Preservice Teachers' Stories Of Mathematics Classrooms: Explorations Of Practice Through Fictional Accounts

This report describes four preservice secondary teachers' fictional accounts about mathematics classrooms. The narrative structures and meanings of the preservice teachers' stories, written while the preservice teachers were enrolled in a secondary methods course, were examined with the goal of gaining insight into the preservice teachers' emerging identities as mathematics teachers. Although past research has examined experienced teachers' stories, little research, if any, has focused on stories written by preservice mathematics teachers or on intentionally fictional stories about mathematics classrooms. This report uses methods of narrative analysis to develop understandings about preservice teachers' storied identities and specifies areas for further investigation into the role of narrative in mathematics teacher education.     

A Comparison of Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety Before and After a Methods Class Emphasizing Manipulatives

The changes in levels of mathematics anxiety among future teachers in two different mathematics materials and methods classes were investigated. The changes were a function of using: (a) Bruner's framework of developing conceptual knowledge before procedural knowledge, and (b) manipulatives to make mathematics concepts more concrete. The sample included 87 preservice teachers enrolled in mathematics methods courses. Two strategies were used to gather data both at the beginning and ending of each quarter. First, future teachers completed 98-item, Likert-type questionnaires. Second, some of the factors that influence the levels of mathematics anxiety were determined through the use of questionnaire-guided narrative interviews. Multivariate analysis of variance was employed as the quantitative measure for comparing mathematics anxiety both at the beginning and ending of the quarter. Data revealed a statistically significant reduction of mathematics anxiety levels (p < .05). Tukey's HSD was used to determine that a significant difference in mathematics anxiety levels occurred between the classes in the fall and winter quarters. Results of the study have implications for teacher education programs concerning the measurement of mathematics anxiety levels among future teachers and the determination of specific contexts in which that anxiety can be interpreted and reduced.     

教师变量对学生数学成绩影响的研究

本文以TIMSS2015数据为依据,运用多层线性模型,探讨教师变量对学生数学成绩的影响。教师变量包括教师特征变量、教师教学变量和教师专业发展变量。其中教师特征变量有教龄、性别、学历、数学专业、数学教育专业;教师教学变量有教学期望、教学合作、教学热情、课堂讨论、多媒体使用、对作业的重视、对考试的重视;教师专业发展变量有数学知识培训、数学教育培训、数学课程培训。多层线性分析发现:在教师特征变量中,教师的教龄、性别、学历、数学专业对学生数学成绩有显著作用;在教师教学变量中,教师的教学期望、教学热情、课堂讨论、多媒体使用对学生数学成绩有显著影响;在教师专业发展变量中,参加数学知识培训和数学教育培训对学生数学成绩有显著正向影响。     

Increasing Preservice Teachers' Diversity Beliefs and Commitment

Research on teacher expectations and student success suggests that teachers' beliefs about students lead to differential expectations and treatment of students. Few qualitative studies aimed at understanding teacher beliefs about diversity and multicultural commitment have been done. This study utilized combined quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and commitments of a predominantly Anglo-American population of preservice teachers enrolled in a diversity course. The results describe beginning attitudes, beliefs, and commitments to diversity; changes (or lack of change) in attitudes, beliefs, and commitments after participation in a diversity course; some theoretical underpinnings for understanding changes (or lack of change); and a framework for facilitating positive multicultural experiences.     

Preservice Teachers' School Stories and How They Matter

Abstract

In order to address national standards for educational technology, science teaching and science teacher preparation (including diversity standards), preservice teachers instruct children from around the world via the Internet in the MOON (More Observations of Nature) Project. First, children in the fourth to eighth grade and preservice teachers independently observe the moon for 10 weeks. Then for 6 weeks in Blackboard CourseInfo, discussion groups composed of one preservice teacher plus 8–10 children report observations and seek patterns in their data. This article describes how the MOON Project has been carried out for five semesters and how modifications have been made in response to each semester's experience.     

The Effect of Collaborative Concept Mapping on Elementary Preservice Teachers' Anxiety,Efficacy, and Achievement in Physical Science

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Shedding Light on Preservice Teachers' Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs across domains in a reading-specific methods course. Participants were preservice teachers in a state required reading methods course. During this course, preservice teachers were required to work with an elementary student in reading and write a case study linking theory to practice. At the beginning and end of the course, participants completed a battery of adapted, domain-specific versions of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale. Results showed that preservice teachers reported a significant increase in their sense of efficacy within each domain. However, efficacy beliefs differed with regard to domain.     

师范生共情能力与人格、教师身份认同的关系

本研究采用中文版人际反应指针量表(IR I-C)、师范生教师身份认同水平调查表、十条目大五人格量表(TIPI-C)对500名在校师范生的共情能力、人格、教师身份认同进行了调查,并探讨了三者之间的关系,尤其是人格对师范生共情能力和教师身份认同之间的中介作用。结果发现:师范生共情能力与教师身份认同呈正相关;外向性、宜人性和尽责性人格在师范生共情能力和教师身份认同之间的关系中存在部分中介作用。     

Preservice Science Teachers' Perceptions of Their Practicum Classrooms

Practicum experiences in schools are highly valued in science teacher education programs. Yet, there are few studies examining secondary preservice science teachers' practicum classrooms. This mixed-methods study explored secondary preservice science teachers' perceptions of their practicum classroom learning environments, interpreted from an open-ended survey questionnaire, as well as from an adapted version of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES; Taylor, Fraser, & Fisher, 1997). Twenty-two preservice teachers within secondary science methods courses volunteered to complete the survey. Qualitative survey findings were corroborated by quantitative results from the CLES survey. Overall, the preservice teachers perceived their practicum classrooms to incorporate some constructivist learning environment factors, but the critical constructivist perspective underpinning the survey was not found. Additionally, innovative practices cogent with these practices were not supported by most of their co-operating teachers. Implications of how preservice education programs can better support prospective science teachers' views and practices during practicum are discussed.     

Reflecting on the Use of Writing to Promote Mathematical Learning: An Examination of Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives

We examine preservice mathematics teachers' conceptions of writing as a tool for learning mathematics before and after participation in and reflection on writing tasks. We describe the use of two targeted activities incorporated into a secondary methods course: writing to learn mathematics (WTLM) and reflection on that writing. Prior to participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed reluctance toward the use of writing in mathematics and uncertainty as to how writing could be useful in mathematics, while accepting that some possible benefits might exist for students' procedural learning. Following participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed a willingness to accept writing as a useful tool for supporting an expanded view of teaching and learning mathematics. Specifically, the preservice teachers considered writing as a way to build connections between mathematics and other subjects, a means to assess student understanding of mathematics, and a beneficial support for student conceptual learning.     

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Web-based Scientific Inquiry

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Difficulties in Decimal Numeration

In this study we investigated preservice elementary school teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of decimal numeration. The preservice teachers completed a decimal comparison test, marked items they thought would be difficult for students, and explained why. Only about 80 percent of the sample tested as experts, indicating that a significant proportion of preservice teachers have inadequate content knowledge of decimals. Confusion about the size of decimals in relation to zero was a significant and unexpected difficulty, leading to concerns about the fragmentary nature of the preservice teachers' knowledge. Most preservice teachers were aware of longer-is-larger misconceptions in students, but had little awareness of shorter-is-larger misconceptions. Preservice teachers' explanations for the reasons students might have difficulty demonstrated that many are good at identifying features that make comparisons difficult but less able to explain why these cause trouble. Results point to the need for teacher education to emphasise content knowledge that integrates different aspects of number knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge that includes a thorough understanding of common difficulties. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mathematics Anxiety In Preservice Elementary School Teachers

Mathematics anxiety is a condition that exists in many children and adults. Studies (Bulmahn & Young, 1982, Kelly & Tomhave, 1985) have indicated that about 10% of all preservice elementary school teachers have mathematics anxiety. The author verified this statistic in a research study conducted by Basta & Unglaub (1994). In fact, with the particular sample used in the 1994 study (79 preservice elementary school teachers) the number of high mathematics anxious rose to 11.4% based on the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (Suinn, 1972).     

Preservice Teachers' Development and Implementation of Science Performance Assessment Tasks

Preservice teachers in a science methods course were provided instruction on performance assessment, then guided through a design and implementation process of performance assessment tasks. We assessed the effect of designing and implementing a performance assessment task on preservice teachers' understanding of standards-based assessment. The findings show that these preservice teachers improved in their understanding of assessment as a formative process as well as their science content understanding of the topic addressed in their designed task. We found that preservice teachers need to experiment with performance assessment tasks in an authentic context in order to understand the full potential and value of the task.     

师范生教师身份认同危机及其原因探析

师范生教师身份认同危机的本质是一个以价值认同为核心的循环向上的发展过程。这种危机主要表现在归属感的消解、方向感的模糊和无力感的侵袭。究其原因,它主要是由于教师角色的不确定性、师范生与教学实践的疏离、功利主义评价、师范生个体消极被动的学习态度等造成的。基于上述分析,本文提出了加强师范生职业伦理教育,强化课程的实践性、改进评价方式和促进师范生自我反思四方面的建议。     

Concordance Between Preservice Teachers' Personal Responsibilities and Intended Instructional Practices

During their education, preservice teachers begin to assume professional responsibilities and gain pedagogical knowledge. However, the question remains whether preservice teachers intend to use instructional practices that are effective in meeting their assumed responsibilities. Thus, we examined the concordance between preservice teachers' responsibilities and their intended instructional practices. At the start of the semester there was no concordance. At the end of the semester there was high concordance in two instances: Responsibility for student motivation negatively predicted performance goal-oriented practices; responsibility for teaching positively predicted rationales and negatively predicted extrinsic rewards. Instructional practices associated with responsibility for achievement and motivation were not concordant. We discuss how preservice teachers understand these responsibilities and their readiness to adopt evidence-based practices.     

Rethinking Equity: Preservice Teachers' Perceptions and Practice Around Policy

Despite the body of literature around practicing teachers and policy (Knapp, Ferguson, Bamberg, &; Hill, 1998; Kumar &; Scuderi, 2000; Lortie, 1975/2002), little is known about the involvement of their preservice counterparts. Preservice teachers have limited exposure to policy-related coursework in their professional training (Floden &; Meniketti, 2005) and scholarship is relatively silent regarding preservice teachers' experiences with educational policies and their sense-making process (Spillane, 2004; Weick, 1995; see Heineke, Ryan, &; Tocci, 2015, for a notable exception).

This paper examines preservice teachers negotiating and making sense of a particular policy, the Massachusetts' Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL). It addresses the following questions: First, what do preservice teachers know about policy in general and the RETELL language policy in particular? Second, how do preservice teachers make sense of the implementation of the RETELL policy in the various settings of their professional training? Third, in what ways do preservice teachers' experiences with the policy influence their orientations toward teaching emergent bilingual students? This analysis demonstrates that preservice teachers have limited general knowledge of educational policy process, and limited specific knowledge around the RETELL language policy. Yet, they learn important lessons about how to “do” policy from their field supervisors and play an important role in policy implementation. The impact of the RETELL policy on preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching emergent bilingual students is mediated by the lack of policy information they receive and by their experiences in the field. This paper adds to the limited literature around preservice teachers involvement in policy and offers recommendations for highlighting the importance of policy education in teacher training.     

职前教师信息素养培养研究

面对信息化的教育形势,职前教师作为未来基础教育的主力军,要适应当地形势,提高自身素质,作符合时代要求和社会发展的新型人民教师.在分析网络对培养职前教师信息素养所起作用的基础上,通过分析问卷调查表,充分了解我院学生网络应用的实际情况,提出培养职前教师网络能力的方法和途径.     

Elementary Preservice Teachers' Struggles to Define Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Purposeful Reflections: Scaffolding Preservice Teachers' Field Placement Observations

ABSTRACT

In this qualitative study we examine preservice teachers' abilities to connect theory and practice through the use of a collaboratively developed field observation guide, namely the “Targeted Field Observation Guide.” The goal in developing and implementing this field-based observation guide was to help preservice teachers make explicit, purposeful connections between their required, course-embedded field placements and the secondary undergraduate content area literacy courses in which they were enrolled. Forty-three preservice teachers participated in this study and were enrolled in a large public university or a small private college in the Midwestern United States. Analysis of participants' weekly written reflections shared via computer-mediated communication (Google Docs) reveals that using a field-based observation guide further supported connections and conversations with peers regarding their field reflections and observations. However, many participants' reflections still demonstrated limited connections between theory and practice.