I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual has to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is a bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have to change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with change.

Personally,  I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and if all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching in Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling that having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in the workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back to school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via any form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe professional development is essential in ANY workplace.

I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to how FOB arrived at theirs.  Was the pool of respondants the same in size as well as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. 

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and desire to grow professionally and personally.

Regards
Katrina Hinson



>>> Barbara Garner <b.garner4 at verizon.net> 04/13/06 4:52 PM >>>

Dear Listers...
Terry makes a good point...presumably most folks who completed the Focus on Basics evaluation survey read FOB because they are self motivated to do so (although we didn't ask that question). Whereas some participants in professional development are sent by their administrators because of the presumed suitability of the offering. Motivation makes a difference. 

I'm not sure how the NCSALL Staff Development study treated motivation in their analysis. I'll ask them to share with us their views, if not this week then next.

What do other readers think might be reasons for the difference in findings between the FOB evaluation, in which "Respondents 
with higher levels of education report a higher rate of change in their attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education
and a higher rate of putting into action ideas they learn as a result of reading Focus on Basics" and the NCSALL staff development study, which reported that 'teachers with master's degrees were less likely than those without to act upon information 
 learned in staff development activities.'?

Barb Garner


From: Terrence Kelley <kelleyterr at yahoo.com>
Date: Thu Apr 13 15:02:22 CDT 2006
To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 
	The Focus on Basics Discussion List <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>
Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 229]  teacher education and change

Dear Barb,

REF (presumed) professional development and the
incorporation thereof issue ... and I speak for
colleagues here -- 

"Incorporation thereof" is different for new and
seasoned practioners, education levels accounted for. 
I think there are several aspects to consider -the
major one of which is:  Does one choose their own PD
based on professional interests/an intererst
stream/prior education/prior professional development
activities, student needs etc., or is PD something
that is arranged by one's administration and is
supposedly suitable for all simply because it (the PD
offering) fits somehwere within the world of adult
education? That's the situation I'm in, and I'm sure
not alone.

What is bona fide professional development, i.e.
current and content relevant, for a new teacher may
very well not be for a seasoned one - either because
it's old hat, it doesn't fit their teaching style, or
is not suitable for their students, or ..... So, who
incorporates what and why, or why not, has to be
carefully considered.  

The above are just applied meanderings. 

Have a good weekend.

Terry Kelley 
Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education
Missoula MT

 





--- Barbara Garner <b.garner4 at verizon.net> wrote:


> That's a great question, and one that merits more

> research. I'll weigh in, but would love to hear from

> others, too.

> 

> Keep in mind, the FOB evaluation was not an effort

> to replicate the findings of NCSALL Staff

> Development Study. The NCSALL Staff Development

> study involved practitioners in a variety of

> different types of professional development. But

> those types did not include "reading professional

> journals and perhaps discussing them with

> colleagues". So what we might be seeing is that

> different types of practitioners relate differently

> to difference types of professional development. 

> 

> In terms of what lesson it offers professional

> developers now: to me it says that if you don't

> already include reading materials with any

> professional development activity you conduct, you

> should consider adding some.

> 

> Barb Garner

> 

> 

>  From: jataylor <jataylor at utk.edu>

> Date: Thu Apr 13 09:36:40 CDT 2006

> To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov 

> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229]  teacher education and

> change

> 

> Hi Barb,

> As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported

> finding that "Respondents 

> with higher levels of education report a higher rate

> of change in their 

> attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education

> and a higher rate of 

> putting into action ideas they learn as a result of

> reading Focus on Basics."

> 

> The report also notes the contradiction of this to

> the finding in the 2003 

> NCSALL Professional Development Study which

> documents that 'teachers with 

> master's degrees were less likely than those without

> to act upon information 

> learned in staff development activities.' One

> hypothesis offered was that 

> teachers who were more educated were possibly more

> "settled" in their work and 

> less likely to demonstrate change based on what they

> learned in PD.

> 

> What are your speculations about this discrepancy as

> it pertains to the 

> research, and what is the message you'd recommend

> that professional developers 

> take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to

> their work?

> 

> Thanks, Jackie

> 

> Jackie Taylor, Moderator

> Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion

> List

> jataylor at utk.edu 

> 

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