The Influence of the Core Practices Movement on the Teaching and Perspectives of Novice Teacher Educators

This collaborative self-study examines the influence of engagement in the core practices movement on the course designs, instruction, and perspectives of three novice teacher educators at a large mid-Atlantic research university. Through core practices work, we integrated repeated cycles of analysis, practice, and reflection into our courses, ultimately becoming more deliberate and responsive in our planning. We engaged in more in-depth inquiry into our teaching as we inquired into the core practices with our teacher candidates and also noticed an enhanced use of shared language. Core practices work influenced our perspectives on the work of teacher educators by reaffirming our belief in the complexity of teaching and teacher education, raising important questions about the relationship between commitments and core practices and underscoring the value of learner-centered practices in teacher education. The finding of this self-study suggest that core practices present an opportunity to engage novice teacher educators in reflection, collaboration, and inquiry central to teacher education.     

Teacher cognitive functioning as a factor in observed variety and level of classroom teaching behavior

A review of the literature suggests a relationship between life-long development of formal reasoning schema and performance in professional education careers. The study investigated implications of cognitive development of preservice teachers as it relates to their classroom teaching performance. Ninety-one seniors involved in a field-oriented teacher education program were given classroom responsibilities which included teaching a science unit. Formal thinking abilities were assessed using two types of developmental level tasks, performance on traditional type Piagetian tasks and recognition of formal thought approaches in solving educational tasks. Professional behaviors were assessed using observational ratings of classroom instructional and planning activities. Subjects assessed as formal operational, 30% of sample, using Piagetian performance tasks, had significantly higher facility in performing model classroom teaching behaviors than transitional or concrete subjects. Higher recognition ability of formal thought approaches to teaching was not related to facility in performing classroom teaching when compared to performance on Piagetian tasks. The relationship held up in seven of eight broad teaching behavior categories observed in classroom instruction. The results supported a general portrait of teaching behavior specifically related to teachers of differing cognitive functional levels. Implications for professional training programs are discussed.     

反思:教师专业成长的必由之路

反思是教师自我发展的重要机制,它对于提高教师专业化水平具有重要的意义。教师只有立足于自己的教学行为和教学经验进行自我反思,通过反思实施自我监控、自我调适,不断优化和改善教学行为,才能提高教学水平。由此,我们认为反思是教师专业成长的必由之路。如果没有反思,那么一个学校的教育教学将永远建立在冲动、直觉或常规之上。因此,为满足当前教育改革与发展的需求,提高教师的业务素质,学校必须加强教师反思能力的培养。     

美国教师教育课程规划改革:教学观变革视角的检视

在美国存在着四种主要的教学观,而这直接影响教师教育课程的总体规划思路。以简单化的教学观指导下的传统的教师教育课程设计存在诸多问题。要改变传统教师教育课程设计的弊端,就要将教学看做是一种专业或是艺术,重视教师教育课程总体构成的四种主要关系,这将给教师教育课程的总体规划提供一种新的思考方式。     

教师专业发展与高等师范教育课程改革

职前教师教育是教师专业发展的奠基阶段,应该着眼于教师专业发展来规划和实施高等师范教育课程;教师专业发展不是教师把某种普遍的、规范的教育理论直接应用于教育实践的过程,而是融入教师个人的实践性知识不断发展的过程。据此,笔者认为我国高等师范教育课程应密切联系真实的教育情境,着力培养教师的实践能力、专业判断能力和研究教育教学实际问题的能力,帮助教师养成反思习惯,为教师终身的专业发展奠定基础。     

Articulating the Relationships Between Theory and Practice in Science Teaching: A model for teacher professional development

In-depth analysis of science teachers' idiosyncratic instructional behaviors combined with the notion of deliberated 'teacher reflection' as a means of improving professional teaching practice has become one of the most pervasive concepts to influence science teacher education during the past decade. Sweeney and coworkers have described how the notion of teacher reflection and Lytle and Cochran-Smith's typology of teacher research were utilised to examine the relationships between a beginning high school chemistry teacher's articulated personal practice theories and his actions as demonstrated by his curricular decisions and instructional practices. Using data drawn from the previous study, this report focuses on examining how the methodological approach taken in the investigation (explicit, deliberate articulation and analysis of a teacher's instructional behaviors and rationales within the context of a mentoring relationship) may serve as a useful model for teacher professional development across all areas of instruction.     

Too Close for Comfort: Real-Time Science Teaching Reflections via Digital Video Editing

This study examined the use of digital video editing as the main venue for fostering reflection. The impact of digital video editing technology on preservice teachers' beliefs included shifts in (a) reflections regarding children's thinking, (b) planning and instruction informed by reflection, and (c) notions of teaching expertise and requisite knowledge. Results were based on an instructional approach emphasizing the exploration of preservice teachers' own planning and teaching as they edited their own video accounts. These findings contrast typical video usage in teacher preparation in which teachers reflect upon the practice of others. Implications for teacher education programs and future research are discussed.     

教师教育者的教学实践示范探析

教师教育者在教学中必须实现言传身教的双重责任。提高师范生的教育素养,除了关注教师教育课程设置,关注教育理论与实践的显性教学,教师教育者们在教学中表现出的教学方法、态度、观点等,更是深深地影响着师范生专业的发展,是影响师范生教育素养的重要隐性课程。教师必须在师生交往、课堂组织、教育科研、专业学习等诸多方面为学生提供专业化的实践示范,用教育实践诠释教育原理。     

Promoting Metacognitive Decision-Making in Teacher Education

Effective teachers are characterized by their abilities to make thoughtful, deliberate, and informed adaptations while teaching (Hoffman & Pearson, 2000). These in-the-moment teaching decisions are guided by a complex web of teacher knowledge. Raising teachers' awareness of the decisions they make on a moment-by-moment basis may aid in thoughtful, more deliberate decision-making and more robust instruction. We charge that preservice teachers can acquire this skill, as well. This article highlights practices employed in preservice teacher education courses as a means to promote awareness of, and engagement with, in-the-moment teaching decisions. Using examples from mathematics, social studies, and literacy methods courses, we describe our processes to intentionally cultivate preservice teachers' adaptive teaching skills through metacognitive decision-making.     

Teacher competence,everyday teaching practice and professionalization

Abstract

In this article three questions regarding teaching and teacher education are addressed. The first question deals with the identification of elements of competent teaching. Relevant elements of competent teaching are described in terms of a teacher's knowledge base, the development and use of practical theories and the idea that teachers should also be ‘researchers’. The opinion is held that being a competent teacher is based not on one perspective or paradigm, but on a ‘grand strategy’ or integration of perspectives or paradigms.

The second question deals with some characteristics of the everyday teaching practice. First of all, teaching seems to be a profession under pressure. In addition, teaching in reality is considered to be a complex and holistic activity. It consists of three phases (planning, execution and reflection) which usually coincide in reality. Teaching, therefore, is to a large extent a matter of routine.

The third question deals with the professionalization of teachers. To answer this question it is necessary to regard teaching as a profession. For this purpose it is essential to pay (renewed) attention to the curriculum and didactics of teacher education as well as to the relationship between pre-service and in-service teacher education. In this respect much work still needs to be done, which should be a collective effort on the part of researchers, teacher educators, curriculum developers and school managers.     

教师反思的思想源头及其影响

教师反思在中外教师教育、课堂教学等领域,受到广泛关注。但是,不同学者所应用的反思概念可能不同,实践者所质疑与欢迎的教师反思也可能迥异。文章通过梳理教师反思的不同思想源头,发现这种多样性既塑造了教师反思的丰富类型,也决定了每一种教师反思都有其片面性。也就是说,每一种类型的教师反思都可能有自己的局限性,教师反思并不一定都会带来满意的结果。可以说,教师反思思想源头的多样性、类型的丰富性和存在的局限是相互关联的。这提醒我们在探讨教师反思的问题时,应带有类别意识,并更为清醒地意识到潜藏的问题。     

教师教育者的教学实践示范探析

教师教育者在教学中必须实现“言传身教”的双重责任。提高师范生的教育素养,除,了关注教师教育课程设置,关注教育理论与实践的显性教学,教师教育者们在教学中表现出的教学方法、态度、观点等,更是深深地影响着师范生专业的发展,是影响师范生教育素养的重要隐性课程。教师必须在师生交往、课堂组织、教育科研、专业学习等诸多方面为学生提供专业化的实践示范,用教育实践诠释教育原理。     

Why process-product research cannot explain process-product findings and a proposed remedy: The cognitive mediational paradigm

Research on teaching primarily adopts the process-product paradigm. Within this paradigm, researchers often speculate about cognitive operations that students engage in during instruction as a means to explain how teacher behaviors (processes) correlate with or cause student achievement (products). This paper argues that the methodology of process-product research is (1) ill-suited to generating theories of teaching effectiveness that use students' cognition to explain process-product relations and (2) invalid for testing such explanations. The cognitive mediational paradigm, which explicitly interposes students' cognition between teaching processes and student products, is proposed as a remedy to these problems. Methodology consistent with the cognitive mediational paradigm is described.     

Teacher development and educational change: empowerment through structured reflection

Reflection and change are pivotal themes in this paper, which outlines the rationale, methodology and principal findings of a research undertaking on teacher development in Ireland. The study was based on the premise that teachers’ practices are guided in large measure by a ‘tacit knowledge’ of education, formed in response to personal and contextual factors. It was held that sustained teacher and school development relate primarily to acquiring an awareness of and engaging in ongoing reflection on this implicit theory. Participants were facilitated in structuring such reflection through images—as subjective knowledge structures which capture their latent understandings of teaching and learning processes. It was an enlightening and empowering experience for the teachers involved, who, as a consequence, could both envision and initiate necessary improvements in their educational practices. The findings have notable implications for pre-service and in-service teacher education.     

教育公平视角下的师幼对话教学

师幼对话教学是近年来幼儿教育领域讨论较多的一个话题,它是一种弘扬主体性的、人性化的新型教学模式.但是,在当前的教育实践中,师幼对话的开展深受各种因素的影响和制约.从教育公平的视角对师幼时话教学进行理性审视,并进而为公平、合理的师幼对话教学实践模式的构建作一点探讨.     

教师教育:改传授模式为反思模式

开展教师教育，提高教师实施素质教育的能力和水平，是全面推进素质教育的基本保证。然而传统的教师教育模式，着眼于向教师传授理论知识，因而难以适应教育形势发展的要求。为此，本具体阐述了教师教育模式应从传统的传授模式转变为反思模式的主张及其实践模式。     

论职前教师教育中反思型教师的培养(英文)

国内外教育界诸多研究表明,教师的反思能力是实现教师自身发展的关键。师范教育中如何培养学生的教学反思能力已经为越来越多的人所关注。本文提出职前教育应该以培养反思型教师为目标,并在此基础上提出了不同形式的旨在培养学生的反思能力的培训活动。     

Backing the right horse: Teacher education,sociocultural analysis and literacy in rural education

This paper is a reflection on the way that a background in sociocultural theory and research actually saved my teaching career by allowing me to shift from being a dispenser of knowledge to a cultural neophyte attempting to understand where he is. Teaching then is understood as a reading exercise which is undertaken in a particular place which itself needs to be read by the effective teacher. This is a narrative inquiry into practice which represents an attempt to understand my own teaching career in the light of Frank Smith's (1984) provocative essay “How education backed the wrong horse” in which he argues that anthropology would have made a better choice for a foundational discipline for education than psychology. I conclude with some thoughts on what this perspective implies for literacy instruction.     

Building a metacognitive model of reflection

An increased value is being placed on quality teaching in higher education. An important step in developing approaches to better instruction is understanding how those who are successful go about improving their teaching. Thus, several years ago we undertook a program of research in which the concept of reflection provided the frame of reference. We envisaged reflection as a process of formative evaluation, and also saw links between reflection and metacognition. What we have documented and analyzed in detail are the reflective processes of six university professors in their day-to-day planning, instructing and evaluating of learners. The result is a metacognitive model and coding scheme that operationalize the process of reflection. Both provide a language for describing reflection and therefore a way to think about how to improve teaching. In this paper, we describe the research and the model and the contributions they make to our understanding of teacher thinking in higher education.