Jill Zarestky

A systematic literature review of faculty development for teacher educators

ABSTRACT Although ample literature exists regarding the effectiveness of faculty development (FD) activities, there is a gap in the literature synthesizing its outcomes. This review, using a predetermined review protocol, analyzed 22 publications on FD for teacher educators using Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation taxonomy. We found that North American universities provide the most empirical evidence about FD activities, focusing on technology integration in teaching and pedagogical skill improvement. Formal programs, such as serial workshops and developmental relationship, were reported with high frequency, compared to self-directed learning and organizational development activities. Empirical research was heavily based on self-reported, qualitative data and emphasized individual-level outcomes. There is a lack of information regarding the impact of FD activities for teacher educators on subsequent student learning or the downstream effect on school systems. Similarly, institutional involvement in FD remains largely unexplored. We conclude with robust recommendations for research and practice.

Gender-Inclusive Educational Programs for Workforce Development:

Vocational and workforce education provide economic opportunity but often exclude or limit the participation of women. Here, we lay the foundation for developing workforce programming from a feminist perspective and building inclusion efforts within academic institutions for vocational education students and practitioners. Based on a systematic review of the literature, we present findings pertaining to three aspects of feminist pedagogy—career choice, care, and multiculturalism—as the basis for identifying the best practices for a feminist pedagogy of vocational education. We conclude with a discussion of the impact of the findings on the personal/social and political/structural qualities of education programs and provide an extensive and concrete checklist for vocational and workforce program administrators and educators to use when evaluating and modifying their programs for inclusive practices.

This Group Is Vital: Adult Peers in Community for Support and Learning.

Adult learners often experience uncertainty, isolation, and, in graduate school, angst about meeting program requirements. Therefore, graduate students created and facilitated a seminar series and preliminary examination study group. The experience, however, transcended seminars and study meetings to build relevant and meaningful community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine adult peers in community for support and learning. Major findings included participants built community for support and learning, using programming as foundation for building a community of practice (CoP), with peer mentoring playing a major role. The findings also feature participant voices and share programming ideas for adult learners and educators.

Balancing Profit and People: Corporate Social Responsibility in Business Education

This qualitative study’s purpose was to evaluate how undergraduate business students’ perspectives, skills, and behaviors evolved through corporate social responsibility (CSR) education taught with a focus on critical thinking and sustainable problem solving. Business schools are struggling to incorporate CSR into their curriculum despite interest from students and pressure from accreditation agencies. This article primarily contributes practical tools for business schools teaching students to apply critical thinking skills and concepts gained through their business education to develop solutions to economic, social, and environmental problems. Instructors taught the following topics: definitions of CSR, the triple bottom line, stakeholder theory, exposure to social problems, businesses’ roles in exacerbating or mitigating social problems, specific sustainable solutions companies and nonprofit organizations have implemented, and analysis of public companies’ sustainability reports. Topics were taught using critical thinking tools, such as a decision-making model, a funneling exercise, a root problems activity, and reflection and metareflection. The instruction followed a specific teaching model to promote critical thinking skills development, which can be implemented by other faculty. We found CSR concepts motivated students by giving them the tools and confidence in their abilities to solve meaningful problems and learning outcomes for both CSR and critical thinking were achieved.

Book Review: Adult Education and Learning in a Precarious Age: The Hamburg Declaration Revisited: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 138 by Nesbit, T. & Welton, M. (Eds.).NesbitT.WeltonM. (Eds.). (2013). Adult Education and Learning in a Precarious Age: The Hamburg Declaration Revisited: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 138. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 107 pp. ISBN 978-1-1186-9306-31 (paperback)

A new era for adult education on a global scale began as a result of the 1997 International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) in Hamburg, Germany, known as CONFINTEA V. The end products of the conference, the Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning and the Agenda for the Future, highlight key concerns that, if addressed through adult learning and education, could bring about dramatic social change worldwide. In Nesbit and Welton’s (2013) edited book, Adult Education and Learning in a Precarious Age: The Hamburg Declaration Revisited, contributors take stock of the current state of adult education and learning as influenced by the Hamburg Declaration and the Agenda for the Future. The purpose is to assess progress since 1997 and compare the agenda and results of CONFINTEA V with those of CONFINTEA VI, held in Belém, Brazil in 2009. The book’s chapters are organized according to 10 themes of adult learning presented in the Agenda for the Future. In Chapter 1, Welton draws from recent political events, such as the Arab Spring, to contextualize adult learning and democracy (Theme 1). He concludes learning is key to societal transitions and the ways in which citizens participate in those transitions. Improvement of the conditions and quality of adult learning and the universal right to literacy and basic education (respectively, Themes 2 and 3) are Wagner’s focus in Chapter 2. Wagner concentrates on a historical view of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) literacy policies and speculates about future work. In Chapter 3, Stromquist addresses gender equality and women’s empowerment (Theme 4). She argues that the high ideals of CONFINTEA V have not yet been realized in policy or practice. Rose tackles adult learning and work (Theme 5) by discussing the impact of globalization on work and concluding the idealistic worldview of the Hamburg Declaration seems “hopelessly outdated” (p. 46), given the neoliberal attitudes toward business. In Chapter 5, Clover and Hill examine the environment, health, and population (Theme 6). They specifically emphasize environmental issues and encourage adult educators to become activists. Continuing with Chapter 6, Dinevski and Radovan highlight the issue of access to educational resources as it pertains to culture, media, and information technology (Theme 7). Tuckett addresses, in Chapter 7, the rights of different groups and international cooperation and solidarity (respectively, Themes 8 and 10) and advocates a renewed commitment to adult learning to achieve related goals. Desjardins presents a bleak picture of financial support for adult education in Chapter 8, focused on the economics of adult learning (Theme 9). He identifies key financial challenges, yet his suggestions for improvement are insufficient in comparison with the magnitude of those challenges. Finally, in Chapter 9, Nesbit summarizes the volume by making an argument for both the international community and adult educators to reinvest in the Hamburg Declaration’s goals. Adult education researchers and practitioners alike, who read this book, will develop a stronger sense of the impact of CONFINTEA V and the Hamburg Declaration, the change in priorities represented by CONFINTEA VI, and the ways in which adult learning and education are struggling or succeeding on an international scale. As a whole, this book’s balance of policy, politics, and concern for social justice provides 594150ALXXXX10.1177/1045159515594150Adult LearningAdult Learning research-article2015