Primary Connections: Stage 3: interim research and evaluation report No. 2: Professional learning facilitators’ workshop January 2006

Authors

Mark W. Hackling, Edith Cowan University

Document Type

Report

Publisher

Australian Academy of Science

Place of Publication

Canberra

Faculty

Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences

School

School of Education

Comments

Hackling, M. W. (2006). Primary Connections: Stage 3: interim research and evaluation report No. 2: Professional learning facilitators’ workshop January 2006. Canberra: Australian Academy of Science.

Abstract

The following recommendations follow from the analysis of the data and the discussion of findings: (1) There is a need for the Academy of Science to be actively involved in continued and high level advocacy for making science a priority in the primary school curriculum and for adequate jurisdictional resourcing of professional learning facilitators so that they have time to prepare for and present professional learning workshops. (2) Although a large proportion of professional learning facilitators (PLFs) have developed high levels of confidence anself-efficacy for professional learning facilitation, there are a significant number who need further training and support to raise their confidence to the point that they will actively seek out opportunities for professional learning facilitation. All PLFs will need on-going support, co-ordination and training in relation to facilitationand assessment in science. 3. Findings from the evaluation of the January 2006 workshop need to be translated into an improved programme and folder design for a further workshop in January 2007 that will be needed to train additional PLFs given that many of the 2006 trained PLFs are based in schools and will have limited opportunities to work with other schools other than their own. The professional learning modules need to be subject to a systematic evaluation as PLFs gradually gain experience with facilitating workshops based on these resources. Evaluation data needs to be used to direct the revision of thes January 2007 workshop.