Background:
Dr. Bret Staudt Willet and Hunhui Na recently co-authored an article titled “Beginning science teachers’ context-aware self-teaching to support core and background instructional roles” in the International Journal of Self-Directed Learning.
Abstract:
Teaching is a challenging profession at any career stage and in any subject but perhaps especially so for beginning science teachers who step into full responsibility for core and background instructional roles inside and outside the classroom. Traditional professional development has often been inadequate and further complicated by competing opinions on teaching voiced through social media. In response, many teachers increasingly engage in self-directed learning (SDL). The context-aware self-teaching framework offers a structured approach to SDL, emphasizing the strengths of teachers’ backgrounds and experiences. Through five interviews each and 8 weeks of diary entries, this qualitative case study reports how two 1st-year science teachers self-direct their learning through social media and the effect this had on their instructional practice. Findings show varied approaches to SDL yet agreement in preference for in-school networks over social media for solving complex, core instructional challenges, highlighting a need to account for holistic professional development ecosystems.
The article is available on the International Society for Self-Directed Learning’s website.
See also
- Webinar Announced: Self-Directed Learning Spanning Contexts (Sponsored by ISSDL)
- New Study: Game Developers' Self-Directed Learning
- Keynote at ED-VOLUTION 2024: Self-directed learning for navigating change and innovation
- New paper: Pre-service teachers' dual perspectives on generative AI: Benefits, challenges, and integrating into teaching and learning
- New paper: Affinity and anonymity benefitting early career teachers in the r/teachers subreddit