improvement: Themes and variations. In A. Lieberman (Ed.), Rethinking school improvement (pp. 96-111). New York: Teachers College Press. Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Transformation theory: Core concepts. In Mezirow and Associates (Ed.), Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Moon, J. A. (1999). Reflection in learning and professional development. London: Kogan Page. Moon, J. A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning. London: Routledge Falmer. Primary Curriculum Support Programme. (2007). Home page. Retrieved September 9, 2006, from http://www.pcsp.ie/html/index.php Randi, J., & Corno, L. (1997). Teachers as innovators. In B. J. Biddle, T. L. Good & I. F. Goodson (Eds.), International Handbook on Teachers and Teaching, Vol 2, (pp. 1163-1221). Kluwer Academic. Reeves, J., McCall, J., & MacGilchrist, B. (2001). Change leadership: Planning, conceptualization, and perception. In J. McBeath & P. Mortimer (Eds.), Improving school effectiveness, (pp.122-137). Buckingham: Open University Press. Reynolds, D., & Teddlie, C. (2000). The international handbook of school effectiveness research. London: Falmer Press. Sugrue, C., Morgan, M., Devine, D., & Raftery, D. (2001). Policy and practice of professional development for primary and post-primary teachers in Ireland: A critical analysis: Report commissioned by the Research and Development Committee, DES. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wilson, S., & Berne, J. (1999). Teacher learning and the acquisition of professional knowledge: An examination of research on contemporary professional development. Review of Research in Education, 24, 173-209.

Author Information

Michael O'Leary

St Patrick's College

Education

Dublin

Frances M. Murphy

St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Ireland

Education

Dublin

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