Professional development in international schools; issues of inclusion identified by a group of international school teaching assistants

With the growth in numbers of teaching assistants (TAs) in the UK, it has been identified through research carried out on behalf of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) research that TAs in British international schools have specific and unmet training needs. Following the development of a course for TAs in international contexts, COBIS and the University of Northampton provided a Professional Development Programme for TAs working in British international schools. The 2‐day event took place in a European city, with participants from three further European cities. The impact of this training on subsequent professional practice was investigated. An initial questionnaire was completed at the conference, and follow‐up questionnaires were distributed at 6 weeks, post‐event. Responses came from participants and from head teachers of the British international schools in which they worked. This paper focuses upon issues of inclusion, which arose from the feedback received, both during the event and afterwards. Group discussions during the event revealed concern among the group that they had insufficient knowledge to provide the level of inclusion support that they felt should be available. Data from the questionnaires provided more detail about these issues and allowed some first conclusions to be drawn, providing further focus and direction for subsequent training for international school TAs.     

试论高师教育学课程教学质量的优化问题

教育学是师范院校学生的公共必修课,优化公共课教育学的教学质量对培养合格的师范生尤显重要,我们认为,建立合理的教育学的课程观、改善教育学教师的教学理念、重新认识教育实践类课程的功能可以达到优化教育学教学质量的目的。     

探讨高职高专市场营销实训课程教学改革

市场营销实训课程在高职高专市场营销专业课程体系中是极其重要的专业实践课。分析目前市场营销实训课程实施过程中普遍存在的问题,探讨高职高专市场营销实训课程的教学改革,从教学软硬件建设,教学方式,学情,师资队伍配套建设,实践教学组织管理,考核体系,课证结合等不同角度提出改革建议,并对本校实训课程教学改革的初步效果进行了评价。     

Teaching assistants and class teachers: differing perceptions,role confusion and the benefits of skills-based training

Research has shown that teaching assistants (TAs) working in mainstream classrooms with special needs students in Australia are being required to perform quite complex tasks such as curriculum modification and differentiation yet they are not required to have any formal qualifications nor training in these tasks. In the United Kingdom, TAs are not required to have any formal qualifications, while TAs employed in the USA are required to hold a two-year post-secondary degree or have obtained an associate’s or higher degree. Initial research was undertaken in Stage 1 to identify the roles and responsibilities, skills and training needs of TAs working with special needs students in one school in Canberra, Australia. Information was obtained through separate focus group interviews conducted with class teachers and TAs. Stage 2 involved the design and implementation of five skills-based training modules developed to respond to needs identified in Stage 1. In Stage 3, interviews were conducted with the TAs to determine the effect the training had on their skills and their ability to assist both the class teachers and the students whom they support. Results from the study indicate that there exists role confusion as well as a different emphasis and perception by class teachers and TAs of the skills required to perform in the role of a TA. Results also indicated that specifically targeted skills-based training benefited the TAs and the TAs perceived that this benefit flowed through to the class teachers and the students they support.     

Supporting the education of pupils with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: the views of teaching assistants regarding their own learning and development needs

Learning support assistants or teaching assistants play a vital role in the education of pupils with complex learning disabilities, routinely supporting students on a 1:1 basis without the direct supervision of teachers. Despite the responsibility afforded these classroom support staff, there appear to be few training programmes designed for this specialised role. This qualitative study, by Trudi Martin of the Manchester Institute of Education, was undertaken at a special school in England. The study explored the views of 17 teaching assistants and five teachers regarding the extent to which teaching assistant training equipped them to support pupils with complex learning needs. The findings illustrated that much of the training, including that on the Qualifications and Credit Framework, provided inadequate information and guidance. Without sufficient knowledge to underpin their practice, teaching assistants are impeded in the educational support they can give to pupils, who face significant learning challenges, with a resultant impact on their students' ability to learn and develop new skills.     

新课程改革背景下思想政治课课堂教学形式新探索

为了适应新课程改革的要求,顺应教育发展的趋势,思想政治课必须改造传统的课堂教学形式,并探索出新的课堂教学形式:基于个别性的思想政治课课堂教学形式、基于快乐性的思想政治课课堂教学形式、基于开放性的思想政治课课堂教学形式、基于合作性的思想政治课课堂教学形式。以期帮助教师更好的与学生共同进步。     

Building relationships for learning: the developing role of the teaching assistant

Over the last ten years the role of the teaching assistant has undergone continued change and development. This article identifies many of the different contexts in which teaching assistants support behaviour for learning and further explores some of the challenges raised by workforce remodelling. Barry Groom argues that this could be an opportunity for reinforcing on the skills and attributes teaching assistants have already demonstrated in supporting pupil behaviour and for providing a sustainable framework for continuing professional development.     

高职经管类专业实训课程与教学方法改革探析

高职实践教学是职业教育教学的主体,也是实现高等职业教育内涵式发展的重要内容。而实训课程又是高职实践教学的重要组成部分,是训练学生实践操作技能、培养职业能力和职业素质的主要手段。本文对高职经管类专业实训课程开展的现状及存在的问题进行分析和梳理,并对实训课程的开发模式从校内实训基地的建设、借鉴多元智能理论,实施项目教学等方面提出新的思路。     

Intervention programmes in mathematics and literacy: teaching assistants' perceptions of their training and support

We approach the recent argument put in this journal that teaching assistants (TAs) should be more strongly trained, monitored and supervised when teaching on intervention programmes. We suggest that the argument sits uneasily with wider management and educational literature. We examine TAs' experience of delivering important intervention programmes in mathematics and literacy. TAs report considerable variation in both their training and the quality of management involvement in their teaching. Consequently, we argue for an approach that includes TAs in a form of distributed leadership which recognises their specific capabilities rather than the model advocated both by government documents and by some researchers.     

Moving out of their comfort zones: enhancing teaching practice in transnational education

This paper investigates the development of teaching practice of the multinational staff delivering UK programmes in a higher education institution in Oman hosting these programmes. It presents a tool to evaluate the teaching practice, and points to those elements of an academic development framework that were found to be most useful in supporting staff in moving towards a student-centred, learning-focused teaching approach. The majority of the lecturers made this shift. We therefore conclude by arguing for long-term CPD aimed at enhancing teaching quality to be part and parcel of a partnership.     

The role of HE in professional development: some reflections on a foundation degree for teaching assistants

Rapid change in higher education (HE) has lead to a reappraisal and debate about the role and ‘mission’ of the university and the university teacher. In the diversification of the HE sector, it is possible to see a shift away from the ‘advancement of knowledge’ as the primary purpose of the HE sector as a whole. This article focuses on a particular dimension of this change referred to as the ‘vocationalisation’ of HE and evident in the growing role of work-based learning (WBL) in the academy. In particular, foundation degrees provide a context for examining the role of WBL and the university in professional development. Analysis of interviews with 19 students on, or progressing from a foundation degree for teaching assistants reveals how they construct their learning and the relationship between work-based and academic learning. The author concludes that notions of ‘equivalence’ between work-based and academic learning are flawed and fail to recognise HE's distinctive contribution to professional learning, and argues for recognition of the distinctive contributions that both WBL and ‘academic’ learning make to professional development.     

以职业竞争力为导向的品牌专业人才培养模式探索与实践

工科院校几乎都有自动化专业,如何形成自己的就业竞争优势成为关键,为此提出"以特为本,以用立业"的办学理念,构建"本科学历+职业素质"的人才培养模式,以师资队伍建设为龙头,深化教学改革,优化课程体系,加强教材建设,创新校企合作,建立完整的教学监控体系,全方位提高人才培养质量。通过几年来的改革实践,学生的工程应用能力和职业素质显著提高,自动化专业也顺利通过江苏省品牌专业的验收。     

高职高专教育教学改革探讨

介绍了我们在高职高专教育教学改革中的一些思路和方法,作为一种有益的尝试,取得了较好的教学实践效果。     

Examining the impact of four teaching development programmes for engineering teaching assistants*

As current graduate instructors of labs and class discussions, teaching assistants (TAs) play a critical role in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) undergraduate education, especially as some graduate students may choose a faculty career in the future. Because of the importance of TAs and their development as scholars and instructors, we sought to determine the most effective methods of preparing engineering TAs at two research universities. We compare the impact of a teaching orientation with one of four teaching development programmes (Pedagogy Course, Advanced Practice Teaching, Workshop Attendance with Written Reflection, or Mid-Semester Student Feedback with Written Reflection) on engineering TAs’ teaching efficacy and definitions of active learning. Results indicated that the Pedagogy Course consistently increased TAs’ teaching efficacy and attitudes toward teaching compared with the other programmes. We also found that stand-alone Mid-Semester Student Feedback with Written Reflection enhanced TAs’ efficacy for reflection and beliefs about teaching. We discuss implications for providing teaching development for graduate students and directions for future research.     

工学结合人才培养模式改革下的高职教学管理体系建设

高职教学主要是以就业为主要导向,要求专业技能与岗位规范零差距、教学实际内容和资格标准零差异,以及学生毕业和就业实现零过渡。一般来讲,工学结合是培养高职人才的切入口,同时还是实现教学目标非常重要的途径。本文分析了工学结合人才培养模式的新要求,提出了工学结合人才培养模式改革下的高职教学管理体系建设的思路。     

Towards a more systematic approach to continuing professional development in vocational education and training

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers have a key role in ensuring that workers in business and industry are upskilled and up-to-date in a rapidly changing industrial, economic and technological environment. It follows that the VET practitioners should themselves keep up to date, not only with industry developments but also with the pedagogical skills needed to embrace technology and adapt to new sites for learning. However, in Australia and other Western nations, continuing professional development for VET practitioners has been spasmodic and not always well supported, in contrast to the ways it has been established and accepted in other professions. This paper examines the professional development approaches of some of those other professions and identifies the key features that might be adopted in any genuine attempt to develop a more purposeful and systematic provision of ongoing learning for teachers and trainers in VET. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations aimed at Australian VET practitioners in particular, but which might be applicable to VET in any developed country.     

Exploring pedagogical content knowledge of biology graduate teaching assistants through their participation in lesson study

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are responsible for teaching the majority of biology undergraduate laboratory sections, although many feel underprepared to do so. This study explored the impact of biology GTA participation in a professional development model known as lesson study. Using a case study methodology with multiple qualitative data sources, this study found that lesson study was beneficial for this group of GTAs in that it modified critical aspects of their beliefs about biology instruction. Each participant felt that lesson study helped revise their teaching and changes were seen in some aspects of the participants’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Despite this, there was an observed disconnect between participants’ vocalized intent and classroom practice. This disconnect could be attributed to the difficulty of implementing new strategies, the short duration of the lesson study, and the instructional inexperience of the participants in the study.     

现代教学理念下的精品课程建设中的教学方法改革与探索

精品课程建设是教学改革的重要内容,而教学方法的改革是教育教学改革的关键和切入点。教学方法的改革涉及到教学理念的转变,教学理念的转变也要求教学方法作出相应的改革。精品课程建设要求注重现代教学方法与手段的应用,要求在现代教学理念指导下探索和尝试更加科学的教学方法,建立起与教材相结合的教学体系。精品课程建设的关键是教师的教学方法应与时俱进,不断创新,将精品课程建设与现代学习方法联系起来,充分调动学生学习积极性。     

仪器分析教学改革探索与研究

仪器分析课是北京林业大学理学院面向生物学院、环境学院、材料学院的相关专业开设的专业课程。本文从课程体系的优化、教学内容选择、教学方法的改革、实验教学以及考核方式等方面探讨了本校仪器分析课程改革的具体措施。     

不同课程在实训中的教学方法开发与实践研究——浅析人物形象设计专业的实训教学方法与实践

随着经济的迅猛发展,人民生活水平的提高,人们对个人形象越来越重视,促成了人物形象设计专业的飞速发展。从实训教学的角度,分析不同类型课程的教学方法设计与实践,力求使本专业的发展更加符合人们和社会的需求,培养更多技能型人才。