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Teaching for historical understanding: the struggle for change and growth
Author
Tan, Helen Doreen
Supervisor
Fang, Yanping
Adler, Susan
Abstract
This study explored the impact of an intervention designed to facilitate teaching toward historical understanding. The research looked at the impact of the professional development intervention on the participating teachers’ beliefs and practices. The two questions which guided this study were:
1. What factors impede and encourage change in teacher belief and practice?
2. What professional development approach would facilitate change in teacher belief and practice?
Four history/social studies teachers participated in a multi-phase on-going intervention. The design of the study was a mixture of an adapted design experiment and a multi-case study. The intervention was made up of three phases. The first phase was a data gathering phase which justified the need for an intervention. Data collected at this phase consisted of pre-intervention teacher interviews, pre-intervention student interviews and pre-intervention lesson observations of the four teachers involved in my study. Phase two was the intervention phase. This consisted of two interventions. Each intervention involved a two and half day workshop. The researcher then entered the classrooms to observe and coach the teachers as they struggled to change their teaching. Phase three was made up of post intervention interviews of the four teachers and the same students that were interviewed in phase one.
Findings suggest that the interaction of four factors impacted the teachers and impeded or encouraged change. The first three factors were teachers’ subject matter knowledge, knowledge of learners and the context in which the teachers work. The fourth factor was added in as part of the “new” professional development model designed by the researcher – this was the role of the coach-researcher. All four participants in the study felt that this factor was what made this professional development course different from the traditional professional development course that they had all attended at one time or another. As such the findings from this study may have implications for the design of future professional development courses.
1. What factors impede and encourage change in teacher belief and practice?
2. What professional development approach would facilitate change in teacher belief and practice?
Four history/social studies teachers participated in a multi-phase on-going intervention. The design of the study was a mixture of an adapted design experiment and a multi-case study. The intervention was made up of three phases. The first phase was a data gathering phase which justified the need for an intervention. Data collected at this phase consisted of pre-intervention teacher interviews, pre-intervention student interviews and pre-intervention lesson observations of the four teachers involved in my study. Phase two was the intervention phase. This consisted of two interventions. Each intervention involved a two and half day workshop. The researcher then entered the classrooms to observe and coach the teachers as they struggled to change their teaching. Phase three was made up of post intervention interviews of the four teachers and the same students that were interviewed in phase one.
Findings suggest that the interaction of four factors impacted the teachers and impeded or encouraged change. The first three factors were teachers’ subject matter knowledge, knowledge of learners and the context in which the teachers work. The fourth factor was added in as part of the “new” professional development model designed by the researcher – this was the role of the coach-researcher. All four participants in the study felt that this factor was what made this professional development course different from the traditional professional development course that they had all attended at one time or another. As such the findings from this study may have implications for the design of future professional development courses.
Date Issued
2012
Call Number
D16.4.S55 Tan
Date Submitted
2012