Cascading the use of Web 2.0 technology in secondary schools in the United Kingdom: identifying the barriers beyond pre-service training

This paper reports on research that took place at two universities in the United Kingdom, over two years. The research focuses on the use of Web 2.0 technology, specifically blogs, with pre-service teachers, both during their university programme and the first year of teaching as full-time newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The purpose of this research was to add to a developing body of knowledge by identifying whether technology used by pre-service teachers during their training course can be cascaded into their practice once qualified. Key findings identify a number of enablers and barriers to cascading technology in the classroom; these include curriculum time, pupil skills and support. The research concludes that early professional support and development should continue during the early years of teaching and assumptions about new teachers as champions of cascading innovative use of Web 2.0 technologies into their practice as NQTs may be over-optimistic.     

美国教师专业发展学校的形成与发展

“专业发展学校”的建立是美国教师教育改革的新举措，它对美国教师教育的发展和教学质量的改善起了重要作用。该文从美国教师专业发展学校的产生因素、形成过程及其意义三方面对其形成和发展进行了探讨。     

Factors that influence students' plans to take computing and information technology subjects in senior secondary school

This article explores factors that contribute to low participation rates in computing and information technology (CIT) courses in senior secondary school, particularly for females. Partly drawing on the Values-Expectancy Theory the following variables are explored separately and within a single model: gender, ability and values beliefs, access and use at home and at school. As well as presenting results consistent with current literature, an inclusive and eclectic model is developed. The model indicates that, in addition to gender and the student's beliefs about the value of the subjects, plans to take CIT subjects are also affected by the amount of use of IT at school. These school-related factors are inter-connected either directly or indirectly with students' beliefs about their IT abilities at both schooland home, as well as the amount of use at home. For educators who seek to improve participation rates, particularly for females, theidentification of school-related variables is encouraging, as the school – unlike the home – is a relatively accessible site of intervention.     

Continuing professional development needs and activities of school psychologists

The study investigated school psychologists' continuing professional development (CPD) needs and their relationship to selected demographic factors, preservice training, incentives, and typical engagement in various CPD activities. A survey questionnaire was mailed to 500 randomly selected National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) members, and responses were received from 235. Respondents reported their greatest CPD needs to be in the areas of direct service and consultation. No demographic variables were related to respondents' CPD needs. Few preservice training or incentive factors were related to CPD needs. Respondents' perceived value of preservice training in CPD management was related to their CPD needs, but few respondents reported that they had received this type of preservice training. Several personal incentives for CPD, including self‐assessment of CPD needs, opportunity to practice new skills and receive feedback during CPD training, and opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of CPD training and CPD goal attainment were related to CPD needs. Respondents' CPD needs in each specific skill area, including direct service, consultation, assessment, program planning and evaluation, supervision, and research, had significant but low correlations with the amount of actual CPD activity in the respective skill area. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and development of pre-service physics teachers’ professional knowledge

ABSTRACT

Teachers’ professional knowledge is considered one of the most important predictors of instructional quality. According to Shulman, such professional knowledge includes content, pedagogical content and pedagogical knowledge. Although recent research shed some light on the structure of the dimensions of professional knowledge, little is known how teacher education impacts pre-service physics teachers’ professional knowledge. In an effort to address this issue, we examined the content, pedagogical content and pedagogical knowledge of N?=?200 pre-service physics teachers enrolled in different years of teacher education at 12 major teacher education universities in Germany. We used structural equation modelling (1) to examine the relations amongst pre-service physics teachers’ content, pedagogical content and pedagogical knowledge, (2) to explore how the three kinds of knowledge and their relations differ across different stages of teacher education and (3) to identify factors affecting the level of each component of professional knowledge. Our findings suggest that content, pedagogical content and pedagogical knowledge represent distinct types of knowledge. Furthermore, our findings show that in the first years of professional education, pedagogical content knowledge is more closely related with general pedagogical knowledge while in later years, it is more closely related with content knowledge, suggesting that it develops from a general knowledge about teaching and learning into knowledge about the teaching and learning of specific content. Finally, beyond school achievement and years of enrolment as predictors, we find in particular the amount of classroom observations to have a positive impact on the professional knowledge of pre-service physics teachers.     

Exploring the participation and agency of students with special education needs in a Macau-Chinese secondary school

The research explores the perceptions of five secondary school students with special education needs (SEN) about their participation in learning, group membership, and agency within an inclusive school in Macau SAR. This goal is achieved by using students' voices documented in open-ended interviews and is underpinned by the conceptual framework of heutagogy. The aim is to shed light on students' perceptions on school effectiveness in supporting their needs through successful participation and agentic possibilities. Findings showed that students were more prone to social rejection and being isolated or bullied than their peers. They were struggling to feel included or participate, their needs were only partially being met, and they had few opportunities to exert influence on their educational trajectories. Recommendations are provided to assist educators and schools in enhancing students with SEN to connect to the learning process and community, with the provision of appropriate learning adjustments and more active approaches to ensure their acceptance by mainstream students, including the formation of coaching peers to assist in developing social and academic skills under teacher's scaffolding practices. This study highlights the contribution of the heutagogical perspective to advance research on the participation and agency of students with SEN in mainstream schools.     

Border work: Teachers’ expressions of their literacy-related professional development needs in a First Nations school

This paper reports on a case study of teachers’ expressions of their literacy-related professional development needs in a First Nations school located in Ontario, Canada. The paper construes the work of the teachers as “border work” and argues that their literacy teaching work was complex and tied to an ongoing legacy of colonialism. Four interrelated themes are discussed. The paper recommends improving compensation and job security for educators in First Nations schools and supporting them to see themselves as knowledgeable professionals who can entertain sophisticated notions of literacy that consider its relationship to situation including culture.     

Special education professional development needs in Zimbabwe

Since 1980 when Zimbabwe obtained political independence, special education has not received the same priority as the entire education system. One of the manifestations of this discrepancy is the shortage of qualified special education teachers in the country. In order to address this trend and promote the development of special education, researchers have suggested the need for professional development in the area of special education. The purpose of this study was to identify the special education professional development needs of both special and general education in-service teachers in Zimbabwe. A semi-structured survey instrument, developed by the first and second authors, which included open- and closed-end questions was used in this study. The sample consisted of 204 schoolteachers drawn from two school districts of Zvishavane and Gwanda. The participating schoolteachers overwhelmingly expressed the need for more professional development in the area of special education. The schoolteachers also identified several topics that they considered to be important for professional development.     

小学信息技术教育课程的现状及思考

本文通过调查研究,分析了小学信息技术教育课程的现状,从教学硬件设施、教学内容、师资力量、社会支持环境等方面提出了改进措施.     

合肥地区中小学教师专业化发展情况实证调查

为全面了解合肥地区中小学教师专业化发展的现状,研究建立健全教师专业化发展的制度保障体系及运行机制,加快教师教育一体化进程,我们对合肥市中小学教师的专业化发展情况展开了一次问卷调查。通过调查与分析,指出合肥地区中小学教师专业化发展存在的一些不容忽视的问题,并以此为例,提出了有效推进区域教师专业化发展的对策和建议。     

Assessing the special education professional development needs of northern Malawian schoolteachers

This research examines special needs education professional development needs among both general and special education schoolteachers in northern Malawi. A semi‐structured questionnaire with open and close‐ended questions was used for the research. Quantitative and thematic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which teachers believe that students with disabilities should be educated together with students without disabilities, the importance of professional development for teaching students with disabilities, prioritised professional development needs regarding special education knowledge, and self‐identified needs for successful special education classrooms. Results indicate that teachers are generally in favour of inclusive practices and identify a high need for special education professional development. Participants identified training and resources to teach students with visual impairments or auditory impairments as a high priority. Participants noted a need for improved infrastructure, more educational materials, and recognition by the government for work in special education.     

The professional development needs of special needs assistants in Irish post-primary schools

According to government policy in Ireland, special needs assistants (SNAs) may be employed in post-primary schools to support students deemed to have chronic and serious care needs. There is currently no national policy regarding the continuing professional development (CPD) of SNAs, to meet the requirements of their role. This study investigated the CPD needs of SNAs, working in post-primary schools, in the Border, Midland and Western region of Ireland. Findings from a survey of SNAs and principals revealed that while the majority agreed CPD for SNAs should be compulsory, an ad hoc approach to provision of CPD prevailed, and barriers to CPD were identified. Findings also indicated that CPD in supporting students with Emotional and Behaviour Disorders was a key requirement identified by principals and SNAs. Supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and promoting student independence were also identified as areas for CPD. The need for a national policy with regard to CPD for SNAs is highlighted.     

中小学信息技市教育网站发展分析

本文分析了三个不同典型的中小学信息技术教育网站,总结出中小学信息技术教育网站发展的现状,提出相应的建议,并设下一个针对中小学信息技术网站的评价量表。     

An examination of the professional development needs of out-of-field mathematics teachers

This paper presents an empirical study examining the professional development needs of out-of-field mathematics teachers in the Irish context (n = 202). An online questionnaire gathered data on cohort demographics and confidence with regard to teaching mathematics. A paper-and-pencil test evaluated teachers' cognitive and conceptual proficiency with curriculum-aligned mathematical content. Low achievement levels and high occurrence of conceptual errors indicate inadequate subject content knowledge and difficulties with the content of the curriculum. Additionally, these teachers described themselves as either somewhat or very confident in teaching all content. The discrepancies which exist between confidence levels and content proficiency highlight the importance of designing appropriate professional development programs that are situated and practice based.     

Providing school-based learning in elementary school mathematics: the case of a professional development school partnership

Abstract

School–university partnerships also known as professional development school (PDS) partnerships provide potential for universities and schools to establish partnerships that can benefit university faculty, school teachers, university students, and school students. This study examines the impact of a PDS partnership in which the author served as a school-based mathematics coach for two years in a high-need elementary school. Data sources included interviews, surveys, and field notes from classroom observations. Inductive qualitative analyses which were situated in a multi-level framework for researching professional development found that teachers posed more cognitively demanding mathematical tasks and high-level questions in year two compared to year one of this project. Further, student achievement was noted on both state-wide and district-created assessments. Also teachers reported that the school-based approach to professional development led to some teachers taking on more informal leadership roles to support their colleagues’ mathematics instruction. Implications for school-based learning opportunities across the world include the need to establish specific university–school partnerships, and carefully designing research studies to examine the impact of these learning opportunities.     

The professional development needs of Hong Kong ESL teachers

In the light of changing needs for the professional development (PD) of ESL teachers in Hong Kong, this study investigates current practice and future needs within the context of the implementation of educational reforms by the Hong Kong Government. A cohort of ESL teachers, members of a knowledge sharing community project, participated in a survey to gauge their experience of, and attitudes towards, PD. The survey produced a 100% response. Data from the cohort indicated that experienced, well-qualified ESL teachers perceive the need for PD from a broader perspective than their less qualified, less experienced peers who are driven by more immediate needs. These findings resonate with those from countries where PD is viewed as an integral part of ongoing teacher development. The paper concludes with the recommendations that the current findings would be augmented by a further, qualitative study.     

Longitudinal literacy professional development in an urban elementary charter school

The authors describe a school-university professional development partnership in a high-needs urban elementary charter school. University and school partners collaborated to build instructional capacity to develop teachers’ understanding and implementation of effective literacy instruction. Design-based research revealed increased understanding and implementation of effective literacy practices among school leaders and teachers. Findings revealed the importance of administrative stability; coaching support; and a focused, school-wide instructional vision.     

中美中小学教师职前教育课程的理论比较

中小学教师职前教育课程是我国高等师范院校教育改革的重点,高师院校课程结构和内容关系到未来中小学教师的培养和国民科学素质的提高。．美国在中小学教师职前教育课程设置与改革方面的经验对我国有很大的借鉴意义。本文首先阐述教师职前教育的相关概念和理论。接着以物理学科为例,介绍中美两国中小学教师职前教育课程的基本概况。     

Building a whole school approach to professional experience: Collaboration and community

This paper explores one implementation of an extended, structured, collaborative professional experience program. Its context is a new partnership between a university and a professional experience school. The program draws on elements of Instructional Rounds and Lesson Study, framed around a learning community model of professional experience for peer collaboration, observations, reflections and discussions across disciplines by pre-service teachers. Results show that pre-service teachers experienced a sense of belonging, developed professional relationships and dialogue with staff and peers, linked theory with practice, and developed dispositions for on-going improvement of teaching quality, all factors likely to improve their readiness for teaching. On the other hand, participants faced challenges in terms of logistics and communication, time pressure and anxiety and power relations between novice and expert.