Teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of a locally planned professional development program for implementing new curriculum

Teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a one-year in-service teacher education programme in the Solomon Islands

“…In spite of the positive outcomes, participants in the DPTI programme all acknowledged barriers that inhibited their ability to take full advantage of their new knowledge and skills. Such barriers have been discussed in the literature (Gibson & Brooks, 2012;Ha et al, 2004;Rouikera, 2013) and are commonly experienced, particularly in contexts similar to those in the Solomon Islands. The lack of resources that would enable them to provide the supporting material to engage the children was particularly problematic as it prevented them from implementing a range of strategies that they wanted to trial.…”

“…Research by Burnett and Lingam (2007) and Hynds and McDonald (2010) has shown that the achievement of higher qualifications has a twofold effect, first as an incentive to improve practice and second to update teachers' pedagogical knowledge and skills. Not being able to access such opportunities has a negative impact on teachers' practice and student learning (Gibson & Brooks, 2012). This creates a view of the profession as being a "dead end" (Lingam, 2010), which is reflective of the situation within the Solomon Islands.…”

Using Emergence Theory-Based Curriculum to Teach Compromise Skills to Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

“…The triangulation of the literature review, qualitative feedback, and quantitative data indicated both the potential of emergence theory-based curriculum and a need for additional Professional Development (PD) focusing on implementation of emergence theory-based curriculum for use with students with ASD and related social and communication disorders. PD for teachers is important to the success of implementing new curriculum (Gibson & Brooks, 2012). Effective Professional Development Workshops (PDWs) facilitate the use of new instructional practices and allow teachers to develop and construct knowledge.…”

Learning at the nano-level: Accounting for complexity in the internalization of secondary STEM teacher professional development

“…Teacher education research from Scotland (Fenwick & Weir, 2010;Grieve & McGinley, 2010), Canada (Gibson & Brooks, 2012), China (Tang & Choi, 2009), Taiwan (Hung & Yeh, 2013), and Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Norway (Hardy, R€ onnerman, Moksnes Furu, Salo, & Forsman, 2010) attests to the internationalization of teacher PD and its relevancy within the broader discourse on teacher education. Conducting localized studies is, therefore, essential for the expansion of knowledge on the idiosyncratic ways in which teacher PD policy and practice mirrors the milieu in which it operates and how it may influence teacher learning, praxis, satisfaction, retention, and effectiveness.…”