ERIC Number: EJ1145121
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0899 3408
EISSN: N/A
An Evaluation of a Professional Learning Network for Computer Science Teachers
Computer Science Education, v27 n1 p30-53 2017
This paper describes and evaluates aspects of a professional development programme for existing CS teachers in secondary schools (PLAN C) which was designed to support teachers at a time of substantial curricular change. The paper's particular focus is on the formation of a teacher professional development network across several hundred teachers and a wide geographical area. Evidence from a series of observations and teacher surveys over a two-year period is analysed with respect to the project's programme theory in order to illustrate not only "whether" it worked as intended, by "why". Results indicate that the PLAN C design has been successful in increasing teachers' professional confidence and appears to have catalysed powerful change in attitudes to learning. Presentation of challenging pedagogical content knowledge and conceptual frameworks, high-quality teacher-led professional dialogue, along with the space for reflection and classroom trials, triggered examination of the teachers' own current practices.
Descriptors: Computer Science Education, Science Teachers, Network Analysis, Social Networks, Secondary School Teachers, Faculty Development, Teacher Surveys, Observation, Professional Education, Models, Computer System Design, Learning Activities, Educational Practices, Program Effectiveness, Participant Satisfaction, Qualitative Research, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Scotland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A