What Teachers Retain From Historic Site-Based Professional Development

Abstract

Using a broad-based assessment for understanding what teachers learn in historic site-based professional development (HSBPD), this study follows 29 teachers from a HSBPD at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to see how their work at historic sites affected their practice upon return to their classrooms. Influenced by the Interconnected Model of Teacher Growth and Complexity theory, this study considers the complex outcomes of teachers as individuals, professionals, and learners in communities of practice. Results explore a range of outcomes related to content, pedagogical content knowledge, working with peers, interactions with the historic site, and a willingness to reconsider historical information. The discussion offers a consideration of the network of HSBPDs as a cumulative system and the ways in which teachers’ on-site work can deepen our understanding of working with complex historical sources and make larger curricular changes.

Hidden in plain sight: museum educators’ role in teacher professional development

“…The significant swing from Factor 1 to Factor 2 required additional context to understand what caused that large a shift from a desire to develop general pedagogical strategies to having developed Monticello-based historical thinking. Not only was this a significant change within the same cohort, but historical thinking did not appear as either a desired outcome, nor a post or post-post outcome following the previous year's results (Baron et al 2019(Baron et al , 2020. The teacher interviews conducted immediately after the sorts did not do much to illuminate the cause of the changes either, merely that they occurred.…”

Bridging and brokering across communities of practice: A STEM coach’s role in helping teachers access expertise

“…Beier et al (2019) showed that just one project-based course in which students solve real-world, client-centered problems positively impacted students' efficacy with and sense of utility for STEM skills, independent of race or gender. Teachers learning in contextualized settings can positively impact their practice and student outcomes (Baron, 2019). Teacher-scientist partnerships (TSPs) in which content experts interact with K-12 classes or teachers over time, can increase student interest in STEM fields (Shein & Tsai, 2015).…”

PCK in place and with a purpose: a case of historic site-based professional development on hallowed ground at Gettysburg

“…They include, just to offer a few examples, the role teacher identity plays in shaping professional development experiences (Noonan, 2019); reflections on the impact of the emerging scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) on the quality of PD programs and opportunities (Hunzicker, 2019); the implications of linking "internal" (i.e. "in school" or "in district") opportunities with "external" (opportunities offered beyond those boundaries) ones (Morris et al, 2003); and the impact and implications of teaching in-service teachers at historical sites and museums (Baron et al, 2019(Baron et al, , 2020Cooper et al, 2018). This work suggests, among other things, that calls for the development of a unified approach to professional development may be as far off as it has ever been.…”