ERIC Number: EJ1125450
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-928X
EISSN: N/A
When Teachers Learn to Use Technology, Students Benefit. Lessons from Research
Kilion, Joellen
Journal of Staff Development, v37 n4 p64-67 Aug 2016
Joellen Killion is senior advisor to Learning Forward. In each issue of JSD, Killion explores a recent research study to help practitioners understand the impact of particular professional learning practices on student outcomes. The study presented here builds on past research about the relationships between teacher practice and beliefs, teacher practice and student achievement, the nature of teacher professional development in technology use, the role of reflection in teacher professional development, and the availability of technology in schools with underrepresented or high-poverty students. A university-based research team designed a professional development program to increase teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and integration of technology into their classroom instruction. The professional development program occurred over three years in two middle schools in neighboring districts. The program included 2,320 students in grades 6-8 and 20 teachers, mostly of math, science, and technology. Researchers used end-of-grade assessments in grades 6-8 math and grade 8 in science to measure changes in student achievement. Researchers posed four research questions: (1) Do teachers engaged in technology enhanced professional development change their beliefs about teaching and their practice; (2) How do teachers reflect on the lessons they carry out before and during technology enhanced professional development participation; (3) Do the math and science assessment scores of students in classrooms where teachers participate in technology enhanced professional development differ from students in non participating teachers' classrooms; and (4) Do the mathematics and science assessment scores of African-American students in classrooms of teachers participating in technology enhanced professional development differ from those of Caucasian students in those classrooms? Researchers applied a mixed method design to answer the study's questions. At the end of the initiative, teachers had significantly higher student centered beliefs, with a stronger focus on teacher-student relationships than they had before their participation. After the study, teachers had a significantly higher familiarity and comfort with technology, particularly those used during professional development than before participation.
Descriptors: Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Faculty Development, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technology Integration, Middle School Students, Middle School Teachers, Mathematics Achievement, Science Achievement, Teaching Methods, Scores, Teacher Influence, Program Effectiveness, African American Students, White Students, Racial Differences, Teacher Student Relationship, Technological Literacy, Summer Programs, Computer Mediated Communication, Mixed Methods Research, Pretests Posttests, Surveys, Video Technology, Standardized Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A