Database of Publications

Date: 2013.11.25

Posted by Gamze Özbek (Turkey)

Message: This paper attracts the attentions onto a study which was conducted in the Northern region of Portugal with the aim of figuring out the relationship between teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace. Data were collected with the help of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and written reflective accounts. Totally, 80 teachers took part in the first phase, 11 key informants took place in the second phase and 10 teachers took place in an intervention/training project (the third phase). Finding illustrates that problems and restraints which are associated with collaborative work are located in the organizational level, such as time and working conditions. I think the document is in the framework of logic, since it puts emphasis on the fact that cooperation between teachers has a beneficial effect on their professional improvement. The cooperation between teachers has already took place, but it is uncertain whether it was informally or with courses which are arranged by the government or the school. Sometimes, one can find inefficiency in terms of opportunities. The teachers can broaden the collaboration because many teachers have the ability for attaining from sharing experience and they gain much more motivation to enhance their abilities, which also affect their personal satisfaction in a positive way. The paper also consists of a summary of a research which was carried out so as to learn the teachers’ opinion regarding collaboration and its importance for teaching effectiveness, working conditions, and school reality. Paper illustrates very eccentric results for workplace and collaborative abilities of teachers .in every sort of branch, not only the chemistry teachers but also talking about recommend and motivate the experience of different perspectives and strategies for teaching and learning and for collaborative work which refers to a very useful tool to encourage teachers and has a lot of contributions to their professional improvement in a positive manner.

Date: 2013.07.17

Posted by Vlastimil Dudytek (Czech Republic)

Message: The paper presents a study of relationship between teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace. The research was conducted in the Northern region of Portugal. In my opinion, the document is relevant because it points out that cooperation between teachers can be fruitful for their professional development. The cooperation between teachers has already occurred, either informal or within the framework of courses organized by the government or by the school. Sometimes, there is still a lack of opportunities. The collaboration could be extended because many teachers can gain from sharing experience and they are motivated to develop their skills resulting also in their personal satisfaction.

Date: 2013.06.11

Posted by Maria Smrekova (Slovakia)

Message: This paper presents the topic about teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace among teachers in Portugal. Paper shows that nowadays it is assumed that teachers’ collaboration influences teaching and improves students’ knowledge. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and written reflective accounts. In total, 80 teachers participated in step 1, 11 key informants participated in step 2 and 10 teachers participated in an intervention/training project in step 3. The research questions in focus and the main conclusions achieved by the authors are practically illustrated through a bulleted list that makes the content easy to catch and understand. The paper includes the summary of a research in teachers’ opinion about collaboration and its value for teaching effectiveness, working conditions and school reality. In our schol we are focusing on training in collaboration, and issues such as motivation and personal difficulties, because teachers tend to stress the importance of interpersonal relationships at school, but they also identified formal meetings when they described the contexts and opportunities to work collaboratively in the workplace. Paper shows very interesting results for workplace and collaborative skills of teachers, of all the teaching branches, not only the chemistry teachers, but rather, speaking about suggest and encourage the experience of different approaches and methods for teaching and learning and for collaborative work describing a very efficient mean to motivate teachers and positively contributes to their professional development.

Date: 2013.06.10

Posted by Nadia Zamboni (Italy)

Message: The document is important because it underlines the importance and the meaning of ‘collaboration’ among teachers in the workplace, in terms of training and professional growth. \' Collaboration work \' is not always simple, but teachers are aware of the value of a collaborative approach discovering new pathways of teaching and learning.
The findings on collaboration at school emerge from a research in a school in the North of Portugal which involves one hundred teachers with different roles. The contents of this publication are therefore relevant because it is directly inspired by teachers’ work and suitable to many school situations in which teachers want to develop an innovative learning community.
In the pubblication there are relevant issues for all teachers, not specifically for chemistry teachers; collaboration is highlighted as a solution for all kind of problems in education field, in fact it is considered the ideal way to ensure teachers’ professional development and to improve students’ skills.
Theacher’s work needs continuous learning and change, but it depends on the willingness of the teachers and on the structure of the school, which has to give opportunities for training and collaboration.
Collaboration work helps teachers to escape from individualism and foster them in sharing experiences, discussing issues linked to the daily life of the classes, discovering new ways to teach.
There aren’t specific suggestion for chemistry teachers, but the publication suggest and encourage collaborative work for all teachers, which are suitable for our National context, as well. The authors, referring to several publications, describe collaboration as a complex term which hides different form such as team teaching, collaborative planning, peer coaching, mentoring, professional dialogue and collaborative action research. Collaboration implies sharing and interaction, not a mere cooperation, therefore relationships among members of a group or a team are extremely important.
Collaborative culture can be actually efficient if belongs to the school culture and becomes an integrated part of teachers’ work, through the promotion of collaborative practices and/or projects, closely linked to the school’s reality and identity .
In this way, collaboration provides a lot of benefits to the teachers in terms of energy to:
overcome lack of motivation and difficulties inside the classroom
get new ideas
discover new approaches and methodology
relieve planning work
get interaction and interdisciplinary.
At the end collaboration gives advantages in training as well as in teacher professional development, but sometime it is difficult because of lack of time and working conditions and it is reduced to few formal meetings, in which teachers can’t discuss their real needs. The findings of this reports, finally, underline the importance of the formal and informal meetings, the first ones moving for compulsory demands of the school, the last ones linked to the local expectation of the teachers of the school.

Date: 2013.06.06

Posted by Luiza Wezyk (Poland)

Message: This article reports on findings from research aimed at investigating teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace. It draws upon a broader study carried out in a school in Northern Portugal. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and written reflective accounts. In total, 80 teachers participated in phase 1, 11 key informants participated in phase 2 and 10 teachers participated in an intervention/training project (phase 3). Findings suggest that problems and limitations in relation to collaborative work are situated at the organisational level, such as time and working conditions. Lack of training in collaboration, and issues such as motivation and personal difficulties, also emerged from the data. Teachers tend to stress the importance of interpersonal relationships at school, but they also identified formal meetings when they described the contexts and opportunities to work collaboratively in the workplace, namely department meetings and projects driven by central government or school administration initiatives. Implications for teacher collaboration and professional development are discussed.

Date: 2013.05.29

Posted by Françoise Derwa (Collège Sainte-Véronique) (Belgium)

Message: This publication presents the results of a research on the interest of teachers’ collaborative work. The text also illustrates the authors’ main conclusions, highlighting that nowadays it is assumed that teachers’ collaboration influences teaching and improves students’ knowledge. The teachers’ good opinion of those approaches makes collaborative work a good way to motivate teachers and positively contributes to their professional development.
The research questions in focus and the main conclusions achieved by the authors are practically illustrated through a bulleted list that makes the content easy to catch and understand.
The paragraph that explains the authors’ conclusions is the most relevant one for chemistry teachers because it gives the opportunity to understand effectively which points of the research are the most significant. Reading the conclusions teachers can quickly learn the teachers’ opinion of the approaches, the strengths and weaknesses.
Also the bulleted list summering the research questions has a relevant role in the understanding process of the publication; it’s indeed very useful to know which are the starting issue to solve before consider the results achieved by the authors.
This text does not specifically address chemistry (nor science) teaching but rather, speaking about suggest and encourage the experience of different approaches and methods for teaching and learning, the publication concerns collaborative work describing a very efficient mean to motivate teachers and positively contributes to their professional development.

Date: 2013.05.16

Posted by Charizanos Panagiotis (Greece)

Message: 1) Why is this publication relevant?
This paper highlights the issue teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace among teachers in Portugal.
In this way, the publication above includes the summary of a research in teachers’ opinion about collaboration and its value for teaching effectiveness, working conditions and school reality. As the authors stated “The existence of supportive working conditions for sharing experiences at school is central to enhance teacher motivation and job satisfaction and, therefore, authentic and productive collaborative work”.

2) Which parts of this publication underline relevant issues for chemistry teachers?
The publication offers interesting results for workplace and collaborative skills of teachers, of all the teaching branches, not only the Chemistry Teachers. The results given will help teachers and educational leadership policy to make the right suggestions for the future.

3) Are present in the paper recent findings in the field of chemistry that can be used for the teaching at upper secondary school?
Findings of the research, suggest that problems and limitations in relation to collaborative work are situated at the organizational level, such as time and working conditions. Lack of training in collaboration, and issues such as motivation and personal difficulties, have also been indicated to affect teachers’ effectiveness. It is also mentioned that among others, job satisfaction, personal recognition and work visibility are identified as basic factors as well.
Sharing ideas and experiences will help to surpass the existing professional individualist cultures, being undoubtedly a positive aspect to school environment and students learning. These cultures should be encouraged at school by providing to teachers the needed support to put them in practice. Basic factor to achieve the above is the leadership of the educational organization or school in general