Abstract
Beyond Professional Learning Institutes: Sustaining Best Practices Teaching with GST
Track: Teacher Education and Educational Research
Authors: Lori Hare, Kristi Fredrickson, Jackie Menasco, Nena Bloom, James Sample, Kristi Fredrickson
From 2009-2011, educators, geologists, and geographers within Northern Arizona University partnered to offer professional learning experiences for pairs of interdisciplinary secondary teachers, focusing on teaching with project-based instruction (PBI) integrating geospatial technologies (GST). Evidence from this project suggests that during professional development, participating teachers increased knowledge, skills, and confidence with project-based instruction integrating GST, and their students demonstrated learning gains; yet, did teachers sustain the use of GST following the project? In order to determine the factors that promoted or hindered sustained use of teaching with GST and PBI, data was collected following the intensive professional learning institutes. Research questions included a) what pedagogical practices did teachers sustain following the professional learning experiences? b) what contexts were present in schools that supported or limited the use of geospatial technologies as a teaching and learning tool? and c) are student learning gains continuing? Case studies of teacher experiences will be presented.