Teachers' and Administrators' Perceptions of the Impact of Professional Development on Small Group Differentiated Reading Instruction PDF Download

Author: Meganlyn R. Norris
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Group reading
Languages : en
Pages : 133

View

Book Description
This qualitative study examined teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the impact of professional development on small group differentiated reading instruction in the primary grades. Seventeen general education public school teachers who taught small group differentiated reading instruction and four public school principals who supervised teachers as they implemented differentiated reading instruction participated in the online survey. Additionally, a limited number of teachers and administrators also participated in face-to-face interviews. The data were collected and analyzed according to teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development received on small group differentiated reading instruction, and teachers' and administrators' beliefs about best practices of professional development on small group differentiated reading instruction. The results indicated that teachers and administrators have similar perceptions of effective professional development strategies that enhance differentiated reading instruction. These perceptions included participating in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to analyze student data and instructional practices; observing a coach modeling best practices as well as being observed by a coach; and attending district led professional development workshops. The findings from this study also revealed that teachers and administrators have similar beliefs about effective professional development practices for differentiated reading instruction which included participating in PLCs, coaching, and being provided differentiated professional development sessions. Although this study had a small sample size, the identified findings were supported by research and may benefit the field by contributing to how effective professional development can be designed to improve differentiated reading instruction.

Author: Tiffany LaShawn Chatman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reading (Primary)
Languages : en
Pages : 218

View

Book Description
Effective reading instruction is paramount to the success of students in school and well into adulthood. Students that read below grade in third grade are more likely to drop out of high school and earn less income as adults. Teacher effectiveness is critical in helping to close these ongoing gaps with regards to reading. Teacher quality is very important to student achievement and as a result, teacher evaluation processes have become essential in determining and retaining quality teachers. Additionally, teachers' and administrator's perceptions of evaluations, particularly, perceptions of administrative feedback given and the impact it has on changing instructional practices, is important because teachers have a direct impact on student achievement and are one of the single most important factors in student performance. This study utilized a pragmatic paradigm for program evaluation as the theoretical framework to identify K-5 teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the impact of administrators' feedback on teacher instructional practices in reading in a rural school district in Virginia. Focus groups and semistructured interviews were used to collect data from teachers and administrators regarding their perceptions of feedback and the impact on instructional practices in reading. Transcript and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data collected through the focus group and interviews that were conducted in this case study.

Author: Sharon Walpole
Publisher: Guilford Press
ISBN: 160623790X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 193

View

Book Description
This book provides a research-based framework for making differentiated instruction work in the primary grades. It includes scientifically validated techniques for teaching each component of the beginning reading program. The authors describe how to use assessment to form differentiated small groups and monitor student progress; plan which skills to target and when; and implement carefully selected instructional strategies. Vivid classroom examples illustrate what differentiated instruction looks like in action in each of the primary grades. For additional helpful resources, including classroom-ready lesson plans, teachers can purchase the complementary volume, How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction: Resources for Grades K-3.

Author: Lillie Stone
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Urban
Languages : en
Pages : 278

View

Book Description
"A review of the literature revealed that urban teachers in a small school environment are rarely researched, and their experiences and perceptions of their workplace experiences with differentiated instruction have gone unnoticed and undocumented. The literature further revealed that increased numbers of students are being diagnosed with learning differences in virtually all classrooms. They come with a variety of needs. They represent cultures that vary in significant ways. Professional development providers in urban settings need to connect their delivery with the actual situations that exist in these classrooms so that teachers can begin to address the diversity that exists in their classrooms and narrow the achievement gap. The purpose of this research was to examine my own professional development delivery by facilitating action research on differentiated instruction, an instructional concept that maximizes learning for ALL students?regardless of skill level or background. The research method selected for this study was qualitative pre- and post-interviews, a questionnaire, ejournals, and transcriptions from professional development sessions. The analysis used a constant comparative approach. The researcher used open-ended interviewing, which allowed the interviewees to go beyond just a superficial revelation of their knowledge of differentiated instruction and their subsequent roles and beliefs about their work and who they teach. Important findings indicated that participants perceived an increase in their understanding of differentiated instruction through participation in the professional development as well as increased confidence in their general teaching abilities and in meeting the varied needs of their students. The participants perceived surround support from the administrative staff as important. Even though some of the participants described their students as less than dedicated to academic pursuits, all participants in the study elaborated on how they derived tremendous satisfaction from increasing their own knowledge so that they could better serve their students. Interestingly, in spite of working in a challenging environment, these participants have chosen to remain because they feel they are making a difference. Findings indicate that upfront planning, including collecting data about each participant's skill, readiness, and interest level and analyzing data about participants' needs, strengths, and weaknesses, needs to be done before embarking on a professional develop series with a group of faculty members. Programs and new information need to supplement existing programs and initiatives already in existence in the school. Flexibility in scheduling professional development needs to be fluid and grade-level or department volunteers would support the professional development provider in meeting the varied needs of participants. Aside from collecting data to assist in building a reservoir of information on providing professional development to teachers in an urban school, further implications indicate a need for more adequate and focused training at the preservice level as well as ongoing professional development at the workplace"--Leaves iv-v.

Author: Patrick Suber
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 9781665516570
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 138

View

Book Description
In Title-I schools, how adequately do administrators prepare teachers to implement new reading curriculums? The majority of students at these Title-I schools are from low-income families. Literature has indicated that families from low socioeconomic situations often depend heavily on schools to provide the foundational literacy skills their children need to become capable and lifelong readers (Teale, Paciga, & Hoffman, 2008).

Author: Linda Bowgren
Publisher: Solution Tree
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 176

View

Book Description

Author: Imelda R. Castaňeda
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 266

View

Book Description
This study sought to test whether multidimensional professional development programs are preferable to a traditional one, which, typically, consists of taking a graduate course. It compared teachers' perceptions about the effects of three programs for professional development on their teaching practice and student performance. Two of the programs, the Arts Integration Program and Job Shadowing Institute, were multidimensional models of professional development. The third was Technology Training, a traditional model of professional development. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the body of knowledge about teachers' perceptions of the effect of professional development on their teaching practice and their students' learning. The study included elementary, middle, and high school teachers as participants and survey respondents. It spanned three years. Descriptive data were collected to provide an accurate description of the three programs. Participant observations of professional development sessions, informal and formal interviews of teachers, administrators, and facilitators were among the data collection tools used during the first two years of the study to provide a detailed description of the actual programs. The main focus of the study was a survey of participants' perceptions of the effect of professional development on their teaching and their students' learning. Survey results indicated that teachers perceived that professional development could be most effective for improving their teaching practice and student learning when the professional development programs are intentional, on going, and systemic. The non-traditional, multidimensional professional development was found to be more effective than the traditional model. However, the results of the study also indicated that even a traditional model of professional development was perceived as having an impact on students' learning when applications were made to curricular content and when there was support for further training. Based on these findings, a model or 'scaffold' towards effective professional development was conceptualized using constructs and characteristics that might influence teaching practice and student learning. Results are discussed in the light of the limitations of the study, implications for education, and suggestions for future research.

Author: Sarah McGrady Schmidt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reading (Elementary)
Languages : en
Pages : 98

View

Book Description
Literacy is an equity issue of significant importance; students who do not read on grade level by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to attend post-secondary education (Lesnick, Goerge, Smithgall, & Gwynne, 2010). Early interventions in Kindergarten through second grade can ameliorate problems which struggling readers experience (Torgesen, 2004). Teachers are poorly prepared to provide the type of intervention instruction necessary to assist these struggling students (Birman, Desimone, Porter, & Garet, 2000; Neuman & Cunningham, 2009). The purpose of this mixed-methods participatory action research study was to examine the effects of professional development designed on principles of effectiveness and factors influencing self-efficacy on student reading achievement and self-efficacy beliefs of participating teachers in K through second grade. A dependent sample t-test showed students of teachers participating in professional development demonstrated statistically significant increases in reading achievement, as measured by the PALs concept of word assessments and guided reading level. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Instruction (TSELI) instrument assessed teachers feelings of efficacy pre and post training; a dependent sample t-test demonstrated teachers experienced statistically significant increases in literacy self-efficacy. Interview data indicated that the verbal persuasion, vicarious and mastery experiences from the professional development impacted their feelings of self-efficacy. Recommendations include: implement future professional development based on the study model; train remaining teachers in the same manner; employ a part-time literacy supervisor to ensure fidelity going forward.

Author: Marie Anderson-Smolinski
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Response to intervention (Learning disabled children)
Languages : en
Pages : 124

View

Book Description
The purpose of this research study was to determine the effects of strategically designed professional development experiences on teacher perceptions of use of tier 1 response to intervention instructional strategies. This study was motivated by recent changes in course offerings in a general education Language Arts Department at a high school. Staff members from the English Language Arts Department along with the Special Education Department collaborated to address how to effectively meet the needs of a more heterogeneous mix of students in their general education classrooms. Pre and post surveys were used to collect quantitative data to strategically design, administer, and evaluate the effects professional development experiences to general and special education teachers. Based on the results of these baseline surveys and conversations with both special and general education teachers, the tier 1 instructional strategies of co-teaching in the inclusionary setting and differentiation were identified as essential strategies to improve to meet the needs of all students. Following the professional development experiences, the post survey was used to analyze and evaluate the effects the professional development experiences had on the teachers' perceptions of both the priority of and confidence in use of the identified response to intervention tier 1 instruction strategies.

Author: Kelli B. Casper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 234

View

Book Description
The purpose of this convergent mixed methods research study was to determine if teacher instructional practices implemented after receiving job-embedded professional development through instructional coaching impact student reading achievement scores in an urban elementary school setting in which the school district faces the impact of poverty. In addition, this study explored teacher perceptions of the socio-economis impact on their students' acquisition of reading skills and how they teach reading as a result. The problem this study examined is reading scores in the United States have declinedd since 1998 (NAEP, 2018). However, teachers can begin to change their instructional strategies in the classroom by leveraging instructional coaches. Six teachers and approximately 125 students in third and fourth grades participated. These participants were representative of the diversity of the enrollment of all six grade levels at the school. Quantitative data was analyzed from pre- and post-assessment STAR reading GLE assessments to measure students' levels of reading. Paired-sample t-tests were also run for each demographic group to determine significance: gender, special education, limited English proficient, and Black vs. Non-Black. Qualitative data were collected through an open-ended survey from teachers. They provided feedback on their perception of the impact of socioeconomic status on their students' acquisition of reading skills and how they teach reading as a result. No statistical difference in student scores showed that teacher professional development in reading had an impact on student reading scores. Implications and recommendations included teacher professional development in reading strategies, strategies for teaching students in low socioeconomic situations, including how trauma is related in many of these situations and can affect student learning.