Classroom organization and teacher stress predict learning motivation in kindergarten children

This study examined the extent to which observed teaching practices and self-reported teacher stress predict children’s learning motivation and phonological awareness in kindergarten. The pre-reading skills of 1,268 children were measured at the beginning of their kindergarten year. Their learning motivation and phonological awareness were assessed in the following spring. Questionnaires measuring teacher stress were filled out by 137 kindergarten teachers. A pair of trained observers used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta et al. 2008) to observe 49 kindergarten teachers from the whole sample on their emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. The results of multilevel modeling showed that low teacher stress and high classroom organization predicted high learning motivation in children and that the children’s learning motivation contributed to their level of phonological awareness. Moreover, children’s learning motivation mediated the association between teacher stress and children’s phonological awareness. The results emphasize the importance of teachers’ pedagogical well-being and classroom organizational quality for children’s learning motivation.     

Teachers enacting a technology-rich curriculum for emergent literacy

PictoPal is the name of a technology-rich curriculum with a focus on emergent literacy of Dutch kindergarteners. A case study design was used to examine teacher technology integration within PictoPal along with their perceptions about teaching/learning, technology and technology-based innovations. Observations were undertaken on pupils’ engagement and teachers’ technology integration within PictoPal. Interviews were used to examine teachers’ perceptions. Pupils’ emergent literacy learning was examined in a nonequivalent control quasi experimental design. Four kindergarten teachers and four classes (N = 95 pupils) participated in the use of PictoPal. The findings suggest that a high extent of technology integration is related to: a developmental approach to teaching/learning; positive attitudes and expectations towards technology-based innovations; and positive perceptions of support in stressful work conditions. Significant learning gains were found for the experimental group using PictoPal. High pupil learning gains were not related to a high extent of technology integration. Senior kindergarteners engaged to a higher extent with PictoPal than junior kindergarteners.     

Science Teacher Learning of MBL-Supported Student-Centered Science Education in the Context of Secondary Education in Tanzania

Science teachers from secondary schools in Tanzania were offered an in-service arrangement to prepare them for the integration of technology in a student-centered approach to science teaching. The in-service arrangement consisted of workshops in which educative curriculum materials were used to prepare teachers for student-centered education and for the use and application of Microcomputer Based Laboratories (MBL)—a specific technology application for facilitating experiments in science education. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to study whether the in-service arrangement impacted teacher learning. Teacher learning was determined by three indicators: (1) the ability to conduct MBL-supported student centered science lessons, (2) teachers’ reflection on those lessons and (3) students’ perceptions of the classroom environment. The results of the research indicate that the teachers’ were able to integrate MBL in their science lessons at an acceptable level and that they were able to create a classroom environment which was appreciated by their students as more investigative and open-ended.     

Reading teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and English phonology

We investigated relationships among elementary teachers’ reading-related content knowledge (knowledge of literature and phonology), their philosophical orientation toward reading instruction, their classroom practice, and their students’ learning. Correlations showed little relationship between instructional philosophy and content knowledge, and little relationship between instructional philosophy and classroom practice. However, relationships emerged between content knowledge and instruction, and between kindergarten teachers’ phonological knowledge and their students’ reading achievement. We recommend that the recent focus on teacher’s disciplinary knowledge be broadened to include teachers of beginning reading and that teachers be afforded opportunities to develop the necessary knowledge base to teach reading effectively.     

Teacher Learning of Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment

This study examined the integration of technology enhanced formative assessment (FA) into teachers’ practice. Participants were high school physics teachers interested in improving their use of a classroom response system (CRS) to promote FA. Data were collected using interviews, direct classroom observations, and collaborative discussions. The physics teachers engaged in collaborative action research (AR) to learn how to use FA and CRS to promote student and teacher learning. Data were analyzed using open coding, cross-case analysis, and content analysis. Results from data analysis allowed researchers to construct a model for knowledge skills necessary for the integration of technology enhanced FA into teachers’ practice. The model is as a set of four technologies: hardware and software; methods for constructing FA items; pedagogical methods; and curriculum integration. The model is grounded in the idea that teachers must develop these respective technologies as they interact with the CRS (i.e., hardware and software, item construction) and their existing practice (i.e., pedagogical methods, curriculum). Implications are that for teachers to make FA an integral part of their practice using CRS, they must: 1) engage in the four technologies; 2) understand the nature of FA; and 3) collaborate with other interested teachers through AR.     

Educational wisdom and intellectual teachers are called on by the times

Currently, there is lack of educational wisdom in classroom teaching. Educational wisdom is a kind of quality of good education, representing a free, harmonious, open and creative status of education. The educational wisdom of intellectual teachers is the outcome of the close integration of educational science and art. It is also the result of teachers’ long-term practice, reflections and the comprehensive expression of teachers’ capacities. The shackles of traditional teaching systems, the utilitarianism orientation of teaching reforms and educational research and the habitual mode of teachers’ practice have affected the formation of teachers’ educational wisdom. To get rid of the dilemma, it is necessary to reconsider the significance and the value of teaching, to show due concern with teachers’ practice, to weaken the utilitarianism orientation of teaching reforms and educational research and to arouse teachers’ professional feelings and enthusiasm for learning. Translated from Jiaoyu Yanjiu 教育研究 (Educational Research), 2005, (2): 50–57     

Disciplinary knowledge of K-3 teachers and their knowledge calibration in the domain of early literacy

Recently, investigators have begun to pay increasing attention to the role of teachers’ domain-specific knowledge in the area of reading, and its implications for both classroom practice and student learning. The aims of the present study were to assess kindergarten to third grade teachers’ actual and perceived reading related subject matter knowledge, and to investigate the extent to which teachers calibrate their reading related subject matter knowledge by examining relationships between actual and perceived knowledge. Results indicated that while teachers demonstrated limited knowledge of children’s literature, phoneme awareness, and phonics, the majority of these same teachers evaluated their knowledge levels quite positively. Teachers demonstrated some ability to calibrate their own knowledge levels in the area of children’s literature, yet they were poorly calibrated in the domains of phoneme awareness and phonics. These findings suggest that teachers tend to overestimate their reading related subject matter knowledge, and are often unaware of what they know and do not know. Implications for the design of teacher education at both the preservice and inservice levels are discussed. Note: This research was funded through the National Science Foundation IERI 00-74 Initiative to Anne E. Cunningham, University of California, Berkeley. acunning@uclink.berkeley.edu     

Factors affecting technology integration in K-12 classrooms: a path model

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of teachers’ individual characteristics and perceptions of environmental factors that influence their technology integration in the classroom. A research-based path model was developed to explain causal relationships between these factors and was tested based on data gathered from 1,382 Tennessee public school teachers. The results provided significant evidence that the developed model is useful in explaining factors affecting technology integration and the relationships between the factors.     

Integrating ICT into College English: An implementation study of a national reform

This paper describes a mixed-methods case study of a national reform of College English teaching in China which called for the integration of ICT (information and communication technology) into English classroom teaching and self-access learning. The study examined ICT implementation of the national reform in a specific tertiary institution from the perspectives of ICT use in language education and ICT-related policies and practices for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. The findings indicated that the reform had represented a challenge for teachers, who were expected to adapt to technologically-enhanced teaching materials, embrace student-centred classroom teaching and guide students’ autonomous learning in ICT settings. Constraints included insufficient ICT facilities, teachers’ limited ICT skills and pedagogic expertise; and lack of effective communication networks and inadequate technical support and ICT-related training also hindered the smooth ICT implementation of the reform. Implications for national and institutional policy-making are discussed.     

Integrating Laptop Computers into Classroom: Attitudes, Needs, and Professional Development of Science Teachers—A Case Study

The study examines the professional development of junior-high-school teachers participating in the Israeli “Katom” (Computer for Every Class, Student and Teacher) Program, begun in 2004. A three-circle support and training model was developed for teachers’ professional development. The first circle applies to all teachers in the program; the second, to all teachers at individual schools; the third to teachers of specific disciplines. The study reveals and describes the attitudes of science teachers to the integration of laptop computers and to the accompanying professional development model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight science teachers from the four schools participating in the program. The interviews were analyzed according to the internal relational framework taken from the information that arose from the interviews. Two factors influenced science teachers’ professional development: (1) Introduction of laptops to the teachers and students. (2) The support and training system. Interview analysis shows that the disciplinary training is most relevant to teachers and they are very interested in belonging to the professional science teachers’ community. They also prefer face-to-face meetings in their school. Among the difficulties they noted were the new learning environment, including control of student computers, computer integration in laboratory work and technical problems. Laptop computers contributed significantly to teachers’ professional and personal development and to a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching. One-to-One laptops also changed the schools’ digital culture. The findings are important for designing concepts and models for professional development when introducing technological innovation into the educational system.     

Towards technology integration: the impact of motivational and volitional email messages

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of motivational and volitional email messages (MVEM) on preservice teachers’ motivation, volition, performance, and their attitudes toward technology integration. Each of four sections in an educational technology course for preservice teachers was randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group which received MVEM constructed based on audience analysis; and the other which received placebo email messages consisting of class activities reminders without audience analysis. Results indicated that the group provided with MVEM showed higher volition and more positive attitudes toward technology integration than the group provided with placebo messages even though there was no difference in motivation or performance. These results suggest that MVEM can serve as an effective tool for facilitating preservice teachers’ positive attitudes toward technology integration. Implications for the design and development of interventions or systems for technology integration are discussed and further research is recommended.     

The gap between expectations and reality: integrating computers into mathematics classrooms

As a result of dramatic changes in mathematics education around the world, in Turkey both elementary and secondary school mathematics curriculums have changed in the light of new demands since 2005. In order to perform the expected change in newly developed curriculum, computer should be integrated into learning and teaching process. Teachers’ beliefs play a key role in this integration process. Negative beliefs against using computer in mathematics teaching may lead to failure of this process. With the help of this study, it is aimed to detect mathematics teachers’ beliefs concerning Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction (CAMI). Within the scope of this aim, the conducted questionnaire (The opinions of teachers about using computer in Mathematics Instruction) has been carried out on 91 mathematics teachers in the city of Trabzon. The acquired results have shown that mathematics teachers have developed negative opinions against CAMI. This state has revealed that there is a huge inconsistency between curriculum’s positive expectations arising from computer usage and teachers’ convictions.     

Assessment Practices: Empowering Mathematics and Science Teachers in Rural Secondary Schools to Enhance Student Learning

Aligned with recent changes to syllabuses in Australia is an assessment regime requiring teachers to identify what their students ‘know’ and ‘can do’ in terms of the quality of understanding demonstrated. This paper describes the experiences of 25 secondary science and mathematics teachers in rural schools in New South Wales as they explore the changing nature of assessment and its implications on their classroom practice. To help reconceptualise these changes, teachers were introduced to a cognitive structural model as a theoretical framework. Throughout the 2-year study, teachers attended a series of professional development sessions and received ongoing consultative support. Each session was taped and transcribed while interviews were conducted with each teacher at the end of both years. Analysis of these data using a grounded theory approach identified seven major components of teacher practice impacted by the study. The core component was questioning while the six contributing components were teachers’ pedagogical practices, attention to cognition, teaching strategies, assessment linked to pedagogy, classroom advantages for students, and classroom advantages for teachers. These findings represent a major shift in teachers’ perceptions of assessment from a focus on the accumulation of students’ marks to one of diagnosis as a means of directing teaching to enhance students’ scientific and mathematical understandings.     

The influence of video clubs on teachers’ thinking and practice

This article examines a model of professional development called “video clubs” in which teachers watch and discuss excerpts of videos from their classrooms. We investigate how participation in a video club influences teachers’ thinking and practice by exploring three related contexts: (a) teachers’ comments during video-club meetings, (b) teachers’ self-reports of the effects of the video club, and (c) teachers’ instruction across the year. Data analysis revealed changes in all three contexts. In the video-club meetings, teachers paid increased attention to student mathematical thinking over the course of the year. In interviews, teachers reported having learned about students’ mathematical thinking, about the importance of attending to student ideas during instruction, and about their school’s mathematics curriculum. Finally, shifts were also uncovered in the teachers’ instruction. By the end of the year, teachers increasingly made space for student thinking to emerge in the classroom, probed students’ underlying understandings, and learned from their students while teaching.     

Capitalizing on Teacher Expertise: Motivations for Contemplating Transfer from Professional Development to the Classroom

Of primary concern in professional development (PD) are the ways in which teachers transfer knowledge from PD to the classroom. This qualitative case study of a chemistry PD course for elementary teachers investigates the first step in the transfer process by examining why and how K-8 teachers consider transfer to the classroom. Motivations for considering transfer were the same whether teachers only proposed how they could use PD content or teachers actively utilized PD experiments and concepts in their own classrooms. Teacher learning of chemistry concepts, activities, and pedagogical strategies were motivating factors for considering transfer. Teachers appropriated and adapted PD materials based on the specific learning needs of their own students, the constraints of their teaching contexts, and their desired outcomes, including making science learning relevant for students. Understanding teachers’ motivations and means of adaptations in considering PD can inform PD provider programs how to be more effective and responsive to teacher needs. Furthermore, teachers’ active consideration of appropriations and adaptations highlights how teachers leverage their expertise in shaping their PD experiences.     

Using critical race theory to analyze science teachers culturally responsive practices

Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will this shift in focus influence teachers’ capacity to accommodate students’ needs resulting from racial inequities in this society, particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator on the basis of classroom observations, students’ responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers’ classrooms consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers’ beliefs and practices in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the students’ racial identities on the teachers’ beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers’ beliefs and practices were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students’ identities. These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers’ instruction, as well as their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers.     

Teaching and Learning About Inquiry: Insights and Challenges in Professional Development

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers who participated in a professional development program continued to learn about inquiry and inquiry teaching as they implemented inquiry in their classrooms. A qualitative design utilizing inductive analysis was used to investigate teachers’ understanding and classroom implementation of inquiry. Findings are presented as assertions, drawing support from four focal teachers. For each assertion, confirming and disconfirming data are presented. Based on these data, we assert that a) there was little or no change in teachers’ individual understanding of inquiry, and b) professional development enhanced teachers’ ability to design inquiry-based activities – however, classroom implementation did not reflect a high level of inquiry.     

Preservice Teachers and Technology Integration: Rethinking Traditional Roles

Although the use of learning technology has become increasingly prominent in schools, significant changes in teaching strategies have not kept pace. Lack of quality professional development and inadequate teacher preparation are often cited for this situation. This case study explores the use of the student teaching experience as an avenue for both preservice and inservice teachers’ professional development associated with educational technology. Two main questions are explored: First, to what extent can preservice teachers enact a technology-rich curriculum unit during their field experience; second, to what extent and under what conditions can the preservice teachers facilitate their cooperating mentor teachers’ acquisition of these same skills. Results indicate preservice teachers can stimulate the integration of technology-rich innovations in their mentor teachers.     

Kindergarten Teachers’ Beliefs Toward Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Jordan

The objective of this study was to examine the beliefs of Jordanian kindergarten teachers toward developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). The sample consists of 285 (14.9%) randomly selected teachers working in public and private kindergartens. A questionnaire with two parts, (1) general information and (2) teachers’ beliefs regarding DAP, was developed to answer the research questions. The items were distributed into the five dimensions of early childhood professional practice that were published by the National Association for the education of young children (NAEYC). The findings indicated that the overall mean score of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs on the five dimensions was 4.08, indicating high beliefs toward (DAP). Teachers endorsed DAP on all dimensions except establishing reciprocal relationships with families. The findings also indicated that there are no significant differences between the means of teachers’ beliefs toward teaching children according to teachers’ level of education, years of experience, or teacher’s age (except in the caring community of learners and the development and learning domains). In the light of the findings of this study, some recommendations are presented.