Preparing preservice teachers to be data literate: a Queensland case study

Data driven pedagogy has been introduced into Australian schools over the last decade to improve student learning outcomes, but are teacher educators preparing preservice teachers to be data literate? We used a survey to investigate ready-to-graduate preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding their knowledge and skills in data literacy. Before entering a course on data literacy their belief responses indicated that they had basic data interpretation knowledge, but they were unsure of how to translate that knowledge into the classroom to improve student outcomes. The survey was administered again after a data literacy course, which included a five-week supervised professional experience task of observing data being used in schools to drive pedagogy. The post-course survey responses showed students increased confidence in their ability to interpret and use data, suggesting that a data literacy course linked to the professional experience task improves teachers’ sense of preparedness to use data in the classroom. Keywords: Data literacy; professional learning.     

The development of data use,data skills,and positive attitude towards data use in a data team intervention for teacher educators

This study focuses on understanding how a participation in a data team develops data skills and data use in individual teacher educators. Five teacher educators collaborated in a data team that used data to solve the problem of student teachers dropping out during their course of study. This study aimed at understanding how teacher educators learn from their participation in the data team. We collected data through interviews, surveys, and a knowledge test, and gained insight into the development of data skills, attitude towards data use, and the teacher educators' data use in daily practice. The results show that the data team members’ data skills and attitudes towards data use changed in different ways during the data team intervention depending on their initial situation, and that overall, their data use for school development increased.     

The effects of professional development on the attitudes,knowledge and skills for data-driven decision making

The Dutch government and School Inspectorate encourage schools to use the student performance data they can obtain from their student monitoring systems to maximize student performance in a systematic and goal-oriented way. Research by the same Inspectorate (Inspectie van het Onderwijs, 2010) shows that students in schools which do so outperform students in schools where data-driven decision making (DDDM) is as yet less developed. The University of Twente developed a training course in which school teams learn to utilize data from computerized student monitoring systems in order to improve instructional quality and student performance. Parallel to the training activities, training effects are studied. The research findings show that the training activities had a positive effect on school staff's DDDM knowledge and DDDM skills. Staff attitudes towards DDDM were already high on the pre-tests and remained high on the post-tests.     

Teachers learning how to use data: A synthesis of the issues and what is known

This article provides a synthesis of the articles found in the special issue on data use. The synthetic piece contextualizes how the articles contribute to the knowledge base of how teachers use data. It synthesizes the findings by identifying key common themes. It then describes gaps in the current knowledge base and identifies the requisite steps needed to address those gaps.     

The complexity of data-based decision making: An introduction to the special issue

This special issue explores the complexity and interconnectedness of the many components of data-based decision making. The selection of papers represents many countries (i.e., Belgium, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States), theories, methods, and foci. All the papers seek to explicate how data are used at the different level of the system, ranging from students, teachers, schools, and districts. Together these papers offer a view of the current data-based decision making landscape, including in- and pre-service professional development, district and school organizational capacity, the data use process (from goal setting to collaborative instructional decision making), and effects on student achievement. The intent of the special issue is to stimulate future work in terms of impact on research, theory, policy, and practice.     

Misconceptions about data-based decision making in education: An exploration of the literature

Research on data-based decision making has proliferated around the world, fueled by policy recommendations and the diverse data that are now available to educators to inform their practice. Yet, many misconceptions and concerns have been raised by researchers and practitioners. To better understand the issues, a session was convened at AERA’s annual convention in 2018, followed by an analysis of the literature based on misconceptions that emerged. This commentary is an outgrowth of that exploration by providing research, theoretical, and practical evidence to dispel some of the misconceptions. Our objective is to survey and synthesize the landscape of the data-based decision making literature to address the identified misconceptions and then to serve as a stimulus to changes in policy and practice as well as a roadmap for a research agenda.     

Preparing preservice teachers to make instructional decisions: An examination of data from the teacher work sample

The purpose of this American study was to examine student teachers’ ability to make instructional decisions as they engaged in teaching. We examined the narrative accounts provided by 150 student teachers within their teacher work samples (TWSs). Results indicated that most student teachers were able to implement some aspects of instructional decision making, such as noting a specific difficulty with student learning and making an on-the-spot adjustment in their instruction. However, other elements of instructional decision making were less likely to be implemented. For example, student teachers relied on a limited range of formative assessment strategies and instructional modifications, and very few provided a sound rationale for their choice of modification. These results suggest that novice teachers may benefit from more opportunities to reflect and critique upon authentic learning experiences as they complete their teacher preparation programs. Finally, the TWS appears to represent a viable method for examining the instructional decisions of student teachers.     

Probing the amalgam: the relationship between science teachers’ content,pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge

ABSTRACT

This Special Issue aims to present evidence about the relationships between content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); the development of these types of knowledge in novice and experienced secondary science teachers; and how CK, PK and/or PCK impact students’ learning. Since Shulman’s introduction of PCK as the feature that distinguishes the teacher from the content expert, researchers have attempted to understand, delineate, assess and/or develop the construct in pre- and in-service teachers. Accordingly, empirical findings are presented that permit further discussion. Outcomes permit post-hoc examination of a recent, collectively described, ‘consensus’ model of PCK, identifying strengths and potential issues. As we will illustrate, the relationship between CK, PK and PCK is central to this; that is, probing the hypothesis of pedagogical content knowledge as an ‘amalgam’ of content and pedagogical knowledge.     

Foundational skills and dispositions for learning: an experience with Information Problem Solving on the Web

Active participation in the information society requires the ability to find some order in the chaotic nature of the Web and not to get lost within the endemic presence of inaccurate, misleading, biased and false information. This article presents an approach to Information Problem Solving (IPS) – that is, finding, understanding and assessing information on the Web – and discusses a study carried out in an Italian secondary school, using an experimental and a control group. The study aimed at exploring how to best foster IPS skills, and observing whether and how IPS activities could promote the development of more general learning dispositions and competences. After a period of training with IPS activities, the experimental group showed different dispositions towards learning from a text and engaging with open-ended questions. Despite serious limitations in the depth of analysis, most students were able to reach acceptable solutions; at the same time, they felt empowered and developed an embryonic critical attitude on which it might be possible to build further.     

Data use by teachers: the impact of motivation,decision-making style,supportive relationships and reflective capacity

There is a growing expectation that schools should systematically collect and analyse data as a point of departure for decisions. However, research shows that teachers themselves are less convinced that they need to base their decisions on data, as they mainly rely on their intuition and experience. This article examines the extent to which teachers use data as a source of information for decisions at classroom level and what motivates them to use these data. We will also look at what impact the teacher’s decision-making style, supportive relationships and the reflective capacity of the school team have on teachers’ motivation for using data. Our research data was collected by means of an online survey of 408 teachers in 52 primary schools in Flanders. The results demonstrate that the quality of teachers’ motivation for using data is a key element in promoting data use in schools. Teachers who feel autonomously motivated will make greater use of data than teachers with a controlled motivation. We found that the use of a rational decision-making style by teachers, supportive relationships within the school and the reflective capacity of the school team all lead to an increase in teachers’ autonomous motivation for using data.     

Examining the aesthetic dimensions of teaching: Relationships between teacher knowledge,identity and passion

Having an appreciation for the subject, their students and what the subject can offer their students has both cognitive and emotional dimensions for teachers. This paper uses empirical data to explore the efficacy of a Deweyan inspired framework called “Aesthetic Understanding” to scrutinise relationships between teacher knowledge, identity and passion. The paper uses case study data of three teachers of maths and/or science generated from a video study to illustrate the relationships between the three elements of Aesthetic Understanding. The need to value the aesthetic dimensions of teaching when examining the subject-specific nature of secondary teaching is discussed.     

What teachers think about what they can do with data: Development and validation of the data driven decision-making efficacy and anxiety inventory

Classroom level data driven decision-making (DDDM) involves the use of data to identify patterns of performance that reveal students’ academic strengths and weaknesses relative to established learning goals, and the planning of instructional practices to support academic success for all students. Although DDDM is not a new paradigm in education, little is known about what variables facilitate teacher adoption of DDDM practices. The aim of this work was to introduce two such variables, DDDM efficacy and DDDM anxiety, and a measure of these constructs, the DDDM efficacy and anxiety (3D-MEA) inventory. The 1728 participants in this study were K-12 teachers who had experienced varying levels of DDDM professional development in a Pacific Northwestern state. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 864) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 864) were utilized to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 3D-MEA Inventory. Results supported a five-factor model. A discussion of the results and their implications ensue.     

Understanding and describing mathematical knowledge for teaching: knowledge about proof for engaging students in the activity of proving

This article is situated in the research domain that investigates what mathematical knowledge is useful for, and usable in, mathematics teaching. Specifically, the article contributes to the issue of understanding and describing what knowledge about proof is likely to be important for teachers to have as they engage students in the activity of proving. We explain that existing research informs the knowledge about the logico-linguistic aspects of proof that teachers might need, and we argue that this knowledge should be complemented by what we call knowledge of situations for proving. This form of knowledge is essential as teachers mobilize proving opportunities for their students in mathematics classrooms. We identify two sub-components of the knowledge of situations for proving: knowledge of different kinds of proving tasks and knowledge of the relationship between proving tasks and proving activity. In order to promote understanding of the former type of knowledge, we develop and illustrate a classification of proving tasks based on two mathematical criteria: (1) the number of cases involved in a task (a single case, multiple but finitely many cases, or infinitely many cases), and (2) the purpose of the task (to verify or to refute statements). In order to promote understanding of the latter type of knowledge, we develop a framework for the relationship between different proving tasks and anticipated proving activity when these tasks are implemented in classrooms, and we exemplify the components of the framework using data from third grade. We also discuss possible directions for future research into teachers’ knowledge about proof.

网络课堂环境对教师的要求及实现

本文详细介绍了传统上对教师在思想道德、言行、学识上的要求,并进一步阐述了在网络课堂环境下对教师在道德、教育技术以及学科知识方面新的要求,同时还介绍了常熟理工学院的一些经验。     

The Bologna process and the search for excellence: between rhetoric and reality,the emotional reactions of teachers

ABSTRACT

There has been an overall change in higher education towards the achievement of outstanding patterns of quality and excellence that assure competitiveness at a global scale. Teachers feel the pressure of official regulations for achieving quality and excellence, based on questionable concepts of quality that do not take into account the experience and beliefs of teachers and lead to emotional states that may promote or hinder adjustment to changes.

The present study used a categorical content analysis to capture the emotions that twelve university teachers associate with the changes experienced and with the pursuit of quality emphasized in Portugal by the Bologna Process. The results show that participants revealed mixed emotions regarding change. Students elicit mostly positive emotions, whereas bureaucracy, marketization and career changes generate negative emotions that impede the quest for quality, although in a minority of participants they prompt resilience that stimulates engagement in quality.     

Assessment for learning: using programmatic assessment requirements as an opportunity to develop information literacy and data skills in undergraduate students

Departments and programmes in higher education are required to participate in an increasing number of programme, course and student assessments. These assessment requirements are also opportunities to develop student skills related to scientific literacy and research, if students are included in the process of developing, administering and interpreting these assessments. This paper describes a course designed to build student research skills through incorporating undergraduate students into the process of programme review for a psychology department, a comprehensive assessment required of this department every five years. This course proved to be an effective way to engage students, as students developed and administered assessment surveys, analysed and interpreted results, and prepared both a professional report for the department as well as a research presentation. The paper discusses recommended course activities, and shows how this opportunity can benefit students and faculty in a myriad of ways.     

Developing pre-service teachers’ technological,pedagogical and content knowledge through the creation of digital storybooks for use in early years classrooms

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an investigation of pre-service teachers’ views on creating digital storybooks for use in early childhood classrooms, and how this activity helped them develop technological, pedagogical and content knowledge for teaching literacy. Cohorts of Master of Teaching PSTs (n = 67) participated in the study over five years. This article also presents a rationale for the creation of digital storybooks as a resource for teaching early literacy. Data for this mixed-methods study came from an online survey, focus group discussions, and PSTs’ reflective comments and analysis of their digital storybooks and rationales. This article focuses primarily on the survey data. The majority of PSTs reported that the process of creating digital storybooks and using them during professional practice was useful in helping them develop their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge for teaching literacy in the early years, as well as their knowledge about students.     

“It looked like one thing but when we went in more depth,it turned out to be completely different”: Reflections on the Discourse of Guided Reading and its role in fostering critical response to magazines

This article explores the discourses of power prevalent in classrooms through considering the nature of critical response and the role of reflective group talk in negotiating meaning in children's magazines. It shares the findings from a small‐scale research project, which explored the potential of guided reading to develop critically literate response to text and reports on a case study involving two groups of pupils from broadly similar primary schools. A critique of guided teaching is offered and it is argued that while on some levels the model seems an effective vehicle for fostering critical response, its inherent power structures bring into question the validity of its role in facilitating independent critical thought.     

Teaching efficacy: exploring relationships between mathematics and science self-efficacy beliefs,PCK and domain knowledge among preservice teachers from the United States

This mixed-methods study investigated the relationships among preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and their domain knowledge (DK) as related to mathematics and science teaching. Quantitative results revealed that participants’ PCK was significantly correlated with their mathematics and science efficacy beliefs. Additionally, participants’ mathematics and science DK did not predict their mathematics and science personal efficacy beliefs, however, their PCK score predicted participants’ outcome expectancies. Interview analysis revealed five inter-related key themes, labeled as: Previous academic experiences, Mathematics and science PCK beliefs, Personal efficacy, Outcome expectancies and Emotions. These common themes describe participants’ views of their quality teacher training and thinking about planned instruction. Educational implications are discussed in relationship with study findings.