Teachers’ and School Leaders’ Perceptions of Further Education and Learning in School

May Britt Postholm^*, Klara Rokkones

Programme for Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2015.623252                

Abstract

This article focuses on further education of teachers and the importance of the relationship between further education and the visions and development strategies of schools. The study shows that if further education is to contribute to change and development in schools beyond what individual teachers learn, the school has to be organized as a learning community. This means that the school must have a vision. This in turn demands that schools are led in a manner that allocates arenas and room for communication where visions and targets can be formulated and understood through common dialogue.

Keywords

Further Education, Learning in School, Learning Community, Qualitative Method

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Bakhtin, M. (1981). The Dialogic Imagination. M. Holquist (Ed.), Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
[2]	Beijaard, D., Korthagen, F., &Verloop, N., (2007).Understanding How Teachers Learn as a Prerequisite for Promoting Teacher Learning. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 13, 105-108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540600601152298
[3]	Blackler, F. (1995). Knowledge, Knowledge Work and Organizations: An Overview and Interpretation. Organization Studies, 16, 1021-1056. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/017084069501600605
[4]	Buczynski, S., & Hansen, C .B. (2010). Impact of Professional Development on Teacher Practice: Uncovering Connections. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 599-607. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.09.006
[5]	Edwards, A. (2005). Relational Agency: Learning to be a Resourceful Practitioner. International Journal of Educational Research, 43, 168-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2006.06.010
[6]	Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive Learning at Work: Toward an Activity Theoretical Reconceptualization. London: Institute of Education, University of London.
[7]	Engeström, Y., & Sannino, A. (2010). Studies of Expansive Learning: Foundations, Findings and Future Challenges. Educational Research Review, 5, 1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2009.12.002
[8]	Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (2006). Classroom Management as a Field of Inquiry. In C. M. Evertson, & C. S. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and Competence Issues (pp. 3-15). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associated.
[9]	Fontana, A., & Frey, J. H. (1998). Interviewing: The Art of Science. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials (pp. 47-78). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
[10]	Garfinkel, H. (1967). Studies in Ethnomethodology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[11]	Given, H., Kuh, L., LeeKeenan, D., Mardell, B., Redditt, S., & Twombly, S. (2010). Changing School Culture: Using Documentation to Support Collaborative Inquiry. Theory into Practice, 49, 36-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405840903435733
[12]	Glazier, J. A. (2009). The Challenge of Repositioning: Teacher Learning in the Company of Others. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 826-834. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.11.014
[13]	Gudmundsdottir, S. (2001). Narrative Research in School Practice. In V. Richardson (Ed.), Fourth Handbook for Research on Teaching (pp. 226-240). New York: Macmillan.
[14]	Holquist, M. (1990). Dialogism: Bakhtin and His World. London: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203330340
[15]	Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Detkvalitativeforskningsintervju [The Qualitative Research Interview]. Oslo: Gyldendalakademisk.
[16]	Lawrence, C. A., & Chong, W. H. (2010). Teacher Collaborative Learning through the Lesson Study: Identifying Pathways for Instructional Success in a Singapore High School. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11, 565-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12564-010-9103-3
[17]	Levine, T. H., & Marcus, A. S. (2010). How the Structure and Focus of Teachers’ Collaborative Activities Facilitate and Constrain Teacher Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 389-398. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.03.001
[18]	Lieberman, A., & Pointer Mace, D. H. (2008). Teacher Learning: The Key to Educational Reform. Journal of Teacher Education, 59, 226-234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487108317020
[19]	Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
[20]	Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
[21]	McMahon, M., Reeves, J., Devlin, A., Simpson, J., & Jaap, A. (2007). Evaluating the Impact of Chartered Teacher in Scotland: The Views of Chartered Teachers. Project Report. General Teaching Council Scotland, Edinburgh.
[22]	Meirink, J. A., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2009). How Do Teachers Learn in the Workplace? An Examination of Teacher Learning Activities. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32, 209-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02619760802624096
[23]	Ministry of Education and Research (2008a). Stortingsmelding nr. 31 (2007-2008) Kvalitet i skolen [White Paper No. 31 (2007-2008) Quality in School]. Oslo: Ministry of Education and Research.
[24]	Ministry of Education and Research (2008b). Kompetanse for kvalitet. Strategi for videreutdanningavlærere [Competence for Quality]. Strategy for Teachers’ Further Education]. Oslo: Ministry of Education and Research.
[25]	NESH (2006). Forskningsetiskeretningslinjer for samfunnsvitenskap, jus og humaniora [Research Ethical Guidelines for Social Science, Law and the Humanities]. Oslo: Norwegian National Committees for Research Ethics. http://www.etikkom.no/no/Vart-arbeid/Hvem-er-vi/Komite-for-samfunnsvitenskap-og-humaniora/
[26]	OECD, Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training, & NIFUSTEP (2009). OECDs internasjonalestudieavundervisningoglæring [OECD’s International Study of Teaching and Learning]. http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/43023606.pdf
[27]	Opfer, V. D., & Pedder, D. G. (2011). The Lost Promise of Teacher Professional Development in England. European Journal of Teacher Education, 34, 3-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2010.534131
[28]	Opfer, V. D., Pedder, D. G., & Lavicza, Z. (2011). The Role of Teachers’ Orientation to Learning in Professional Development and Change: A National Study of Teachers in England. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 443-453. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.09.014
[29]	Oxford Research (2012). Evalueringavnasjonalstrategi for videreutdanningavlærere [Evaluation of the National Strategy for Teachers’ Further Education]. Aarhus: Aarhus University.
[30]	Parise, L. M., & Spillane, J. P. (2010). Teacher Learning and Instructional Change: How Formal and On-the-Job Learning Opportunities Predict Change in Elementary School Teachers’ Practice. The Elementary School Journal, 110, 323-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/648981
[31]	Postholm, M. B. (2008a). Teachers Developing Practice: Reflection as Key Activity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1717-1728. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.02.024
[32]	Postholm, M. B. (2008b). The Start-Up Phase in a Research and Development Work Project: A Foundation for Development”. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 575-584. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.08.001
[33]	Postholm, M. B., & Rokkones, K. (2013). Videreutdanning i yrkesfaglige programfag: Læreres opplevelser av studiets betydning for egen læring og yrkesutøvelsen i skolen [Further Education in Vocational Subjects. Teachers’ Experiences of the Study for Their Own Learning and the Exercise of the Profession in School]. Tidsskriftet FoU i praksis, 7, 93-111.
[34]	Revans, R. W. (1982). The Origins and Growth of Action Learning. Bromley: Chartwell-Bratt Ltd.
[35]	Revans, R. W. (1984). The Sequence of Managerial Achievement. Bradford: MCB University Press.
[36]	Richter, D., Kunter, M., Klausmann, U., Lüdtke, O, & Baumert, J. (2011). Professional Development across the Teaching Career: Teachers’ Uptake of Formal and Informal Learning Opportunities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 116-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.07.008
[37]	Sacks, H. (1992). Lectures on Conversation. Oxford: Blackwell.
[38]	Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006) Professional Learning Communities: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7, 221-258.
[39]	Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
[40]	Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. (2007). Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES) on Professional Learning and Development.Wellington: Ministry of Education.
[41]	Vescio, V., Ross, D., & Adams, A. (2008). A Review of Research on the Impact of Professional Learning Communities on Teaching Practices and Student Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 80-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.01.004
[42]	Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
[43]	Vygotsky, L. S. (2000). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
[44]	Warford, M. K. (2011). The Zone of Proximal Teacher Education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 252-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.008
[45]	Zwart, R. C., Wubbels, T., Bergen, T., & Bolhuis, S. (2009). Which Characteristics of a Reciprocal Peer Coaching Context Affect Teacher Learning as Perceived by Teachers and Their Students? Journal of Teacher Education, 60, 243-257. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487109336968