scholarly journals Evaluating Teachers' Learning, Perceptions, and Cultural Differences Following Professional Development for Early Literacy Software

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanza Uribe-Banda ◽  
Eileen Wood ◽  
Alexandra Gottardo ◽  
Anne Wade ◽  
Rose Iminza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
Teaching With Technology ◽  
Integration Model ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Class Instruction ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Impact

The present study examined the impact of professional development training on Canadian and Kenyan teachers’ confidence, comfort, and perceptions of their abilities to teach early literacy skills in the primary or elementary grades. Data were collected prior to and following training on how to integrate early literacy software as part of ongoing in-class instruction. Domain and technology constructs consistent with Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) technology integration model were assessed, as were perceptions related to delivery pacing. Overall, outcomes reflected more similarities than differences across the two groups of teachers. Limitations in foundational knowledge regarding concepts specific to early literacy were evident in both groups, despite higher levels of perceived confidence in Kenyan teachers compared to Canadian teachers in some content areas. Perceived comfort using technology and teaching with technology were highly correlated, with no differences observed across teacher groups. Pacing was perceived to be faster for Kenyan teachers compared to Canadian teachers. Implications for professional development in this domain are discussed.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Development of an Early Literacy App in Dhuwaya

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Gillian Wigglesworth ◽  
Melanie Wilkinson ◽  
Yalmay Yunupingu ◽  
Robyn Beecham ◽  
Jake Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
First Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Bilingual School ◽  
The Impact

Phonological awareness is a skill which is crucial in learning to read. In this paper, we report on the challenges encountered while developing a digital application (app) for teaching phonological awareness and early literacy skills in Dhuwaya. Dhuwaya is a Yolŋu language variety spoken in Yirrkala and surrounding areas in East Arnhem Land. Dhuwaya is the first language of the children who attend a bilingual school in which Dhuwaya and English are the languages of instruction. Dhuwaya and English have different phonemic inventories and different alphabets. The Dhuwaya alphabet is based on Roman alphabet symbols and has 31 graphemes (compared to 26 in English). The app was designed to teach children how to segment and blend syllables and phonemes and to identify common words as well as suffixes used in the language. However, the development was not straightforward, and the impact of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges could not have been predicted. Amongst these was the inherent variation in the language, including glottal stops, the pronunciation of stops, the focus on syllables as a decoding strategy for literacy development and challenges of finding one-syllable words such as those initially used with English-speaking children. Another challenge was identifying culturally appropriate images which the children could relate to and which were not copyrighted. In this paper, we discuss these plus a range of other issues that emerged, identifying how these problems were addressed and resolved by the interdisciplinary and intercultural team.

Teacher awareness and understandings about Aboriginal English in Western Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhonda Oliver ◽  
Judith Rochecouste ◽  
Samantha Vanderford ◽  
Ellen Grote
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Professional Development For Teachers ◽  
Australian English ◽  
The Impact

Repeated assessments of literacy skills have shown that Aboriginal students do not achieve at the same level as their non-Aboriginal peers. Many Aboriginal students speak Aboriginal English, a dialect different from the Standard Australian English used in schools. Research shows that it is crucial for educators in bidialectal contexts to be aware of students’ home language and to adopt appropriate educational responses. For over a decade, the ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning Professional Development Program has sought to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students in Western Australia. By promoting a two-way bidialectal approach to learning, Aboriginal English is valued, accommodated and used to bridge to learning in Standard Australian English. This paper draws on a large research project, which used qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of the on-going professional development for teachers. It reports on the attitudes and understandings of teachers, with and without professional development and working in different contexts.

Examining the Impact of Professional Development on the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction for General and Special Educators

Inclusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-133
Author(s):  
Erin K. Bojanek ◽  
Sheida K. Raley ◽  
Karrie A. Shogren ◽  
Kathleen Lynne Lane
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There is limited research examining professional development for general and special education teachers implementing self-determination interventions. This study presents outcomes of a 2-day professional development training for the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) for general and special educators guided by key elements of professional development. Results suggested teachers had positive perceptions of the training and showed improvements in knowledge and skills related to self-determination, but reported no change in perceived usefulness for students. Findings suggested teachers already perceived self-determination to be important and relevant to their students and that this professional development training was successful in improving teachers' knowledge and skills. Further research is needed to examine how this training impacts teacher implementation of the SDLMI and student outcomes.

scholarly journals Using the mTSES to Evaluate and Optimize mLearning Professional Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Leo Power ◽  
Dean Cristol ◽  
Belinda Gimbert ◽  
Robin Bartoletti ◽  
Whitney Kilgore
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Potential Utility ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Sense Of Efficacy ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Development Course ◽  
Targeted Professional Development

<p>The impact of targeted professional development activities on teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy with mobile learning remains understudied. Power (2015a) used the Mobile Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale (mTSES) survey instrument to measure the effects of a mobile learning themed professional development course on teachers’ confidence with and interest in mobile learning. The current study looks at changes in perceptions of self-efficacy amongst participants in another open course about mobile learning called <em>Instructional Design for Mobile Learning</em> (ID4ML), which took place from May 4 – June 6, 2015 (Power, Bartoletti &amp; Kilgore, 2015). The purpose of this study is to verify the reliability and construct validity of the mTSES instrument developed by Power (2015a, 2015b) and Power, Cristol and Gimbert (2014), and to explore trends in self-efficacy changes amongst a more diversified participant population. This paper reports on the findings from the analysis of data collected using the mTSES tool. The findings provide useful feedback on the impacts of participating in the ID4ML course. They also provide further support for the utility of the mTSES instrument as a measure of perceptions of self-efficacy with mobile learning. These findings point to the potential utility of the mTSES as a tool for both planning and evaluating mLearning professional development training for teachers.</p>

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Early Literacy Program for Students with Significant Developmental Disabilities

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane M. Browder ◽  
Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell ◽  
Ginevra Courtade ◽  
Susan L. Gibbs ◽  
Claudia Flowers
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Early Literacy Skills ◽  
The Impact

This study evaluated the impact of a curriculum called the Early Literacy Skills Builder on the language and early literacy skills of students with significant developmental disabilities. Students in the control group received the ongoing sight word and picture instruction prescribed by their individualized education programs. Results indicate statistically significant interaction effects for the treatment group for two research team-designed measures of early literacy (the Nonverbal Literacy Assessment and a pretest/posttest for the experimental curriculum). Significant interaction effects were also found for two standardized measures (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and Memory for Sentences of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery). Implications and future research needs are provided.

An investigation into the early literacy skills of English second language learners in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-154
Author(s):  
Aileen Manten ◽  
Mia le Roux ◽  
Salomé Geertsema ◽  
Marien Graham
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Early Literacy Skills ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Literacy Success ◽  
The Impact

This study employs the Comprehensive Emergent Literacy Model (CELM) theoretical framework, as it refers to the impact of context on learning early literacy skills. It is relevant to this study as the participants were English second language learners from cultures, communities, and demographics different from those of English first language speakers in South Africa. Early literacy skills, specifically phonological awareness (PA), are predictive of later literacy success. Many English second language (EL2) learners are unable to develop language and early literacy skills. Foundational skills such as general PA skills, often need explicit instruction to prepare the learners to learn to read in English. Twenty-one EL2 Grade 1 learners in an English medium private school in South Africa were selected as participants. Early literacy skills were assessed at the beginning of Grade 1. Reading, spelling, and reading comprehension skills were assessed after two terms in Grade 1 to determine if there is a correlation between early and later literacy skills. Results indicated significantly strong positive correlations between early literacy and later literacy skills. These results and previous research suggest that EL2 learners must be exposed to high-quality early literacy skills as early as possible to provide them with a foundation for future literacy success.

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