‘But how do I teach them?’: Autism & Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

Many teachers are prepared for professional practice by attending Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses in universities across the world. Under UK legislation, this preparation must equip teachers to address the needs of all children in mainstream classrooms, including learners on the autism spectrum – but does it? In this paper, I will critically explore this question by examining the findings of a research study focusing on a four-year ITE programme in a UK university. The research was designed using qualitative methods (online open-ended questionnaires and focus groups). The key findings were that the majority of students and tutors had some basic autism awareness, but little or no knowledge and understanding of autism teaching strategies. There was a consensus that teachers require both of these to ensure the inclusion of learners with autism in mainstream classrooms. Participants agreed there were currently insufficient inputs on autism on the ITE programme. This was related to a lack of tutor expertise, concerns about medical labelling and questions about ITE curriculum overload and priorities. Participants identified a range of ideas for improving autism education across the ITE programme which will be explored in the second phase of the study.     

More than Just Worksheets?: A Study of the Confidence of Newly Qualified Teachers of English in Teaching Personal, Social and Health Education in Secondary Schools

This paper addresses concerns regarding the preparedness of newly qualified teachers to deliver Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the United Kingdom in relation to the training received during Initial Teacher Education and through early Continuing Professional Development. The paper is situated not only within a context where OfSTED has questioned the adequacy of some non-specialist PSHE teachers but also one where, due to a range of social and health concerns centred on young people, schools and teachers are being expected to play an increasingly important role in the social and health education of their pupils. As such, PSHE is increasingly seen as important across all curriculum areas. This paper relates specifically to the confidence of trainee and newly qualified teachers of English in teaching PSHE in secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Drawing on questionnaire data collected from recent Professional Graduate Certificate in Education graduates, the paper suggests that trainee and newly qualified teachers have the skills and knowledge drawn from their main subject (English) to deliver PSHE; however, many lack confidence and awareness to acknowledge these skills. The paper suggests that this situation may be addressed through increased opportunity to deliver and receive feedback on PSHE teaching during initial teacher training.     

澳大利亚职前教师教育伙伴合作模式述评

近年来,澳大利亚的职前教师教育经历了由传统的以大学为基地的培养模式向伙伴合作模式的转型.伙伴合作教师教育模式建立的背景,伙伴合作教师教育的主要模式和特点、以及成效和问题是了解澳大利亚职前教师教育改革的有效途径.     

What's so inclusive about an inclusion room? Staff perspectives on student participation,diversity and equality in an English secondary school

This article by Gwen Gilmore, a lecturer in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Massey University, draws on a research project which explored the nature, extent and characteristics of a disciplinary inclusion room (IR) in a secondary school in the south‐west of England using a Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework. In five years to 2010 this school reduced fixed‐term exclusion from a 10% rate to less than 0.01%. At the same time school attainment improved, with the percentage of students attaining grades A*–C in GCSEs increasing from 43% to 73%. The school under study was located within an Excellence in Cities and Behaviour Improvement Partnership initiative. The mixed methods used to inform this article include analysis of school documents, staff on‐line questionnaire and nine in‐depth interviews. Staff views of the IR indicated a dynamic, interactive model and the potential for increased discourse around inclusion informed by joint problem solving in context. This research suggests that a disciplinary IR and associated systems can complement educational goals. The findings prompt a reconsideration of the role of discipline provision and give strength to inclusive, educationally based practice. This article, the literature and research are also informed by a matched Year 8 and 9 student questionnaire and interviews with nine students who attended the IR.     

Wireless keyboards and mice: could they enhance teaching and learning in the secondary English classroom?

This paper reports on the first year of a pilot study on the use of wireless keyboards and mice by student teachers with small groups of pupils across the 11–16 age range in the secondary English classroom. It investigates the equipment's suitability for use with a range of teaching and learning strategies including collaborative writing and textual analysis and considers the affordances which may be offered to the learning context through use of the technology. Provisional findings reveal some technical difficulties with the equipment but suggest that it has the potential, particularly when used as a motivational tool, to develop pupils' creative engagement with composition processes during small group collaborative writing.     

Mediating ‘School Direct’: The enactment of a reform policy by university-based teacher educators in England

The period 2010 to 2014 is widely acknowledged as a time of highly significant education reform in England, including of Initial Teacher Education (ITE). The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government introduced a programme of ‘school-led’ education policies, of which ‘School Direct’ was intended to shift the balance of power, resources and modes of training teachers away from universities towards schools. Through an analysis of interviews with leaders of ITE in universities in two English regions, we examine the mediations of the School Direct policy from a socio-cognitive and activity-theoretical perspective. We identify three emotional frames for perceiving School Direct within the policy environment, drawing on the Vygotskian concept of perezhivanie. We also identify two policy enactment activities that involved bargaining within and rebrokering relationships between universities and schools. Consequently, we argue that the mediations of School Direct reported by the university leaders in our sample can be understood as limited appropriations of the policy within a highly charged emotional context where institutional risks were felt to be ever-present. We conclude that these leaders did not believe that School Direct achieved a transformation of ITE on the basis of a reconceptualisation of existing practices. The article contributes both to the scant research literature on School Direct as a significant reform by studying university leaders’ accounts of policy mediation and the socio-cognitively informed literature on policy enactment by foregrounding the emotional-affective dimension of sense-making.     

Lesson Study with preservice teachers: Lessons from lessons

This article examines a 2-year process of integrating Lesson Study—a form of teacher-led professional development—into an introductory course on the principles of teaching for students majoring in early childhood education. The course is taught in conjunction with beginning practicum work in area schools. We describe obstacles, modifications, and outcomes as we adapted the Lesson-Study process to help preservice teachers pay closer attention to instructional strategies (such as questioning techniques, anticipating student responses, and how lesson flow affects student understanding), and become more comfortable with constructive criticism by focusing on the lesson plan rather than the teacher.     

30年代美国科学界对黑人民权斗争的贡献

30年代 ,美国的自然科学和社会科学界普遍掀起了一股关注种族问题 ,从自己的职业角度参与为黑人争取平等权利的斗争的热潮。在此期间 ,美国的知识界取得了一大批重要研究成果 ,从人类学、社会心理学等不同侧面证明了种族优越论的荒谬 ,教育了美国公众。美国的社会科学界也开始了大规模的对种族主义的挞伐。美国知识界在此时期发生的这些变化为黑人民权斗争的正义性提供了最好的注脚。     

English lessons: children’s poetic perspectives

Children from eleven PGCE partnership schools participated in a poetry writing competition. In writing a poem entitled An English Lesson they have provided an insight into what they experience in the English classroom. The poems, published in-house as an anthology, have been analysed using the key concepts of the National Curriculum for English ( QCA, 2007 ) – competence; creativity; cultural understanding; and critical understanding. This article accompanies some of the children’s poems.     

If I experience formative assessment whilst studying at university,will I put it into practice later as a teacher? Formative and shared assessment in Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The aim of this article is to analyse whether having experience of formative assessment during their initial teacher education courses (ITE) influences graduates’ subsequent practice as teachers. That is, if the assessment methods that university students are subject to during their learning process are then actually employed by them during their professional practice as schoolteachers. To address this issue, questionnaires were issued and focus groups were held with a sample of ITE graduates. The main results of the study are that: (1) formative and shared assessment (FSA) is not used a great deal during ITE, but is highly valued; (2) some graduates have implemented FSA in their practice as teachers, following their experience on their ITE course; and (3) significant variables are found regarding the implementation of FSA in schools (possible resistance from colleagues and/or pupils’ parents, etc.).     

What future for initial teacher education? New curriculum and new directions

This article analyses aspects of the implementation of the National Curriculum for initial teacher training (ITT). It focuses on the impact of the standards upon course design and structure and particularly the emphasis on the development of subject knowledge. The assessment of students in terms of subject knowledge and the standards for qualified teacher status (QTS) are explored alongside the development of partnership schools and mentoring programmes. The impact of external agencies such as OFSTED and the TTA is included in the discussion. Future implications for primary and secondary ITT programmes are considered.     

澳门教师专业发展新动向评析——基于《非高等教育私立学校教学人员制度框架》的分析

文章对澳门《非高等教育私立学校教学人员制度框架》颁布的背景、主要目标、内容和特点作了简要述评。阐述了该法案对培养澳门私立学校未来教师和促进教师的专业持续发展所具有的重要意义,体现出澳门教师专业发展"以人为本"的原则和终身持续发展的理念,从而促进澳门教师教育逐步走上规范化和专业化的轨道。     

乔安娜*伯顿的反种族主义

乔安娜·伯顿是福克纳的长篇杰作<八月之光>中一位主要人物.她把自己的一生都用来帮助、提升黑人,最后却被拒绝提升的\"黑鬼\"情人--小说主人公乔*克里斯玛斯杀害.解读乔安娜的种族观念有助于读者深刻理解文本主题,认识种族主义的强势与罪恶,对唤起包括美国白人在内的全社会的觉醒,改善黑人的生存状态,提高黑人的社会地位,消除种族主义并最终达到种族平等都有着不可估量的作用.     

丹麦特殊教育的发展概况

丹麦是一个工、农业生产都较为先进 ,教育也较发达的国家 ,也是世界上实施义务教育比较早的国家 ,而特殊教育的水平在欧洲各国中也是名列前茅的 ,当然也存在着这样那样的问题。本文从丹麦的教育、特殊教育和特殊师范教育三个方面入手 ,简要地阐述丹麦特殊教育发展的基本情况和存在的问题 ,以期为我国特殊教育的进步提供一些参考 ,提高我国的特殊教育发展水平。