Theorising how student teachers form their identities in initial teacher education

This article investigates the forming of student teacher identities in initial teacher education. By analysing student narratives of school experiences the article argues that although reflective, reflexive and critical discourses are helpful interrogatory tools, they presuppose a prior subjectivity which fails to acknowledge the idea that it is through such discursive practices that subjectivity emerges. Such discourses also suggest an emancipatory project grounded in rationality. The article demonstrates that these reflective discourses fail to take into account non‐symbolizable and non‐rational aspects of experiencing that have powerful ontological effects on subjectivity and identity. Such aspects are structured in student narratives through fantasy, which allows students to understand their experiences as consistent and meaningful.     

基于师范性与实践性相统一的高职教师专业化发展

教师专业化是世界教师教育发展的趋势和潮流,也是我国教师教育改革的需要和方向。职业教育质量提高的根本保证是拥有一支高水平、高素质的职业教育师资队伍。高职院校教师在其专业化的发展过程中,要以师范性为基础,实践性为特色,两者相结合,相统一才是高职教师专业化发展的必由之路。只有同时加强高职教师师范性和实践性的培养、培训,高职教师专业化水平才能不断提高。     

Retraining chemistry teachers in the Philippines

A recent large scale educational aid program to the Philippines included the retraining of secondary chemistry teachers. Teachers were introduced to new content and to alternative teaching strategies. An initial resistance to change arose as it was perceived that the new approaches did not take into account very limited school facilities and very large teaching groups. The lecturing style of teaching, which predominates at all levels throughout the country, was seen as the most effective method to handle overwhelming classroom problems. Resistance was overcome after alternative teaching styles were modelled. This paper gives an overview of the aid program and outlines the introduced teaching strategies. It contends that Asian teachers have been largely unaffected by western educational aid due in part to the fact that such aid is rarely accompanied by the modelling of introduced strategies. Specialisations: primary teacher education, primary mathematics, pre- and in-service science education.     

'It's Pretty Difficult to Fail': The reluctance of lecturers to award a failing grade

Graduates from initial teacher education institutions in New Zealand are assumed to be fit to take up positions as beginning teachers. To this end lecturers make judgements at various stages during the teacher education programme about the quality of student performance with regard to coursework and teaching practice. Findings from a field-based project at a large metropolitan college of education in New Zealand revealed that making such judgements was not a straightforward activity. In particular, there was a reluctance to award failing grades. The college's published guidelines referred to the passing and failing of courses and the programme as dependent on the quality of submitted work or demonstrated performance. The everyday discourse and observed practice of lecturers and student teachers suggested, however, that both groups construed a fail grade as a judgement of personal worth. This shift from judgements about performance to judgements about personal worth was associated with the utilisation of criteria other than those outlined in published documents. The use of 'other' criteria enabled positive judgements to be made about students who did not meet course requirements and/or whose work failed to meet the minimum standard. Lecturers thus appeared to be reluctant to act as gatekeepers to an initial beginning teacher position.     

Alternative Routes into the Teaching Profession

This article examines the ways in which the development of alternative initial teacher education programs in England and Canada over the last two decades serve to challenge some of the taken-for-granted assumptions underlying established models of initial teacher education in both jurisdictions, and also to broaden the pool of people who have access to the profession. The article offers a brief, initial account of the development of a standard model of initial teacher education in both countries that is characterized as being: university governed and university based; primarily full-time; incorporating a standard curriculum, with admission requirements that generally reflect the traditional academic expectations of the university; and which is funded jointly by the student and the state. Against this standard model the article examines the development of alternative or flexible models in both Canada and England. Three programs are described in some detail – The Brandon University Northern Teacher Education Program, The University of Manitoba’s Weekend College Teacher Education Program, and The University of Nottingham’s Flexible, Modularized Post-Graduate Certificate in Education Program – and each is examined in terms of the ways in which it challenges the assumptions embedded in traditional teacher education programs. At a time when attracting talented and committed teachers constitutes an important issue facing public education systems in both countries, the ability to construct high quality initial teacher education programs that can provide access to the profession to as wide a cross-section of the population as possible will be an important contribution to meeting this challenge.     

澳大利亚的教师教育认证机制解析

澳大利亚的教师教育认证历时多年,特色独具,为该国高等院校的教师教育工作建立了质量基准线,也为该国中小学教师队伍素质的提升提供了基本的保障。其教师教育认证的实践,尤其是认证所遵循的依据或原则、认证所采用的程序或步骤等,为他国的教师教育提供了有益的借鉴。     

Calling for ‘urgent national action to improve the quality of initial teacher education’: the reification of evidence and accountability in reform agendas

In early 2015, the Australian Government and an associated Ministerial Group called for ‘urgent national action to improve the quality of initial teacher education’. Following this call for action, the Australian Government launched a series of reforms into initial teacher education, targeting ‘teacher quality’ and ‘classroom readiness’. The reforms are based on a logic of deficiency within initial teacher education, mandating new accreditation processes, standardized assessments and the National Literacy and Numeracy Test for pre-service teachers. In this paper we set out to explore these reforms, considering the policy trajectories, technologies and technicist network in which they are operationalized. We propose the concept of reification and objectification to examine the institutionalization of auditing, standardization, and accountability. These reforms aim to intervene in both the content and delivery of initial teacher education. We argue that reforms such as these recondition our conceptions of professionalism and teacher quality. There is a contraction in scope for progressive or experiential teacher education, and moreover, the ongoing de-professionalism of teachers and teacher educators, whom are subjected to constant surveillance.     

学前师范教育急需调整发展机制、加强宏观调控

以市场为主进行调节而缺乏政府宏观调控的学前师范教育发展模式带采的当前问题主要是事业发展存在盲目性、生源质量严重下滑、教育质量严重下滑、社会效益严重下滑。学前师范教育是一种特殊的公益事业，政府应该对它的发展担负起主要责任。目前学前师范教育的发展急需政府进行八个方面的扶持和管理：一是以省为主制定学前师范教育发展规划；二是每省办好一所大专层次的学前师范院校；三是制订学前师范院校的刚性拨款标准和经费使用比例覆其奖励措施；四是定期对学前师范院校进行办学水平评估；五是恢复对学前师范学生免收学费、补贴生活费等优惠政策（作为对报考学前师范教育的补偿），设立定向培养补助费，吸引优秀学生报考学前师范院校，毕业后到经济欠发达地区或农村地区从教；六是细化和强化招生计划；七是制订学前教师的任职标准；八是制订学前教师的待遇标准，鼓励他们终生从事学前教育，提高学前师范教育的效益。     

教师赋权增能视角下融合教育教师的专业化发展

作为一种教师成长途径,融合教育教师赋权增能既能丰富教师赋权增能理论,又能满足教师职业生涯发展的需要,并能整体提升教师社会地位,对于促进融合教育教师专业化发展具有十分重要的意义。当前我国融合教育教师的赋权增能面临制度保障缺失、教育回流现象出现、支持策略单一、实证研究不足等理论与实践上的诸多困难。因此,在融合教育教师专业化发展策略上,需要进一步完善融合教育教师的职前教师教育过程;同时采取促进融合教育教师赋权增能提升策略。     

The Validity and Reliability of OFSTED Judgements of the Quality of Secondary Mathematics Initial Teacher Education Courses

The inspection by OFSTED's Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) team of courses of initial teacher education is high stakes. An unsatisfactory report can lead to course closure. Even a satisfactory report can lead to reductions in quota resulting in a spiral of decline in course viability. The high stakes nature of the inspection means that there has to be complete confidence in the level of validity and reliability of the inspection process. This paper presents an analysis of the complete cohort of published inspection reports of providers of secondary mathematics initial teacher education Post-graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) courses carried out by the OFSTED ITET team in the period 1996-1998. The analysis demonstrates that there is considerable variation in the reports in terms of word length, how particular criteria seem to be applied and how judgements are expressed. With the complexity of the framework for inspection it is impossible, given the current model of inspection report, to properly distinguish between consistency of application and the loading given to any particular criterion. Attention to the transparency of the inspection process and to matters of validity and reliability is crucial if there is to be confidence in the inspection system.     

A role for practising teachers in initial teacher education

This paper discusses the problems which can arise from the location of initial teacher education in two contexts, namely higher education and schools. An attempt to reduce the resulting dissonance by deploying practising teachers on an initial teacher education programme within higher education is described and the views of those teachers are presented. It is suggested that the use of practising teachers in higher education has a number of advantages, such as the presentation to students of situated and practical knowledge of teaching and the opportunity for more consistent quality assurance of professional inputs to the programme. But questions are raised about access to the craft knowledge of the teachers and the relationship between theoretical and practical components of the course. It is concluded that bringing practising teachers into the higher education contexts could act as a basis for the development of a more effective initial teacher education and for professional development of both teachers and lecturers working on initial teacher education programmes.     

The teaching portfolio in US teacher education programs: what we know and what we need to know

Teaching portfolios have become commonplace in the US in teacher education programs, in the process of granting an initial teaching license, in teacher recertification, and in National Board certification. This paper focuses on the use of teaching portfolios in preservice teacher education programs and analyzes the various ways in which portfolios have been conceptualized and implemented. A conceptual framework is proposed to enable researchers to describe the conditions of portfolio use. A presentation of the conditions of portfolio use will enable a greater understanding of the ways in which teaching portfolios impact teacher development and the quality of teacher assessments under different conditions of use. The paper concludes with a discussion of the key issues that have emerged in the use of teaching portfolios in preservice teacher education in the US.     

What and how teacher educators prefer to learn

In which areas and domains do individual teacher educators prefer to work on their professional development? What kind of learning activities do they want to take on and with whom? Are there significant differences in these preferences between teacher educators? This article reports on a recent survey (N = 268) about the professional development of teacher educators and differences in learning preferences between less and more experienced teacher educators and between university-based and school-based teacher educators. Findings show, for example, that while most university-based teacher educators were mainly interested in improving their teaching, less experienced school-based teacher educators were more focussed on aspects such as coaching skills. In this study, ‘learning profiles’ have been developed for four categories of teacher educators. These profiles may help to create more meaningful arrangements for teacher educators’ initial education and further professional development in a context where teacher education is required to have a more school-based as well as a more research-based orientation.     

From splendid isolation to crossed boundaries? The futures of teacher education in the light of activity theory

Many policy documents addressing the future of teacher education do not take into account the fundamental unpredictability of the future, nor the opposing forces that will try to influence that future. Through the analysis of 48 scenario documents on the future of education or teacher education, we identified a set of unpredictable key factors that have to be taken into account when addressing the future of teacher education. We also identified four main futures that may lie ahead for teacher education. We analyzed these four scenarios using the concepts of activity systems, boundary objects, and boundary crossing. This revealed that the extent to which activity systems are open to boundary crossing and are willing to remove institutional boundaries will largely define the future that lies ahead for teacher education. Future scenarios in themselves can play a role as boundary objects that facilitate the dialogue and boundary crossing between these activity systems.     

国际教师教育范式转移及其哲学基础

20世纪80年代以来,国际教师教育研究与实践出现了一种话语上的转向,这种转向实际是教师教育范式的转移。新的教师教育范式在目标确定、组织管理和课程教学等方面都呈现出新特征。与建立在客观主义哲学基础上的传统教师教育范式不同,新的教师教育范式以主观主义哲学为基础,两种哲学对知识与人性的不同看法是两种教师教育范式差异的根源。     

如何面对儿童基于利己功利的宽容——价值教育的视角

为数不少的儿童有过基于利己功利的宽容体验.从功利主义的视角看,儿童的这种宽容符合“无害一人地增加利益总量”的功利原理因而具有合理性.但儿童基于利己功利的宽容没有考虑他人和共同体的利益,宽容也仅仅是实现儿童个人利益最大化的偶然性手段,这使得这种宽容具有局限性.面对儿童基于利己功利的宽容,价值教育需要思考其产生的原因,并在此基础上引导儿童从基于利己功利的宽容转向基于共同体功利的宽容,引导儿童不仅仅将宽容作为增进个人和共同体利益和快乐的手段,而是将其作为自主追求的价值品质.     

困境与出路：高校“形势与政策”课教师队伍建设

面对“形势与政策”课程教师学历偏低、理论功底薄弱等等亟待改变的现状．高校应通过采取加大投入：建立健全教师进修培训制度;加强师德教育等行之有效的措施,以全面提升“形势与政策”课程教师队伍的素质。     

Reframing the practicum: Constructing performative space in initial teacher education

This paper points to a neglected dimension to Schön's work on the reflective practitioner: his distinctive characterisation of the practicum. We argue that Schön's understanding of the practicum is integrally related to his understanding of the reflective practitioner. The appropriation of the latter concept within programmes of initial teacher education has tended to go hand in hand with a different model of the practicum that regards this as being synonymous with practice in schools. We outline a number of ways in which the practicum, as described by Schön, is significantly different from this. We identify key aspects of Schön's characterisation of the practicum and describe one alternative approach to initial teacher education that uses microteaching as a practicum context. This is a significant issue because concern has been expressed both as regards the quality of new teachers’ reflection and the perceived inability of TEIs to change student–teachers’ preconceived notions of learning and teaching.Whilst research into student teachers’ perceptions of microteaching has generally viewed this process positively, we were interested to research whether this remained the case once students had made the transition to teaching. The voices of recently qualified practitioners who have been through this programme are drawn upon as illustrative of the key features of this process which they identify. The article is a contribution to the discourse upon reflective practice and initial teacher education and also makes a contribution to debate concerning the preferred location of initial teacher education.     

Teacher Competence Frameworks in Europe: policy-as-discourse and policy-as-practice

This article analyses the growing focus on teacher competences in European policy discourse against the backdrop of global convergences in education reforms. It traces key ideas, policy recommendations, peer learning and documents which underscore the relevance of teacher quality for education improvement, as recently stressed in the European Commission Communication and Staff Working Documents Rethinking Education. The intertwining of teacher competence frameworks with other areas of education policy is outlined — key competences in school education, the quality of initial teacher education, and the continuous professional development of teachers — teasing out reasons for their central role. Some insights from research and peer learning then explore key implications in the defining and implementing of teacher competence frameworks in national education systems. A comparative viewpoint further analyses current policy trends about teacher competences across European national contexts, in discourse and practice. In order to do so, a framework of analysis takes into account system features as key variables affecting national policy — roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, governance and education cultures, and the status of the teaching profession. Across the variety of policy practices, the analysis endeavours to trace some emerging patterns and trends, highlighting paradigmatic national examples, with some food for thought.     

Shifting Identities: An investigation into student and novice teachers' evolving professional identity

This paper focuses on recent and innovative moves towards flexible learning in initial teacher education programmes in England and Wales, as part of the ‘widening participation’ agenda in higher education and in response to changes in teacher recruitment patterns. We take as our perspective our own experience as two course tutors in a higher education institution that introduced flexible routes into its secondary teacher education programme at the beginning of the academic year 2002/2003. Using the university's model for our case study, we have undertaken a small‐scale research project and reviewed the literature describing flexible learning discourses in higher education, to consider the extent to which concepts of flexibility are being translated into practice. In particular we highlight some implications for pedagogy and practice that have become apparent at this early stage in the development of flexible courses and which will have an impact upon their progress in the future.