26/11/2013

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Structure-Culture

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Where do we come from?•Centralisation of the Greek-Cypriot educational system

•Educational and curricular decisions - Top-down •Educational policy and planning-MoEC•Educational laws and guidelines

•Schools•Follow national curricula, syllabi, textbooks

•Teachers•Appointed, transferred by Educational Committee•Evaluated by ‘inspectorate’

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Data in/for Cyprus Schools

•No quality control measures-Indicators for school quality remain practically non-existent•Valid, reliable and standardized pupil assessment data to measure pupils’ attainment is not collected •No ‘successful’ schools are identified as examples of best practice•SSE instruments/tools are absent•Scarce self-evaluative activity/Action research?

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Change?

New Curricula

Teacher and School Evaluation

Teachers’ appoinment

2004

2013

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Educational Reform (Rhetoric)•Transition towards establishing research-oriented reflective practitioners and school self-development

•Teachers as independent reflective professionals-Encouraging experimentation on teachers’ daily praxis The teacher as a well-informed professional that acts as a dynamic researcher and can design research, analyse data with regards to his/her classroom and explore various teaching situations (Republic of Cyprus, 2004, p. 226)•Schools can design and invent their own solutions for specific problems through the systematic collection and analysis of information, related explicitly to objectives, criteria and values with regards to input, processes and outcomes, such as human and physical resources, leadership and management, teaching and learning activities as well as students’ learning results.

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School leaders/Teachers (Practice)Where do they come from (background)?

•Elementary schoolteachers often employed after attending four-year university teacher-training programmes.•During academic undergraduate studies, usually required to engage in research methods courses. •During their professional career, encouraged to participate in CPD by attending seminars, usually offered by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute; attendance optional.•Upon promotion, required attendance of leadership training programme

What do Greek Cypriot teachers say about AR?

Preferred forms of PD: Ν % Difference between elementary

and secondary teachers workshops* 368 48.1 chi square=24.198, df=1, p=.000 conferences* 284 37.1 chi square=14.433, df=1, p=.000 Short-time courses 456 59.6 post-graduate studies 188 24.6 on-line education 72 9.4 individual meetings in the school 99 12.9 teaching staff meetings* 96 12.5 chi square=6.900, df=1, p=.009 experience exchange 389 50.8 others: Personal study and reflection 121 15.8 others: Counseling and support to teaching work 234 30.6 others: Involvement in school programs (projects)* 188 24.6 chi square=5.027, df=1, p=.025 others: Development of research activity in the classroom 156 20.4 others: Participation in electronic networks for teachers** 206 26.9 chi square=32.289, df=1, p=.000 others: other forms 5 0.7

Κaragiorgi, Y. & Symeou, L. (2007). Teachers´ In-service Training Needs in Cyprus, European Journal of Teacher Education, 30 (2), 75-194. 

Papanastasiou & Karagiorgi (2012) The Research-Oriented Professional Teacher: An Illusion or a Possibility? – The Case of Schoolteachers in Cyprus

Involvement in RRA over the last five years % Overall Mean

Assisted in conference organization 34.27 2.42

Collected research data 47.67 2.57

Analyzed quantitative data 33.70 2.35

Analyzed qualitative data 30.14 2.02

Attended research conferences 53.30 3.89

Presented at research conferences 12.33 1.96

Read research articles total 67.86 1.60

A sample of 420 public school elementary and secondary schoolteachers during the academic year 2010/2011. Background in research (81.4% at least one course)

21.8% undergraduate 21.5%graduate38.0% both levels

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Action Research•Training

•Specialised courses as part of pre-service training (research methodology courses for pre-service teachers)•In-Service courses by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute

•Optional courses (opportunity for in-class interventions/sandwich courses)•Other schemes e.g. two-day training courses for all school teachers•Leadership Preparation Courses

•Courses offered as CPD by universities/organizations

•Support to schools •In response to school needs/interest by the CERE or CPI•Linking systematically schools, school networks, universities and local institutions•The role of the critical friend

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•Involvement in projects

Project RELEASEUniversity of Cyprus and CPITeachers- ResearchersExamples:

Differentiation and Literacy improvementDifferentiation and Teaching of MathematicsCritical Thinking and Meta-cognitionCreativity DevelopmentClassroom Management and Conflict ResolutionGoal’s Achievement BenchmarksActive Learning’s Encouragement

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Regio projectEuropean University, the CERE, schools (two regions, Cyprus and the UK) Leaders- ResearchersExamples: …

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Challenges

Development of research-oriented reflective practitioners and school self- evaluation (evidence-based teaching practice/leadership) - Teacher as researcher (Stenhouse)

Establishment of evidence-based policy making (links between research and practice) Transforming education (Carr & Kemmis, 1986)

Individual Initiatives Sustainability of results beyond individual