Teachers’ Professional Learning in the Context of Implementing Project Based Learning in a Secondary School
Articles
This study explores teachers’ professional learning (TPL) in the context of a school-wide impleme... more This study explores teachers’ professional learning (TPL) in the context of a school-wide implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL). Using phenomenology, we studied the narratives of two teachers engaged in the implementation. The questions driving this research are: How do teachers conceptualize their learning as professionals involved in a curricular innovation (in this case, PBL)?; What shifts in practice and identity occur?; What concepts are central to teachers’ professional learning?; and, What does this reveal about a stance of inquiry in professional learning? The analysis clarifies the nature of professional learning, which we articulate as a set of proposed concepts of TPL. Further connections are made between these findings about TPL and the theory of inquiry-as-stance.
This dissertation documents the process that I went through, as both a mother and as an educator,... more This dissertation documents the process that I went through, as both a mother and as an educator, in coming to terms with my son's diagnosis of autism. I examine and discuss the discovery of his diagnosis of autism, as well as the educational implications of raising such a child. Using autoethnography as my primary research methodology, I discuss our lives leading up to my son's diagnosis of autism, the diagnostic process, the actual diagnosis, including the information from the various reports that were drawn up regarding him and his diagnosis, and connect it to the body of research that has been done about autism. Using the stance of an Appreciative Inquiry, I discuss the personal, social and educational ramifications of the diagnosis. This thesis speaks to the importance of early diagnosis, the implications for early childhood education (due to the unique challenges of educating children with autism), and helps to provide guidelines to assist other parents/caregivers as they engage with their children who are gifted with this extraordinary challenge. NOTE: All names are pseudonyms and have been changed to assure their anonymity, with the exception the names of me, my husband, our daughter and our son.
2019 Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Jan 26, 2019
Weight reduction has always been a challenge for the automotive industry, mainly to reduce consum... more Weight reduction has always been a challenge for the automotive industry, mainly to reduce consumption but also improve handling. In electric vehicle design, the battery packs, their shape and positioning are critical aspects that determine the overall weight, weight distribution and, as a consequence, the efficiency, dynamics and stability of the vehicle. This presented a new challenge, to manage this necessary and inflexible weight and volume, developing the vehicle chassis around it and in the best possible way, without compromising the overall efficiency and behavior. In this work, a methodology for nested topology optimization has been developed which combines structural topology optimization and battery pack shaping and positioning. The new methodology is implemented without limiting its applicability, into the framework of the commercial software Hyperstudy by Altair.
Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 2019
To investigate any possible differences in student engagement between project-based learning unit... more To investigate any possible differences in student engagement between project-based learning units and non-project-based learning units, this triangulation design-convergence mixed methods study followed a grade 10 teacher and her students as they completed science units on chemistry, aquaponics, and genetics. Student engagement was measured in multiple ways using observed on-task behaviour, student perception surveys, and student interviews. Results reveal significant differences in observed on-task behaviour between project-based and non-project-based activities. However, student perceptions of engagement did not significantly improve with project-based learning. Instead, student perceptions of civic engagement emerged as a critical point of examination. Résumé Afin d'analyser les différences possibles, dans le degré d'engagement des étudiants, entre les unités d'apprentissage par projet et les unités qui ne sont pas fondées sur des projets, cette étude de triangulation des approches (design, convergence, mixte) a suivi une enseignante de 10 ième année et ses étudiants qui complétaient des unités d'apprentissage scientifique en chimie, en aquaponie et en génétique. On a mesuré l'engagement des étudiants de multiples façons : observation des comportements pendant les tâches, enquêtes sur la perception des étudiants et entrevues d'étudiants. Les résultats révèlent des différences significatives dans les comportements pendant les tâches entre les activités d'apprentissage par projets et les autres activités. Toutefois, la perception qu'ont les étudiants de leur propre engagement ne présente aucune amélioration significative lors d'activités d'apprentissage par projets, alors que leur perception de l'engagement civique ressort comme point critique d'analyse.
This study examines teacher perceptions of their experiences with Project Based Learning (PBL) at... more This study examines teacher perceptions of their experiences with Project Based Learning (PBL) at a secondary school in Western Canada. This PBL initiative included English language arts, mathematics, science, and digital literacy courses and all the grade nines at this large secondary school. This article reports on two teacher focus group interviews that were part of a larger mixed-methods study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). Results provide specific details regarding conditions for the successful implementation of PBL, challenges and support for current research into PBL, and areas of additional needed research. Cette étude se penche sur les perceptions qu'ont les enseignants de leurs expériences avec l'apprentissage axé sur les projets (PBL—project based learning) dans une grande école secondaire dans l'Ouest canadien. Cette initiative d'apprentissage actif par les projets impliquait les cours d'anglais, de mathématiques, de sciences et de littératie numériq...
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