Genomics Literacy: Implications for Teaching Students with a Range of Special Needs

Recent developments in genomic-based knowledge is challenging educators to learn more about the early precursors of various difficulties children experience in learning and how they can use this information to identify preventative strategies or strategies that minimise their effect. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief outline of what is already known about some genetic disorders and some other disorders currently identified in the genome, the role of the teacher in understanding individual student needs, and how teachers can address some of the challenges posed. This article is fundamentally a review of the literature concerning genomics and genomic literacy and the implications for teachers in regular classes.     

Student teachers’ views of practicums (teacher training placements) in Turkish and English contexts: a comparative study

How student teachers experience their transformation into serving teachers in the liminal social spaces of the school-based practicum (teaching practice) is of key importance to them, their future students and their educators. The practicum is a challenging experience for student teachers, even with help from university and school-based mentors, as their knowledge of practice, power and culture in schools lacks sophistication. The practicum, an under-researched but important aspect of education, was investigated by this study by asking 480 student teachers in three universities in Turkey and England in 2010–2011 about how well their universities prepared them for the practicum, what made practicums successful and how practicums fostered their professional development. Participants generally thought the practicum helped them to develop skills in student and classroom management, in meeting students’ diverse learning needs, in recognising multiple students’ perspectives and in grounding their understanding of what it meant to be a teacher ‘for real’.     

Paragons of Virtue: teachers’ conceptual understanding of high ability in an egalitarian school system

Recent research suggests that teachers are useful in identifying high ability, provided they have some advance guidelines on how such identification should be operationalized and why. But how do teachers in an egalitarian school system, with neither specific knowledge nor guidelines, conceptualize and make provision for highly able pupils? A total of 232 teachers, representing all levels of the Swedish comprehensive school system, were questioned on different aspects of their conceptual understanding of talented pupils. Answers were given as brief written statements, and the data submitted to a content analysis which resulted in four cluster matrices. This showed that teachers can identify high ability fairly accurately with regard to cognitive attributes and personality characteristics, but fail to understand the socio‐emotional dynamics. Thus, highly able pupils appeared to have been regarded as ‘paragons of virtue’ possessing the social attributes of the teachers ‘ideal pupil’.     

Recommendations for effective university study based on students’ point of view

This research examined what university students recommend for effective university study and whether their recommendations differ by gender, faculty or study programme degree. The research was based on 985 questionnaires. The following words were most commonly used in advice for freshmen: Go, Lectures, Learn, Continuously, Be, Prepare, Information, Have, Do, Materials. The fundamental advice seems to be: to go to lectures, to have needed materials and information and to learn and prepare continuously. Some stated recommendations react to the development of information and communication technologies and the massive usage of the Internet (such as obtaining a laptop and a cell phone or setting up a Facebook profile). Quite a lot of advice was connected with health, such as to sleep enough, to eat regularly, to not smoke, to relax and to restrict alcohol consumption. The recommendations gained in this survey were categorised by thematic similarities to characteristics, knowledge, skills, behaviour and background. The findings highlight the fact that given recommendations for effective study differ by the respondent’s gender and faculty. Women concentrated more on recommendations on how to behave and men mentioned more often what personality characteristics are important for effective university study. Students of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications highlighted the necessity of creativity and practical experience more often than others.     

Examining the Beliefs and Practices of Four Effective Australian Primary Science Teachers

With trends across many countries still indicating the decline of student interest in school science and diminishing numbers of students studying science beyond the compulsory years, it seems that the field remains in crisis. To address these unfortunate trends, there needs to be a greater emphasis on science education research that highlights the good news stories. For example, what are science teachers actually doing in their classrooms to increase student interest and understanding in science? This article focuses on the science teaching beliefs and practices of four Western Australian primary school teachers. The teachers were nominated by a professional colleague as effective practitioners. The study involved gathering information from classroom observations and teacher interviews to provide background information to assist in developing understandings of these teachers and their science teaching. This article reports on the initial findings drawn from Deanne A, Kate B, Lisa C and Rebecca D. Their practices were organised into the following six categories: classroom environment; conceptual knowledge and procedural skills; teaching strategies and approaches; student-specific considerations; teacher-specific considerations; and context-specific considerations. In examining the components contributing to these categories, it was evident that the teachers’ beliefs, as well as the contextual factors inherent in each classroom environment, influenced how and why they teach science in the ways they do.     

Teachers and ICT: current use and future needs

In Scotland, ICT is clearly integral to the existing curriculum in primary and secondary education, see, for example, the 5–14 Development Programme or Higher Still in which information technology is identified as one of the core skills areas (HSDU, 1998). In light of current UK-wide developments such as the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) and the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) funded training in ICT for teachers and librarians, it is all the more important to understand teachers' ICT skills and knowledge needs, to discover their priorities for future development and to establish what will encourage teachers to adopt ICT where appropriate in their professional lives as classroom practitioners, as planners and managers and as learners. An investigation of the ICT skills and knowledge needs of teachers working in Scotland was therefore commissioned by the Scottish Office and completed by the authors. This paper reports on that study indicating relatively low use of ICT and a number of key issues which have implications for teacher training and development. The full report is available on the Scottish Executive website (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/).     

Exploring inclusive pedagogy

This paper reports on a study designed to examine teachers' craft knowledge of their practice of ‘inclusion’ in terms of what they do, why and how. The research approach offers an important alternative to studies of students with ‘additional needs’ and the search to articulate the specialist knowledge and skill required to teach them. Through classroom observations and interviews with 11 teachers of students across the full age range in two Scottish primary schools, we investigated how teachers make meaning of the concept of inclusion in their practice by exploring theoretical assumptions drawn from the literature about inclusive pedagogy. The analysis enabled us to identify practical examples of inclusive pedagogy that met the standard of extending what is generally available to everybody, as opposed to providing for all by differentiating for some. Examples of the inclusive pedagogical approach are provided.     

Inter-generational learning of teachers: what and how do teachers learn from older and younger colleagues?

This paper examines how and what teachers learn from their older and younger colleagues. Data were gathered from interviews and written reports from 27 Belgian and Finnish teachers. Thematic qualitative analysis was used. The results revealed differences in what teachers learn from older and younger colleagues. Teachers reported learning innovative teaching methods and ICT skills from younger colleagues, whereas practical information, classroom management skills, self-regulation and community building were learned mainly from older colleagues. Attitudes regarding teaching and different ways of being a teacher were learned from both younger and older colleagues alike. Similarities were also found in how teachers learned from their older and younger colleagues. Informal activities and relationships, different forms of mentoring, and working in subject teams or seminars were important sources of learning. An intergenerational learning perspective is important with respect to demographic changes in school staff and in preventing knowledge loss and teacher dropout.     

Teachers’ Ability to Identify Children at Early Risk for Reading Difficulties in Grade 1

The aim of the study was to investigate what kinds of assessment practices classroom teachers and special educational needs (SEN) teachers use in assessing first grade students' pre-reading skills (letter knowledge and phonological skills). Further, we investigated to what extent teachers were able to identify difficulties in pre-reading skills of the children with the lowest achievement scores. The accuracy of teacher ratings of students' pre-reading skills was studied by comparing teacher ratings to actual test scores. The data from two Finnish longitudinal studies were used: JLD sample (class teachers, n = 91; SEN teachers, n = 51; 200 students) and First Steps sample (class teachers, n = 136; SEN teachers, n = 34; 598 students). Results showed first, that most classroom teachers used qualitative assessment and SEN teachers also relied on tests. Secondly, although teacher ratings correlated with the test scores, closer investigation of sensitivity and specificity of the teacher ratings revealed that a number of children in need of extra support for their early reading development according to test scores remained unidentified. Moreover, there were some students identified by the teacher to have difficulties despite test scores not confirming that. The findings underline the importance for developing more specific and reliable assessment tools for teachers to use for pedagogical purposes, and respectively, the need to pay more attention to early identification of reading difficulties in teacher training program curricula.     

Analysing teachers' operations when teaching students: what constitutes scientific theories?

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to analyse teachers’ efforts to develop secondary school students’ knowledge and argumentation skills of what constitutes scientific theories. The analysis is based on Leontiev’s three-level structure of activity (activity, action, and operation), as these levels correspond to the questions why, what, and how content is taught. The unit of analysis was a school development project in science education, where design-based interventions were conducted. Data comprised notes and minutes from eight meetings, plans, and video recordings of the lessons, and a written teacher evaluation. The teachers’ (n = 7) learning actions were analysed to identify (a) concept formation in science education, (b) expressions of agency, (c) discursive manifestations of contradictions, and (d) patterns of interaction during the science interventions. Three lessons on what constitutes scientific theories were implemented in three different student groups (n = 24, 23, 24), framed by planning and evaluation meetings for each lesson. The results describe (1) the ways in which teachers became more skilled at ensuring instruction met their students’ needs and (2) the ways in which teachers’ operations during instruction changed as a result of their developed knowledge of how to express the content based on theoretical assumptions.     

Teachers’ sources of knowledge for field trip practices

Teachers draw from many personal and professional experiences when organising and leading field trips. In order to identify the influences on teachers?? field trip practices, I used surveys, interviews, artifacts and observations gathered from teachers who led trips to an aquarium. Findings clarified the types of influence and the impact that these influences had on practice. For example, teachers adapted knowledge acquired for use in their field trips from four types of training (1) informal mentoring, (2) past experience on various trips, (3) various outdoor education training and (4) traditional classroom education training. A focus was the nature of each of these training types and how teachers acquire and adapt their knowledge. Previous research has shown that, while a variety of cognitive and affective outcomes often results from field trips, there is also a pattern of underutilised resources and missed learning opportunities during trips. This study offers insight regarding strengths and weaknesses of teachers?? preparation for leading field trips by documenting how and what skills are learned and applied. Therefore the findings presented here are suggestive of ways in which efforts to formally support and enhance teachers?? trip-leading skills by means of professional development might build on teachers?? existing sources of knowledge.     

An investigation into the effectiveness of collaboration between Greek secondary EFL teachers and specialist providers for dyslexia issues

This paper investigates the collaboration of Greek secondary school teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with psychologists and advisers for dyslexia issues. Data were collected through audio recorded observations and interviews with head teachers and teachers. Taking a Vygotskian approach to learning, activity theory is applied to analyse the contradictions that emerge around the collaboration of teachers and head teachers with specialist provision for dyslexia issues from data in interviews and field notes across two schools. The analysis shows that contradictions are created when the participants try to achieve their goals for dyslexia support by the absence of ‘what’ artefacts – such as knowledge on dyslexia – and ‘how’ artefacts – processes and procedures such as collaboration with a counsellor – to support the collaboration of EFL teachers with EFL and special educational needs advisers and psychologists, the lack of staff at diagnostic centres and lack of funding for training. This finding indicates that the collaboration between psychologists, advisers and teachers to exchange information on pedagogy needs to be established through meetings and in‐service training of teachers.     

论幼儿园教师的专业技能

我国幼教师资的培养日趋高教化，但其专业技能却有所下降。本文讨论教师专业技能的定义并阐述对教师专业技能的特殊性等理论问题的认识；尝试对幼儿园教师均专业技能进行分类并把握幼教专业技能培训的内容：进而探讨幼儿园教师的专业技能培训应当解决其价值认识等观念上、技术上的问题。     

学术认可与学术系统内部的运行规则

赢得学术界的认可对于学者而言具有特殊的意义。它不仅意味着个人的研究成果为他人所接纳,而且也意味着学者本人在学界获得了相应的职业声望、地位和等级等各种资源。因此,学术认可构成了学术共同体内部运行的核心议题。然而学术认可的过程究竟是为个体意义上的自致性因素所主导,还是为社会性因素所建构?揭示和理解学术认可背后的相关规则对于我们考察中国当下的学术制度具有非同寻常的意义。     

New technologies to support teaching for understanding

In this era of rapid change, educators increasingly recognize that students must learn how to develop and apply knowledge creatively, not simply remember what they have been told. To meet these demands, teachers need professional development opportunities that support them in a transformational process. New technologies appear to hold promise in overcoming the traditional limitations of professional development. In this chapter, we describe and analyze a program designed to provide such professional development. We begin by summarizing recurrent challenges and promising approaches to professional development organized around a set of qualities that characterize effective learning. Next, we use these qualities to describe a program that explicitly incorporates a model of teaching for understanding into the design of an online learning environment and professional development activities for educators. Finally, our analysis of this program emphasizes the Internet's unique advantages, as well as some remaining issues to resolve in online professional development for educators.In this era of rapid change, educators increasingly recognize that students must learn how to develop and apply knowledge creatively, not simply remember what they have been told. This goal requires shifting from traditional lessons based on transmitting information toward approaches that help learners build robust and flexible understanding. Such transformation of curriculum and pedagogy is a complex process for teachers who must develop new knowledge, skills and beliefs.To meet these demands, teachers need professional development opportunities that support them in a transformational process. Unfortunately, most learning opportunities for teachers fall short. They tend to be short-term workshops, focused on general topics rather than deep knowledge of subject matter and pedagogy, inattentive to teachers’ individual interests, disconnected from specific classroom practices, and isolated from ongoing support by coaches and colleagues. Formal professional development activities are often the antithesis of what is known to promote effective learning.New technologies appear to hold promise in overcoming the traditional limitations of professional development. The World Wide Web, with its rich trove of multimedia resources, interactive tools, and telecommunication facilities, accessible from anywhere on the planet, seems full of potential as a facilitator of teacher learning. Yet we know that mere access to technical resources is not sufficient to generate learning or to change practice. How might the Internet be used to support communities of reflective practitioners committed to teaching for understanding?     

Inclusive pedagogy in action: getting it right for every child

A key assumption underpinning formative assessment strategies is that individual pupils must be fully involved in the process. While such engagement and attention on the individual is important, studies suggest that teachers do not always readily engage with formative assessment as a reciprocal process which involves pupils. Additionally, a focus on individual differences between pupils can be problematic if the work that is set for some is differentiated to such an extent that they are not able to participate in classroom activities with others. Inclusive pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that attends to individual differences between pupils but avoids the marginalisation that can occur when pedagogical responses are designed only with individual needs in mind. Using participant observation and video footage from three classrooms that captured ‘learning moments’ identified by teachers and pupils, this study documents how the professional craft knowledge of teachers develops as they learn to use what their pupils have to say about learning in the context of whole class teaching. By concentrating on the findings from one site, this paper shows how teachers can use what they learn from listening to pupils’ self-assessments of their learning in ways that meet the standard of inclusive pedagogy.     

Digital game building: learning in a participatory culture

Background: Research findings indicate that developing good relationships with pupils, managing classroom processes adequately and developing confidence and trust with other teachers are among the aspects of teaching that are found to be challenging. Although many studies conclude that collaborative reflection is a crucial activity for supporting teachers’ professional development in school, studies that focus on what teachers reflect on and how they reflect are more limited.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to improve our understanding of what situations teachers experience as challenging in their teaching, what types of help they seek when trying to manage such situations and, furthermore, how teachers reflect together on how to develop as teachers, when they have time to collaborate.

Sources of information and method: The study aimed to explore these areas theoretically by bringing together data from, and discussing the implications of (1) an interview study and (2) a formative intervention study which involved teachers from lower secondary schools in Norway working with a researcher–participant. The data were analysed by using the constant comparative method of analyses. By discussing aspects of these two studies together, the research aimed to identify and address some of the theoretical questions pertinent to teacher development.

Findings and conclusions: The analysis and discussion of the data from the two studies illuminates teachers’ recognition of the value of having time to reflect together. It also indicates, however, that it is not only a matter of teachers having time to observe, reflect together and focus on their development processes: the types of discourse used during collaborative reflection must also be suitable. The researcher–participant’s role highlighted the untapped potential to be found by looking into how language is used in dialogues aimed at supporting teacher development. Helping teachers to develop the skills to reflect collaboratively and constructively, in a way that ultimately improves teaching and learning, is therefore an important challenge for teacher education and the education of teachers and school leaders.     

When Teaching Makes a Difference: Developing science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge through learning study

It is a common view that developing teachers’ competence to restructure or reframe their knowledge and beliefs is inevitably a complex challenge. This paper reports on a research project with the aim to develop science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) through their participation in a learning study. A learning study is a collegial process in which teachers work together with a researcher to explore their own teaching activities in order to identify what is critical for their students’ learning. During one semester, three secondary science teachers worked in a learning study together with a researcher in a cyclical process in order to create prerequisites and further identify conditions for students’ learning. During the learning study, data were collected from video-recorded lessons and stimulated recall sessions in which the teachers and the researcher reflected on the lessons to analyze their development of PCK, their students’ learning and the impact of that knowledge on their own teaching. The results provide an insight into how the teachers developed their self-understanding in which they questioned their own epistemological beliefs, aims and objectives of teaching and taken-for-granted assumptions about science teaching and learning. As such, the study provides an understanding of teacher professional learning through a careful investigation of how teachers’ PCK is enhanced through their participation in the learning study, and further, how students’ learning might be developed as a consequence.     

Teacher knowledge: a complex tapestry

Teachers need to know a great deal, in many areas and in multiple ways. Teacher knowledge is a complex tapestry, and teachers must successfully weave the multiple threads. In this article, I present a conceptualisation of teacher knowledge that provides a framework for describing the complexity of teacher knowledge. The framework describes three ways of knowing: “knowing how,” “knowing why,” and “knowing what” and then applies these three knowledge discourses across six domains of teacher knowledge. The framework was developed from a study of 14 teachers in their first year of teaching, and in this article the framework is applied to their experiences to illustrate specific gaps in their teacher knowledge. It is proposed that this conceptualisation of teacher knowledge allows those involved in teacher education and induction to more clearly identify professional learning needs and develop their programmes with specificity.