Internships as Commencement: Mathematics and Science Research Experiences as Catalysts for Preservice Teacher Professional Development

Among the initiatives of the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP) is a summer research internship program that places preservice middle grades teachers in extended collaboration with professional mathematicians, scientists, and educators engaged in research and curriculum development activities. We describe the MCTP internship program including the rationale for and structural features of the program. We also highlight the effects of the internship experience on preservice teachers' conceptions of and beliefs about the nature and processes of mathematics and science, and the teaching of mathematics and science. Our findings suggest that the internship experience is a fundamentally significant life experience for preservice teachers. Furthermore, internships have the potential for realizing reform in mathematics and science education; that is, preservice teachers who have participated in MCTP internships intend to bring a holistic, conceptually oriented view of mathematics and science to their classrooms. The paper concludes with a summary of ongoing programmatic and logistical challenges of the MCTP internship program. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Undergraduates' attitudes and beliefs about subject matter and pedagogy measured periodically in a reform‐based mathematics and science teacher preparation program

This study describes the design and use of a valid and reliable instrument to measure teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science and the teaching of those subjects. The instrument, Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Mathematics and Science, was developed for the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a statewide, standards‐based project in the National Science Foundation's Collaborative in Excellence in Teaching Preparation (CETP) Program. We report on two applications of the instrument: (a) a contrast between MCTP teacher candidates' and non‐MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science as they initially encountered reform‐based instruction in their undergraduate courses, and (b) a landscaping of how the MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and science evolved over a 2.5‐year period. In support of current reform in science and mathematics teacher education, we determined that over an extended period the MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs moved substantively and significantly in the direction intended. However, we also found that the non‐MCTP teacher candidates in the same reform‐based courses did not mirror this improvement in their attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science or the teaching of those subjects. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 713–737, 2002     

Demonstrating the impact of educational development: The case of a course design collaborative

While universities hold expectations that new colleagues demonstrate high levels of expertise, many recently graduated PhDs are under-prepared for their teaching roles. This case study assessed the impact of an institutionally sponsored, collaborative course design initiative on the professional learning of early-career academics in a research-intensive university in Canada. The initiative was framed as educational development: the integration of faculty, instructional, curriculum, and organizational development in a holistic approach to professional learning. The case documents the impact of a 5-day workshop on course design and teaching complemented with three cycles of classroom observation and feedback, and a monthly discussion group on teaching. Across 10 participants, three strong patterns of results emerged with respect to teaching beliefs, practices and confidence about teaching.     

To What Extent Do Reform-prepared Upper Elementary and Middle School Science Teachers Maintain Their Beliefs and Intended Instructional Actions as they are Inducted into Schools?

We report the results of survey research that collected responses of an identical sample (31 beginning mathematics and science teachers, elementary and middle school level) that graduated from a reform-based mathematics and science teacher preparation program, the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP). We compared responses of the same beginning teachers over the two administrations of the survey. The 1st administration was conducted soon after the beginning teachers graduated from the MCTP program, but had not started full teaching. The 2nd administration was conducted after the new teachers had taught full time for a minimum of a full year, with the majority having taught for 2 years. Results indicated that in all areas the MCTP teachers maintained their reform-based beliefs.     

美国高校教师教学专业发展探析 --以西南密苏里州立大学为例

美国西南密苏里州立大学十分重视教学工作.为了保障教学质量,它重视教师的教学专业发展,开辟多种多样的途径,提供丰富的培训内容,在资金、时间和组织等方面为教师教学专业发展提供强有力的支持,并建立有效的激励机制.     

New Books

ABSTRACT

How can we best support instructors to learn, practice, and retain student-centered, active-learning teaching strategies in their undergraduate courses? While approaches like professional development workshops may inspire some, permanent adoption of new pedagogy is rare. Here, we investigate “paired teaching” to achieve adoption and continued use of evidence-based practices. In this model, an instructor with little or no experience in student-centered teaching is paired with an experienced instructor in a semester-long course that has established student-centered pedagogy. This study evaluates information from eight pairs of instructors over a three-year period. Data was collected before, during, and after the paired teaching semester through interviews, written reflections, and teaching observations. Results indicate that paired teaching is beneficial as a professional development model for new instructors who have little teaching experience. The teaching practice of these instructors evolved to be increasingly student-centered, and they continued to use this pedagogy in subsequent classes. More established instructors who were less familiar with active learning showed lower tendencies to incorporate new pedagogies into their existing classes. We suggest best practices to maximize benefits and mitigate challenges associated with paired teaching.     

高校教师考核工作之探讨与思考

高校教师考核工作主要是对教师的工作表现、业务水平、工作成绩进行检查评价,是高校师资管理的一个重要组成部分。做好师资考核工作对促进高校师资队伍建设、提高教师素质有着重要作用。高校教师考核是一项极其复杂的工作,因此对高校教师的考核要充分考虑到其工作的特殊性,从而调动高校教师的积极性,促使教师各安其职,推动高等教育事业持续快速发展。     

浅谈高校青年教师师德建设

高校青年教师是教师队伍中的一支生力军。加强青年教师师德建设，提高他们的师德修养，显得尤为重要。青年教师队伍其整体和主流是好的，但在师德建设中目前仍存在一些问题。要采取有力措施，加强师德教育，重视师德修养，加强师德培训，完善师德规范，不断提高青年教师的师德水平。     

教学学术:大学教师发展不可或缺的维度

教学是大学的原生功能,是大学教师的主要职业活动。教学学术的提出拓展了学术的内涵,对大学教师的专业发展具有重要意义。教学学术既是大学教师专业发展的重要内容,也是大学教师专业发展的重要途径。教学学术视野下,要促进大学教师的专业发展,需要构建良好外部环境,重新认识教学与教学学术,健全大学教师专业发展的组织机构,完善大学教师培训制度,也需要注重教师个体自主发展,加强理论学习,反思教学实践,开展行动研究等。     

大学教师的专业发展：教学智慧及生成

教学智慧的生成是大学教师专业发展的重要内容。生成教学智慧有利于增强大学教师在专业发展中的自主性,有利于增强大学教师的职业幸福感。积极投身教学实践,自觉学习教育理论,深入开展教学反思和教学研究是大学教师生成教学智慧的必然路径,也应该成为大学教师的职业生活内容。     

Item Analysis in Introductory Economics Testing

Abstract

An interdisciplinary mentoring program for graduate teaching assistants, the GTA mentoring program, offers the needed support for graduate students in their training as teacher-scholars. Authors outline the vision and structure of the program and highlight student, faculty, and institutional benefits. This program involves regular meetings of small teams consisting of graduate students and a faculty mentor, as well as larger group meetings of all participants. Benefits include the development of personal and professional relationships, an open forum for the discussion of teaching and research issues, increased professional support, and greater confidence in classroom instruction.     

Peer Coaching: Professional Development for Experienced Faculty

The professoriate, as a whole, is growing older and more experienced; yet institutions often overlook the professional development needs of mid-career and senior faculty. This article, based on a review of the literature and the development of a peer coaching project, examines peer coaching as a professional development opportunity for experienced faculty that meets many of their immediate needs and offers a variety of longer-term benefits to their institution. Six recommendations for creating a peer coaching program emerge from the literature and the authors’ experience.

论专业学位教育师资队伍建设

专业学位教育的发展需要一支过硬的师资队伍,但我国专业学位教育师资队伍目前存在思想观念偏差、教学方式陈旧、教师结构不合理等一系列问题。加强专业学位教育师资队伍建设：一是要强化专业学位教育地位,稳定教师队伍;二是要整合资源,组建符合专业学位教育要求的师资队伍;三是要加强培训,全面提高师资队伍素质。     

促进专业学位研究生教育的高校师资队伍建设研究

本文从知识结构、教学技能、实践经验三个方面分析了适应专业学位研究生教育的高校师资队伍结构特征,结合调查数据剖析了当前专业学位教育师资队伍体系当中存在的主要问题,并提出了若干创新举措,以期完善高校师资队伍、促进专业学位研究生教育。     

浅析日语专业学生职业能力培养

随着社会对于日语人才的要求也不断提升。社会不仅要求学生具有外语能力,还要求学生具备职业能力。本文从人才培养目标和方案的调整、课程体系建设、师资队伍建设、教学手段和方法的改进等方面探讨了日语专业学生职业能力培养策略。     

物联网工程专业人才培养的思考与探讨

依据物联网知识体系结构,论述了物联网专业人才培养目标、讨论了物联网专业课程层次结构,分析了物联网专业人才培养面临的几个关键问题,并从师资队伍建设、专业教材建设、实验室建设以及教学改革等角度提出了相应的解决方案。     

日本促进大学教师专业发展的FD制度及其启示

日本的大学正在实施旨在促进教师专业发展的FD制度,其目的是唤起大学对教师教学能力更多的关注,树立教师的专业发展意识,提高教师的教学能力。FD制度的实施给日本大学教育力建设带来积极的影响,对我国大学教师专业发展具有启示作用。     

Teaching Diversity across Disciplines: Reflections from African-American Faculty in Four Different Academic Settings

The authors, male and female African-American faculty from different academic disciplines at predominantly white institutions, share personal reflections on their experiences teaching postsecondary graduate and professional courses that focus on diversity and multicultural themes. This article provides tools and strategies for improving the overall effectiveness for those who teach diversity courses from a framework the authors have codified as a “3-C” perspective: context, characters, and curriculum.     

新建高专院校师资状况实证分析——贫困地区师范高等专科学校发展研究

新建高专院校的师资现状是：学历层次较低、职称层次较低、教研科研能力相对较差、教育教学能力相对较差。实证分析后提出的对策建议是：理顺行政隶属关系,减少外界干预;提高教师待遇,增强学校吸引力;科学制定激励机制,促进教师专业发展。     

独立学院师资队伍的阶段性特征、问题及发展建议——以A、B两所独立学院为例

本文选择公办高校独家举办和“公办高校＋政府＋民间资本”三方合作的两所独立学院进行分析,其阶段性特征显现为师资总量不足,生师比高,年龄与职称结构欠合理;师资基本满足办学需要,但教育教学水平参差不齐;校方对教师的培养培训较为关注,但教师专业发展面临诸多困境。这与独立学院特殊的运作模式及过渡期的观望心态、公平合理的专业发展机制及社会保障体系的缺失,以及应用型本科人才培养所处的初级阶段等紧密相关。尽快明确发展方向,解决处于“十字路口”的独立学院的发展之困,积极营造公平合理的人事环境,创新师资队伍的建设及培训机制是独立学院师资队伍得以高效建设和持续优化的重要保障。