Voogt PCK and Teacher learning in collaborative curriculum design 2011
(Voogt et al, 2011)
Voogt et al 2011 PCK Teacher learning in collaborative curriculum design
Citation for published version (APA): Voogt, J., Westbroek, H., Handelzalts, A., Walraven, A., McKenney, S., Pieters, J., & De Vries, B. (2011). Teacher learning in collaborative curriculum design. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(8), 1235-1244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.07.003
(Voogt et al 2011)
Developments in the learning sciences (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000) show how student learning benefits when it is situated in meaningful contexts, when students are actively engaged in their own learning process, and when they collaborate with others (e.g. Cobb, 1994; Greeno, 1998).
Cobb, P. (1994). Where is the mind? Constructivist and sociocultural perspectives on mathematical development. Educational Researcher, 23, 13-19
Greeno, J.G. (1998). The situativity of knowing, learning, and research. American Psychologist, 53, 1, 5-26.
Recently, researchers in the field of teacher professional development (Putnam & Borko, 2000; Borko, 2004; Little, 2002; Parke & Coble, 1997) have emphasized the similarities of these findings for teacher learning and began to study the implications for teacher professional development arrangements.
Putnam, R. P., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 1-15.
Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33, 3-15.
Little, J. W. (2002). Locating learning in teachers‟ communities of practice: Opening up problems of analysis in records of everyday practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 917–946.
Parke, H.M., & Coble, C.R. (1997). Teachers designing curriculum as professional development: A model for transformational science teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34(8), 773-789
Putnam & Borko (2000) for instance argue that teacher learning needs to be situated in authentic contexts which are meaningful to teachers‟ practice.
Teacher learning from this perspective acknowledges that learning is not limited to formal professional development but takes place in all the arenas in which the teacher participates: the classroom, the community of teachers, and the school environment (Borko, 2004).
Research on teacher professional development arrangements aiming to improve or change classroom practice, that aligns with these views on teacher learning, emphasize *Manuscript WITHOUT Author Identifiers Click here to view linked References that teacher professional development needs to: (a) focus on a deeper understanding of subject matter and on guiding students‟ thinking about subject matter (Borko, 2004; Whitcomb, Borko, Liston, 2009; Garet et al., 2001; Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007); (b) provide examples of concrete classroom applications of the general ideas underlying the change (Elmore & Burney, 1999; Davis & Krajcik, 2005, Van den Akker, 1988); (c) expose teachers to actual practice rather than providing them with descriptions of practice (Elmore & Burney, 1999; Penuel et al., 2007 Garet et al, 2001); (d) provide opportunities for collaboration with peers and experts in attuning the practice to the local context (Borko, 2004; Ball & Cohen, 1996; Elmore & Burney, 1999; Penuel et al., 2007, Garet et al, 2001, Simmie, 2007); (e) involve follow up support (Elmore & Burney, 1999; Joyce & Showers, 1995; Penuel et al. 2007; Garet et al, 2001); (f) be coherent with teachers‟ own professional development goals and the goals for their student learning (Penuel et al, 2007; Garet et al., 2001); and (g) be stretched over time (Penuel et al, 2007; Garet et al., 2001)
Whitcomb, J., Borko, H., & Liston, D. (2009). Growing talent: Professional development models and practices. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(3), 207-212.
Garet, M.S., Porter, A.C., Desimone, L., Birman, B.F., & Yoon, K.S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 4, 915-945.
Penuel, W.R, Fishman, B.J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L.P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921-958
Elmore, R. F., & Burney, D. (1999). Investing in teacher learning. In L. Darling[1]Hammond, & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession (pp. 236-291). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Davis, E.A., & Krajcik, J.S. (2005). Designing educative curriculum materials to promote teacher learning. Educational Researcher, 34, 3-14.
Van den Akker, J. (1988). The teacher as learner in curriculum implementation. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 20(1), 47-55.
Ball, D., & Cohen, D. (1996). Reform by the book: What is - or might be - the role of curriculum materials in teacher learning and instructional reform? Educational Researcher, 25(9), 6-8, 14
Simmie, G. M. 2007. Teacher design teams (TDTs) – Building capacity for innovation, learning and curriculum implementation in the continuing professional development of in-career teachers, Irish Educational Studies 26, no. 2: 163–76.
Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (1995). Student achievement through staff development: Fundamentals of school renewal (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.
Alsubaie, M.A. (2016) Curriculum development: Teacher involvement in curriculum development. Journal of Education and practice, 7(9), pp.106-107.
One way to comply with these features of effective teacher professional development is to involve teachers in collaborative (re-)design of curriculum materials (Handelzalts, 2009; Simmie, 2007; Voogt, 2010).
Handelzalts, A. (2009). Collaborative curriculum development in teacher design teams. Doctoral Thesis, University of Twente, Enschede.
The process of (re-)design provides opportunities for teachers to reflect on the curriculum starting from their personal knowledge and beliefs, their practice, and their goals for student learning (Parke & Coble, 1997). The interaction with other teachers and experts may deepen and challenge their reflections (Borko, 2004).
Parke, H.M., & Coble, C.R. (1997). Teachers designing curriculum as professional development: A model for transformational science teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34(8), 773-789
Participation in well-scaffolded collaborative curriculum design processes therefore has the potential to contribute to the professional development of the teachers involved (Borko, 2004; Ball & Cohen, 1996; Parke & Coble, 1997) and to the production of materials which are valid and feasible in view of both teaching practice and the intended curriculum (Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007; Ben-Peretz, 1990; Clandinin & Connelly, 1992).
Loucks-Horsley, S., Hewson, P. W., Love, N., & Stiles, K. E. (1998). Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics. California: Corwin Press.
Penuel, W.R, Fishman, B.J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L.P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921-958.
Ben-Peretz, M. (1990). The teacher-curriculum encounter. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Clandinin, J., & Connelly, F (1992). Teacher as curriculum maker. In P. Jackson (Ed.), Handbook of research on curriculum (pp. 363-401). New York: Macmillan
Most studies on teacher collaborative curriculum design tend to only focus on measuring effects of collaborative design on teacher learning and on the implementation of the curriculum. They hardly examine the processes in collaborative design that promote teacher learning: the interaction with peers, facilitators and external stimuli, the experimentation in classroom practice, and the factors in the environment that hinder or facilitate teachers‟ collaborative design.
The study presented here was undertaken to gain more insight into the processes of collaborative design in teacher designs teams (TDTs) that foster teacher learning and development. In this study, TDTs were defined as teams of at least two teachers who collaboratively design or (re)-design curriculum materials, with the aim of improving or changing their own instructional practice (Handelzalts, 2009).
To underline that the changes in teachers are deeply rooted in teacher‟s classroom experiences.
Beliefs and attitudes according to Guskey (1986) only change after experiencing the effects on student learning.
Guskey, T.R. (1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15, 5, 5-12.
Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002) identify four domains in which change can take place…. Me: the paper goes through each one and describes what it is (idea for describing the parts the Cochran PCK model).
Clarke D. & Hollingsworth, H. (2002). Elaborating a model of teacher professional growth. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 947-967
Teachers participate in different professional arenas in which they learn: the teacher community, the school environment, their professional associations, etc.
Reflection refers to teachers‟ thinking about their practice („reflection on action‟) and during practice („reflection in action‟) (Schön, 1987).
Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Towards a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
The interaction that takes place with peers, experts, support materials or classroom practice, is essentially enactment and reflection.
The design process can be characterized by several stages: problem analysis, design and development, implementation and evaluation (Gustafson & Branch, 1997).
Gustafson, K., & Branch, R. M. (1997). Revisioning models of instructional development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 45(3), 73-89
An increase in self-confidence and pedagogical content knowledge during curriculum design was also found in the study of Rock and Wilson (2005).
Rock, T.C. & Wilson, C. (2005). Improving teaching through lesson study. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32, 1, 77-92
Fernandez (2005), teachers acquired a deeper understanding of subject matter content (a change in the personal domain) when reflecting on how to teach their students. However, their limited understanding of subject matter content also hindered them in making sound design decisions. It was only during lesson implementation (see later) that these teachers became fully aware of their lack of understanding of subject matter content. - - ME: and why having a subject matter expert as part of the research is helpful.
Peers: In one study (Schneider & Pickett, 2006), teachers with different professional backgrounds (engineers and science educators) participated in a collaborative design effort. Differences in professional culture and language hampered the collaboration during the enactment of the design. This finding is contrary to the experiences of the TDT studied by Deketelaere and Kelchtermans (1996), where teachers experienced the different professional backgrounds (technical/vocational teachers and general subject teachers) as complementary to each other.
Fernandez, C. (2005). Lesson Study: A Means for Elementary Teachers to Develop the Knowledge of Mathematics Needed for Reform-Minded Teaching? Mathematical Thinking and Leaning, 7, 265-289.
Deketelaere, A. & Kelchtermans, G. (1996). Collaborative curriculum development: an encounter of different professional knowledge systems. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 2, 71-85.
In the Fernandez (2005) study, the teachers became aware that their limited knowledge of mathematics hindered them during lesson execution. They realized that they needed to work on their subject matter knowledge with the help of external experts in order to achieve a change in the personal domain.
In some TDTs (George and Lubben, 2002; Baildon and Damico, 2008), it was felt that the environment influenced the design of the curriculum.
George, J.M. & Lubben, F. (2002). Facilitating teachers‟ professional growth through their involvement in creating context-based materials in science. International Journal of Educational development, 22, 659-672
Baildon, M. & Damico, J. (2008). Negotiating epistemological challenges in thinking and practice: A case study of a literacy and inquiry tool as a mediator of professional conversation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1645-1657.
Also, in the study of Baildon and Damico (2008), teachers felt that they needed to comply with the common assessment practices in other parts of the school curriculum.
The studies we analyzed showed that the stimuli and support offered in the external domain were crucial in directing the learning paths of teachers.
Existing or exemplary curriculum materials were used to help the team define the goals and the design task. A lack of direction resulted in negative outcomes, as was the case in the study of Fernandez (2005).
Reflection and enactment during collaborative design activities had an impact on job satisfaction and on teacher self-confidence.
Contrary to Guskey (1986), who argues that changes in beliefs only take place after classroom implementation.
Student outcomes (an aspect of the domain of consequences) not only motivated teachers, but also resulted in reflections on outcomes, leading to improved classroom practice.
TDTs are an important means for teachers to develop professional interactions with peers and experts. Such professional interactions broaden teachers‟ perspectives (cf. Bell & Gilbert, 1996) and are crucial for the leadership that is required from teachers in curriculum implementation (cf Riel & Becker, 2008; Drent & Meelissen, 2008).
Bell, B., & Gilbert, J. (1996). Teacher Development: A Model from Science Education. London: Falmer Press.
Riel, M., & Becker, H. J. (2008). Characteristics of teacher leaders for Information and Communication Technology. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.). International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 397-417). New York: Springer.
Drent, M. & Meelissen, M. (2008). Which factors obstruct or stimulate teacher educators to use ICT innovatively? Computers & Education, 51(1), 187–199.
The findings of this study point to the importance of appropriate stimuli and support, preferably by an external facilitator, to guide teacher learning in TDTs, so as to prevent negative results of professional learning in teams.
In the initial phase of TDTs existing or exemplary curriculum materials can serve as concrete artifacts to help teams acquire a clearer picture of what is expected (cf. Van den Akker, 1988; Davis & Krajcik, 2005).
Fernandez, C. (2005). Lesson Study: A Means for Elementary Teachers to Develop the Knowledge of Mathematics Needed for Reform-Minded Teaching? Mathematical Thinking and Leaning, 7, 265-289.
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