Self-presentation bias in surveys of teachers’ educational technology practices

This study investigated self-presentation bias in the self-reports of teachers about their practices in six topic areas in educational technology (Instructional Design, Assessment, Learner-Centered Instruction, Curriculum Alignment, Attitudes about Computers, and Use of Computers with Students). Subjects were 50 middle-school teachers. Data were collected using a 30-item Likert-type survey containing five items per topic area. Teachers responded to items in two forms: “what I do” and “what other teachers do.” Significant differences favoring the “I” form were obtained in three of the six areas (Instructional Design, Learner-Centered Instruction, and Curriculum Alignment) and on nine of the 30 items, indicating a rather strong self-presentation bias. Responses were generally positive across both forms. Results are discussed with implications for working with teachers and for using additional assessment measures that complement teacher self-reports.     

Metaphor development by secondary teachers enrolled in graduate teacher education

This paper focuses on a graduate-level teacher education course intended to facilitate teachers' understanding of the relationship between theory and practice. Teachers developed metaphors grounded in their personal histories as learners and educators. Four cases studies are described in depth, four cases are summarized, and a cross-case analysis is presented. Many struggled with metaphor development, but all found it valuable for linking their cognition and practice. Common themes included influence of school context, learning history, and a stronger influence of teaching history with increased years of experience. The metaphors were not strongly associated with subject matter, rather they more closely linked with their views of teaching and learning.     

Instructional technology and the structure of education

This article is an extention of “The Proper Study of Instructional Technology” published in ECTJ, 1984, 32, pp. 67–88, and is best understood in that context. By considering instructional technology as a subset of technology rather than as a subset of education, we can examine more freely the institutions of education in relation to their acceptance or rejection of the design and implementation of technologically based instruction. Methods of institutional analysis used in other disciplines can be helpful. For example, a method of organizational analysis developed by Charles Perrow, a sociologist, is used to maintain that education institutions reflect a craft rather than a technology orientation. A legal anlaysis is also used to show how the governance of education reinforces its craft nature. The analyses are intended to stimulate a line of research that uses aspects of the institutions themselves as variables.     

普通高校非学历教育产业化办学初探

本着重阐述了普通高校发展非学历教育的必要性，指出作为教育产业的一个组成部分，非学历教育应该走产业化发展的道路，并初步提出了普通高校非学历教育产业化办学应遵循的原则和规律。     

Instructional practices in secondary science: How teachers achieve local and standards-based success

This article reports on analyses of the instructional practices of six middle- and high-school science teachers in the United States who participated in a research-practice partnership that aims to support reform science education goals at scale. All six teachers were well qualified, experienced, and locally successful—respected by students, parents, colleagues, and administrators—but they differed in their success in supporting students' three-dimensional learning. Our goal is to understand how the teachers' instructional practices contributed to their similarities in achieving local success and to differences in enabling students' learning, and to consider the implications of these findings for research-practice partnerships. Data sources included classroom videos supplemented by interviews with teachers and focus students and examples of student work. We also compared students' learning gains by teacher using pre–post assessments that elicited three-dimensional performances. Analyses of classroom videos showed how all six teachers achieved local success—they led effectively managed classrooms, covered the curriculum by teaching almost all unit activities, and assessed students' work in fair and efficient ways. There were important differences, however, in how teachers engaged students in science practices. Teachers in classrooms where students achieved lower learning gains followed a pattern of practice we describe as activity-based teaching, in which students completed investigations and hands-on activities with few opportunities for sensemaking discussions or three-dimensional science performances. Teachers whose students achieved higher learning gains combined the social stability characteristic of local classroom success with more demanding instructional practices associated with scientific sensemaking and cognitive apprenticeship. We conclude with a discussion of implications for research-practice partnerships, highlighting how partnerships need to support all teachers in achieving both local and standards-based success.     

通识教育的理想与现实

本文简略地介绍通识教育的理念及其历史 ,分析了通识教育的理论缺陷及实践上的困难。提出超越通识教育与专业教育之争 ,注重开展面向实践问题的、跨学科的、研究型的本科教学 ,发挥隐性课程的作用以及加强中学阶段的素质教育     

Making sense of technology in educational leadership programs

Conclusion Identify standards, align curricula, support technology—these are the three strategies that bring clarity to the process. As technology changes, the standards, curricula and support must change. ACTIVStudio, interactive whiteboards and cyber diaries are not just buzzwords — they are the new language of technology. The Citadel School of Education is paying attention — making sense of the challenge of keeping current technology in educational leadership programs. She is a former teacher and school administrator and currently teaches graduate courses, including microcomputers and school management, to aspiring administrators. Ms. Alice B. Hambright, a former public school teacher.     

Certification and specialized competencies for teachers in gifted education programs

This article describes the value of Piaget's equilibration theory for understanding characteristics of the young gifted child. Key elements of equilibration theory are discussed. Differences in the equilibration patterns in gifted children are described and application of equilibration to other than cognitive systems is considered. The article concludes with some ideas for teachers and parents to help gifted young children search for equilibrium.     

特殊教育教师和普通教师心理素质的对比研究

为了探讨特殊教育教师和普通教师在所需心理素质上的共同性和差异性,本研究以243名特殊教育教师和233名普通教师为被试进行调查。研究结果显示特殊教育教师和普通教师共同认定公正、爱心等六项心理素质为最重要的心理素质,并在耐心、观察力等11项心理素质上存在显著差异。     

Instructional development for teachers in higher education: impact on teaching approach

Although instructional development for teachers has become an important topic in higher education, little is known about the impact it has on daily teaching practice. The lack of systematic programme evaluation is an ongoing concern. In this study we investigate by use of a quasi-experimental design, the impact of an instructional development program for beginning university teachers on their teaching approach. Quantitative pre-test as well as post-test data were assembled from 20 experimental teachers and 20 control teachers. At the post-test qualitative data were gathered too: 17 teachers of the experimental group and 12 teachers of the control group were interviewed. Paired t-tests and analysis of covariance with the pre-test scores as a covariate showed some effect of instructional development on teaching approach. The analysis of the qualitative data sustained this result. Our results reveal the influence of instructional development on teachers’ teaching approach being slightly different for teachers belonging to distinct disciplines. Several interpretations and perspectives for further research are discussed.     

新时代的教师必须掌握现代教育技术

信息时代的教育环境不断地发展变化,现代教育技术在信息化的教育活动中发挥出越来越重要的作用,教师必须尽快地掌握现代教育技术,才能提高自己的知识水平和业务能力,才能适应信息时代的教育发展.     

Assessment practices in model early childhood special education programs

Examination of assessment practices in 54 model programs for early education of handicapped children revealed extreme variability. Only 19 tests were used by at least five programs; only one device was used by over half of the responding programs. Most tests were listed as being used for more than one purpose, but some tests appeared to be used more exclusively than others for a particular purpose. Although the technical adequacy, in terms of norms, validit, and reliability, was reportedly an important factor influencing selection and continued use of tests, analysis of the 19 most commonly used devices revealed that only three were technically adequate. Other methods of assessment also were examined. Implications for model practice are discussed.     

Developing fundamental principles for teacher education programs and practices

Traditional approaches to teacher education are increasingly critiqued for their limited relationship to student teachers’ needs and for their meager impact on practice. Many pleas are heard for a radical new and effective pedagogy of teacher education in which theory and practice are linked effectively. Although various attempts to restructure teacher education have been published, no coherent body of knowledge exists about central principles underlying teacher education programs that are responsive to the expectations, needs and practices of student teachers. By analyzing effective features of programs in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, this study contributes an initial framework of seven fundamental principles to guide the development of responsive teacher education programs that make a difference.     

提升教育实践智慧促进教师专业发展

教育实践智慧是教师在教育活动中所形成和表现出来的、有效解决具体教育问题的聪明才智,反映着教师对教育情境和问题的深刻洞察和敏锐把握,其特点表现为高效践行性、情境创造性、外显性与默会性并存、集体性与个体性并存.提升教育实践智慧是教师专业发展的重要过程.提升教师实践智慧的途径是:在爱的前提下,汲取教育理论智慧,做反思型教师,同伴互相学习提高.     

Situated learning in an educational technology course for pre-service teachers

This qualitative study investigated a situated learning environment implemented in an educational technology course where pre-service teachers worked collaboratively on meaningful real-world projects, assuming the role of professional teachers. With a traditional learning environment as a critical frame of reference, we found that the students in the situated learning environment demonstrated sophisticated problem-solving skills, exhibited metacognitive awareness, produced coherent artifacts, and showed high levels of motivation. The findings implied that if we want to successfully implement situated learning, effort should be made to promote a constructive learning culture, improve individual performance, manage students’ perceptions, and foster their positive attitudes.     

Everyday environmental education: five practices of ecologically minded teachers

Abstract

In this article, I report the findings from a qualitative study involving seven ecologically minded teachers who participated in a Critical Friends Group. Ecologically minded teachers are not necessarily trained or required to teach about environmental issues, yet they do so because of their values and beliefs. The participants shared the following five practices: exposing externalities, emphasizing active learning, providing multiple perspectives, asking critical questions, and collaborating with others. I describe these practices and make recommendations for future research.     

Instructional technology research and development in a US physics education group

The purpose of this brief paper is to provide insight into the kinds of work being done by an education research group in a US physics department. As will be evident, instructional technology raises many interesting questions and lends itself to a wide variety of studies. References and contacts are provided for readers wanting more detailed information on the research. The paper is based on a presentation given at the Workshop on Best Practices of ICT Use in a University Environment, 24 September 2004, in Zürich.