Title:
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A case study of a pilot teacher study group in Senegal
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This case study describes the experience of an American researcher and eight
Senegalese high school English teachers piloting a teacher study group (TSG) in order
to explore whether TSGs might be effective as professional development in Senegal.
The most effective forms of professional development support teacher learning in both
content and pedagogy, taking into account the importance of context, culture, and
personal experience. In Senegal, resources for professional development are limited
and teachers face challenges that include large class size, limited instructional
resources, and the pressure of high stakes testing. TSGs, a type of collaborative
professional development, could meet the criteria of effective professional
development activities while being feasible in the challenging educational landscape of
Senegal. This study sought to discover if implementing TSGs could be logistically
feasible, if they could have value as professional development in that setting, and if the
participants (teachers and administrators) saw value in them as professional
development.
The results of this study indicate that logistically it does seem feasible to form
TSGs in Senegal. The challenges that faced this group do not seem insurmountable. It
seems that this group could be an effective form of professional development because
not only did the teachers engage in discussions which deepened their pedagogical and
content knowledge through collaborative reflection, but they did this in a manner
consistent with their context and culture. The teachers, without exception, perceived
their participation in the group as a valuable learning experience. The administrators'
perceptions of the groups were varied, but more positive than negative. Overall, TSGs
seem to be a valuable professional development activity to explore further in Senegal
and in other settings facing similar challenges. How TSGs could be adapted to meet
the needs of teachers and administrators is discussed using insights gained from this
group's experience.
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