ERIC Number: EJ1089481
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1941-5257
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Available Date: N/A
The Day-to-Day Work of Primary School Teachers: A Source of Professional Learning
Ambler, Trudy Belinda
Professional Development in Education, v42 n2 p276-289 2016
Teachers are an important influence on students' learning, and therefore the opportunity for teachers to learn and develop is something of interest to educators internationally. This article reports on a research project involving six primary school teachers who participated in one-on-one and small group interviews to explore the opportunities for professional learning bound up in their daily work in classrooms. The findings highlight that teachers' day-to-day stories are a source of professional learning. These stories are uniquely contextualised within diverse classrooms and schools. When teachers tell a story they use narrative to capture and structure their experiences, describe the specific details of the teaching situation and explain the reasons behind the actions and decisions taken during practice. What teachers learn from interpreting their narratives is as varied and infinite as the experiences from which they are created. The way the everyday is organised and interpreted by teachers in schools and classrooms is something to which policy-makers and school administrators should be very attentive because it can make a positive difference to both student and teacher learning.
Descriptors: Professional Development, Academic Achievement, Elementary School Teachers, Foreign Countries, Research Projects, Interviews, Personal Narratives, Communities of Practice, Elementary Schools
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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