The reflective dimension in teacher education

The terms “reflection” and “reflective practitioner” are now common currency in articles about teacher education and teachers’ professional development, especially in British and North American research. In this chapter, the term “reflection” as it relates to teachers and teacher education will be problematized, drawing particularly on Schön's (Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass) terms “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action.” Differing definitions of reflection will be put forward, their inter-relationship explored, and how these relate to courses of initial teacher education in a variety of countries and cultural contexts. Questions about the value and purpose of reflection will also be raised, as well as to its practical relevance to teacher education.     

Financing of university education in Sri Lanka

This paper deals with the financing ofuniversity education in Sri Lanka, which hasadopted pro-market policy reforms over the last22 years. The assessment is based on five maincriteria: adequacy, efficiency, unit costs,systems and procedures of resource allocationand alternative funding sources. The findingsreveal that the universities are faced with anacute shortage of funds and that existingfinancial systems and procedures are controloriented rather than promoting efficiency andquality enhancement. Moreover, the heavilystate dependent university system, particularlyin the area of financing, has failed to keeppace with pro-market policy reforms at nationallevel and, hence, continues to operate within acontrol oriented regulatory framework. In thepresent era of globalization, universities needto be more market oriented in terms ofmanagement, delivery of services and revenuegeneration.     

Baseline data on distance education offerings in deaf education teacher preparation programs in the United States

Given that little is empirically known about the use of distance education within deaf education teacher preparation (DETP) programs, the purpose of the present study was to obtain baseline data on distance education activities in these programs. Using a census of the program coordinators of the 68 DETP programs in the United States, the researcher requested and gathered data by means of an 11-item online questionnaire. A 69% response rate was achieved (N = 47). It was found that more than half of the DETP programs offered distance education courses. Respondents indicated that asynchronous technology was used overwhelmingly more often than synchronous technology, with the Internet listed most often, followed by teleconferencing. Additional results provide information about the current status of distance education within the DETP field.     

Students with learning disabilities in teacher education programs

Education faculty are dedicated to preparing competent teachers. At the same time, they must provide reasonable accommodations in the teaching and evaluation of qualified students with disabilities, in compliance with the mandates of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This article describes some of the reasons that students with learning disabilities (LD) choose teaching as a profession, and the difficulties that some students with LD have in teacher preparation programs. It discusses the underlying legal and ethical issues encountered when working with students with LD in teacher education programs, as well as some ways to enhance success. The term learning disabilities is used since not all teacher candidates will have a language-based reading, spelling, and written expression disorder or dyslexia. It is assumed, however, that approximately 80 percent or more will have dyslexia.     

The value and feasibility of evaluation research on teacher development: contrasting experiences in Sri Lanka and Mexico

This article discusses the value and feasibility of carrying out evaluation research on teacher development and uses as points of reference the author's experiences in two countries, Sri Lanka and Mexico. In Sri Lanka, an evaluation study was designed to understand the effectiveness and costs of teacher development at the elementary level linking teacher preparation with classroom practice and student achievement. The study also evaluated costs and analyzed the possible impact of the results for future policy. The study in Mexico illustrates the challenges of doing evaluation research in an environment dominated by a central state and teacher union politics, and where systemic empirical research on teacher development has been rare. It constituted an initial attempt at looking at the content and the anticipated effects across different approaches to teacher development in Mexico. New calls for greater accountability and better understanding of the reach and limitations of general education worldwide are prompting systems to examine teacher development program effectiveness. In this analytical article, the author discusses strategies and possibilities in the emerging field of teacher development program evaluation.     

The McDonaldization of CAEP accreditation and teacher education programs abroad

McDonaldization is the processes of the fast-food industry that dominate segments of societies worldwide. Few studies address how McDonaldization applies to the accreditation of teacher education programs. This article demonstrates how the Council for the Accreditation of Education Programs (CAEP) could be perceived as a McDonaldized organization that propagates American understandings of teacher education in non-US universities. The article applies the five principles of McDonaldization to CAEP Accreditation and addresses possible influences on non-US universities seeking CAEP accreditation outside the US borders. Specifically, the article discusses the cultural challenges, language concerns, and issues regarding indigenous knowledge that non-US universities face.     

远程开放教育基层电大的教师职责与教师培训

远程开放教育基层电大教师的职责主要体现在宣传开放教育理念、指导与培养学生的自主学习能力、进行面授辅导、开展网上教学活动、加强学习支持服务和督促学生学习过程等方面。学校应加强教师远程开放教育理论、现代信息技术和教育技术、组织面授辅导具体方法的培训;安排教师到企事业单位实习,提升实践能力;编写教学工作手册,加强教学科研等等。帮助教师更好地履行职责,全面提升教学质量。     

Laboratory learning: Addressing a neglected dimension of science teacher education

Conclusions Almost all teachers recognize the value of hands-on science instruction in the laboratory setting. Many will even recommend that instruction should be not only hands-on, but also cognitively challenging. Moving from recognition of the need for enhanced laboratory instruction to implementation, however, is more effective with guidance. Formal schemes such as Laboratory Learning: An Inservice Institute provide this guidance by employing the most powerful teaching strategy available—modelling. In the workshop, participating teachers and their peers demonstrated effective practices, then analyzed and discussed the behaviors making those practices useful. If participant attitudes measure a workshop’s success, then peer modelling is clearly a powerful approach to instruction. Modelling, small-group work, cooperative learning activities, and theoretical and research-based suggestions for enhancement all targeting a single element of science teaching were blended together to produce Laboratory Learning: An Inservice Institute. This material is based upon work supported in part by a grant from the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Act (Grant No. S164B 10015-12) through the Iowa State Board of Regents. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Act or the Regents.     

Improving interaction in teacher training programmes: the rise of the social dimension in pre-service teacher education

This paper studies the social side of pre-service teacher education and draws on social network analysis to explore the relation between the social capital of pre-service teachers and their academic and professional success. An online survey was applied to a sample of 321 students enrolled full time either in Preschool Education or Primary Education programmes at the Ramon Llull University-FPCEE Blanquerna in Catalonia, Spain. The instrument consisted of a combination of social network questions and rating scale attributes. Findings allow us to understand the relationship between aspects of the cohort’s social network and key development constructs and demonstrate the importance of considering informal interactions within the programme to improve the performance of pre-service teachers.     

论现代远程教育中教师地位及作用的变化

现代远程教育利用电视、计算机、网络等教育技术，师生时空分离、学生自主学习，是一种全新教学形式，因而教师在教学中的地位与作用发生了巨大的变化：从中心、主导地位退居到从属、辅助地位，由主角变成配角，由台前转到了幕后，由教学变为助学，即主要表现为教学中的指导、辅导、督导作用。认识这一变化，对把握现代远程教学的特点和规律，提高远程教学与人才培养的质量，促进现代远程教育的健康发展，具有重要的意义。     

Middle years teacher education: New programs and research directions

Teacher education programs focussing on the development of specialist teachers for ‘the middle years’ have proliferated in Australian universities in recent years. This paper provides some insights into middle years’ teacher education programs at the University of Queensland, Edith Cowan and Flinders Universities with regard to their: philosophical underpinnings; specific educational context; scope and nature of the program. In addition, some of the research directions and efficacy strategies utilised in conjunction with the programs will be shared, along with some early findings from a longitudinal study in one of the programs. We propose that the pattern of programmatic growth heralds a new time for teacher education, and we speculate about the production of new kinds of teacher identities as graduates take their place in the profession.     

Quality assessment and quality assurance in distance teacher education

Governments around the world have increasingly used distance education (DE), both preservice and inservice, to overcome conventional, campus‐based programme constraints in funding, access and student places. DE programmes have shown that they can expand assess to teacher education, but still need to demonstrate that they can produce teachers of the quality needed for today's schools. Quality assessment systems have been developed, using either examinations or impact studies, to demonstrate programme effect on graduate outcomes related to good teaching. Quality assurance systems have been designed, based on the concept of the ‘learning organisation’, to assure continuous improvement in programme conditions related to the desired outcomes. Quality assessment and assurance systems are reviewed and some examples of quality DE programmes presented.     

Comparing two teacher development programs for innovating reading comprehension instruction with regard to teachers’ experiences and student outcomes

This study compared a year-round intensive coaching of teachers (35 h) with a restricted in-service course (13 h), designed on the basis of research-based components of effective professional development of teachers. Both courses were developed to innovate reading comprehension instruction in elementary schools. Fourteen second- and 16 fifth-grade teachers participated. Results indicated that both conditions were equally effective in changing students’ reading comprehension, reading fluency, reading strategy use, and self-efficacy perceptions. Teachers’ experiences with the professional development course were also comparable in both conditions. A significant point of difference indicated; however, that teachers attending the restricted in-service course experienced more workload with regard to settling in the innovations.