A digital storytelling project in a multicultural education class for pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT

This paper, against the background of trends in the development of initial teacher training in Europe as a whole, identifies and explains some of the recent, radical reforms which were introduced in France by a socialist government. These include the need to raise the status and the competence of the teaching profession; the creation of new teacher‐training institutions of university status (Instituts universitaires de formation des maitres); the introduction of common entry qualifications at degree level for both primary and secondary levels; the harmonisation and the extension to 2 years of the post‐degree teacher‐training course and the increase in emphasis placed on professional training, both theoretical and practical. These reforms provoked a storm of protest and an examination of the reasons for this reveals a multiplicity of crucial questions which have far‐reaching implications.     

职前教师口头表达能力的培养策略探究

教师的口头表达能力是教师从业的重要本领,决定着教育劳动的成败.作为教育的起点,职前教师教育影响着教师专业发展的速度和质量.通过多种策略提高职前教师的口头表达能力至关重要.     

The absolute necessity for a working model to support pre-service teachers of a non-English speaking background

With universities seeking to increase their enrolment of international students, and the increasingly diverse domestic market, it is not surprising that researchers’ interest has turned to the impact of a diverse university population. The focus of this paper is a model that has been implemented to enable higher levels of achievement on the professional experience or practicum component of a teacher preparation programme at The University of Queensland, Australia. The participants were students from backgrounds that were non-English speaking. The programme has been provided since the academic year beginning January 2004 and has sparked interest in transferring the model to other areas of the university. While the study was conducted in Australia, the issues it raises, and the model developed, appear to be applicable to any programme on offer in any university with culturally and linguistically diverse students.     

Mathematics anxiety of some pre-service primary school teachers

The construct ‘mathematics anxiety’ is explored with a sample of first year primary education university students. Self reported measures of anxiety about needing to use mathematics, and anxiety about the prospect of teaching mathematics, are moderately and positively correlated. The factor structure of a set of 13 items related to ‘mathematics anxiety’ is consistent with previous studies and the associations of these factors to other, related measures are explored using multiple linear regression of the factor scores. It is argued that it is likely to be more valuable to investigate ‘mathematics anxiety’ in terms of its composite factors than as a single phenomenon. Directions for future investigations are indicated.     

Preparing pre-service teachers for culturally diverse classrooms: a conceptual model

Society in the USA has become increasingly diverse, with schools across the nation serving student populations that are culturally and linguistically very different from the European-American majority of the past. It is imperative that pre-service teachers are effectively prepared for diverse learning environments. This article describes a conceptual framework that has been found to be invaluable towards achieving that end.     

澳大利亚职前教师的体验式参与:过程与价值

澳大利亚的职前教师实习已经悄然从注重实习技术手段转向加强实习软环境,注重学生实习体验.本文解读了澳大利亚职前教师实习的“体验式参与”的内涵,分析了这一思想主导下的实习手段和举措的过程和价值.最后,呼吁改进我国师范生实习的“师徒帮带”的单一线性形式,构建科学完善的见习实习课程,使师范生的实习系统化、科学化、体验化.     

Assessing the performance of Turkish science pre-service teachers in a TPACK-practical course

Education and Information Technologies - This study assesses the performance of Turkish science pre-service teachers (PSTs) in a TPACK-Practical Course that consists of the training course and...     

Gender,pre-service teachers and assessment of pupil work

Across Australia fewer females choose to study the physical sciences and their achievements are lower than for males. Many reasons have been put forward for this. Elsewhere science teachers have been found to hold gender-stereotyped expectations of their pupils and to assess pupil capabilities differently according to the gender of the pupil. The gender of the teacher has also been found to affect the assessments made. This study investigated whether pre-service teachers would assess pupil capability across a range of work samples and potential in science differently according to the gender of the pupil or the gender of the pre-service teacher. No statistically significant differences were found for the assessments made. Weak trends in the data along gender-stereotypic lines were found which have implications for teacher training courses. Correlational findings also revealed worrying trends relating forms of assessment with assessment of pupil capability and potential. Ms Helen Forgasz, Research assistant and Ph.D. studen, Faculty of Education, Monash University, 3168.Specializations: science, physics and mathematics education, gender issues.     

Developing pre-service teachers understanding of fractions through problem posing

This study investigated the effect of problem posing on the pre-service primary teachers' understanding of fraction concepts enrolled in two different versions of a methods course at a university in Turkey. In the experimental version, problem posing was used as a teaching strategy. At the beginning of the study, the pre-service teachers' knowledge of symbols and algorithms was adequate in both groups, but they were unable to provide appropriate representations and explanations for the given fraction situations. Results showed that problem posing had a positive impact on the pre-service teachers' knowledge and views about what it means to know mathematics.     

Use root cause analysis teaching strategy to train primary pre-service science teachers

This study examined the Root Cause Analysis （RCA） teaching strategy on pre-service primary science teachers and instinct pre-service teachers to apply RCA teaching strategy to science curriculums. RCA Teaching Strategy is to coordinates 5 Why Method and Fishbone Diagram. The participants included 18 pre-service primary science teachers and the training courses for 4 hours a week and lasted for 18 weeks. The result shows that pre-service primary science teachers are gradually familiar with RCA teaching strategy and can apply it to science curriculums from microteaching classroom observation and teaching-portfolios. For example, in The Influence of Heat on Materials unit, the fifth grade students observed the balloon on the PET bottle soaked in water swelled. Students would brainstorm all causes of balloon swelled with 5-W method, and draw fishbone diagram together. Finally, they found the root cause with Root Cause Analysis.     

The effect of problem-based learning on the metacognitive awareness of pre-service science teachers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on the metacognitive awareness of pre-service science teachers. In the study, an experimental design with pre-test/post-test control group was used. A total of 51 junior pre-service science teachers participated in the study. The study was carried out over 10 weeks and within the scope of an environmental science course. During the study, lessons in the experimental group were processed using a PBL approach while lessons in the control group were processed using a traditional teaching approach. Data were collected through a personal information form and Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. Data were then analysed using PASW Statistics 18 (SPSS Inc.). The findings of the study revealed that PBL could be an effective intervention to promote metacognitive awareness towards procedural knowledge, planning and debugging. The results are discussed based on the findings of the study.     

Effect of instructional methods on pre-service science teachers learning outcomes: a meta-analysis

Education and Information Technologies - Best instructional methods are essential tools to bring desirable changes in pre-service science teachers. The available literature lacks...     

Old habits die hard: literacy practices of pre-service teachers

Reading methodology in pre-service teacher training may not be effective because of the literacy beliefs and practices of the trainees. This paper examines the reading practices of a group of pre-service teachers (n=29) in Singapore. Their personal approach to reading revealed that the majority split reading into two domains: leisure reading and academic reading. Trainees use multiple strategies in reading but these are confined to their leisure reading; for academic reading, they adopt a different set of strategies that are geared to remembering rather than comprehension or evaluation. These representations of reading and the associated strategies are developed and reinforced during their schooling. Due to the lack of congruence between the training and trainees' own representations, trainees fall back on remembered routines during their teaching.     

整体性推进义务教育教师队伍均衡发展的几点思考

义务教育教师队伍的均衡发展是当前发展义务教育的工作重点,对义务教育的均衡发展具有重要意义。通过从城乡义务教育教师资源配置的现状入手,分析其产生的原因,并从保障均衡、合理流动、学习培训等三个方面探索义务教育教师队伍均衡发展的途径,以促进义务教育的均衡发展。     

Metaphors used by pre-service teachers of Chinese as an international language

This inquiry explored 68 pre-service perceptions and aspirations of Teaching Chinese as an International Language (TCIL) teachers by analysing the metaphors they used to describe themselves as teachers. The inquiry revealed that the participants used a variety of metaphors to project the images of themselves as pre-service TCIL teachers. The results also confirm that the participants’ use of metaphors, as powerful tools to understand the complexity of teaching, reflects the mediation of cultural, historical and sociopolitical conditions. These findings help teacher educators to support TCIL teachers’ professional development by engaging them in critical dialogues about the metaphors they use to perceive themselves as TCIL teachers. They also help teacher educators to adopt tailor-made pedagogical content to address their development needs.     

SCI-LINK: An innovative project linking research scientists and science teachers

Summary The major purpose of the SCI-LINK Projects was to explore ways of linking research scientists and school science teachers. Not only did the project provide these teachers with a better understanding of scientific environmental research and recent findings, but it allowed them to develop activities and other instructional materials they could use in their classrooms. Leadership skills also were developed as evidenced by the Master Teachers that evolved and the many professional activities in which they have been engaged since the first institutes. Many things were done during the course of the project in order to make the process more efficient. These include assistance to scientists in making their presentations and field trips more effective and helping teachers with their writing and library skills. Also explored were the nature and format for the activities the teachers developed and how they can best be evaluated and disseminated. Positive feedback from teachers and the continued interest of research scientists to participate has led to another project patterned after the model used in the SCI-LINK Project. This second generation project, GLOBE-NET, also supported by the National Science Foundation, involves scientists and teachers in the development of instructional materials on global change. At least some of the efforts to improve science education should include scientists and teachers as partners. The model used in the SCI-LINK Project provides one way of doing so.     

The change in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about teaching and learning: a study among pre-service teachers

This study investigated the change in Singaporean pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching over the course of a teacher preparation program. An online survey was administered during the first week of a nine-month program and the same survey was administered after the 413 participants had completed all their course work and teaching practice. Participants exhibited significant changes in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching – participants indicated more relativistic epistemological outlooks and less constructivism in beliefs about teaching. At the end of the teacher preparation program, they seemed to less value effort in learning and believed more in innate ability.     

Integrating alternative assessment in a project-based learning course for pre-service science and technology teachers

This paper deals with a required methods course, based on the national curriculum of science and technology for junior high schools. The course participants are pre-service teachers who study towards a B.Sc. degree in education in science and technology parallel to their studies in one of the faculties of sciences or engineering. Working in small teams, the students carry out a project in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment. The final outcomes of the project are group and individual written reports, a portfolio, a multimedia presentation and a physical model. The research question was: what implementation issues and processes do higher education students encounter in a Project-Based Learning environment which involves an alternative assessment approach? Qualitative and quantitative tools for collecting data included ‘the participant as observer’ observations at the classroom, semi-structured interviews with students, questionnaire, and analysis of students' reports and products. The findings relate to the advantages of PBL from the students' point of view, the challenges students experienced and perceived while conducting their projects, and the benefits students may gain from formative assessment.     

Understanding the approaches to the teaching of religious education of pre-service primary teachers: The influence of religio-scientific frameworks

This paper explores what foundational concepts pre-service primary teachers are employing when they teach religious education. The study measured the attitudes to science and its relationship to religion of 92 pre-service primary teachers. Analysis of extended interviews with eight of the pre-service primary teachers illustrated how specific religio-scientific frameworks could be linked to distinct differences in approach to the teaching of religious education. The implications for teacher education were then discussed, as well as the necessity to integrate the teaching of religion and science into the design of future pedagogical approaches.