Service-learning in early childhood teacher education: Using service to put meaning back into learning

Service-learning is defined as a teaching/learning method that connects meaningful community service with academic learning, personal growth, and civic responsibility. In this study, conducted at an American University, we describe a cascading model of integrating early childhood teacher education and service-learning for preservice teachers who then implemented the combined model in their field classrooms with young children. Examples of the projects from the two cohorts of 25 and 26 undergraduate students are provided. We demonstrate that service-learning projects provide an instructional avenue for preservice students to teach in an integrated and/or experiential manner in their field classrooms and discuss why service-learning is an appropriate and meaningful strategy to use with preservice teachers and children.     

The role of lesson analysis in pre-service teacher education: an empirical investigation of teacher learning from a virtual video-based field experience

A video-based program on lesson analysis for pre-service mathematics teachers was implemented for two consecutive years as part of a teacher education program at the University of Lazio, Italy. Two questions were addressed: What can preservice teachers learn from the analysis of videotaped lessons? How can preservice teachers’ analysis ability, and its improvement, be measured? Two groups of preservice teachers (approximately 140 in total) participated in the program. A three-step lesson analysis framework was applied to three lesson videos: (1) goal(s) and parts of the lesson; (2) student learning; and, (3) teaching alternatives. Preservice teachers’ ability to analyze lessons was measured through an open-ended pre- and post-assessment. In the assessment, preservice teachers were asked to mark and comment on events (in a lesson not included in the program) that they found interesting for: teachers’ actions/decisions; students’ behavior/learning; and, mathematical content. A coding system was developed based on five criteria: elaboration, mathematics content, student learning, critical approach, and alternative strategies. In both studies, the ability to analyze instruction improved significantly on all five criteria. These data suggest promising directions for the development of both an instrument to measure lesson analysis abilities and a model for teacher learning.     

Field experiences in teacher education: the perceptions and qualities of written reflections

This study aimed to evaluate the Pre-service Teachers’ (PSTs’) field experience-related perceptions and the qualities of their written reflections. Two thousand four hundred journal entries written by 75 teacher candidates were analyzed to classify their qualities. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with all of the subjects. The results showed that the largest proportion of the written entries was classified as technical. Only a small percentage of the subjects reached the highest level of reflection called as transformative. During the field experiences, the PSTs had mainly self, cooperating teachers, and student-related issues and perceptions. At the end of the field experiences, they recommended to start the practicum courses from the first year of the faculty and to increase the weekly hours of these courses. It is important to note that the PSTs need additional knowledge and practices about the reflection, reflective writing, and the qualities of reflection.     

Narrative inquiry in service learning contexts: Possibilities for learning about diversity in teacher education

This paper explores the experiences of pre- and in-service teachers through intentionally created narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 2006) spaces within three different service-learning engagements in Canada, Kenya, and Turkey. Because the contexts where our studies were situated were culturally different from participants' backgrounds, narrative inquiry spaces shaped windows in which participants could restory their understandings of others different from themselves. We argue thinking narratively suits the purpose of learning within service learning, highlighting the potential this kind of work holds for pre- and in-service teachers' professional identities in school contexts shaped by diversity.     

Using action research in middle level teacher education to evaluate and deepen reflective practice

The study examined the role of action research in promoting critical reflective thinking among twenty preservice teachers engaged in a year-long middle level program. Data from collaborative discussions, final written documents, presentations, and follow-up surveys revealed that conducting action research (a) engaged them in inquiry into their own practice, (b) was a means to reflect upon and determine ways to change their teaching practices, and (c) promoted critical reflection in a collaborative learning environment. Results underscore the importance of preservice teachers critically reflecting to gain insights into teaching and student learning as they are engaged in action research.     

Perception of the accomplished teacher among teacher educators in “research oriented” and “teaching oriented” institutes in Israel

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived components of effective teachers among teacher educators in research and teaching-oriented institutes in Israel.     

The role of service-learning in transforming teacher candidates' teaching of reading

Most reading methods courses taught in the United States do little to change student teachers' actual classroom instruction because new pedagogies are not practiced in a structured, supportive, closely supervised manner. This lack of practice results in failure to develop strong feelings of self-efficacy during university courses. Because literacy courses fail to help preservice teachers think differently about literacy development, beginning teachers continue to perpetuate decades old methods of teaching young children how to read and write. These ‘business as usual’ pedagogies are especially dangerous for at risk learners.This study compared two literacy courses for elementary teacher candidates taught by the same professor at the same university with variables held constant with one exception. Course One incorporated a service-learning component as an integral part of the instructional process. During Course Two, the teacher candidates taught sample lessons to their classmates. It was hypothesized that teacher candidates who practiced new pedagogies with children at a designated low performing, highly diverse elementary school (Course One—Service-learning) during a highly structured service-learning experience would develop more self-efficacy and, therefore, demonstrate greater implementation of the course content than those who role played their practice (Course Two—Practice with Peers).Results document that incorporating service-learning into a well developed literacy course dramatically increased the self-efficacy of the participants by the conclusion of the course. This, in turn, led to increased implementation of course content during the remainder of their student teaching experience.     

The promise of experiential education in teacher education: transforming teacher beliefs and practices

Building from the theories of Dewey and Kolb and Fry, we sought to examine the impact of experiential education in teacher education on teacher beliefs and practices. The teacher education model described in this article sets out to challenge the seduction of the apprenticeship of observation and create an opportunity for in-service teachers to re-imagine their teaching in concrete and transformative ways. Immersed in a weeklong experiential residency in either the mountains or at a local environmental education farm, the teachers in the study were challenged physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally in and through the experience. The experiential work ultimately led to changes in teacher participants’ beliefs and practices related to teacher and student roles and potentialities. Although challenges exist for this type of practice in K-12 classrooms and in teacher education, experiential education has a significant potential to change the way teachers think about and act in their practice.     

Team teaching during field experiences in teacher education: Exploring the assistant teaching model

Teacher education institutes are in search of alternative models of field experiences, inspired by collaborative learning. This study examines team teaching. We focus upon the assistant teaching model, in which the student teacher assists the mentor during teaching. We investigate which assisting activities student teachers prefer, how student teachers and mentors experience these activities and the conditions for implementation they foresee. Data were gathered using activity reports, reflective documents and questionnaires. Results show that the preferred assisting activities mainly consist of guiding pupils during individual and team work and of teaching a part of a lesson in front of an entire class group. The assistant teaching model has both advantages (professional growth, …) and disadvantages (feelings of unfamiliarity, …) for the student teacher. Advantages and disadvantages have also been reported for mentors (support, high workload, …) and pupils (support, confusion, …). Finally, several conditions for successful implementation of the assistant teacher model are discussed.     

The new Turkish early childhood teacher education curriculum: a brief outlook

This article aims to describe and reflect on the new early childhood teacher education curriculum in Turkey. The new curriculum is part of a large-scale reform agenda to improve education at all levels. The article begins with a brief history of early childhood education and early childhood teacher education in Turkey. Then, the needs for the curriculum revision and major characteristics of the revised curriculum are discussed. The article concludes with brief discussion about the innovations and suggestions for future research dealing with the implementation and effectiveness of the revised curriculum     

The place of the personal: Exploring the affective domain through reflection in teacher preparation

Emotions and emotional states play an important role in learning to teach, encouraging teacher educators to consider the place of the affective domain in preservice teacher preparation. Preservice teacher reflection provides a means by which to constructively explore the affective domain in teacher preparation. This article draws from two qualitative studies on reflection and technology conducted at an American university to explore the affective domain in teacher preparation. Using the web-based data of online discussion posts and weblog entries, this article considers the affective issues addressed in preservice teacher reflection and the implications of those emotional concerns for teacher preparation.     

Rethinking the use of video in teacher education: A holistic approach

Video case studies are commonly used in teacher training programmes, usually to develop one specific area of competence. The need for an integrative model that meets diverse learning objectives and competences led to a study on how to effectively use videos to guide student-teachers towards professional development. The analysis of case studies helped develop a four-pronged holistic proposal that places student-teachers in the role of both teacher and learner allowing the co-construction of teaching knowledge and the acquisition of digital competences and media literacy. This article outlines the pedagogical scheme and provides qualified evidence that supports arguments for its basis.     

Exploring a triad model of student teaching: Pre-service teacher and cooperating teacher perceptions

In the student teaching triad model adopted in this study, pairs of pre-service teachers worked collaboratively with cooperating teachers during a 12-week field experience. The main objectives of the study were to document the benefits and challenges for pre-service teachers and cooperating teachers who participate in a triad model and to describe the co-teaching models that would emerge during this experience. Pre-service teachers and their cooperating teachers reported several strengths of the triad model in the following areas—learning from each other, professional support, outcomes for K-12 students, comprehensive feedback about teaching and classroom practice, and pre-service teacher confidence. Limitations and concerns identified by both groups included dependency, confusion with classroom management issues, loss of individuality, and competition between the pre-service teachers.     

Student teachers’ collaborative research: Small-scale research projects during teacher education

Teacher research is increasingly described as an important aspect of professional development. In response, teacher education programs incorporate teacher research in their curricula. We report on the collaborative research processes of two groups of student teachers in a university teacher education program, focussing on elaboration and decision making. In one group, group members had different preferences, which led to balancing elaboration and decision making. The other group, however, did not engage in these processes in a conscious way, leading to an arduous research process. We contend that a balanced approach, alternating elaboration and decision making, is desirable.     

Exploring diversity through ethos in initial teacher education

This paper considers whether there is value in introducing student teachers to schools of different ethos as part of their initial teacher education. A 2-year study of undergraduate post-primary student teachers at a university college in Northern Ireland reveals that encounters with schools of different ethos can help student teachers to understand differences between schools and their visions of education, as well as correcting misunderstandings and challenging stereotypes. It is argued that as a result of experiencing diverse examples of ethos, student teachers may also be helped to understand the complexity of schools as organisations and to position themselves and their professional practice within wider debates about the aims of education and schools as communities of practice.     

The contribution of assessment experiences to student teachers' self-efficacy in competence-based education

Earlier research argues that educational programmes based on social cognitive theory are successful in improving students' self-efficacy. Focussing on some formative assessment characteristics, this qualitative research intends to study in-depth how student teachers' assessment experiences contribute to their self-efficacy. We interviewed 15 s year student teachers enrolled in a competence based teacher educational programme. Thematic content analysis results reveal that the assessment characteristics ‘authenticity’ and ‘feedback’ exert a positive influence on student teachers self-efficacy during all phases of the portfolio competence assessment. The results provide a fine-grained view of several types of self-efficacy information connected with these assessment phases.     

Defining content for field-based coursework: Contrasting the perspectives of secondary preservice teachers and their teacher preparation curricula

The current study examined changes and continuities in how 11 secondary teacher preparation programs and 743 preservice teachers conceptualized the content and sequence of field-based teacher preparation. Although curricula and candidates differed regarding the knowledge each deemed as most relevant for field-based preparation, they largely agreed on the types of learning activities considered as most meaningful for the acquisition of that knowledge base. Possible explanations for these discrepancies and continuities are discussed.     

Improving teacher training in Ethiopia: Shifting the content and approach of pre-service teacher education

Teacher education in Ethiopia has undergone multiple reforms, yet primary students still struggle to learn to read. The USAID-funded Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed - Technical Assistance project aimed to reform the primary school curriculum and teacher education to improve instructional approaches to teaching reading and writing. We examine the process and effectiveness of the project's pre-service teacher education component. Impacts on teacher educator pedagogywere observed at Colleges of Teacher Education, including less lecturing and greater use of student-centered teaching and learning approaches. Sustainability depends on the government's efforts to invest in long-term solutions and promote student-centered pedagogy.