Abstract:

This study is designed to explore Palestinian teachers’ beliefs and understanding of what ‘genuine learning’ is. Each year the AlQuds Bard Master of Arts in Teaching Program admits a cohort of approximately 70 in-service teachers. This two-year program aims at qualifying teachers to effectively implement student-centered learning and reflective practice in the classroom. These objectives are reached via the following activities: intensive studies in the disciplines with a key goal of helping teachers become practitioners who understand the construction of knowledge in their respective fields; completion of an academic research project (ARP) in the subject area that serves as a model for learning designs in school classrooms; advanced studies in critical areas of education, like recent cognitive research on instruction and learning, connected directly to the daily practice of teaching; completion of a classroom research project (CRP) that engages teachers in the use of student work as data to drive instructional design and practices; working in a community of practice that reinforces learning, building a model of collaboration that sustains professional growth and reflective practice beyond the life of the graduate program. At the start of their two-year journey, teachers are enrolled in an intensive three-week course which focuses on teaching, genuine learning, and how the mind works. Day-to-day activities provoke reflections and questions on their experiences as learners and teachers . This study will be an exploration of the impact of this course on their beliefs and understandings of teaching and learning. Data is collected from their reflections and self-reported surveys administered before and after this course. Findings demonstrate that the majority of teachers have ‘fixed mindsets with some growth ideas’ and a few have growth mindsets with some fixed ideas. Moreover, their understanding of students-centered learning is greatly focused on increased enjoyment in the classroom but with limited understanding of genuine learning.

Keywords:

Teacher Education, Reflective Practice, Teaching and Learning.