Hybrid and Virtual Educational Simulation Games (vESGs) for the Remote Learning Era

Virtual educational simulation games (vESGs) promote unique combinations of learning interactions and affordances to create environments with which students can engage to effectively learn about complex phenomena and processes in multiple domains. Using the GlobalEd vESG as an example case throughout the chapter, the authors discuss (1) the key functions and experiences that vESGs provide to learners; (2) the types of valuable student interactions that can be expected when playing a vESG and strategies for maximizing these interactions for learning; (3) strategies for teacher implementation and adaptation of vESGs, as well as professional development programs to support their use of vESGs in classrooms; and (4) observed benefits of using vESGs as evidenced from over a decade of implementation of the GlobalEd vESG in authentic classroom settings.

Effective Teacher Professional Development Programs. A Case Study Focusing on the Development of Mathematical Modeling Skills

A concern in Mathematics Education is the professional development of the teacher and to promote effective training programs. The literature provides principles guiding the design of such programs, which were considered for an instruction intended to strengthen the teacher’s practice in relation to the development of mathematical skills. The objective of this work was to study if the designed program was effective, in relation to the impact on the teacher’s teaching. A case study on a group of in-service teachers focused on the ability of mathematical modeling (MM) and their perspectives of this skill was carried out. This was divided into three moments: before, during, and after the program. The findings show that, before the program, teachers conceived modeling from epistemological, pragmatic and conceptual perspectives; during the program, they focused on the pragmatic and educational perspectives; and at the end of the program, the group was stripped of the pragmatic, epistemological and conceptual perspectives to move towards the educational and socio-critical. They were also able to justify the choice or disassociation of one or more of them. The study advances towards the concretion of more specific and robust professional development programs for mathematics teachers.

The reality of implementing professional development programs for Jeddah Secondary Public Schools Female teachers and means to develop them in light of KSA’s 2030 Vision from Schools Leadership Supervisory Perspectives: واقع تطبيق برامج التنمية المهنية لدى قائدات المدارس الثانوية الحكومية في جدة وسبل تطويرها في ضوء رؤية 2030 من وجهة نظر مشرفات القيادة المدرسية

This study aimed to discover the status of implementing the professional development programs for female school leaders in secondary public schools in Jeddah from the perspectives of school leadership supervisors as well as the means of improving these programs in light of 2030 Vision. The study adopted the mixed method research design and utilized the questionnaire as a tool to collect data from a sample of (22) school leaders’ supervisors. Findings revealed that secondary school leaders in Jeddah do apply professional development programs in relation to making decision and strategic planning domains in light of 2030 Vision at a moderate level. Also, findings revealed that the effectiveness of professional development programs for educational leaders at schools is manifested in these programs being participatory, have clear and systematic goals, continuous, enriching and sustainable. The study concluded with a recommendation to provide workshops and training programs to support the school leaders, and to encourage and motivate school leaders to continue to follow up on strategic planning practices on monthly and annual basis.

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN PENGEMBANGAN KEPROFESIAN GURU SMP NEGERI 1 PONTIANAK MELALUI PENILAIAN DIRI

This research is a survey research to determine teacher professional development programs that can be carried out by schools through teacher self-assessment. The results of this study can be used to determine professional development programs that can be carried out by schools based on self-assessment according to the needs of teachers. The self-assessment carried out by the teacher to analyze the need for Teacher Professional Development is carried out with a questionnaire that includes a person's strengths and weaknesses, Desired or required Career or Professional Development and the reasons for choosing the career development. Based on the survey, it can be seen that there is a comparison between the strengths of teachers and their weaknesses for the four competencies that teachers must have, it is also in accordance with the professional development program needed to improve the four competencies of teachers. Keywords: Self-Assessment, Teacher Professional Development

One-On-One Technology Mentoring for In-Service Teachers: The Experiences of Future ICT Coordinators

With the increasing demands of technology integration by the institutions, educators felt the need to develop themselves professionally. In this study, as a way of professional development, we focused on one-on-one technology mentoring for in-service teachers because the experiences of mentors would shed light on professional development programs in the context of both mentors’ progress and mentoring in-service teachers. Mentors for teachers were assigned to facilitate teachers’ ICT usage and ICT integration skills. The mentorship implementation lasted two semesters with 42 mentors’ participation. The determination of the content of the mentoring process was completely based on the needs and interests of the teachers. After the implementation, the perceptions and experiences of the mentors were asked and coded through content analysis. According to the analysis, the responses of the mentors were grouped into five main categories; (a) affordances of the technology mentoring process, (b) the contribution of the project to the teachers, (c) the contribution of the project to the mentors, (d) the challenges experienced by the mentors, and (e) the weaknesses of and the suggestions for the mentoring process. The findings of this study indicated that future ICT coordinators believed that one-on-one technology mentoring in real school settings is an effective way not only for training in-service teachers but also for creating awareness of being an ICT coordinator and developing ICT mentoring skills.

Teachers' Knowledge and Use of Evidenced-Based Practices for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

The evidenced-based practices (EBPs) movement in the field of special education began ~20 years ago. This study contributes to that literature. It investigates the teachers' knowledge and use of EBPs to teach students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. The Teachers' Knowledge and Use of EBPs Survey was administered to 240 special education teachers. The participants generally reported a medium level of knowledge and use of EBPs for students with ASD. Female teachers' use of EBPs was greater than that of males, and teachers who attended more than five professional development programs reported greater use of EBPs than those that attended fewer programs. Knowledge and use of EBPs were related. Gender and professional development programs were predictors of teachers' use of EBPs for students with ASD. Teachers' knowledge of EBPs for students with ASD is a vital indicator of teachers' use of those practices, professional development programs can improve such knowledge and use, and teachers' use of EBPs for students with ASD could be improved by offering high-quality professional development programs.

Features of periodic accreditation of specialists in the specialties «Disinfection», «Parasitology» and other specialties in 2021

The article highlights in detail the features of the periodic accreditation of specialists in 2021, gives detailed recommendations to doctors on the formation of an educational trajectory and on the preparation of documents for accreditation. The authors present the rules of operation of the Federal Accreditation Center, listed regulatory legal documents. Keywords: primary accreditation of specialists, professional development programs, portfolio, Department of Parasitology and Disinfection.

English Language Teachers’ Perceptions of PAAET’s Professional Development Programs: Implications on Guideline Formulation for Training Programs

Teachers’ professional development is a life-long and continuous process in which teachers are expected to upgrade their knowledge, master new skills, and change their practices, since advancement in their teaching career has an impact on their students’ achievement and education reform. This study determines the teachers’ assessment of professional development programs at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait. The study utilized a quantitative research method using a survey questionnaire, which was distributed online to 31 in-service teachers. Results indicated the infrequency of teachers’ development program in the institution. Teachers who had stayed at least nine years had undergone 1 to 3 training programs. Training on soft skills is perceived to be relatively more effective than training on hard skills. Nevertheless, majority of the teachers attended relatively more hard-skills training than soft-skills training programs. Thus, hard-skills training should further be planned to improve effectiveness since more training is provided in these areas.