Becoming a literacy teacher: approximations in critical literacy teaching

The new literacy studies (NLS) is a tradition of research that includes ethnographic work on literacy that has many applications for classroom teachers. The NLS include explorations of local literacies and critical literacy as well as the notion of literacy itself. When teachers draw on the NLS, students are able to draw on their practices in critical and transformative ways. However, NLS perspectives have not been used to examine how teachers are prepared in pre‐service programs and the ways critical literacy practices develop. This paper examines how two pre‐service teachers learn to take up definitions of local literacies in their work with students from racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse backgrounds in practicum settings. They use approximations in literacy teaching to design practices with students, demonstrating the process of becoming a teacher of literacy. I conclude with recommendations for teacher educators who are interested in supporting such approximations.     

Talking back: teaching and learning through autobiographies in multicultural education

This research essay is intended to situate the curriculum in my multicultural education courses – of talking back through autobiographical inquiry – within real schools, a site where curriculum theorists rarely situate their work. The literature by curriculum theorists that precedes my study generally has focused on how pre-service teachers in multicultural education courses are changed (or not) as a result of course readings, discussions, and critical autobiographical reflection, all of which happen within the confines of the university classroom. My research essay extends the work of curriculum theorists on autobiography in education by focusing on the ways in which pre-service teachers use autobiographical inquiry to reflect on the impact of the context of real public schools and K-12 students on their constructions of themselves as teachers. In my extension of this work, I draw on bell hooks’ notion of “talking back” as an overarching framework in analyzing the autobiographical reflections of pre-service teachers.     

Transversal traits in science education research relevant for teaching and research: A meta‐interpretative study

This study is a meta‐interpretative analysis that focuses on research conducted and published by other researchers. Concepts central to this study include global practical relevance, curriculum design, and formative situation. We analyzed 35 studies selected from 374 published studies in the years 2000 and 2001 in three journals referenced in the International Scientific Index. Using a replicable methodology developed specifically for this research, we found evidence of s clusters of variables that suggest the existence of transversal traits in the 35 science education research studies. These results form a reference framework of theoretical and practical knowledge relevant for research and practice pertaining to teaching and learning science. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 574–599, 2008     

Moving beyond disproportionality: the role of culturally responsive teaching in special education

For over 30 years the field of special education has grappled with the problem of disproportionality. The discourse around this issue has predominately focused on possible causes, and yet the problem persists. This paper will provide an overview of the research on disproportionality and multicultural special education. In addition, the authors will examine the extent to which culturally responsive teaching has been implemented in special education and will propose future directions for research and practice.     

Managing change in English language teaching through a journey of learning: a case study from China

In the last two years, English language teaching at the level of basic education in China has been changing very fast due to the new Standard Curriculum. The paper takes a school in the northwest of China as an example, illustrating the process of implementing the Curriculum, summarizing the work the school has done, the problems encountered and arguing for the need to manage the change. The paper also gives some suggestions in conclusion.     

Investigating Finnish teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education

In this article, we examine teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education. Finnish research‐based teacher education has four characteristics: (1) the study programme is structured according to a systematic analysis of education; (2) all teaching is based on research; (3) activities are organized in such a way that students can practice argumentation, decision‐making and justification when inquiring about and solving pedagogical problems; and (4) the students learn formal research skills during their studies. According to the results, teacher educators appreciate the research‐based approach to which the university is committed, although they were sceptical about how well this vision transfers to the students.     

Collaborative teacher education: forging tangible connections between field and classroom

This paper describes a collaboration between the authors, a university course instructor for an introductory Learning Sciences course in a university-based teacher education program, and a site coordinator for its paired practicum experience. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the collaborators found that their weekly conversations focused on supporting novice teacher learning had the potential to (1) lead to more strategic support of pre-service teachers, and (2) lend greater insights into the nature of the larger teacher education activity system in which they both worked. They consider the ways the seemingly simple addition of weekly conversations across sites of teacher learning can create spaces that collapse traditional theory/practice divides in teacher education.     

制定教师教育课程标准：意义与价值

教师教育课程标准对于规范教师教育课程、提升教师教育质量、促进教师专业发展都有十分重要的意义和价值。制定教师教育课程标准是一项十分重要的工程,必须从全局性、战略性的高度认识教师教育课程标准研制工作。     

Developing sociopolitical consciousness at Freedom Schools: implications for culturally responsive teacher preparation

This article describes the programmatic ways in which the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program develops culturally responsive teaching practices?amongst its summer interns, particularly in the area of developing sociopolitical consciousness.?This paper places specific focus on the role that historical knowledge, the acknowledgement of a ‘we’ discourse and instilling a lifelong commitment to service plays in cultivating teacher sociopolitical consciousness. The research reported here aims to serve as a case for lessons to be learned by traditional, university-based teacher education programs committed to preparing teachers to teach in culturally responsive ways.     

When you’ve only got one class,one chance: acquiring sociocultural knowledge using eclectic case pedagogy

In this paper we describe the creation of an eclectic case pedagogy based on case‐based methods, sociocultural learning theory and visual studies successfully used in a university teacher education course designed to help students acquire sociocultural knowledge about schooling and teaching. Using qualitative data collected across three semesters and four offerings of the course, we outline the types of cases that made up the eclectic case pedagogy, as well as how students recognized the efficacy and significance of this pedagogic method for their learning. Students highlight three specific kinds of learning opportunities afforded to them when engaging with the eclectic case pedagogy including: guided participation, dismantling and building connections and close in(tro)spection of schooling and society. The benefits students attribute to this approach suggest the eclectic case pedagogy may especially befit courses that aim to expand preservice teachers’ knowledge base around issues of historical inequalities in schools, institutional barriers to equity, and teaching within and about difference.     

Preparing preservice English teachers and school counselor interns for future collaboration

The authors believe that by working together, teachers and school counselors can better support students and more effectively work for their success. In this article, we present our efforts in creating a collaborative class for preservice English teachers and school counselor interns. While offering an overview of English teachers and school counselors in their daily interactions with adolescents, we focus on the university preparation of both groups, specifically the preparation at our university, a large research institution in the Midwestern United States. We provide a look at the collaborative class created for the preservice English teachers and school counselor interns, offering examples of their interaction and feedback from the students. Lastly, we close with a consideration of the meaning of such collaboration at the university level for both English teachers and school counselors.     

Preparing mathematics and science teachers through a residency program: perceptions and reflections

The critical challenge of recruiting, preparing, and retaining high-quality mathematics and science teachers for high-need urban schools is complex. Therefore, identifying factors that support and impede a teaching residency program’s implementation may have the potential to build an effective initiative that will benefit all stakeholders. The purpose of our study was to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions about their experiences in the Teaching Residency Program for Critical Shortage Areas program, a federally funded program designed to address teacher shortages in mathematics and science in high-need schools. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) the residency framework, (b) a relevant curriculum, and (c) immersion in an authentic school context. Our findings have the potential to inform policy-makers, school administrators, university directors of school partnerships, and other individuals who have direct influence on teacher recruitment and retention.     

Exploring authenticity of microteaching in pre-service teacher education programmes

This study examined the perspective of a cohort of 60 Chinese EFL pre-service teachers with regards to microteaching. Reflective paper writing was employed to explore the student teachers’ perceptions of the experience. The study results show that microteaching was a useful tool for the pre-service teachers’ professional development; however, the experience was not without flaws. The most commonly perceived deficiency was artificiality, which appeared to have to some extent limited the student teachers’ development of real-life classroom teaching competence. The study suggests that microteaching should be supplemented with various alternative forms of school experience and practice.     

Integrating curriculum: a case study of teaching Global Education

Despite widespread support for integrated approaches to teaching, classroom practice reveals a lack of implementation. This paper explores challenges and opportunities in teaching an integrated curriculum, and connects this with the contemporary notion of a twenty-first century curriculum and pedagogy. A case study of Global Education (GE) is used to delineate the complexity of issues when teachers attempt to move beyond disciplinary-based teaching approaches. We examine curriculum documents, advice for teachers on curriculum implementation, preservice teachers’ experiences in schools during Professional Experiences and national guidelines for Professional Experience. Through these data, a broad picture emerges of influences on integrating curricula in classrooms. Opportunities to integrate curriculum incorporating twenty-first century pedagogies were limited by pressures on teachers with preservice teachers rarely exposed to authentic integration. Teachers’ professional standing requires clear guidelines, which allow them to pursue important twenty-first century content and skills , for young citizens and this must begin in preservice education.     

从“师范教育”走向“教师教育”

从"师范教育"走向"教师教育",意味着教师教育观念的根本改变。论文从"师范教育"和"教师教育"各自的概念内涵入手,阐述了"师范教育"走向"教师教育"所凸显的观念更新,以及推进教师教育课程体系整体变革的迫切性。     

Contextualizing Teacher Autonomy in time and space: a model for comparing various forms of governing the teaching profession

This study aims to develop a model for comparing different forms of teacher autonomy in various national contexts and at different times. Understanding and explaining local differences and global similarities in the teaching profession in a globalized world require conceptions that contribute to further theorization of comparative and international education. Drawing on a governance perspective and building on considerations of curriculum evaluation, the study argues that teacher autonomy is a crucial factor that has to be conceptualized in its national and historical contexts. It presents an examination of the teaching profession from both an institutional and service perspective. In both perspectives, teacher autonomy, framed by curriculum evaluation, can be regarded as both extended and restricted, but not necessarily at the same time. This point of view enables us to discuss different forms of autonomy in relation to each other. To support this idea, the study discusses cases of teachers in various contexts of time and space.     

美国大学化教师教育的课程设置及其特点

美国的教师教育主要经历了师范学校、师范学院和综合大学教育学院时期等历史发展阶段。目前,美国的教师教育主要由综合大学实施,体现了教师教育大学化的发展方向。美国大学化教师教育的课程设置具有明显的研究性、融合性、实践性和灵活性等特征。     

A case study of a career in education that began with “Teach for America”

In this article I share the results of a seven‐year case study of an educator who began his career without formal preservice teacher education, as a participant in Teach for America. Steven (a pseudonym) began teaching mathematics in an urban middle school, later teaching social studies to English language learners, and is currently a principal of an urban charter school. Using a narrative/biographical research method, I have documented how Steven combined his personal resources, the confidence he gained from participating in Teach for America, and, because he began taking professional coursework in his second year of teaching, his emerging understanding of the foundations of teaching and learning (i.e. what he learned at the university) to form the educator he has become. His growth in understanding the culture of his students is a particularly compelling part of his story. Implications for contemporary teacher education are discussed, including the role of multicultural education courses and why customized teacher education programs should become more commonplace.     

教育类课程在我国教师教育中的设置研究

从我国教育类课程在本科教师教育课程体系中的比例和课程内部结构两大方面入手，用历史和比较的方法分析我国教育类课程的课程门数、时间量、课程比重、内容框架、排列顺序等课程设置问题，并对其成因进行深入的透析，进而提出面向新时代的应对改革思路与措施。     

发达国家教师教育课程设置的特点及启示

课程问题是教师教育中突出而重要的问题,教师教育课程的设置与构建实际上已成为提高教师教育质量、提高中华民族整体素质、实现中华民族伟大历史复兴的重要课题之一。想要提出我国教师教育课程改革的方略,必须对当前我国教师教育课程设置存在的问题进行深刻分析,并借鉴发达国家教师教育课程的设置。