Environmental Education in the United States: A Survey of Preservice Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

The status of the environmental education component of preservice teacher education programs is unknown nationally. This study surveyed 715 institutions of teacher education using a mail questionnaire. The response rate was approximately 63%. The results indicate that most schools have few requirements related to environmental education, and in the majority of schools environmental education is not institutionalized.     

教师赋权在美国

美国教师赋权运动在美国的教育改革历史上有着深远的影响,而我国的教师专业化进程也有很多是值得从国外借鉴的,文章对美国教师赋权运动作了详细介绍,以期给我国教育界带来一些启示。     

Control of Teacher Certification in the United States

Teacher certification trends in the United States since World War II paint a complicated picture of powerful interests at different levels making demands and trying to institute disparate reforms. These patterns have varied over time, often because of teacher supply and demand. The federal government initiated its involvement when education professionals’ competence came under attack in the years following the launch of Sputnik. The tensions over the size and scope of state and federal control that characterize many areas of American policy are crucial in education. The current policy environment in the United States involves several seemingly contradictory components and adversarial actors. As the United States attempts to reform its education system in response to the ever-increasing demands of participation in the global economy, control of teacher preparation and certification will continue to have to respond to multiple stakeholders.     

Teacher education in the United States of America

Teacher education in the United States, and undoubtedly in other countries as well, is more profoundly affected by shifts and developments in the wider intellectual and social world than by any changes, no matter what their magnitude, in educational theory and teaching techniques. Current practices in the preparation of teachers, therefore, cannot be understood without references to such external influences as, to cite only a few, the teacher shortage of the fifties and early sixties, the post-sputnik anxiety about how well our schools were doing, the efflorescence in the behavioural sciences, the so-called explosion of knowledge in all fields, and the concentration of educationally disadvantaged children in the central cities. Once it is assumed that teacher preparation reflects changes in the broader world, any attempt to outline recent trends and developments inevitably becomes arbitrary and partial. However, the factors enumerated and discussed below are, at least, germane to the problem. Dr. Schaefer has been Dean of the Teachers' College at Columbia University in New York since 1963. This article consists of extracts from a paper presented by the author before an expert committee which met at Unesco to consider problems of general primary and secondary education.     

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of Characteristics of an Effective Teacher as a Function of Discipline Orientation: A Mixed Methods Investigation

This mixed methods study investigated the extent to which preservice teachers' discipline orientations are consistent with their perceptions of what makes an effective teacher. The study's first purpose was to determine whether preservice teachers tend to possess a predominant discipline style. The second purpose was to ascertain the degree to which preservice teachers' endorsement of each of the three discipline styles (i.e., interventionist vs. interactionalist vs. non-interventionist) predicts their perceptions of characteristics of effective teachers. Participants were 63 preservice teachers enrolled at a large southeastern university. Both interventionism and interactionalism received significantly greater endorsements than did non-interventionism. A phenomenological analysis revealed seven characteristics that many preservice teachers considered to reflect effective teaching: student-centered, effective classroom and behavior manager, competent instructor, ethical, enthusiastic about teaching, knowledgeable about subject, and professional. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that the degree of discipline orientation was a predictor of some of these characteristics. Implications are discussed.     

师资队伍建设的新举措——美国“新教师入门指导计划”

20世纪80年代以来在美国推行的“新教师入门指导计划”被认为是稳定中小学教师队伍。提高教师质量的一项成功措施。文章介绍了这一改革方案的历史由来、近期发展及其背景，并讨论了它的目的、内容、具体实施方案、实施中面临的一些问题及其对我国新教师培养的一些启示。     

Civics and Values Education Curriculum Policies in the United States: A Survey of the States

This article reports the results of a survey conducted in the fall of 1997. The purpose of this study was to survey the extant policies in civics and values education across the 50 United States. The survey addressed three areas concerning civics and values education: curriculum, textbook selection, and teacher licensure. The findings were: One, most states mandate or suggest civics education curriculum and policies while many fewer states have curriculum and policies addressing values education. Two, many states have teacher licensure requirements for civics instruction at the secondary level; however, no teacher licensure policies exist with respect to the instruction of values. Three, states are almost equally divided between the state‐adoption and local‐control methods of textbook adoption. The authors discuss six important trends and issues that emerge from this survey.     

教师评价与教师专业发展——来自美国NBPTS等优秀教师评价的启示

与美国对优秀教师的评价相比,我国对"好教师"的评价在一定程度上阻碍了教师的专业发展:"好教师"的评价标准模糊了教师专业发展的方向,"好教师"的评价模式阻碍了教师专业发展的全员参与,"好教师"的评价程序削弱了教师专业发展的自主性。     

云南省州市师专青年教师科研现状调查分析

采用问卷调查、访谈、文献资料等多种方法,对云南省几所位于州市的师范高等专科学校青年教师的科研现状进行调查分析,并针对目前的现状,提出提高青年教师科研能力的对策,对州市师专科研管理工作的提高及相应的政策、措施的制定提出建议.     

实践导向下美国教师教育课程探索

在过去的20多年间,美国知名高校发展了一批以实践教学为导向的教师教育项目,取得了卓越的成效。美国教师教育项目通过开设多元化教师教育课程,教授教师候选人运用个案研究、课堂教学的展示、教学档案袋、开展问题导向的研究等策略,在真实教学情景下,深入思考教学,开展教学研究,发展与评估了教师候选人的教师知识与教学技能。基于美国的经验,提出了中国教师教育课程改革需以核心的教师知识与技能作为实践教学的评估标准;同时,还需以"大学为本",重视教学研究,运用教学理论解决实践问题;加强"伙伴协作",重视中小学对实践教学的专业引领,建立、培养教师共同体。     

Role Perceptions of Secondary Teachers as Related to Pupils' Perceptions of Teacher Behavioral Characteristics

Abstract

Role expectations of 178 Georgia secondary teachers as measured by TPQ (6), pupils’ perceptions as measured by POSR (7), and pupils' attitudes (2) were analyzed by sex" age, experience, perception, field, grade level, and selected interaction effects. Science and mathematics teachers perceived the Advice-information Giver Role as more important than did social studies teachers. Age and sex differentially influenced teachers’ perceptions of the Motivator Role- Grade level and sex-by-field interaction produced significant differences in Disciplinarian Role. From pupils' viewpoint (POSR), the experienced teacher was more knowledgeable and poised than the beginning teacher. For Strict Control, sex, experience, field, and sex-by-field interaction were significant. Pupils had more favorable attitudes toward women teachers.     

美国教师入门指导政策改革述评

20世纪80年代伊始,美国兴起教师入门指导政策和计划,以支持新任教师的专业发展。教师入门指导政策达到几个方面的政策目标,诸如减少教师的离职率,提高教师质量以及学生教育成就。美国各州在入门指导计划政策的实践中出现了许多优秀的模式,包括加利福利亚州的新教师支持与评价计划、伊利诺斯州的教师入门指导计划连续体和俄亥俄州的新教师入职年计划等。美国教师入门指导政策改革体现了以下特点：（1）设置入门指导计划的目标;（2）制定入门指导计划的标准;（3）重视入门指导计划的辅导;（4）加强入门指导计划的投入。     

Language Teacher Identities in the Southern United States: Transforming Rural Schools

Foreign language (FL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching present considerable challenges in the rural U.S. South. Local language ideologies, budgetary considerations, and challenges in other curricular areas (e.g., math and science) lead to marginalizing both FL and ESL in schools. This article examines the personal and professional trajectories of in-service language teachers in K–12 settings in the state of Mississippi to better understand how participants conceptualize their practice and their roles in schools. By analyzing the interview discourse of nine teachers, we found that both ESL and FL teachers positioned themselves against dominant ideologies and educational policies and constructed themselves as agents of change in the classroom, school, and community at large. This study contributes to the argument for integrating FL and ESL in rural areas, where both groups need support, and provides suggestions for ESL-FL teacher collaboration in rural schools.     

Recent Developments in Teacher Education in the United States of America

Two national reports published in 1986 marked the beginning of teacher education reform in the United States of America. Both of these reports proposed a twofold approach to teacher education reform: first, to enrich the professional education of teachers by eliminating undergraduate teacher certification programs and requiring graduate level training; and second, to change the structure of the teaching profession by replacing the existing undifferentiated system in which all teachers have the same rank with a two-tiered system in which lead teachers or career professionals would assume higher level responsibilities and receive higher salaries than regular teachers. A ten-year follow-up report identified some progress toward these goals of teacher education reform but criticised schools of education for not making greater efforts to connect their educational programs to elementary and secondary schools. The report argued specifically for professional development schools to link university schools of education to school systems. Most of the recent efforts to reform teacher education have adopted this approach. A particular focus has been the preparation of new and experienced teachers to educate an increasingly diverse student population.     

Teacher education policies in the United States: The accountability shift since 1980

This conceptual paper examines a tug-of-war between state and national authorities in the United States for control of teacher recruitment, preparation, licensing, and professional development policy-making. A discussion of policy problems and instruments grounds analysis of each governing body's policy-activity since 1980. The analysis reveals how policy instrument changes have sidelined teacher education professionals and shifted programme accountability from the state to national level. Conclusions and recommendations challenge teacher education researchers to alter the current accountability trajectory by becoming active participants in the United States policy-making arena.     

美、英、新加坡国家教师荣誉制度的共性研究

国家级教师最高奖具有鼓励全国教师热爱并积极从事教育事业的重要作用。美国＂国家年度教师＂、英国＂年度教师奖＂和新加坡＂卓越教师总统奖＂作为三国的教师最高荣誉制度各有特色,激励教师的政策目标明确,评选流程规范,荣誉获得者作为教师的代言人和学习楷模具有显著的示范作用,且获奖教师普遍在情感教育、创新思维、关注弱势群体等方面有着独特的贡献。     

美国CTE教师教育发展概览

美国的生涯与技术(CTE)教师教育发端于公立职业教育的发展和教师教育的发展。在美国CTE开展的近85年的历史长河之中,形成了教师教育的双重系统。即有两条途径可以获得CTE教师资格证和初期执教资格:(1)传统的在大学或学院接受职前教师教育;(2)进入教学领域的非传统通道,有多种多样的形式和途径。与此同时,美国对于CTE教师资格认证也建立了严格的标准,并在教师发展和教学条件等方面正在做积极探索,这些经验都值得我们借鉴。     

美国特殊教育教师资格认证制度述评

美国的特殊教育教师资格认证制度在认证机构、认证标准、认证考核与认证的更新等方面都有其独特的一面,认识美国特殊教育教师资格认证制度的现状,总结和分析它的特点,对于完善我国的特殊教育教师资格认证制度有很大的借鉴意义.