Barriers associated with the use of English in the teaching of technology in grade 9 at some schools in Eastern Cape Province

ABSTRACT

English is the language of learning and teaching in most schools in South Africa. The ability of teachers and students to understand and communicate with each other in English contributes to better performance in Science and Technology subjects. This article explores the challenges posed by the use of English in the teaching and learning of Technology at schools in Eastern Cape. The study was undertaken in order to gauge the commonness of problems related to the use of English. The sample for the questionnaire comprised 57 teachers who taught Technology at different schools in the district. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with five subject specialists in Technology. The findings revealed that the use of English militates against effective learning and teaching of Technology. In order to enhance the communication skills of students, it is recommended that teachers increase dialogue in English by means of small-group discussion, exploratory talk and argumentation.     

Collaborative knowledge building to promote in-service teacher training in environmental education

Abstract

This project was undertaken by researchers at three universities in England where there is a well established tradition of introducing student teachers to Information Technology. Questionnaires were administered at three key points in the course to a student group in each university, to establish how students' concepts of IT were developing and to identify key influences on their practice and their thinking. Selected students were interviewed towards the end of their teaching practice, as was the school mentor for each student wherever possible, and all staff in the student's host department were invited to complete a questionnaire. All tapes were transcribed. The study suggests that student teachers of English have a broader view of literacy than is currently predominant in schools and this view positively embraces the role of IT in literacy. Student teachers do not envisage the disappearance of books, instead they see a wider and more inclusive range of texts, including the electronic, as part of the normal focus of the English teacher. Practising teachers of English range from those with an essentially negative attitude to IT, to an increasing number who are themselves developing this broader view of literacy. Current pre-service provision appears to be succeeding in giving new English teachers a positive and committed attitude towards the use of IT in the current and future literacy curriculum.     

The Distinctiveness of the Subject Being Taught and the Work of Subject Heads of Department in Managing the Quality of Classroom Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools in Wales

This paper discusses the ways in which the distinctive nature of the subject being taught has important implications for the management of teaching and learning by Heads of Department (HoDs). The study reports the perceptions of HoDs working in four areas of the curriculum (English, Mathematics, Science and Technology) in secondary schools in Wales. The findings demonstrate a range of different themes, pertinent to each subject. Some of these themes illustrate a number of different subject paradigms (based on the content) while others are more concerned with how the subject is taught.     

ETAS: an instrument for measuring attitudes towards learning English with technology

ABSTRACT

Information and communication technology (ICT) increasingly is utilised in second-level English education, aiming to engage students, yet quantitative instruments for evaluating the impact of technology-mediated learning experiences are lacking. This article presents the rationale, development and psychometric analysis of the English and Technology Attitudes Scale (ETAS): a 19-item instrument designed to evaluate students’ attitudes towards English and technology and monitor changes. Five constructs are measured: behavioural engagement; technology confidence; English confidence; emotional engagement; and learning with technology. Using the ETAS, this study revealed insights to Irish students’ (n = 419) attitudes that can inform approaches to teaching and learning with ICT. Despite strong technology confidence, a high proportion of students report poor attitudes towards learning English with technology. Moreover, males have significantly more positive attitudes towards learning English with technology, yet females have significantly higher engagement in English. These findings demonstrate both the need for and the usefulness of this instrument.     

Child Development Under Threat: its place in initial teacher education for the years of primary schooling

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to discuss current and future ESL practice with reference to a postal questionnaire survey administered to all English local education authorities in February 1989. The first part of the discussion deals with ESL practice in its historical context. The second part reports some of the findings of the survey. The final part proposes a particular view on future development in terms of collaborative mainstream ESL pedagogy.     

Setting by numbers: datafication processes and ability grouping in an English secondary school

ABSTRACT

With the rise of accountability policies since the early nineties, the daily operation of English schools has profoundly changed. Through the in-depth analysis of ability grouping practices in one English secondary school, this paper aims to explore how the accountability shift and datafication impacted the practice of student grouping and students’ experience of education. The paper documents how an English secondary school which had fully endorsed the comprehensive ideal gradually shifted from mixed ability teaching to a rigid system of hierarchically arranged attainment-based grouping structure over a period of decades, and explores the pedagogical dilemmas that data-driven governance generates. The paper concludes that the school’s data-driven practice creates an environment of competition and an experience of incessant insecurities for the students which unsettlingly echo the culture of the late neoliberal labour market.     

Book reviews

Abstract

Studies of good classroom practice have been seen as a route by which teaching and teacher education might be improved. This view is discussed in the light of a study of two teachers indentified as skilled in history teaching who were each doing a history topic in an English junior school. It is argued that one reflected the notion of good practice which underpins the National Curriculum for England, while the other reflected a more common and more pragmatic stance. It is concluded that some priorities and possibilities for English teacher education may be identified.     

Planning and Developing an Interactive Computerised Tutorial for Learning in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper describes how a researcher‐lecturer in higher education attempted to identify, in her course, the constraints within which the teaching was required to operate. To better understand this particular problem area in her professional practice, it was necessary to take the student voice seriously and to suggest a possible solution to the problem.

It appeared that the ‘Information Technology’ module on a specific postgraduate course was particularly unattractive to the postgraduate students required to take it. The solution proposed was to develop and introduce into the module a form of innovation in course development, namely a Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) tool entitled ‘Interactive Computerised Information Technology Tutor’ (ICITT). The research process leading to the planning, development and introduction of the ICITT is the initial focus of this paper. The ICITT itself is then described in some detail in the latter part of the work.     

Children's Experience in the Playground

This paper reports on an investigation carried out in a ‘key’ secondary school in Shanghai. This investigation is set in the broader context of current developments in Chinese Education. Perhaps the first surprising discovery is that the affective aspects of education are seen as highly significant in these developments. Given the vast numbers involved and great regional differences, what is described here is likely to be only representative of the best practice. The particular focus of this paper is on the multifaceted role of the class teacher. The second surprise is that though there are great differences, not least in the politicization of education, there are striking parallels with English education and there are some instances where the class teacher’s practice as described here is in advance of many of their English counterparts.     

Finding Voice: Debating in Secondary School English

ABSTRACT

This essay explores the place of debating, talk and group work in the Secondary English classroom. It discusses the ways in which pupils in one student teacher’s year 7 class thrive in the dialogic classroom against the backdrop of curricular and attitudinal change. It considers the importance of talk and debate amongst the ‘communities of practice’ in schools and universities in empowering teachers to challenge and navigate policies, theories and practices. In exploring the role of play, student experiences and different forms of talk, this essay highlights their vital importance in relation to teaching and learning in English and in the formation of English teachers.     

Stemming the strategy flood tide in PGCE English

The development of both reflective critical practice and innovative or creative approaches in English teaching have been key elements of the PGCE English training courses which have evolved over the last fifty years. However the deluge of documentation and initiatives continually pouring out from government agencies means that the professional attempts of providers in Initial Teacher Education to create distinctive courses are increasingly in danger of being undermined by official expectations. This article will explore the challenges inherent in the process of rewriting the contents of a PGCE Secondary English course. It will consider how trainees can be prepared for the realities of the strategy-dominated English classroom in the 21st century and empowered to establish independent critical overviews of both their chosen subject and their roles as educators which will, in turn, enable them to engage in progressive pedagogies in their classrooms and contribute to future curriculum development.     

The lost generation? the lack of competence in using information technology amongst postgraduate students of english entering initial teacher education

Abstract

This article analyses the lack of Information Technology (IT) competence in postgraduate students of English entering teacher training, by looking at IT provision in Scottish schools. Computers first appeared in Scottish Secondary schools between 1981 and 1983. It was considered a reasonable assumption that students entering teacher education, over a decade later, would be competent in IT. The results of this 3-year study show that this assumption was misplaced and considers possible reasons as to why the results were so disappointing. A questionnaire to graduates, who had attended school between 1987 and 1992 aimed to establish their exposure to IT in school and university and establish their confidence in using IT. The second phase of the study surveyed schools to establish whether or not the situation had changed since the policy recommendations made by Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) in 1987 and to consider the IT competence of English graduates who might train to be teachers in the year 2000.     

Rapid Prototyping as a Faculty‐Wide Activity: An Innovative Approach to the Redesign of Courses and Instructional Methods at the University of Twente

Abstract

At the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology (Toegepaste Onderwijskunde, T.O.) of the University of Twente a revolutionary process of institutional change is occurring. Under the banner of C@MPUS+, we have made a commitment to blend the best of our old values of good teaching and an attractive campus life with new didactics and advanced technologies so that we can extend our already unique curriculum and instructional practice over distance and time, as well as enrich it.     

Study of Teacher Practices in Health Sciences in Brazil

Abstract

This study involved fourteen semistructured interviews with teaching staff at a Brazilian university. These interviews were aimed at unveiling possible transformations caused by distance education in classroom teaching and in medical assistance practices. The discourses collected were analyzed using qualitative methods and divided into groups with convergent meanings, resulting in the following units: Infrastructure, Personal Use of Information Technology Resources, Impressions of Distance Education, Intensity of Dedication, Interactivity, Benefits of Distance Education, Teaching Practices, and Changes in Assistance. Results suggest that virtual teaching has resulted in positive changes in the professor–student relationship that allow improvements in interactivity and the creation of different expectations from those observed in classroom practice. There was a significant appropriation of the technological resources and pedagogical activities used in online courses for classroom teaching practice. Also observed was the transfer of knowledge to the personal and medical assistance spheres.     

Addressing contradictions in teachers’ practice through professional learning: an activity theory perspective

ABSTRACT

This case study focuses on the professional learning of 38 K-9 teachers who engaged in a professional development (PD) programme in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through collaborative action research (CAR). Through the lens of CHAT or Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the author examined what teachers were learning, the contextual factors that influenced their learning and classroom practice, and the outcomes of this PD initiative. The changing activity system of the teachers is described, as well as how they addressed contradictions in their practice. Addressing these contradictions resulted in an expansion of their object and professional growth. The study contributes to a growing body of research in teacher education which applies CHAT as a conceptual framework to understand teacher professional learning and how interactions among activity system components influence teachers’ development and practice.     

“经验之塔”对信息技术与英语课程整合的启示

英语教学必须以信息技术为支撑充分发挥自己的学科优势,但如何通过信息技术与英语课程的整合促进英语教育目标的实现,这是一个迄今仍然值得认真加以探讨的论题。目前的英语教学中还存在着教师对整合的内涵理解不到位、多媒体主宰课堂、学生具体经验被忽略等不足。借鉴"经验之塔"理论,能够为我们解决实践中遇到的问题提供一些启示。     

Language–content partnership in higher education: development and opportunities

ABSTRACT

Interdisciplinary collaboration, in the sense of partnership between English language teachers and content teachers, is significant for enhancing university students’ English-medium academic success. It has long been advocated, but it has not become a common phenomenon in higher education institutions. The present article aims to synthesize what has been revealed about such collaboration in tertiary contexts in the (English-medium) literature, and to consider implications for practice and research. A systematic approach was adopted in conducting the literature review. The main body of the article focuses on illustrating five themes grounded in the literature: theoretical perspectives on the need for interdisciplinary collaboration; motivations for interdisciplinary collaboration and slow development of the trend; interdisciplinary collaboration on a continuum of partnership; team teaching in interdisciplinary collaboration; and benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration. Implications for practice and research are then discussed.     

The spread of private tutoring in English in developing societies: exploring students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT

Although research on private tutoring has gained visibility in recent years, private tutoring in English (PT-E) has not received notable attention. This paper examines students’ perceptions of PT-E in Bangladesh in terms of its necessity and helpfulness, peer pressure in PT-E participation and ethicality of PT-E practice and government intervention. Our analysis of survey data (N?=?572) leads to characterising PT-E and explaining the reasons for its popularity. As a popular learning space beyond formal schooling, PT-E is available in various forms and quality catering to the purchasing power of different social groups. We argue that students may resort to PT-E not because of its proven effectiveness but because of their declining faith in school English teaching. The paper contributes to our understanding of the complex interactions between the curricular (school) and non-curricular (PT-E) settings and family socioeconomic resources in the teaching of English as a globally desired language.     

In the field with two rural primary school head teachers in England

ABSTRACT

The research focuses on the complexities associated with contemporary rural primary school leadership. The paper draws on in-depth ethnographic research undertaken in two contrasting English rural primary schools and their surrounding community over a period of three years and in particular the experiences and perspectives of the two head teachers from these schools. The paper is conceptually informed by the work of Bourdieu [1984. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul] and his work around field, habitus and capital as a means of understanding practice. The paper contends that as the neo-liberal economic field increasingly contaminates the field of schooling so a contextual understanding of the complex and shifting social space which a head teacher occupies, including their habitus and the capital they deploy, is of central importance to understanding practice.