Page 78 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

A Paradigm Shift for Teachers’ Professional Development Structure in Turkey

studies on the effectiveness of in-service training programmes underline the importance of participants
taking direct responsibility in the planning, application, and assessment processes, and structuring the
training in collaboration (Evans, 1986; Hutson, 1981; Klein, 2001).
Over the course of the project, all in-service training programmes were evaluated on a daily basis in
addition to an overall evaluation at the end of the project. These assessments sought to elicit the partici-
pating teachers’ views on the training process, which shed light on the needs, problems, and aspects for
improvement. The results helped review the already flexible structure of the process and provided new
suggestions for solutions when needed.
As stated above, in the planning and application of all in-service training programmes, the focus was
primarily on clear and lucid educational goals. It was also ensured that the programmes were flexible
enough to respond to the needs that might arise and included room for manoeuvre, assessment processes,
and contingency plans. Amendments were made to the programmes as and when needed in the light of
the participants’ needs, and all information available on the processes were shared with the teachers.
In order to increase the teachers’ self-efficacy and support them in their practices, the researchers
shared the results of video analyses and assessments with the participants, and visited the teachers in their
schools to provide feedback on their classroom ABI practices (follow-up assistance). The data obtained
from the video assessment of the teachers’ ABI practices in the classroom were shared with the teachers
on an individual basis to demonstrate the periodic changes due to the longitudinal nature of the project.
This provided an opportunity for the teachers to be aware of their own progress and to reflect upon the
changes in their pedagogical knowledge. In addition, sessions on critical consideration and assessment
were organized, where the teachers were presented with opportunities to evaluate their own practices.
In all in-service training activities, a great deal of importance was attached to integrating the exist-
ing teaching programmes with the ABI approach. It was frequently stressed that the ABI approach was
an instrument in learning the basic concepts laid out in the curriculum, and that the students needed to
improve their higher-level thinking skills.
Another primary goal of the project was to explore the changes in students’ academic performance
following the change in their teachers’ pedagogy. To this end, after each in-service training programme,
the teachers were asked to engage in ABI practices in their classrooms. In addition, in the final days of
the programme, after selecting units for practice the teachers prepared for teaching the units under the
supervision of the researchers and in collaboration with their colleagues. Those who selected the same
units for practice worked in groups. Each group agreed upon a main idea from their practice units. Later,
ABI activities and progress tests were drafted for assessment purposes.
As part of the project, the data analysis results obtained from the teachers’ classrooms were also
shared with the teachers. The performance evaluations of the participating teachers in terms of their
ABI practices were put into reports and shared with them, including recommendations to handle the
shortcomings.

Data Collection

Within the scope of the in-service training programmes, the participating teachers engaged in ABI
practices in their primary education sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-year science and technology classes.
Classes where the teachers practiced the ABI approach were used as the experiment groups. In the control
groups, the teachers carried on using the traditional teaching methods.

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