Protocol Analysis as a Fruitful Tool for a Problem Posing Teacher Education

With respect to European science teacher education, a growing interest can be noticed in the idea that teachers should not be confronted with solutions to teaching problems but be given real teaching problems which are open to different interpretations. This ‘problem posing’ course strategy should pay attention to school students’ conceptions as well as existing and new (student) teachers’ conceptions. The present article deals with classroom protocol analysis as a tool for a problem posing teacher education. Some methodological aspects of the production and interpretation of this type of protocol are described. Experiences with classroom protocol analysis in the context of inservice courses in teaching and learning electrochemistry and in problem solving in chemistry are reported. The impact of the analysis method on chemistry teachers’ thinking is investigated by analysing protocols of teacher meetings. Implications for innovating science teacher education are discussed.     

Learning by Exploration in Mathematics Courses: a programme for student teachers

In order to adapt teacher education to new demands in mathematics classrooms, it is necessary to change the courses in mathematics at the university. Teachers’ beliefs about mathematics, learning and teaching has great impact on their teaching. At the University of Göteborg, a co‐operative project has been conducted in order to design a programme based on problem solving in courses taken by prospective Comprehensive School teachers (grade 4‐‐9). The main purpose of the project has been to make student teachers more reflective about mathematics as such, about learning and teaching. Another purpose of the project has been to use a teaching method in a university course‐‐a method which could be applied in a school classroom. The student teachers have worked co‐operatively in small groups of 3‐4 students and the educators role has been that of a facilitator. A preliminary evaluation indicates that student teachers have developed an insight into the complexity of learning and teaching, even though there are variations in this respect. However they still have difficulties in applying the method to teaching mathematics at school.     

Teacher Educators: hidden professionals?

The pace of change in today's society means that there is an ongoing need for teachers to learn, have new knowledge and use new pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of their pupils. For many teachers, this requires redefining their identity as teachers and what ‘teaching’ means in 21st century learning environments. These changes also require teachers to be supported in learning to ‘teach’ in different ways that are relevant to their own individual needs and to the contexts in which they work throughout their career. In this article, it is argued that a more integrated and collaborative approach to teacher education is needed with better understanding of those who take up the roles of teacher educator across a teacher's career. With a particular emphasis on ‘teacher educators’ working in school to support teachers' career-long professional learning it is argued that currently many do not recognise themselves as teacher educators nor are they recognised by those they work with as teacher educators. Drawing on an empirical study carried out with mentors in schools in Scotland, it is suggested that these teacher educators may be ‘unrecognised’ and remain ‘hidden professionals’ because of the identities they construct for themselves, the values and priorities that they or others attach to their roles or because of the institutional structures and cultures in which they work. It is concluded that it will be difficult to recognise and value these ‘hidden teacher educators’ and the distinctive contribution they can make to teachers' career-long professional learning without further clarification by them and others of the roles and responsibilities they hold.     

The impact of a National Curriculum development on teaching and learning behaviours

A study of science classroom behaviours reported by Eggleston et al. (1976) was replicated in 60 secondary school classrooms where the National Curriculum was being followed. Key teacher and pupil characteristics were matched across the two samples, and it was suggested that curriculum change was the most likely factor influencing changes in the teaching and learning processes which were observed. It was found that there was more emphasis upon lower‐order intellectual skills in classrooms where the National Curriculum was being studied. There were also fewer speculative behaviours and fewer behaviours concerned with experimentation. It was shown that a less effective informational instructional strategy was more popular with teachers implementing the National Curriculum, and that instructional strategies which involved practical work were less frequently employed. Participating teachers were asked to give possible reasons for these changes, and it was suggested by many of them that an overburdened curriculum may be a significant factor influencing their choice of teaching and learning strategies. It was suggested that this problem would only be resolved if the informational content of the National Curriculum was reduced, perhaps by focusing upon those key concepts which Bruner (1961) has described as constituting the structureof the discipline.     

Learning from Rookie Mistakes: Critical Incidents in Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Science to Teachers

While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science teaching, rarely have recommendations extended to preparation for teaching science content to teachers. We three doctoral students employ self-study as a research methodology to investigate our developing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to teachers during a mentored internship in an elementary teacher professional development program. With our mentor, we examine critical incidents in the experience that supported new insights about teaching teachers and about ways in which beginning teacher educators need to develop their existing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to students in order to teach science effectively to teachers. We emphasize ways in which doctoral internships can support this learning and how our respective cultures shaped our interactions with and perceptions of teachers as learners.     

What do we know and where do we go? Formative assessment in developing student teachers’ professional learning of teaching science

In the context of teacher education, it could well be suggested that assessment activities that build on formative interactions between student teachers and teacher educators might offer new windows into better understanding teaching and learning. This paper presents findings from a study into a primary science teacher education initiative that seeks to build the foundations on which 24 primary science student teachers, through the use of formative assessment of their science teaching and learning, can begin developing their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In the project, formative assessment consists of activities used by teacher educators to stimulate interactions, self- and peer-assessment in order to provide insights into how student teachers develop their PCK during a semester. Content Representations (CoRes), were used as a tool to unpack the student teachers’ approach to teaching a science topic and the reasons for that approach. The results indicate that the use of CoRes, together with subsequent self-assessment and formative interactions with teacher educators and peers, do have the potential for PCK development for student teachers. The results further highlight the need for developing reliable and valid tools for capturing and assessing student teachers’ PCK in pre-service teacher education.     

Inquiring About Practice: Using web‐based materials to develop teacher inquiry

This paper explores a new pedagogical approach to teaching teachers to assume a learning or inquiry stance in their practice. It is based on an assumption that professional learning is a core capability of good teaching that is responsive to the changing needs of children, schools, and communities. One source of teacher learning is practice—one's own practice and the practice of others. Whereas there is much written about teachers learning from their own practice, there is scant attention in the field currently about learning from the practice of others. What do we mean by learning from the practice of others? Beyond visiting their classrooms, how might teachers access the practice of others so that they can learn from it? How does learning work proceed? This paper grapples with these questions as a frame for discussing one teacher education attempt at preparing teachers to learn from the practice of others. It begins by making a case for learning as a centerpiece of good teaching, and then proceeds to describe one example of how the inquiry practice of experienced teachers was used to teach teacher inquiry to a group of novice teachers in California.     

Promoting self-sustained learning in higher education: the ISEE framework

To equip graduates with the capability to meet complex demands of work and life, it is important that higher education teachers engage students in self-sustained learning – the persistent, self-initiated pursuit of expertise development in one's subject area. This requires building a positive synergy between learning and teaching, which implies various potential difficulties for teachers. Based on a critical analysis of these difficulties, it is proposed that self-sustained learning can be nurtured when teachers activate a form of dialogic reflective practice that prioritizes students’ subject expertise development. Relevant strategies are suggested and potential difficulties in implementing them are examined. These strategies are synthesized as the ISEE framework: (1) employing Inquiry-based Scaffolding Tasks to motivate students’ learning interests and scaffold their progress; (2) encouraging Engaging Classroom Dialogs to help students’ development of subject expertise and an active learner identity; and (3) using Engaged Critical Reflections to build close and trusting teacher–student relationships.     

Research on Teacher Thinking and Implications for Teacher Training

In teacher training it is necessary to take into account the practical knowledge student teachers have about teaching. Student teachers should have the opportunity of integrating theories that are being taught with their own practical knowledge. This can only happen if the student teacher recognises the theories as being relevant to their teaching practice. To facilitate and stimulate such an integration process, teacher trainers need to have insight in the content and the development of the practical knowledge of teaching. This content and development will be described and there will be given some implications for teacher training.     

Facilitating social learning in teacher education: a case study

It is increasingly recognised that social learning by teachers can stimulate professional development. In this study, we search for the social behaviour patterns which can act as a catalyst for professional development, with an explicit focus on student teachers’ learning. Based on the ‘Dimensions of Social Learning (DSL) Framework’, including 4 dimensions and 11 indicators of social learning, the present study explores the social configuration of one network of primary teachers (n?=?12), student teachers (n?=?12) and teacher educators (n?=?2). Two research questions guide this exploration: (1) What patterns of social behaviour in teacher networks are likely to lead to professional learning? (2) What network facilitation guidelines can be discerned to assist teachers and teacher educators wishing to optimise student teachers’ professional development? Data collection consisted of video recordings, reflective notes and semi-structured interviews with network members. The findings paint a picture of how social learning in teacher networks is related to the group’s social configuration. Observation criteria and student facilitation guidelines are suggested to support professional development within teacher networks. For each dimension in the DSL Framework, one point of attention is discerned to optimise students’ learning in teacher networks.     

An assessment innovation as flywheel for changing teaching and learning

This contribution shows an example of how an assessment innovation can serve as a flywheel for changing teaching and learning. This article first explains the development of an authentic, competence-based performance assessment in pre-vocational secondary education (pre-VET). Using these assessments in pre-VET, that is preparatory to VET, is important for motivating students for a future in VET. Second, in an action research 34 teacher teams of 11 pre-VET institutions implement the new assessment, supported by researchers and teacher coaches, to illuminate how it motivates students, prepares them for VET, and influences teaching and learning. Data from 76 teachers, 68 students, 24 teacher coaches and 3 researchers showed how implementing these assessments raised questions about changing educational content and pedagogy to fit a competence-based approach. Increasing teachers’ expectations of students, changing student-teacher interaction patterns, and developing teachers’ practical understanding of competencies and how they can be observed and discussed in assessments are some of the intriguing challenges that require further support for proper implementation of competence-based assessments and developing an aligned competence-based teaching and learning process.     

What teachers don't know and why they aren't learning it: addressing the need for content and pedagogy in teacher education

This article discusses the lingering problem of poor and inappropriate preparation of professional teachers of reading and learning disabilities – why it exists and what we can do about it. Because most students classified as having learning disabilities experience primary difficulties with language-based learning, teachers must know how to teach the forms and processes of language on which literacy depends, but most teacher preparation programs fail to teach this content at a level that supports teachers' implementation of effective instruction. The evidence suggests that teachers may cling to unproductive philosophies of teaching not only because science-based instruction is neglected in many teacher training programs, but also because the requisite insights are elusive and the content is difficult for many to grasp, even with some exposure. While ideologies can be blamed for much resistance to explicit, systematic methodologies, we must ask why they develop in the first place. Although there is a substantial body of research on the relationship between teacher knowledge, practice, and student outcomes in reading on which to build reform in teacher training and mentoring, more thought should be given to how prospective teachers are taught. First, the disciplinary knowledge base required to teach students with reading and related difficulties must be unambiguously explained in the standards by which teachers are educated and evaluated, and then programs must be set up to build teachers' insight as well as their knowledge of basic reading psychology, language structure, and pedagogy. Those who teach teachers in university settings or who provide professional development must be included in a supportive educational process, as wars of ideology are having only limited positive effects.     

Developing Understanding: the use of teaching portfolios in preservice education

The premise that underlies the preservice‐teacher‐education programme at Monash University is the need to focus on the nature of learning (for example, Gunstone et al., 1993). One approach currently being used to enhance this process is the use of portfolios. The portfolio is an open‐ended task designed to explore teaching from many different vantage points. It is organised as a dynamic assessment task through which the student teachers work on developing their understanding of what it means to be a science teacher, and the teaching portfolio itself is a mixture of artefacts designed to help student teachers demonstrate this to others. This paper reports on the effectiveness and value of portfolios in helping preservice teachers learn about learning and teaching.     

试论教与学关系问题研究的三种范式及其走向

教与学的关系问题，主要有三种研究范式，即“教”或“学”的研究范式、“教与学”的研究范式以及“教学”研究范式。现代教学作为一种以增强学生的主体意识、发展学生的主体能力和培养学生的主体人格为目标的社会实践活动，在本质上是教师价值引导和学生自主建构的有机结合，是教师对学生学习活动的正确引导、科学组织和有效规范。     

高校教师教学评价的问题与改进

教学评价是教师评价的核心,在教师评价中的重要性显然是不言而喻的。但在实际操作过程中,却存在不少问题。因此,有必要对教师的教学评价问题进行系统思考。突出教师在教学评价中的主体地位,从学、评、教三个方面进行改进,较好地解决存在的问题。     

The role of pupil voice as a trigger for teacher learning in Lesson Study professional groups

This paper focuses on the role of pupil voice as a trigger for teacher learning and for improving teaching quality. This is investigated in the context of Lesson Study (LS), a professional development model that can incorporate pupil voice into teachers’ collaborative reflections on lessons. Data are from two LS groups of mathematics teachers in London (one primary and one secondary school). Video-recorded pupil interviews and teacher discussions were transcribed. Episodes of teacher discussions were coded for reference to pupil input and subsequent impact on future plans. Qualitative analysis of discussions examined whether some pupils’ input was favoured over others’. Results are significant in pointing to LS as a mechanism for attending to pupil voice. In so doing, it is suggested that pupil input provided a challenge for teachers in their interpretations of pupil learning, evaluating lessons and planning, and in contributing to teacher learning from LS.     

Enhancing the facilitation of online groups in higher education: a review of the literature on face-to-face and online group-facilitation

There still appears to be a gap between what online learning promises and what it can deliver in terms of student learning. Developments in online pedagogies and professional learning appear to lag behind the developments in technology and the promised benefits of technological transformation may not be realised. In this paper, we bring together perspectives that highlight vital aspects of online group-learning by reviewing the group-facilitation literature and the latest online learning literature to interrogate the pedagogical theories and practices currently used in online group-learning in higher education. We specifically focus on the interpersonal interactions between teachers and students, which are described in the online learning literature using the terms instructor immediacy, teaching presence, and social presence. We note differences in the literature regarding how teacher presence is interpreted and enacted and we expound the importance of the personal characteristics of the online teacher. Finally, we provide some signposts that might help course designers and teachers to improve online group learning: the intentional use of effective online learning pedagogies; a deeper understanding of what constitutes teacher presence; and strategies to enact that teacher presence with online groups. Recommendations for further research in online group facilitation are provided.     

The dilemma of dealing with persistent teaching traditions: findings of a video study

Nowadays, there is a consensus that good teaching and learning needs instructional variation and personalised forms of learning. In teacher education, these concepts have been implemented for years, and prospective teachers are taught accordingly; it is thus assumed that the teaching of novice teachers is in accordance with these new teaching concepts. In the research project ‘ALPHA’, the teaching of novice teachers at the beginning and at the end of their first year in the profession and the teaching of experienced teachers with five or more years of teaching experience was videotaped, so that longitudinal and cross-sectional comparisons were possible. The lessons were analysed by applying a coding system on the instruction and by employing a rater inventory in order to understand the structure and quality of the lessons. Overall, the results indicate high levels of whole class teaching with a rather high level of traditional classroom instruction both for the novice and the experienced teachers. However, the proportions vary depending on the location of teacher education. The results provide evidence that the new teaching concepts learned on the teacher education programme are not necessarily implemented in the classroom and provide possible reasons why this might be the case.     

Inquiry-Based Whole-Class Teaching with Computer Simulations in Physics

In this study we investigated the pedagogical context of whole-class teaching with computer simulations. We examined relations between the attitudes and learning goals of teachers and their students regarding the use of simulations in whole-class teaching, and how teachers implement these simulations in their teaching practices. We observed lessons presented by 24 physics teachers in which they used computer simulations. Students completed questionnaires about the lesson, and each teacher was interviewed afterwards. These three data sources captured implementation by the teacher, and the learning goals and attitudes of students and their teachers regarding teaching with computer simulations. For each teacher, we calculated an Inquiry-Cycle-Score (ICS) based on the occurrence and order of the inquiry activities of predicting, observing and explaining during teaching, and a Student-Response-Rate (SRR) reflecting the level of active student participation. Statistical analyses revealed positive correlations between the inquiry-based character of the teaching approach and students’ attitudes regarding its contribution to their motivation and insight, a negative correlation between the SRR and the ICS, and a positive correlation between teachers’ attitudes about inquiry-based teaching with computer simulations and learning goal congruence between the teacher and his/her students. This means that active student participation is likely to be lower when the instruction more closely resembles the inquiry cycle, and that teachers with a positive attitude about inquiry-based teaching with computer simulations realize the importance of learning goal congruence.