Independent Study proposal

Franco Mosso
Motivation/relevance:
Teachers hold enormous influence over learning, both their students’ and their own. Recognizing that,
institutions and governments around the world invest time and resources in the professional development of
educators, in the hope that teachers and principals with greater mastery will lead to greater learning outcomes
for students. Yet, also around the world it is still unclear how the impact flows from the teacher development
sessions to the day-to-day work. This study will aim to unravel the dynamics of how educators take what they
learn and convert that knowledge into applied practice, and ultimately into greater mastery of teaching and
learning. The results will be useful to improve the design of teacher professional development.
Research question:

 How do teachers/principals1 incorporate innovations and professional development into their daily
practice?2
Possible Sub research questions:

 How do teacher/principals choose what and when to apply?

 Which environmental factors (i.e. school climate, principal leadership, learning structures, district
regulation) advance or hinder the application of new learnings?
 Which kinds or learning originate in the minds of educators? Does this influence what they take to
practice?
 In the mind of an educator, what makes something worthy of use?
 To which degree do educators feel that applying learning to their work is a solitary exercise?
 What makes a teacher excited about applying a new innovation or professional development tool?
 How does application of an innovation relate to the feeling of mastery of that same innovation? At
which point the teacher/principal feels a master at what she is applying?
 Beyond learning techniques, how does a change in mindset happen when an educator is learning?
 Is there a gap between the model in the mind of the trainers and the trainees?
Sample and setting:
Two options:
- A cohort of educators (teachers and principals) who are part of a process of professional development
in a specific program.
- Cohorts of educators (teachers and principals) who are part of a process of professional development
in programs run by multiple institutions.
Methods:
This study would use ethnographic tools as its main method, combining:
- Observations of professional development spaces and school settings (classrooms, learning meetings)
- Interviews with professional educators undergoing a professional development program.
- Other actors: educators conducting the professional development.
Timeframe: from February until May

11
At first I thought of focusing this research in a cohort of the Sizer Perrone Institute, but I am unsure about what you
think and it timing is right.
2
Is this the right wording? Another might be: how do educators translate profesional development to their practice.