School communities are looking for new and innovative ways to educate children. One effective reform strategy that schools are using to better prepare teachers to meet these needs is the development of professional learning communities. Much of the literature presented in this area focuses on teachers and their growth as collaborative working…

Help your PLC+ group to work "wiser," not harder. This practical guide to planning and implementing PLC+ groups in a collaborative setting is designed to equip professional learning community teams with the tools they need to work effectively toward improving student learning. Designed as an accompanying resource to "PLC+: Better…

The purpose of this action research study was to examine how membership within a virtual community of practice impacted individual professional development, knowledge exchange practices, and self-efficacy. The G-3/5/7 virtual community of practice (VCoP) website was created to provide members with access to a wide range of career-related content,…

The purpose of this study was to explore ninth grade teachers' perspectives' of a small learning community and its impact on student connectivity, transition and dropout. The following overarching research question framed this study: (Given the 15-year history of this freshman academy, what are the teachers' perspectives on the impact of a small…

This chapter proposes a theoretical model of the impact of lesson study. Outcomes addressed include teacher outcomes (e.g., knowledge and beliefs), professional learning norms and routines, instructional routines and tools, and student learning outcomes. Four theoretical perspectives are used to examine lesson study impact: knowledge integration…

In this dissertation, I explored how residence life professionals are teaching social justice. Using critically informed qualitative methods, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 student affairs professionals who are responsible for ongoing social justice-oriented initiatives in residence life. I also analyzed documents associated with…

Teaching is a dynamic profession with many factors influencing change and growth. There are new standards every decade, new students every year, and new technology seemingly adopted before full integration of old technologies. Teachers must regularly develop to keep up with change. Unfortunately, when teachers reflect on traditional learning…

In this study, I explored how (a) a team-based instructional method rather than a one-teacher-one-classroom, traditional teaching model and (b) an inquiry-based learning approach affected teachers attitudes and self-efficacy for teaching and students attitudes, self-efficacy, engagement, and connections to school. The study was conducted within…

Although peer feedback is highly valued in the feedback process, the specific contribution of feedback providers in this process remains unclear. In this qualitative multiple-case study, the primary focus was to explore the contribution of feedback providers and the benefits they obtained through online peer micro-teaching practices. The study…

Given persistent gaps in academic and employment outcomes for students of color and other underserved groups, many community colleges are grappling with how to advance initiatives that more effectively serve their historically marginalized learners. These equity gaps include lower degree completion, reduced job opportunities, and lower earnings,…

The reality is that most students and teachers have multiple, complex, and even contradictory identities. This matters greatly because it's hard for young people to succeed or be well if they feel they need to hide significant parts of themselves because their identities are stigmatized for being different or stereotyped to fit into a program or a…

Responding to a growing call for culturally sustaining pedagogy, this article describes a Community of Practice (CoP) project in Minnesota. Guided by two Indigenous mentors, a cohort of 15 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous educators engaged in collective inquiry regarding how Indigenous histories, worldviews, and learning approaches can become part of…

Cross-professional collaboration in schools is a prerequisite for professional teaching practice and thus for professional development in many post-industrialized societies, yet little is known about how teachers with different professional backgrounds make meaning of and internalize cross-professional collaboration and how inequities in…

Supporting and contributing to the development of each other's academic writing within a 'writing group' in a university setting has enhanced the authors' professional and personal connections. As their sense of community and commitment to collaboration evolved, their group engaged in conversations about other aspects of their academic work,…

Due to policy changes across Europe, work-based learning pedagogies are on the increase in Higher Education programmes. This paper discusses the development of a theoretical framework and conceptual model used to underpin an investigation of work-based learning in postgraduate nurse education. An original conceptual model for analyzing the…