Teachers’ reflections of cooperative learning (CL): a two‐year follow‐up

Although teachers often report that they subscribe to cooperative learning (CL) to help students attain social and academic goals, research indicates that they often have difficulties implementing and sustaining their commitment. The purpose of this study is to report on the reflections of seven middle‐year teachers who had embedded CL in their social science curriculum for the past two years to investigate their responses to this pedagogical practice, and to gauge their perceptions of how students with behavioural and learning needs responded to it. Data from the interviews indicated that all teachers believed that their lessons were more interesting, the children learned more, they felt more confident, and they often learnt to work more closely with their colleagues. However, all teachers did note that CL needed to be well planned, students needed to be prepared to work in groups, and teachers’ expectations needed to be explicitly stated if the benefits attributed to CL were to be realised.     

Setting Targets: developing perspectives during a staff‐development programme

Abstract

This paper provides a report of a continuing staff development programme within a faculty of initial teacher education in a college of higher education, funded by the DTI sponsored Enterprise Awareness in Teacher Education (EATE) initiative. It describes the context for the programme, explores its objectives, considers the programme format and reflects upon its outcomes from the viewpoint of its participants and the effects within the institution.     

Strategy‐based development of teacher educators' ICT competence through a co‐operative staff development project

An ICT strategy and an implementation plan for teacher education were created in a co‐operative process. Visions and expectations of staff members and students were registered by questionnaires and by making notes during sessions in which the strategy was created. Thereafter, an implementation document, where the staff development programme and plans of how to develop ICT infrastructure and to integrate ICT to teacher education, was created. A large programme for staff ICT skills development was implemented and a new infrastructure (a new domain and websites etc.) was developed over a two‐year period. On the basis of staff self‐evaluation data, staff ICT skills developed substantially and ICT use as part of teacher education grew more versatile. On the basis of our experiences and the data collected during the project, a list of properties needed for a successful staff development project is given.

Une stratégie TIC et un plan de mise en ?uvre relatifs à la formation des enseignants ont été mis en place dans le cadre d'un processus coopératif. Les visions et les attentes des membres du personnel et des étudiants ont été répertoriées au moyen de questionnaires et en prenant des notes lors des sessions durant lesquelles la stratégie a été mise en place. Après cela, un document de mise en ?uvre portant sur le programme de développement du personnel et sur les plans visant à améliorer l'infrastructure TIC et à intégrer les TIC dans la formation des enseignants a été rédigé. Un programme extensif portant sur le développement des compétences en matière de TIC du personnel a été mis en ?uvre et une infrastructure nouvelle (nouveau domaine, sites Internet etc.) a été développée sur une période de deux ans. Sur la base des données d'auto‐évaluation du personnel, les compétences TIC du personnel ont connu une amélioration substantielle et le recours aux TIC dans la formation des enseignants est devenu plus varié.

Eine ICT‐Strategie und ein Realisierungsplan für die Lehrerausbildung wurden in einem kooperativen Prozess aufgebaut. Visionen und Erwartungen der Personalmitglieder und der Studenten wurden durch Fragebögen und Erfassung von Notizen in den Sitzungen ermittelt, in denen die Strategie erarbeitet wurde. Danach wurde ein Realisierungsdokument erstellt, das das Personalentwicklungsprogramm und die Pläne zur Entwicklung der ICT‐Infrastruktur und zur Integration der ICT in die Lehrerausbildung beinhaltete. Es wurde ein umfangreiches Programm für die Entwicklung der ICT‐Kenntnisse des Personals realisiert und eine neue Infrastruktur (eine neue Domain und Websites usw.) über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren entwickelt. Aufgrund der Selbstbewertungsdaten des Personals entwickelten sich ihre ICT‐Kenntnisse wesentlich und die Anwendung der ICT als ein Teil der Lehrerausbildung wurde vielseitiger.

En un proceso cooperativo se han creado una estrategia de TIC (Tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación) y un plan de implementación para la formación de profesores. Se han registrado los puntos de vista y las expectativas de los miembros del personal y de los alumnos mediante cuestionarios y tomando notas durante las sesiones en las que se creó la estrategia. Posteriormente, se redactó un documento de implementación, con el programa de desarrollo del personal y los planes sobre cómo desarrollar la infraestructura de TIC e integrar las TIC en la formación del profesorado. Se implementó un programa más grande para el desarrollo de las aptitudes en TIC del personal y se desarrolló una nueva infraestructura (nuevos dominio y sitios web, etc.) en un período de dos años. Sobre la base de los datos de la autoevaluación del personal, las aptitudes en TIC del personal se desarrollaron considerablemente y el uso de las TIC como parte de la formación del profesorado fue más versátil.     

A six‐month report on the personality development of a thirteen‐year‐old stuttering boy

THE PROSPECT OF RHETORIC. Edited by Lloyd F. Bitzer and Edwin Black. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice‐Hall, 1971; pp. xii+244. $7.95.     

Project stream: A 13‐year follow‐up of a pre‐college program for middle‐ and high‐school underrepresented gifted

This current, longitudinal study addresses two critical issues related to underrepresented gifted: identification and programming. As a follow‐up of minority and low‐income students identified as gifted in middle school, the study provides insight into the potential predictive value of specific gifted attributes on later academic performance: high‐school graduation, matriculation in an institution of higher learning, and completion of a college degree. Findings support the value of multiple forms of identification, specifically in problem‐solving, teacher identification of leadership ability, and grade point average. The study also evaluates the impact on academic outcomes of a long‐term, university/school pre‐college partnership program for middle‐ and senior‐high‐school underrepresented gifted. Results show a significant relationship between the level of student involvement in program activities and successful achievement of academic outcomes.     

Longitudinal study of stages of beginning teacher development in a field‐based teacher education program

Abstract

Field‐based teacher education programs are part of a growing trend in education to provide long‐term classroom teaching experience and acculturation to the school environment as part of the certification process. This article reports on a study of stages of teacher development across ½ years of full‐time teaching as teacher candidates work to complete coursework in fulfillment of a masters of education program. Beginning teachers completed a Teachers Concerns Checklist at six points in the program. Factor analysis and ANOVA were utilized to develop a chronology of stages across these years to inform programmatic development. Findings suggest reduced concerns for classroom management as full‐time teaching begins and increased concerns for delivery of instruction as teachers are immersed in full‐time teaching. Strong concerns for professional development emerge only after a full year of teaching. Implications for the academic program, supervision, and future research are discussed     

Evaluation of a university‐wide strategy providing staff development for tutors: effectiveness,relevance and local impact

In this article we report on the results of an evaluation of a two‐tiered strategic approach to the development of sessional teaching staff in one Australian university. Analysis of the data reveals a tension between the institutional imperatives underpinning the strategy and its local implementations. This tension ultimately undermines the effectiveness of such development strategies. We identify and describe various dimensions of this tension and its impact on programme quality and effectiveness and make recommendations for future strategic initiatives and their implementations.     

E‐mentoring for social equity: review of research to inform program development

The advent of user‐friendly email programs and web browsers created possibilities for widespread use of e‐mentoring programs. In this review of the research, we presented the history of e‐mentoring programs and defined e‐mentoring and structured e‐mentoring programs, focusing on large‐scale e‐mentoring programs that addressed issues of social equity and educational advancement. The literature reviewed spanned from the mid‐1990s to the present and included journal articles, reports, and book chapters on implemented e‐mentoring programs. The literature indicates that e‐mentoring is not a panacea, neither is it an inexpensive alternative to face‐to‐face mentoring. E‐mentoring is an alternative mode that facilitates the expansion of mentoring opportunities. The research we reviewed supported that the benefits associated with e‐mentoring mirrored the benefits associated with mentoring: informational, psychosocial, and instrumental. In addition, research supports two additional benefits of e‐mentoring: the value of impartiality and inter‐organizational connections, which were facilitated by the use of electronic communications. Research conducted on the programmatic features associated with e‐mentoring programs identified training, coaching, and group e‐mentoring as features that enhanced participant involvement. Our goal in providing a review of the research at this stage in the development of e‐mentoring was to facilitate increased understanding of the current research to enhance future research and programs and to advance e‐mentoring as a field.     

Development of a sex education programme for 12‐year‐old to 14‐year‐old Turkish adolescents

Previous research has documented a need for the development of a sex education programme in Turkish schools in terms of adolescence readiness and the presence of misconceptions regarding critical aspects of sexual issues. Currently no school‐based sex education is available for Turkish adolescents. This paper presents the development of a contemporary sex education programme for 12‐year‐old to 14‐year‐old adolescents, entitled ‘The Human Development Program for 12–14 Year Old Adolescents’. A five‐step programme development model was used including reviewing internationally recognised sex education programmes for this age group. Sexuality Information and Education Council of United States guidelines were chosen as an educational framework, and Turkish cultural values were integrated into the curriculum. The sex curriculum consists of an eight‐session interactive programme in which parental permission and involvement is required. Five units are presented: human development, relationships, sexual behaviour, sexual health, and society/culture. The programme and a related knowledge assessment tool were reviewed by a group of Turkish professionals and the validity of the educational content was received. The programme was piloted with a group of Turkish adolescents with positive results. Future recommendations include school counsellors implementing this sex educational programme into Turkish schools.     

One‐year teaching internships and the dimensions of beginning teacher development

The authors draw on data from weekly e‐mail responses to a questionnaire completed by beginning teachers placed in one‐year, paid, internships. Interns were assigned mentors who responded every several weeks, also via e‐mail, to a questionnaire about the interns and their development. Data from 23 interns were analyzed. Seven themes were identified that capture various dimensions of intern development. To portray the nature, direction and complexity of intern development, each of the dimensions is conceptualized in terms of opposable orientations to the defining aspect of each theme. The authors use the dimensions and their related orientations to organize the data for discussion. Conclusions related to each dimension are situated within the wider research literature on teacher development, and some similarities and differences are noted between this group of interns and what is widely reported about beginning teacher development.

One‐year teaching internships and the dimensions of beginning teacher development

All authors

Robert V. Bullough, Jr * , Janet Young & Roni Jo Draper

https://doi.org/10.1080/1354060042000224124

Published online:

04 August 2006

Table     

Teachers’ professional development for differentiated instruction in mixed-ability classrooms: investigating the impact of a development program on teachers’ professional learning and on students’ achievement

The present article reports the results of a study performed to investigate and examine the characteristics of a teachers’ professional development program (Teachers’ Professional Development Program for Differentiated Instruction [PDD]) specially designed to support teachers in the design and application of differentiated instruction. Considering the characteristics of high-quality professional development programs (i.e. active learning, collective participation, closely related to the curriculum and the existing teaching realities, sufficient duration and continuance), the PDD aimed to facilitate change in both attitudes and practices of the participants. The study provides evidence of the success of the program, both in terms of teacher professional development and student achievement, and discusses the elements that made this program successful.     

Changing cognitions in parents of two‐year‐olds attending Scottish Sure Start centres

The study examined how preschool intervention programmes set up by three Scottish local authorities changed parents’ cognitions. Quantitative parent outcomes were measured using Parenting Daily Hassles Scales (N = 88). A matched comparison group of parents (N = 55) recruited from the same areas of disadvantage but whose children did not attend the intervention programmes also completed questionnaires. Qualitative outcomes were evaluated using semi‐structured interviews (N = 30). A significant group × time interaction effect was found for daily hassle cognitions, Parenting Task–Intensity, Challenging Behaviour–Frequency and Challenging Behaviour–Intensity, with comparison group parents showing an increase in their experience of hassles during the ‘terrible twos’ compared with intervention group parents. Complementary qualitative data indicated that intervention group parents had gained valuable new insights into their children’s behaviour, changing how they thought about their role as parents and their behavioural and developmental expectations of their children. Implications for parental engagement in preschool programmes are discussed.     

Creating a school that matters: networking for school-community development

This study of the creation of a new upper secondary school in Iceland focuses on the way in which networking and collaboration across school boundaries contributed to a new form for school practice. The aim is to understand the value of school–community interaction and how the collaboration has expanded both the activities of the school and the local community. A cultural-historical approach is used to analyse how contradictions in practice act as catalysts for development. Data were generated over a three-year period mainly through ethnographic methods. The expansive learning theory provided methods for identifying contradictions and the way in which they were being addressed in developing the school. The interplay of conceptual and material tools was fundamental in dealing with the contradictions. The principal’s clear conceptual vision on the role of education for individuals and society supported by the ideology of the national curriculum facilitated the process. Digital applications and the Internet served as material tools for implementing and coordinating the new school. Networking across traditional boundaries widened the object of school learning and made school practice responsive to societal changes. To conclude: Transcending traditional boundaries through school-community collaboration have promoted a qualitative transformation in school learning.     

Manifestations of neoliberal discourses within a local job‐training program

The purpose of conducting this study was to understand how neoliberal discourses manifest within the local context of a short‐term, job‐training program offered at a two‐year college in the USA. Ethnographic data were collected at the local site through interviews, observations and document analysis. We then situated these data within a global context represented by a corpus of purposively selected national and international policy texts. Focusing on three components of discourse as social action—genres, representations and identities—the data analysis illuminated three interrelated themes relating to how institutional actors translated neoliberal discourses available at the global scale into practice. The ideological consequences for learners as well as examples of counter‐hegemonic resistance are discussed.     

Parent perceptions of the effects of the Saturday enrichment program on gifted students’ talent development

Based on survey responses from 187 parents of students who attended the Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) at the Center for Talent Development (CTD) of Northwestern University, this study showed that overall, parents perceived favorable effects of the program on their children's talent development, especially academic talent development. As a result of participation in the CTD program, parents perceived that their children gained scholastic skills or knowledge, were more motivated to learn and interested in the subject areas they studied, and gained academic competence. After the program parents had higher academic expectations for their children. Parents felt positively about instructional aspects of the program such as focusing on a single subject in depth and breadth, experiencing interdisciplinary perspectives across subject areas, and having experiential learning opportunities. They also perceived that the SEP classes provided their children with both challenge and enjoyment. Despite the perceived benefits of SEP, results also showed that the majority of parents were still reluctant to pursue additional further educational actions inside or outside of school for their children after completing the program. However, of those who contacted their children's local schools, almost half said that their children received more challenging work (e.g., accepted and/or placed into advanced enrichment programs or other gifted programs/groupings in school, recommended for gifted programs, given additional materials or work, or skipped grades) as a result.     

Industry‐related Work in Initial Teacher Education: a decade of development

Abstract

In the last decade, against a background of growing links between industry and schools, industry‐related work in teacher education has undergone a considerable expansion, in terms of numbers of courses, of time devoted and of numbers of students involved. Influences on this expansion have included the initiatives of individuals, the work of link organisations, course criteria in OES circulars, a spreading conviction of the relevance of industry‐related work to the personal and professional development of teachers, the stimulus of networks and partnerships of institutions and industries and the work of specific externally‐funded projects, including Industrial and Commercial Perspectives in Initial Teacher Education (ICP) and Enterprise Awareness in Teacher Education (EATE). During this period there has been a ‘conceptual shift’ in the idea of industry‐related work to include enterprise capability, as well as economic and industrial understanding; in tune with this shift, the accent in courses has been increasingly placed on practical experience and negotiated investigational activities.