Using insights from teachers' metaphors

This paper builds on previous work on metaphor analysis from the perspective of a teacher educator working with practising teachers. The benefits for teachers and teacher educators of surfacing teachers' beliefs, as reflected in their use of metaphoric language, are outlined, and a collection of some 200 images (metaphors and similes) elicited from Brazilian teachers of English is presented and discussed. These images, representing teachers' views of their English‐language teaching textbooks, suggest varying degrees of textbook dependence. The implications of this finding for in‐service teacher education are explored and possible directions suggested for related research.     

Facilitating Professional Development during International Practicum: Understanding our Work as Teacher Educators through Critical Incidents

This collaborative self-study details the experiences of an Australian teacher educator and a Canadian teacher educator, who led teacher candidates on international practicum placements to the Cook Islands and Kenya respectively. Focusing on critical incidents, they collaboratively analyzed dilemmas that occurred when providing professional development sessions for local teachers during these placements. These dilemmas required the teacher educators to think deeply about their beliefs and practices in these contexts. Findings from the study included the teacher educator’s tendency to make assumptions about good teaching and learning practices that were reflective of their personal pedagogical values and beliefs; their discomfort with their perceptions of some neo‐colonial practices within these international practicum sites and uncertainty about how to navigate the resultant tensions; and, the need to view the work of teacher educators though a new cultural lens when working in transnational contexts. Implications for teacher educators working with local hosting teachers during international placements include the need to understand and acknowledge the complexity of this dimension of teacher educators’ work, and for teacher educators to engage in parallel learning journeys with the teacher candidates they accompany. This involves critically reflecting on the experiences, assumptions, and beliefs that they bring to their new contexts, as well as adopting a global perspective and a deep consciousness of how one is perceived by others who are culturally, racially, or linguistically different.     

Understanding the Complexity of Becoming a Teacher Educator: Experience,belonging, and practice within a professional learning community

This article reports a literature review of self-studies by beginning teacher educators examining their experiences of the transition from classroom teaching to teacher educator. The authors conclude that becoming a teacher educator involves several complex and challenging tasks: examining beliefs and values grounded in personal biography, including those associated with being a former schoolteacher; navigating the complex social and institutional contexts in which they work; and developing a personal pedagogy of teacher education that enables construction of a new professional identity as a teacher educator. This research provides beginning teacher educators with a reference point for understanding their personal and professional transition to university-based teacher education. It also provides teacher education faculty and administrators with key information about how the transition from teacher to teacher educator can be supported and enhanced within professional learning communities.     

论学科教学论教师的专业身份简

学科教学论教师是专业的教师教育者,是生产和传播教师教育知识的学术人.在教师教育大学化过程中,学科教学论教师的专业发展受到普通大学教师学术范式的影响,注重探究理论,轻视教学实践.教师教育的科学发展呼唤学科教学论教师的专业身份回归教师教育者本位.     

Critically Teaching Criticality?: Modeling Social and Pedagogical Inquiry with Literary Texts

Within US teacher preparation programs, critical pedagogy and a desire for social change can lead teacher educators to prioritize transformation of prospective teachers’ beliefs through self-reflection. In pursuit of effective critical pedagogies, teacher educators also need to examine their own practices and beliefs. This self-study, a manifestation of teaching as inquiry, reframes evaluations of teaching away from what students do toward what teachers do. Here I undertake a reflexive examination of my own recursive practice as a teacher educator in children’s literature. Drawing upon a complex notion of teaching and learning, I argue that student learning outcomes are unpredictable, and as a result, successful teacher education should model self-inquiry as a vital part of teaching. Findings show that teaching choices (and omissions) in response to students’ responses led to unintended outcomes that undermined my motivations. I conclude that teacher educators’ self-inquiry and reflection in broader social contexts offers access to critical ways of thinking that underlie their work toward developing similar capacities among their prospective teacher students.     

Failing intercultural education? ‘Thoughtfulness’ in intercultural education for student teachers

This paper proposes a rethinking of intercultural education in teacher education, arguing that discussion of the intercultural education of student teachers tends to have the following two gaps: one, such discussion tends to overlook student teacher education as a context for teaching intercultural education, and two, it tends to ignore the self of the teacher educator. This paper aims to address both gaps. In doing so, the first task of the paper is to analyse student teacher education critically, as a structural, ideological context for intercultural education; the second task of the paper is to rethink the pedagogical relationship between a student teacher and a teacher educator, considering the self of the teacher educator in particular. The paper concludes by suggesting ‘thoughtfulness’ as a fruitful idea for the intercultural education of student teachers.     

The use of protocol materials as an evaluation instrument

In this article a recent development in the field of teacher education in the U.S.A. is discussed and a proposal is made for the development of an evaluation‐instrument which is based on the insights gained from this development. It concerns the “Protocol Materials Program,” a comprehensive project in which materials are developed to facilitate the integration of theory and practice in teacher education. Student teachers are confronted with a series of video‐episodes. These episodes are arranged in such a way as to form an illustration of relevant theoretical concepts the student teacher has mastered. An example of protocol materials is given, the relevance of this project for teacher education is discussed and a review is given of the research on the effects of these materials up to now. The authors make a plea for the development of student evaluation instruments, based on the principles of the protocol movement: if the student teacher, after having studied a piece of educational theory, is confronted with a number of specially arranged classroom situations on video, he can be asked to relate these situations to the theory he has studied. This procedure can also help the teacher educator to diagnose what his theoretical instruction really “means” to the student teachers, i.e. whether their interpretative abilities are really increased by it.     

Teacher beliefs in ‘testing’ times: a lesson from Singapore

International benchmarking and national testing of students at all levels of schooling have provoked teachers to critically reflect on their place in this endeavour. Many of the curriculum and pedagogical approaches associated with this type of assessment and accountability conflict with long-held beliefs about the role of teachers and the work of schooling. Singapore is recognised for significant achievement in the international schooling arena and also has a long history of national testing. This study draws specifically on positioning theory to investigate teacher beliefs and positioning in these times. A large qualitative research project located in Singapore sought the ways experienced teachers positioned themselves and their work as they negotiated multiple and sometimes conflicting discourses of teaching. A rigorous process was used to elicit teacher beliefs and resultant teacher positions.     

‘Trying to decide … what sort of teacher I wanted to be’: mentoring as a dialogic practice

Mentoring of pre-service teachers in school contexts is acknowledged as an important part of initial teacher education. However, finding sufficient school-based professional experience placements for pre-service teachers, ensuring the quality of the learning experiences provided by such placements, and gaining a clear understanding of what teachers actually learn during placements continue to be of concern to all involved in this component of teacher education. In this paper, three interconnected perspectives are provided as a university-based teacher educator, a school-based teacher educator and a pre-service teacher learn together in a dialogic mentoring relationship. The work of Mikhail Bakhtin and Valentin Voloshinov is employed to theorise the nature of dialogic relationships and how such relationships differ from ‘having a conversation’.     

论凯兴斯泰纳的教师观及其现实意义

凯兴斯泰纳是德国著名教育家,公民教育和劳作教育思想是其教育思想的核心,然而其教育思想中的教师观却一直没有引起人们关注.凯兴斯泰纳教师观的主要内容有:知识不能成为评价一个人是否是教师的惟一标准,一个仅仅具有一些理论知识的人不能称之为一个真正的教师,判断一个教师是否合格更应该从实践的角度,教师应该是一个"实践的教育者";教师应具有爱的倾向与热情、教育机智、对个性诊断的能力、人格影响力等素质.凯兴斯泰纳的教育思想具有很强的现实意义.     

Teaching emerging teacher-researchers: examining a district-based professional development course

Using critical constructivism as the theoretical lens, the teacher educator-researcher used practitioner research to systematically examine the experience of PreK-12 teachers in his district-based teacher research professional development course, while also examining his development as a teacher educator. The results of this study showed that, as the teachers made progress toward becoming teacher-researchers, they expressed being empowered by the teacher research process. Moreover, they showed a growing critical awareness in their work, while the teacher educator was challenged to re-examine his conceptions of teacher research. Finally, the teachers faced several important barriers in adopting an inquiry stance in their practice. This research generates both local and global knowledge about teacher research as a form of in-service teacher education.     

Exploring the lives of non‐native speaking English educators in Sri Lanka

This paper uses in‐depth interview data to explore aspects of the lives of non‐native speaking English educators working in the state education system in Sri Lanka. In so doing the research focus is on the educators themselves and the paper will discuss such issues as: careers as English teachers—motives for entering teaching, career progression, becoming a teacher educator; professional self‐development; beliefs about teaching, learning and teacher education; and the wider socio‐educational context of English teaching in Sri Lanka. It is hoped that the paper will offer insights into the development of non‐native speaking TESOL teachers—by making more visible features of practice in particular contexts—as well as providing ‘snapshots’ of teaching and learning in state systems beyond the western world which may inform thinking more broadly about international English language teaching and learning.     

Exploring the theory-practice gap in initial teacher education: moving beyond questions of relevance to issues of power and authority

The ‘theory-practice divide’ in teacher education can be viewed not simply as an acceptance of a body of knowledge but instead an acceptance of the teacher educator’s authority to determine what is relevant educational theory. This research aimed to explore student teachers’ views of ‘educational theory’ and how it was discursively positioned relative to their practice in an attempt to examine whether their acceptance or rejection of it was also related to accepting the authority of the teacher educator. Using one-to-one interviews with 23 student teachers and employing a discourse analysis, four categories of students emerged. The paper describes these four categories and discusses the implications of these findings for initial teacher education and our understanding of the ‘theory-practice’ gap.     

Culture wars in the classroom: Prospective teachers question science

Does studying about the nature(s) of science contribute to a prospective teachers' effectiveness as a science teacher? This research grew out of a course created by a science educator and historian of science who believed prospective teachers needed more complex understandings of the cultural wars surrounding science. The research team consisted of five prospective teachers who participated in the course as well as the two instructors. This paper describes the experience of participating in the course from both perspectives. We argue that studying the cultural wars over science contributes to prospective teachers' professional growth as much because the course elicits tacit beliefs about school science as it introduces more complex understandings of science. We found that prospective teachers' tacit beliefs about school science were their greatest barrier to developing more complex understandings about the nature(s) of science. We contend that willingness to grapple with complexity and developing a professional identity by locating oneself in the conversations about the nature(s) of science are better criteria for determining the professional growth of prospective teachers than knowledge measures. Finally, we argue that prospective teachers should be viewed as professionals who are responsible for finding their own voice, making their own decisions, and considering the consequences of their beliefs on their practice. This study raises questions critical to teacher education programs for prospective teachers and teacher‐educators alike. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 895–915, 2000     

Special education and subject teachers’ self‐perceived readiness to teach mathematics to low‐performing middle school students

Educational reforms during the last decade have led to a more inclusive environment for students with different needs and have placed demands on teachers’ readiness to instruct diverse students in the general classroom. Previous research has ascertained that student achievement is correlated with teacher quality and teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Today, basic competence in mathematics is more important than ever for managing routine day‐to‐day activities and therefore, identifying and educationally supporting students with low performance in mathematics is necessary. The aim of the study was to investigate the perceived teacher efficacy beliefs of special education and mathematics teachers when teaching mathematics to low‐performing middle school students. Results indicated that special education teachers had higher teacher efficacy beliefs than mathematics teachers. Teacher experience, certification or gender had no effect on teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, subject teachers reported high pedagogical knowledge for teaching low‐performing students, and special education teachers reported having moderate mathematical subject knowledge.     

Understanding higher education-based teacher educators’ identities in Hong Kong: a sociocultural linguistic perspective

While teacher educator identities have received increasing attention over the past decade, there is a lack of research on teacher educators’ professional identities in the complex and shifting higher education contexts. Informed by the sociocultural linguistic perspective, this study investigates two language teacher educators’ professional identities in Hong Kong universities. The findings show that the participants discursively constructed their identities, such as “accidental teacher educator,” “teacher educator-researcher,” “struggling researcher,” “teacher of teachers,” and “inactive researcher” in their professional work. By drawing on the three interrelated processes of identity formation (i.e. adequation/distinction, authentication/denaturalisation, and authorisation/illegitimation), the study adds to our knowledge of the complex and contested nature of teacher educator identity in relation to the ongoing restructuring and reform in higher education. The study concludes with some implications for teacher education and higher education.     

“But I Don't Want to Tell Them the Answer”: Preservice Teachers' (mis)understandings about literacy instruction

The purpose of this study was to notice and name the beliefs 33 preservice teachers had about literacy teaching/learning. The beliefs were noted by using evidence from their ‘language-in-use’ during supported, literacy planning sessions with a teacher educator. Critical discourse analysis revealed that the preservice teachers believed (1) assessment is instruction, (2) literacy teaching/learning is inauthentic, and (3) children are not intellectually motivated. The findings are discussed through the lenses of figured worlds and the apprenticeship of observation. Implications for teacher educators are offered.     

职前英语教师专业成长的另类途径——一项基于重构职前英语教师信念的行动研究

信念的研究是判断教师教育成效的一项重要指标,是当前教师教育中最有价值的一部分。职前教师信念由于受到先前经验和信念本身特质等因素的影响,不易改变,教师教育应该对职前英语教师的信念进行检视与再建构。在自我反思教学模式下发展起来的教育行动研究是近年来国外教育界探究和实践的一种教学理论,是一种非常适合没有接受过教育研究训练的职前教师的研究方法。开展行动研究有助于职前教师将理论学习与教学实践相结合,在教学实践过程中,充分利用有限的直接经验进行教学反思,不断检视、并重构教师信念,提升教学行为。     

论教师教育者的专业发展

教师的成长是一种特殊的专业发展过程。对此人们也已形成共识。由此看来作为教师的教师——教师教育者,在逻辑上分析,应当接受过与教师职业相关而特殊的专业教育,并经历特殊的专业发展过程。教师教育者要能够帮助和促进教师的专业发展,教师教育者自身的专业发展是不可或缺的。     

Student teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching and their participation in career-long learning activities

Career-long teacher learning is essential to the teaching profession because it is strongly connected with teacher quality and practices. Student teachers in the first stage of their career-long learning continuum, however, vary in the extent to which they participate in learning activities. This study explores the relationship between beliefs about learning and teaching and participation in learning activities among student teachers, in a school-based teacher education setting for secondary education in the Netherlands. The results indicate that student teachers vary in their beliefs. Structural equation modelling analysis shows that pupil-oriented beliefs are positively related to self-reported participation in learning activities; no relationship emerges between subject matter-oriented beliefs and learning. A cluster analysis reveals two distinct belief profiles, and the findings confirm the relationship to participation in learning activities. Implications for teacher education programmes intended to enhance the chances that their student teachers will become pupil-oriented, career-long learning professionals are discussed.