EDP 520 - Research Proposal - Stephanie Gamache and Robert Moushon

+ Form of Professional Development is not important.

+ Positive effect on teacher outcomes is written across various research findings.

+ Face to Face vs Online Course: Positive increase in 3 outcomes; pedagogical believes, teacher practices, and mathematical understanding.

+ Self-Paced vs Cohort-Based Online Courses: saw similar increases in outcomes.

+ Interesting finding: Students from Face to Face course unlikely to take an online equivalent. And those from the online course didn't want to go back to face to face.

+ Teacher Perceptions of Professional Development was generally positive and as a much needed part of education.

+ Effects of Professional Development indicated an increase in technology skills, computer self-efficacy, and technology integration. It also showed in increase in the 3 outcomes previously stated.

+ Question worth asking is do these findings transcend to even more styles of professional development and still manage to have the same outcomes?

Sources:

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Professional Development Methods:

Educating Teachers

on Emerging Technologies

Introduction

The Digital Divide

Dan Tapscott (2009) writes, “Baby boomers set a precedent of being a major generational threat to their elders... they had time to develop their own youth culture... [and] a new medium through which to communicate their culture -- television.”

Research Steps

Discovering which methods of introduction/professional development are available and realistic to provide a teaching staff.

Significance

As schools look to find new, fresh ways to engage students at all level, this research looks to find fine-tuned results which could be adapted across multiple disciplines.

Abstract

What we're looking to accomplish...

• finding the best means of introducing and training teachers on emerging technologies

Why?

• as budgets and tighter instruction schedules control most school districts, it is important for those at the district level to know the most productive and cost-efficient training methods on new technologies for their teachers

How?

• a small research study that divides participants into various experimental training environments

Literature Review

Initial Findings

Professional Development Comparison

Teacher Perceptions and the Effects of Professional Development

Conclusion

Methodology

Subjects

• 12 High School Trigonometry Teachers
• Fastfig - a new "word processor for mathematics"

Procedures

Random assignment to:

Compile previous three years of grades before and up through subject of "sine and cosine laws." Take pre-survey.

Teach topic for two weeks. Proctor identical exam from previous year. Take post-survey.

• group session
• one-on-one, face-to-face
• solo, "on your own"
• control group

Data Analysis

Our main research questions:

Does training a teacher on a new technology application lead to better results in the classroom? Which method of technology introduction and training worked best?

One-way ANOVA, instead of t-tests, as there are different subjects in each treatment group and to try to limit rejecting a null hypothesis when it is true (Type I error) by comparing all results simultaneously.

Additional research data from survey questions and results.