AERA 2022 UPenn Presentations
Variable Take-Up of Professional Development: How Activity Systems Influence Teachers' Enactment of Project-Based Learning
Fri, April 22, 2:30 to 4:00pm PDT
Presenters:
Tess Bernhard, The University of Pennsylvania
Amy Guillotte, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Schneider Kavanagh, University of Pennsylvania
This comparative case study of three high school science teachers in a project-based learning (PBL) professional development (PD) program uses cultural historical activity theory to investigate teachers' take-up of PD tools and the ways that different norms, communities, and goals at specific schools influence enactment of PBL. Findings suggest that 1) practice-based professional development; 2) access to technology tools; and 3) educator collaboration within a school community are supportive of PBL instruction. Our findings caution that teachers’ take-up of PD may inadvertently mirror inequities in resources and structures their schools have available. This has implications for research and design of PD to attend to not only individual teachers, but on the community support they receive in their schools.
Connections Between Inquiry-Based Teacher Practices and Student Outcomes
Mon, April 25, 11:30am to 1:00pm PDT
Presenter: Christopher George Pupik Dean, University of Pennsylvania
The forces of systemic racism have too frequently led teachers to view Black and Brown students’ ways of knowing as deficient. These deficit-based views often lead to rote instructional approaches (Gee, 2004; Salazar, 2013). However, Black and Brown children deserve to have their ways of knowing not only valued, but centered in the classroom (Cervantes et al., 2016; Rodriguez, 2013). Because of this, teachers’ enactment of student-centered practice is a vital component of equity initiatives. To support shifts in policy and practice, the field needs more research connecting student-centered approaches to teaching to student learning outcomes. This symposium presents research exploring the impacts of equitable, student-centered practices on student learning.
Examining Shifts in Teachers' Student-Centered Practices as a Result of Practice-Based Teacher Education
Sun, April 24, 8:00 to 9:30am PDT
Chair: JeanMarie Farrow, University of Pennsylvania
Supporting teachers to enact high quality practice centered on students’ sense-making is critical to quality education (Author et al. 2019). Too frequently, students of color and students impacted by poverty are denied access to the kind of responsive teaching that values their knowledges and lived experiences and thereby promotes meaningful learning (Salazar, 2013). To interrupt race- and class-based disparities in the kind of teaching practice that students have access to, some scholars and practitioners advocate for practice-based training education (PBTE). However, there has been limited research into whether and in what ways PBTE influences teachers’ subsequent practice. This proposed symposium presents research examining the impacts of PBTE on the instructional practice of teachers across the career spectrum.
Innovations in Coaching and Mentoring: Investigating the Practices of Instructional Coaches and Teacher Mentors
Sat, April 23, 11:30am to 1:00pm PDT
Chair: Sarah Schneider Kavanagh, University of Pennsylvania
While promising evidence connects instructional coaching and teacher mentoring to instructional improvement, less is known about what cutting-edge practices coaches and mentors are developing to support teachers. This session brings together researchers from leading research universities to share emergent research on innovation in the practices of instructional coaches and teacher mentors. As we prepare to invest in the next generation of instructional coaches and teacher mentors, the papers in this symposium expand the knowledge base about the practices of coaches and mentors. Without such knowledge, investments in coaching and mentoring may fail to address the inequitable disparities in teaching quality that continue to impact K-12 schools and disadvantage students based on race and family income.
