ERIC Number: EJ1065855
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Sep
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1072-4303
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of Teacher Knowledge Seminars: Unpacking Reflective Practice
Curtis, Andy; Szestay, Margit
TESL-EJ, v9 n2 Sep 2005
This paper reports on the learning outcomes described by experienced teachers attending a program designed to enable them to come together to engage in professional development through structured and systematic reflective practice. In the first part of the paper, we look briefly at some of the challenges of defining "reflective practice". We then describe the particular project we worked with, and present the collection and analysis of interviews with seven teachers and survey data from 35 teachers working within and near to schools in Vermont, USA. Six themes emerged from the teachers' responses: (1) Renewed enthusiasm for teaching; (2) Looking at teaching with "fresh eyes"; (3) Shifts in understanding teaching; (4) Becoming more reflective and aware as teachers; (5) Enhancing the quality of student learning; and (6) Building professional communities.
Descriptors: Seminars, Faculty Development, Transformative Learning, Communities of Practice, Experienced Teachers, Performance Factors, Teacher Surveys, Teacher Attitudes, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Teacher Motivation, Attitude Change, Reflective Teaching, Student Improvement, Teacher Workshops, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Semi Structured Interviews
TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Vermont
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A