Teacher learning and instructional change: How formal and on-the-job learning opportunities predict changes in elementary school teachers' instructional practice

Abstract

Recent education reform has emphasized the importance of teacher learning in improving
classroom instruction and raising student achievement. This article focuses on teachers’
learning opportunities, including formal professional development and on-the-job learning that
occurs through interactions with colleagues. Using data from 30 elementary schools in a midsized
urban school district, the authors concurrently explore the relationships between
teachers’ formal professional development and on-the-job learning opportunities and instructional
change. Results suggest that formal professional development and on-the-job opportunities
to learn are both significantly associated with changes in teachers’ instructional practice
in mathematics and English language arts.

Parise, L. M., & Spillane, J. P. (2010). Teacher learning and instructional change: How formal and on-the-job learning opportunities predict changes in elementary school teachers' instructional practice. Elementary School Journal, 110(3), 323-346.