Educating for competence in professional practice

In educating for the professions, teachers seek to enable students to engage in professional practice as competent practitioners. In this paper we question the adequacy of traditional approaches for promoting competent practice. These traditional approaches typically view competence in terms of attributes, such as knowledge, skills and attitudes. Competence development is then seen in terms of acquiring the necessary attributes. From an alternative view of competence as based on ways of experiencing practice, we argue that competence development focus on enriching experience of practice. More specifically, we point out that competence development involves change in the structure of the meaning for practice. Change in meaning structure for practice involves both a significant shift from one way of experiencing practice to another, as well as refinement and elaboration of the way of experiencing practice. Implications of this view of competence development for professional education are discussed. In particular, we deal with implications relating to the teaching-learning relation and the form the educational programme takes. In summay, we argue that enabling students to develop competence through experience of engaging in practice is most closely directed to the aims of education for the professions.     

Interactive learning in an urban environmental education online course

Online courses play an increasing role in professional development of environmental educators, yet little information is available on the interactive processes involved in online learning. We examined the relationship of three types of interactions in an urban environmental education online course – participant–participant, participant–instructor, and participant–content – to four course outcomes: participants’ motivation to learn, intent to adapt ideas and information learned through the course in their practice, actual adaptation of ideas in their practice, and development of professional networks. Content analysis was used to characterize participants’ and instructors’ weekly online posts and comments, and generalized estimation equation modeling was used to explore the relationships between interactions and outcomes. The results showed that participant–content interaction had significant positive relationships with participants’ motivation to learn, intent to adapt ideas, and adaptation of ideas. Participant–participant interaction had significant positive relationships with participants’ motivation to learn, and development of professional networks with each other. Finally, participant–instructor interaction had a significant positive relationship with participants’ development of professional networks. The results of this study can be used to improve professional development online courses for environmental educators.     

荷兰教师教育工作者专业标准的演变及特点

荷兰教师教育工作者协会是荷兰教师教育工作者专业标准的制定主体,该协会分别于1999年、2003年和2008年开发出三个版本的教师教育工作者专业标准,其内容主要涉及知识、技能、态度、个性品质和价值观五个维度。三个版本专业标准的演变过程是一个不断完善和细化的过程,并且在制定主体方面,体现了权威性和专业性的相容;在目标群体方面,表现出普适性和发展性的兼备;在标准内容方面,显示出时代性和全面性并存的特点。     

从环境教育到可持续发展教育

作为人类赖以生存与发展的基础 ,地球环境长期没能受到人类应有的尊重与爱护 ,导致当前人类面临的环境危机。而危机的解决 ,需要人类对现行生产与生活方式全面地反思并进行根本性地改变。教育作为转变思想的工具 ,其作用无可替代。环境教育被看好能承担这样的任务促进这种转变 ,但 30年来的环境教育却被认为是场失败的革新。是现代教育助长了当今的环境问题 ,成为不可持续发展的“贡献者”。在我们目前的状况下 ,可持续发展教育可能是回到那些内在自由、进步的价值观的惟一途径 ,这些价值观曾经是我们教育系统的基础。可持续发展教育是将要改变的教育模式的关键 ,这种教育模式和社会经济组织变化与可持续发展暗含的思想是相和谐的。主流教育观点认为 ,可持续发展教育深深地根植于环境教育之中。目前可持续发展教育的理论和实践都还未完善 ,尚处在探索阶段。在我国新一轮基础教育课程改革中 ,环境教育正在和当前的整体教育改革结合起来 ,推动我国教育的生态化或绿色化 ,使教育成为促进和支持我国可持续发展的基本力量     

弘扬环境伦理促进环境教育

本文介绍了环境伦理观的由来和发展,阐述了环境伦理教育在环境教育中的地位和作用。     

Constructing culturally responsive professional development for inclusion in El Salvador using the lens of intercultural competence

This paper describes a collaborative technical assistance project, which was co-constructed by the Ministry of Education (MINED) of El Salvador and the author, to support the advancement of inclusive education through culturally responsive professional development. This research-based project is presented as a model of culturally responsive professional development using the lens of intercultural competence. The author describes each phase of the project through the lens of intercultural competence that includes: (a) initial planning, (b) content proposals, (c) content development, and (d) content delivery. Implications and future research questions for those engaging in culturally responsive professional development-based technical assistance work are provided.     

Practice change in environmental education: lessons from professional development

Abstract

The field of environmental education (EE) strives to develop innovative practices to address emergent issues such as equity, climate change, and urbanization. Through facilitating workshops and ongoing networks for the exchange of ideas, professional development programs may foster innovation or practice change among environmental educators. This study investigates change in practice among environmental educators who participated in one of three online and face-to-face professional development programs. Drawing from practice theory, we measured elements of EE practice including goals, audiences, settings, activities, resources, and ideas. The results showed that across all three programs participants incorporated new resources and ideas into their practices whereas changes in other practice elements varied among programs. Participants in all three programs produced eBooks or ongoing networks that can be used as indicators of practice innovation. This study suggests that practice theory can be used to inform studies of professional development outcomes and examine EE practice, but that practice innovations may be more readily measured at the group rather than individual level.     

The philosophies,contents and pedagogies of environmental education programs in 10 Israeli elementary schools

In this study, our aim was to understand how environmental education has been implemented in Israeli elementary schools. We selected ten schools that had implemented Education for Sustainability programs and analyzed their mission statements and curriculum documents. We observed each school’s activities and interviewed teachers. Our analysis shows ambiguity with respect to the rationales and the theoretical foundations of the programs. It also shows much didactic teaching of content, a strong focus on behavioral outcomes, especially with respect to reducing resource consumption and to increasing the levels of recycling, as well as some degree of working with the community. The unclear status of environmental education in Israel, in terms of its structure within the education system, prevents it from having sufficient resources for teacher education and curriculum development. It is suggested that this lack of clarity is the main cause of the ambiguity and for the use of the traditional pedagogies we found in our analysis.     

Issues and challenges regarding environmental education policy implementation

Abstract

In this article, the authors have chosen to inquire into a topic that has specific relevance to the status and inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum at a stage when the translation of policy into practice stands at the crossroads: the transition of environment as phase organiser to environment as integral to all learning areas. In education praxis, the translation of policy into practice is in the hands of educators and teachers (using the terminology as suggested in this article). The issues and challenges regarding the implementation of environmental education policy as experienced by educators and teachers are identified through examining this phenomenon as portrayed in two case studies where in-service education and training (INSET) in relation to environmental education occurs. This study is one of the first to provide a researched background that identifies issues and challenges that impact on the implementation of environmental policy in formal education contexts.     

论高等职业教育的能力体系及取向

高等职业教育中的能力不同于心理学中的“人类生来就有的潜能”，不同于哲学和社会学中的“一般能力”，也不直接等同于普通教育学中的认知能力或智力，它是个体在一般素质与具体工作情景结合的基础上产生的，包括具体的“职业能力”、相关的“学术（学科）能力”和“普适性能力”。当前，高等职业教育中的能力观正由“学术能力观”向“职业能力观”转变。     

An environmental ethical conceptual framework for research on sustainability and environmental education

This article suggests that environmental ethics can have great relevance for environmental ethical content analyses in environmental education and education for sustainable development research. It is based on a critique that existing educational research does not reflect the variety of environmental ethical theories. Accordingly, we suggest an alternative and more nuanced environmental ethical conceptual framework divided into Value-oriented Environmental Ethics and Relation-oriented Environmental Ethics and present two pragmatic schedules for analyses of the value and relation contents of e.g. classroom conversations, textbooks and policy documents. This framework draws on a comparative reading of some 30 key books and 20 key articles in academic journals in the field of environmental philosophy and reflects main traits in environmental ethics from the early 1970s to the present day.     

素质教育悖论及其归因分析

素质教育已成为我国教育事业的主导思想。但是 ,无论是在理论上还是实践中 ,都存在诸多悖论 ,主要表现在“素质”与“考试”、思想与行动、理想与效果三个方面。它是由概念内涵的不确定、教育口号本身的特点等原因造成的。     

Sexual behaviour profiles of HIV-positive youth in the Netherlands

Young people living with HIV are challenged when it comes to exploring their sexuality. Their sex education is hampered by the fact that their preferences and attitudes towards sexual behaviour are little known about. In this study from the Netherlands, Q-methodology was used to identify sizeable and meaningful sub-groups sharing common attitudes and viewpoints. Thirty of 48 eligible HIV-positive young people aged 12–21 years treated in one of the four Dutch HIV centres rank-ordered 45 statements on the topic. Thereafter, they explained their ranking. By-person factor analysis identified five distinct sexual behaviour profiles (SBPs): (a) safer sex & disclosure to steady partner; (b) motivated by faith and culture; (c) disclosure to good friends, values peer support; (d) conscientious, worries about disclosure and future; (e) self-confident, faith and family are important. Profiles differ in terms of the roles of culture and religion, the influence of family and friends, personal views about disclosure of HIV status, knowing the transmission mode, and viral load. Study results indicate that different approaches to sexual health education are required based on these different orientations. Q-sorts and SBPs may be helpful in discussing sexual behaviour with HIV-positive young people and in developing tailored strategies to meet their interests and needs.     

Online professional development for environmental educators: strategies to foster critical thinking and social interactions

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer opportunities for professional development of environmental educators globally, yet we lack understanding of participants? cognitive and social learning processes and of how instructors can enhance these processes. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, we used a survey and coded participant discussion board and Facebook posts to examine the cognitive, social, and teaching presence in the Environmental Education: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Addressing Wicked Problems MOOC, offered by Cornell University. Rather than train educators in a specific curriculum, the goal of the MOOC is to expand educators? critical and transdisciplinary thinking about the field of environmental education and to enhance social interactions to support learning, educators, and knowledge co-creation. Results indicate that cognitive presence is higher on the discussion board whereas social presence is higher on Facebook. Over half of cognitive posts focused on exploration, a lower level of learning, whereas just less than a fifth reflected higher level integration, suggesting room for enhancing cognitive learning. Our results suggest strategies to encourage higher levels of thinking and more meaningful social interactions to foster learning, educator support, and co-creation of knowledge, thereby improving online professional development.     

荷兰以“市场”为导向的教师教育改革述评

为提升教师教育的质量,应对教师数量短缺的问题,21世纪初,荷兰开始了师资培训的新一轮改革,倡导以市场为导向的教师教育变革。以市场为导向的教师教育改革赋予了中小学及教师在师资培训中的主导权。中小学更多地承担起师资培养与管理的责任。根据不同的教育理念,荷兰形成了4种不同的教师教育方案,即作为总的预备——基于课程的教师教育、作为总的预备——以能力为基础的教师教育、以市场为导向——基于课程的教师教育、以市场为导向——基于能力的教师教育。以市场为导向的教师教育对我国的师资培训改革有很好的启示意义。     

Positioning adult educators in discourses of professional development

This article explores the discursive work done by different notions of professional development in adult education. In particular we outline the ways in which the discourses of technical expertise, competence and reflective practice are deployed to mobilise professional practices and identities in particular ways and position certain practices and dispositions as specifically professional. We suggest that these discourses help to shape the negotiations between economies of performance and ecologies of practice within which professionals operate. We argue that much of this work is implicit in the pedagogies and curriculum of programmes for adult educators and that there is a need for detailed empirical research on the pedagogies of professional development and practice in adult education. With moves in Europe to develop professional standards for adult educators we suggest that studying the rhetoric of professional development provides an opportunity to open some existing diverse practices to new forms of scrutiny.     

Developing social competence and other generic skills in teacher education: applying the model of integrative pedagogy

The purpose of the study was to examine how social competence and other generic skills can be developed in teacher education using a pedagogical model called Integrative Pedagogy. This model is based on the idea of integrating the four basic components of expertise: Theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, self-regulative knowledge, and sociocultural knowledge. The subjects of the study were 95 student-teachers. The data were collected with questionnaires. In addition to social skills, the student-teachers reported learning of domain-specific skills, generic academic skills, skills for acting creatively in different situations and development of independence. We conclude that the model of Integrative Pedagogy is feasible in teacher education.     

宁波0-3岁早期教养指导教师专业能力与家长满意度研究

本研究自编《宁波市0-3岁早期教养指导教师专业能力与家长满意度问卷》,采用分层随机取样方式对宁波市早教机构中193位家长进行调查。运用SPSS16.0进行描述统计分析,了解家长对0-3岁早期教养指导教师所提供有形及无形服务的满意程度。根据结果,从早教机构、教师角度提出建议。