Information Technology Courses in Teacher Education: the need for integration

ABSTRACT

Although computers have become common features of schools worldwide, their impact on education and learning has been far less than what could be expected from such a versatile and powerful technology. A significant deterrent has been teachers’ lack of skills and expertise with the new technologies but although computer education is increasingly becoming a significant component within teacher education programmes, this paper will argue that the direction and nature of the teaching and learning in many of these courses is counter‐productive and unable to provide the skills and expertise required from new teaching graduates. The paper posits that these skills can best be developed and achieved through instructional programmes in teacher education that mirror the models that student teachers will be required to embrace in their own classrooms. In order to achieve this, the IT component within teacher education must become an integral part of the programme.     

Enhancing teachers’ counselling skills: student teachers’ views on a teachers’ education programme

The purpose of this small‐scale study is to investigate the outcomes of a brief teacher education programme by exploring student teachers’ views. The teacher education programme aimed to provide teachers with the opportunity to develop qualities and skills that facilitate communication and to enhance teachers’ competence to apply social and emotional (SEL) programmes’ intervention activities in the classroom. According to student teachers’ estimations, the teacher education programme provided them with new knowledge and experiences in communication and counselling, which they felt they could use in teaching practice. Besides, teachers reported that the programme enabled them to develop their self‐awareness and to adopt a non‐directive attitude during the implementation of SEL programme’s activities.     

Irish student teachers’ levels of moral reasoning: context,comparisons, and contributing influences

The moral role of the teacher has long been recognised and this has implications for the selection and education of student teachers. There is growing recognition of the importance of teachers’ capacity to make sound moral judgements and of the influence of teachers’ levels of moral reasoning on their professional practice. The paper presents the findings of a longitudinal study of 102 undergraduate student teachers who completed the DIT 2 measure of moral reasoning, at the beginning, mid-point and end of their four-year degree programme at an Irish university. While these students’ levels of moral reasoning were found to be higher than those of their international peers, more than half of graduating students were reasoning at the conventional level as defined by Kohlberg. These findings are located in the context of Irish education policy and practice. Some possible explanations for the students’ performance are suggested and discussed including their entry characteristics, the status of the teaching profession in Ireland, the nature of their teacher education programme and participation in the Transition Year option.     

半工半读教学质量管理体系初探

半工半读教学质量管理体系应涵盖办学指导思想、教学管理制度、专业建设、课程建设、师资队伍建设、实践基地建设、教学质量评价体系等七个方面。浙江机电职业技术学院生产过程自动化专业对此进行了实践,采用企业招聘的方式安排实习,由学校和企业分别配备实习指导教师,通过打分的方式评定学生半工半读实践的成绩。     

Curriculum reform in Irish secondary schools – a focus on algebra

Algebra has long been identified as an area of difficulty in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Evidence of this difficulty can be found in Irish secondary-level classrooms. Chief Examiner Reports have consistently identified algebra as an area of student weakness in State examinations. In light of poor student performance, and as part of a nationwide reform of secondary mathematics curricula, a functions-based approach to teaching algebra has been adopted in Irish schools. It was introduced in September 2011 in place of the transformational (rule and procedure)-based approach which was previously used. Through comparing the diagnostic test scores of incoming students in an Irish university in the years before and after the reform, this study finds that the reformed approach has coincided with a decline in students’ technical algebraic skills. However, interviews with practising mathematics teachers reveal that this decline is not a direct result of the functions-based approach, but rather of a mixture of approaches being implemented in classrooms. Such divergence of approaches can be linked to the common mismatch between the intended curriculum prescribed by policy-makers and the implemented curriculum that is actually carried out by teachers in their classrooms.     

The Effects of a School‐wide Behaviour Management Programme on Teachers’ Use of Encouragement in the Classroom

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a whole school behaviour management programme on teachers’ use of encouragement in the classroom. Given that the performance of the school has become an important dependent variable in school effects research, it follows that interventions which address behaviour management and the improvement of academic performance, have also taken on a school‐wide focus or orientation. In Australia, where this study was conducted, there has been an increased interest in the use of school‐wide behaviour management and discipline programmes, which are characterized by their focus on improving teachers’ classroom management skills. In the present study randomly selected teachers from schools involved in a school‐wide behaviour management programme participated in an experimental evaluation of the effects of the programme. Continuous data collection indicated that the majority of teachers made increases in their use of encouragement over the course of the intervention. However, observations conducted during a follow‐up phase revealed reductions in levels of encouragement following the withdrawal of the intervention.     

Developing collaborative approaches to enhance the professional development of primary mathematics teachers

This research project promoted a collaborative model of professional development between lead teachers from three schools, supported by a project coordinator and a researcher from a local university. Each lead teacher worked with their head teacher to design, lead, and evaluate an innovative, personalised, and school-based mathematics continuing professional development (CPD) programme in their school. University staff helped to facilitate project meetings across the schools and monitored impacts within each school. Professional development meetings, involving all teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) from the schools (n?=?55), were designed to encourage a whole-school approach. The project also provided structured opportunities for the lead teacher to work with colleagues in the classroom, for example, through lesson observation and/or collaborative teaching. The outcomes from this project confirmed that collaborative models of CPD, as opposed to transmission, formal training, and ‘top-down’ models, were welcomed by teachers and head teachers – some of whom reported early indications of improvements in student performance. Commenting on what constitutes the most effective forms of CPD, there was a reiteration of the importance of combining peer and external support through a collaborative process.     

Tomorrow’s teachers—selecting the best: An exploration of the quality rationale behind academic and experiential selection criteria for initial teacher education programmes

Using Ireland as an example, this paper explores the rationale behind various selection criteria currently used to select suitable candidates for initial teacher education courses. It investigates and discusses patterns of association between second-level student teachers’ background characteristics on entry to their teacher education programme Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) and their achievement in terms of their final academic and teaching practice grades. It draws on a longitudinal analysis of application and examination data collected from eight student teacher cohorts (2000–2007, N?=?1,023) who completed their second-level initial teacher education at one Irish university. Special attention will be paid to the predictive value of entrants’ prior academic performance and teaching experience for their success in the academic as well as practical components of their teacher education course. The quality rationale behind academic selection criteria is contested on the basis of findings from this study. The positive impact of prior teaching experience on teaching practice performance and the differences in achievement observed between students from different academic fields are discussed.     

Teaching about sustainability through inquiry-based science in Irish primary classrooms: the impact of a professional development programme on teacher self-efficacy,competence and pedagogy

Abstract

Research suggests that innovative and engaging professional development is instrumental in supporting teachers in developing their competence and confidence in teaching sustainability. An international initiative was developed to explore whether a competencies-oriented Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) professional development model was transferable across three different international contexts (Ireland, Germany and Mexico). This paper reports on the adaptation of this model within the Irish context, through the development of an innovative professional development programme for primary teachers. Through a mixed-methods approach which gathered data via pre- and post-programme surveys, teachers’ reflective journals and post-programme group interviews, the paper explores Irish primary school teachers’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, teaching sustainability through science education after participation in a professional development programme. The findings suggest that this programme, structured around the existing evidence for effective professional development in science education and ESD, positively influences teachers’ self-efficacy, supports teachers’ critical engagement with sustainability competencies and promotes the development of transformative pedagogies for sustainability through Inquiry-Based Science Education.     

What GATE Did: an exploration of the effects of the CATE criteria on students’ use of information technology during teaching practice

ABSTRACT

Information technology (IT) has assumed an increasingly important role in the English primary school curriculum. The CATE criteria (DES, 1989b) require that student teachers develop competencies in teaching with IT if courses are to be accredited. Consequently, colleges have modified their policies and practices. To explore the effects of these changes, the experiences of a group of students were monitored over their four year course at Edge Hill College, and related to the experiences of students from a pre‐CATE cohort The CATE group made more use of IT in each of their teaching practices, with every respondent reporting some use of IT. Word processing was the most common IT based activity; uses of LOGO and simulations were disappointingly low. Students’ accounts of the benefits to pupils from using IT focused largely on improving skills in specific subject areas and computer skills, increasing motivation, and facilitating group and social skills. Little emphasis was placed on the development of thinking skills. Very few tutors offered help with IT on teaching practice; tutor skills, and in‐school mentoring both appear to be barriers to development These data are related to on‐going developments in the College. CATE has had, and continues to have, a direct effect upon College practices and these effects are visible in the classroom experiences of student teachers. Yet more progress is needed in developing student teachers’ abilities to use IT in class; we conclude that IT development should be seen as the focus for long term development, like other professional skills.     

Secondary School Moral Discussion Programmes Led by Social Studies Teachers

Abstract

An experiment is reported on the effect of a moral discussion programme taught in the schools by regular classroom teachers. Number of discussions and type of teacher preparation were varied. Students’ moral judgment stage was assessed before and after the programme and teachers were observed throughout the course of the year. A substantial degree of moral judgment stage change was shown in some but not all of the classrooms. Three variables associated with likelihood of student moral judgment change were number of discussions, range of pre‐test moral judgment stage within the classroom, and teachers’ skills in eliciting moral reasoning from students during the discussions.     

Tools of the profession submission (for AIAEE) European Seminar in Extension Education perspective of a first-time seminar participant

Abstract

The threats to traditional cultural landscapes and the concomitant demands from society for remedial landscape management represent a new challenge for agricultural education. The research described here examined the extent to which relevant landscape management skills and knowledge are transferred to would-be farmers (if at all) within the Austrian agricultural school system. A plurilateral approach was taken, involving a standardised text evaluation of curricula (as defined in legislative documents), examination of further vocational training programmes for teachers, and investigation of the actual teaching situation in selected schools. This combination of methods produced a comprehensive overview of the situation in agricultural schools and academies with regard to landscape management teaching. The teaching programmes prescribed by law and the actual programmes carried out by teachers were compared with a theoretical ‘best-case’ programme for teaching landscape management, and this revealed considerable shortcomings in current teaching. The research also identified potential constraints to the integration of landscape management elements within the agricultural school system.     

School and Governor: A Report on Work in Progress

This article considers the ways in which distributed forms of leadership can positively influence school development and change. The article focuses on the findings from an initial evaluation and impact assessment of a leadership programme provided by the ‘Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’ for teachers in their first five years of teaching. This programme is intended to develop leadership potential and to build lateral leadership capacity in schools. The article provides an assessment of the impact of the ‘Developing Leaders’ programme on school and student development. The evidence suggests that this form of lateral leadership can make a positive difference to school performance and can contribute significantly to building leadership capacity within the system.     

Student teachers’ positionalities as knowers in school subject departments

Student teachers in England, mainly on one‐year courses, spend the majority of their time in schools. Secondary schools are primarily organised around subject departments, and these subgroups within schools have been shown to be significant for student outcomes and teachers’ experiences. However, research on school subject departments themselves is relatively limited, and developing better understandings of school subject departments is important for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and educational research more broadly. This paper draws on an ethnographic study of three secondary school geography departments to analyse student teachers’ positionalities as knowers within departments. Opportunities for professional discussions within departments are limited, and are often dominated by immediate practical concerns. A social‐realist concept of knowledge–knower structures is used to explore the kinds of knowers accepted as legitimate in these departments. A dichotomous view of teachers as knowers was found, being positioned as knowing or not‐knowing particular areas of subject knowledge. This binary view is argued to be related to the language of the Teachers’ Standards in England. Suggestions are made for improving student teachers’ positions as knowers within departments by planning opportunities to contribute their expertise, and for developing more expansive discourses around subject knowledge to enable all to maximise opportunities to learn from the rich mines of expertise held across ITE partnerships.     

Student teachers’ perceptions of their mentors as internal triggers for learning

This study used responses of 20 student teachers to describe the different ways in which student teachers perceive the practice of their mentors as internal triggers for learning in their practicum experiences in the schools. Reported observations from pedagogical journals of student teachers were described according to various kinds of teaching knowledge and skills and were further categorized as providing either support or challenge to student teachers’ perceptions of learning to teach. The student teachers identified support and challenge in each one of the categories of teaching knowledge and skills, thereby supplying evidence for different kinds of emotional and cognitive triggers for learning. Based on the findings, we make some recommendations for supervision of mentoring relationships.     

Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology into K–12 instruction: evaluation of a technology-infused approach

The quality of how technology is addressed in teacher education programmes is conditional for how student teachers apply technology in secondary schools after their graduation. Two technology-infused courses of one teacher education programme were evaluated. In line with studies on the development of pre-service teachers’ technological, pedagogical and content knowledge, two important enablers were distinguished: (1) teaching practice to enact what was learned in teacher education institution as well as to receive feedback from students on this enactment, and (2) modelling of teacher educators and teachers in school. Both enablers might require further development of knowledge and skills of both teacher educators and cooperating school teachers.     

Action research in initial teacher education: an explorative study

The aim of the study was to describe students’ and teacher educators’ practical experience with action research and to identify a number of special points for consideration (opportunities and limitations) which could play a role in putting research into practice in concrete terms in the courses. Students and teacher educators on three Dutch initial teacher education programmes which treat action research as both a means of professional development and a necessary professional qualification were involved. These were programmes for specific teaching levels and subjects in Dutch schools. Four special points for consideration are identified: action research and the educational core qualifications of the profession; difference between action research by student teachers during their initial education and experienced teachers in their own workplace; students’ mixed experiences and perceptions of research; and embedded research‐based activities in the programme. The authors conclude that action research should be considered from different perspectives: as a professional approach, a body of skills that is needed to make the connection between knowing that and knowing why; and as a way of improving practice by systematically building up practice‐based knowledge.     

Understanding mainland Chinese students' motivations for choosing teacher education programmes in Hong Kong

In this paper, we report on an inquiry exploring the experiences of 10 mainland Chinese student teachers of English so as to understand why they came to Hong Kong for a teacher education programme. The study revealed that these students were largely attracted to teaching in Hong Kong because of its extrinsic benefits such as professional stability, the prestige associated with the English language teaching profession and the opportunities to acquire valued skills transferable to other professions including English competence. Facing challenges as non‐local students, they were also uncertain of becoming teachers in the new context. As ‘elite’ Chinese students were often unwilling to become teachers, we found it strategic to attract a large number of talented non‐local students to the teaching profession and retain them. We conclude the paper with recommendations for various stakeholders to support these non‐local students' adaptation and development as committed and competent teachers in local schools.