Mathematics Anxiety In Preservice Elementary School Teachers

Mathematics anxiety is a condition that exists in many children and adults. Studies (Bulmahn & Young, 1982, Kelly & Tomhave, 1985) have indicated that about 10% of all preservice elementary school teachers have mathematics anxiety. The author verified this statistic in a research study conducted by Basta & Unglaub (1994). In fact, with the particular sample used in the 1994 study (79 preservice elementary school teachers) the number of high mathematics anxious rose to 11.4% based on the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (Suinn, 1972).     

Sustaining Reform-Based Science Teaching of Preservice and Inservice Elementary School Teachers

This study examined the influence of a professional development program based around commercially available inquiry science curricula on the teaching practices of 27 beginning elementary school teachers and their teacher mentors over a 2 year period. A quantitative rubric used to score inquiry elements and use of data in videotaped lessons indicated that education students assigned to inquiry-based classrooms during their methods course or student teaching year outperformed students without this experience. There was also a significant positive effect of multi-year access to the kit-based program on mentor teaching practice. Recent inclusion of a “writing in science” program in both preservice and inservice training has been used to address the lesson element that received lowest scores—evaluation of data and its use in scientific explanation.     

African American Othermothering in the Urban Elementary School

Othermothering and community othermothering can be defined as African American women's maternal assistance offered to the children of blood mothers within the African American community. Originally traced to slavery, othermothering was a survival mechanism that served as a vehicle for educational and cultural transmission. Currently, an othermothering tradition exists within the urban elementary-school context, and African American female educators play an integral role in fulfilling the pyschoeducational needs of the urban child. By employing a qualitative methodology, this article presents two biographical portraits that examine othermothering by a young elementary-school principal and community othermothering by a fifth-grade elementary-school teacher with 25 years of experience in the urban classroom.     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge couldn't be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest that there may be important connections between the two for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

This study examined changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge could not be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest there may be important connections between the 2 for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Stereotype Threat Effects on African American Children in an Urban Elementary School

This study investigated whether a diagnostic testing condition leads to stereotype threat effects for African American children (n = 198) at an urban elementary school. Results indicated that presenting a reading test as diagnostic of abilities hindered the performance of African American children aware of racial stereotypes but not of those unaware of such stereotypes. For stereotype-aware children, the effect of stereotype threat on performance was moderated by level of domain identification such that the effects were most pronounced among children placing greater value on achievement. In addition, domain identification contributed to greater anxiety and lower self-efficacy, suggesting that it is a primary vulnerability factor for stereotype threat effects. Implications for educational equity are discussed, as well as suggestions for developing interventions capable of attenuating stereotype threat effects among children.     

Factors Affecting Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Alternate Conceptions of Preservice Elementary Teachers: The Itakura Method

In this study, we determined the effectiveness of the inquiry-based Itakura method for mediating alternate conceptions of preservice elementary teachers (N = 38) in an integrated mathematics, science, and technology methods course. We investigated alternate conceptions in the expansion of solids due to heating. There was a significant increase in participants’ immediate learning gains after participating in the Itakura method. Retention data was gathered after 1, 2, and 3 months. After 3 months, retention levels dropped slightly, but not significantly. Responses revealed that the majority of the participants did not revert back to alternate conceptions after 3 months.     

Loud and Clear: The Importance of Telling the Stories of African American Male Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACT

The shortage of African American male teachers has been a consistent issue in education. However, there is still much to learn about the experiences and perspectives of African American men on the teaching pathway. By placing a spotlight on the complex positioning of African American men in education, this essay expounds on the importance of capturing the stories of African American males enrolled in teacher education programs.     

Preparing More Confident Preservice Elementary Science Teachers: One Elementary Science Methods Teacher's Self-Study

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

I Will Not Fail: How African American Preservice Teachers Succeed on Licensure Exams After Initially Failing

Research indicates that preservice teachers who pass professional readiness exams through multiple retakes are less likely to pass content area exams. This qualitative study focused on three African American preservice teachers whose success cuts against this trend. Findings revealed participants engaged in targeted preparation, used a range of unconventional and test wiseness strategies, sought information and resources from their advice networks, and strategized for optimal test space and time between failing and passing the exam.     

Preservice Elementary School Teachers' Understandings of Theory Based Science Education

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of pr-service elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management beliefs and science teaching attitudes. Science education majors (n?=?71) and elementary education majors (n?=?262) were compared with respect to these variables. Finally, the predictors of two constructs of science teaching efficacy beliefs, personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), were examined by multiple linear regression analysis. According to the results, participation in extracurricular activities has a significant but low correlation with science concept knowledge, science teaching attitudes, PSTE and STOE. In addition, there is a small but significant correlation between science concept knowledge and outcome expectancy, which leads the idea that preservice elementary teachers’ conceptual understanding in science contributes to their science teaching self-efficacy. This study reveals a moderate correlation between science teaching attitudes and STOE and a high correlation between science teaching attitudes and PSTE. Additionally, although the correlation coefficient is low, the number of methodology courses was found to be one of the correlates of science teaching attitudes. Furthermore, students of both majors generally had positive self-efficacy beliefs on both the STOE and PSTE. Specifically, science education majors had higher science teaching self-efficacy than elementary education majors. Regression results showed that science teaching attitude is the major factor in predicting both PSTE and STOE for both groups.     

Teaching Preservice Teachers to Read the Discourse of School Reform

In this article, I argue for redesigned preservice teacher education courses that provide opportunities for teaching students to read the discourse of school reform, especially in terms of how that discourse both restricts and builds capacity for the kinds of teachers they want to become. Drawing from the experiences of three preservice teachers who opted out of teaching, I attempt to show how their experiences intersected with my own journey from experimentalist training into critical hermeneutic work and, more recently, into policy and editorial arenas to produce sites in which to explore the discourse of current reform efforts in literacy education in the United States.     

Preparing Elementary Preservice Teachers for Urban Elementary Science Classrooms: Challenging Cultural Biases Toward Diverse Students

This study reports the learning of elementary preservice teachers regarding diversity and teaching science in diverse urban elementary classrooms. From participating in a semester-long book club, the preservice teachers reveal their cultural biases, connect and apply their knowledge of diversity, and understand that getting to know their students are important elements for teaching science in diverse classrooms. These 3 things connect in ways that allow the preservice teachers to understand how their cultural biases impede student learning and gain new knowledge of diversity as they change their cultural biases. Implications of this study reveal that preservice teachers need opportunities to reveal, confront, challenge, and change their cultural models and to develop new models for teaching science in urban elementary classrooms.

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成都市学校委托管理研究*--以茶店子小学与十方堂小学为例

跨区域学校委托管理是成都市实施城乡教育统筹发展、城乡教育一体化的重要形式,这种办学制度的转变以实现优质教育资源满覆盖为目标。在结成的学校委托管理中金牛区茶店子小学和邛崃市十方堂小学就是典型模式之一,通过规划引领、师资结对、学生发展、文化打造等发展策略与途径的转变,学校发展取得了明显成效。     

美国中小学教师评价的主要模式及特点

有关研究表明,教师质量对学生学业成就的影响比学校内任何其他的因素更为重要。为了提高教师的素质,促进学生的学业成就,美国各州和学区把教师评价作为切入点,注重加强教师评价的改革工作。本文介绍了美国教师评价主要采用的典型方法,并在此基础上概括出美国中小学教师评价的整体特点。     

美国中小学科学教师培养理念刍议

文章通过梳理当前美国科学教育以及科学教育师资培养理论的代表观点,指出当今科学教育师资培养理论需应答的多层次问题,旨在为国内科学教师教育实践和未来理论研究作参考。