Mary Kayler

Teacher Development and Learner-Centered Theory.

This multi‐layered qualitative study explored a learner‐centered curriculum intervention designed to support constructivist learning with practicing PK–12 teachers in a United States university Masters degree program. Research questions that guided faculty inquiry were: 1) How do practicing teachers understand the principles of learner‐centered theory from the perspectives of ‘reading about a theory’ in the textbook, to ‘theory as learners’ in our university classroom, and ‘applying the theory’ as teachers of their peers, and 2) In what ways do teachers think about applying theory in their own classroom? Electronic class reflections, journal narratives, teacher proposals and materials all served as data sources. Teachers reported on the benefits of choice, and gained confidence and ownership of their learning. Teachers valued dialogue with peers as a way to challenge assumptions, glean new insights and gain practical relevant materials related to their areas of personal and professional interest. The complexities of sharing power at the university level convey the practice of transferring theory into practice and the power of trusting teachers to own their learning and professional growth.

Spheres of Learing in Teacher Collaboration

In this chapter, we report on two studies in a Master’s program for practicing teachers that maintains collaborative culture making at its core, for students and faculty alike. We conducted two studies related to this collaborative culture making and concluded that collaboration is essential to programs of study for teachers and teacher educators. In the first study, we investigated the perspectives of our alumni on their collaborative experiences. Findings indicated links between alumni’s multi-layered collaborative experiences in the program and their subsequent pursuit of National Board certification. In the second study, we conducted a collective self-study of a faculty teaching team’s collaborative experiences and factors that they believe enhanced their continued professional development. Both studies are placed within a description of the Initiatives in Educational Transformation (IET) program, which aligns with sociocultural practices of learning with and through others. To frame our work, we draw from Vygotskian (1978) theory and Samaras’ (2004) notion of learning zones, adapted from Vygotsky’s conception of the zone of proximal development and the social construction of knowledge. The work of Lave and Wenger (1991) in situated learning also informs this work.