A study of facilitating primary and middle (grade 4, 5, 6 and 7) science teachers' professional development and reflective practice for constructive curriculum alignment in a private school in Lahore, Pakistan

Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Philosophy in Education (MPhil Ed.)

First Advisor

Dr Meher Rizvi

Department

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Abstract

Professional development of teachers for constructive curriculum alignment requires a transformative approach. This study aimed to facilitate the professional development and reflective practice of primary and middle school Science teachers (Grades 4 to 7) in a private school in Lahore, Pakistan. Multiple data gathering tools were used through collaborative action research done during the reconnaissance phase, interviews, document review and observations identified several challenges faced by teachers. The observations included perceived misconception by the teachers that textbooks and documented curriculum are interchangeable. The teachers also had limited knowledge of Bloom’s Taxonomy and mainly focused on the lower levels  like memorization. To overcome these challenges, two intervention cycles were implemented. In Cycle-1, a seminar was arranged for the teachers to make them aware of baseline knowledge about Bloom’s taxonomy and understating of the curriculum as the foundation of constructive curriculum alignment. Cycle-2 focused on the backward model and collaborative work on SLOs. Moreover, Cycle-2 unveiled ethical usage of AI tools such as the Khanmigo tool for formative assessment. After these sessions, teachers created a unit plan in cycle 2 and implemented it in the post-intervention phase. Together the two cycles of the action research achieved targeted objectives like the application of curriculum alignment and Bloom’s Taxonomy: the written, taught and assessed curriculum. The teachers learnt to have critical review of the curriculum and how to link learning outcomes with instruction, assessment and their application. Findings of this study illustrated that teacher motivation and inspirations elevate with greater autonomy and better involvement. The study also found that for professional growth of teachers, improvement in teaching practices and for adoption of sustainable teaching methodologies, it is crucial to provide teachers with a supportive environment, better collaboration and reflection, greater autonomy, empathetic leadership  and improved curriculum literacy.

First Page

1

Last Page

142

This document is available in the relevant AKU library.

Share

COinS