Conference Agenda

This contribution presents a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design (Creswell & Clark, 2017) focused on training conditions to support teacher capacity for assessing, in both a descriptive and formative approach, student's learning outcomes as a way to enhance professional development.In recent decades, researchers have shown an increased interest in professional development (Kennedy, 2016); most recently, several reviews have been written and several meta-analyses (Kennedy, 2016; Sims et al. 2021;) have been conducted in an effort to identify the ideal conditions for effective professional development (PD) (Kennedy, 2016a; Timperley et al., 2007; Walter & Briggs, 2012) and to clearly define the term "professional development", which is often used as an umbrella term to refer to any opportunities that serve to enhance teachers' knowledge. In this contribution, PD specifically refers to a “structured, facilitated activity for teachers intended to increase their teaching ability” (Sims, 2021). This definition allows us to include a wide range of skills and abilities, but at the same time is useful in its exclusion of PD activities and programmes consisting of mere updates for teachers on general topics.

Results of the meta-analyses reveal that several design features (Kennedy, 2016) and factors (Sims et al., 2021) characterize effective PD and that these can be divided into two main categories: external factors, namely features established before the intervention (content knowledge; program intensity and length; role of the instructor; mandatory/voluntary participation; online/presential); b) internal factors, namely features developed during the intervention (feedback; goal setting; self-monitoring).

This contribution seeks to place the teacher's ability to collect educational evidence (firstly, to make student’s learning visible; secondly, to analyze and assess it) at the center of PD, starting from the consideration of the aforementioned factors in designing a formative intervention. The hypothesis, to be explored in this contribution through an empirical study based on the evaluation of the formative impact of a training program, is consistent with Guskey’s model of teacher change (2002) and the idea that professional change primarily occurs as the result of gaining evidence of students’ learning rather than as the result of a change in teachers’ attitudes and beliefs. The feedback, in the form of an analysis of the students' learning process, that teachers receive on their educational practices is intended here to be an effective motivator toward PD. In continuity with Guskey's theory, the purpose of this contribution is to provide a qualitative exploration of the formative impact of a training program focused on supporting the teacher’s capacity for making students’ learning visible. In particular, the study aims to identify a) the set of professional skills enhanced through the training program as perceived by teachers; b) the training program methodologies and conditions that best foster the development of these skills.

The skills we are considering belong to the area of teacher professionalization, identified as “pedagogical-didactic,” and relate to the ability to design activities consistent, as well as the gathering and analysis of evidence of learning outcomes, the formative feedback provided to students. Most of these skills can be associated with the professional profile of the so-called “teacher-as-researcher”. This connection between PD and the definition of teacher as researcher relies on the idea that teacher professionalization is dependent on the teachers ability to a) adopt an inquiry-based approach to his or her own teaching and, b) use this approach to observe and to collect data on the educational process and then to reflect on it.

The paper presents a study on Swiss teachers' workplace learning which explores workspace learning processes of experienced teachers. More specifically, a qualitative research approach is used to explore how teachers' professional learning occurs in practice, triggered by a continuous professional development program.

Workplace learning of teachers is seen as learning embedded in daily classroom activities in order to cope with the demands. Both formal and job-embedded workplace learning are considered (Hallinger & Kulophas, 2020). The latter has become more important in a knowledge-based society that is constantly changing due to technological and societal developments (Lecat et al., 2020). Research on workplace learning is a rather young field that has expanded considerably since the 1990s due to the changes in work and is now broadly based and interdisciplinary. Initially more at home in workplace education (Dehnbostel, 2018), there have been an increasing number of studies on teachers' workplace learning in recent years (X. Huang & Lai, 2020). An important topic is the distinction between formal and informal learning (L. Huang & Liew, 2021). The consensus is that both forms play an important role, with Workplace Learning focusing on informal learning (Tynjälä, 2008). Studies in the school field have become more numerous in the last decade. They refer, for example, to learning activities and learning outcomes of usually experienced teachers as well as to conditions that promote learning in the work process (e.g. Louws et al., 2017)). A central aspect of the debate on teachers' workplace learning is the question of how to further develop teachers' professional competences in a sustainable way, with much attention being paid to the link between formal and informal learning (Geeraerts et al., 2018).

The continuous professional development program mentioned is a comprehensive and practice-based procedure for data-supported teaching development called STEEV (simultaneously teaching and evaluation that is effective and visible; in german: LUUISE) (Beywl & Odermatt, 2019). STTEV draws on research on teaching (e.g. Helmke & Weinert, 2021) and further education (e.g. Lipowsky & Rzejak, 2021). In addition, it fosters "evaluative thinking" (Dunn & Hattie, 2021): teachers plan ahead thinking about how they can check and also pro-mote the success of their teaching by means of own data collections. The change of perspective, "seeing through the eyes of the learners" (Hattie, 2009), is crucial: Questionnaire results are made visible to everyone in the class as soon as possible. The STEEV process strengthens the expertise of teachers by supporting them to address pedagogical challenges effectively and to achieve high teaching goals. STEEV is applicable to all subjects at all levels of education. Specific features of the programme are the high practical orientation and the close support of the participants by coaches during the planning of a data-based teaching intervention, the implementation in the classroom, which usually lasts several weeks, and the collegial reflection.