Australian Experiences with the Effective Classroom Integration of Information Technology: implications for teacher education

ABSTRACT

In 1992 an Australia‐wide survey was undertaken to determine the most appropriate and effective ways by which classroom teachers have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to use technology in their curriculum. The survey examined current and changing practice and identified factors which the teachers considered promoted or hindered the effective integration of computer technology. Many teachers felt that their teacher training (pre‐service and in‐service) did not prepare them to effectively integrate computers into their teaching, that it did not include enough time for them to become comfortable with the software, nor did it include support to help them troubleshoot during the early implementation stages. This paper discusses these aspects of the survey results and the implications for teacher education in Australia.     

Integrating Technology in Physical Education Teacher Education: A Socialization Perspective

ABSTRACT

Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs are encouraged to develop teachers capable of delivering technology integrated learning experiences. Technological pedagogical content knowledge provides a framework for integrating technology into teacher education programs. Occupational socialization theory describes an educator’s recruitment, training, and socialization in the teaching profession. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual framework for helping preservice physical educators develop technological pedagogical content knowledge that is grounded in occupational socialization theory. We specifically recommend a four-phase approach to help preservice teachers (a) build their knowledge and learn to value technology in physical education, (b) observe and explore through instructor modeling and integration, (c) experiment and collaborate with mentoring and scaffolding, and (d) discover through innovation and utilization. These suggestions acknowledge the sociopolitical aspects of learning to teach with technology and implications are discussed along with the need to help preservice teachers transfer technology integration into their professional careers.     

ISTE standards in teacher education: A collection of practical examples

Abstract

The innovative integration of technology into teacher education is at a premium. Institutions, large and small, are searching for examples of appropriate, effective, and replicable programs on which to base programmatic decisions. This article provides such a guide. The authors represent four of the first six International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Distinguished Achievement award‐winning programs. This article provides examples of how four highly innovative programs meet the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS?T) for technology integration into the teacher education programs. It provides a collection of practical examples of ways in which teacher education programs can use the NETS'T as a guide for enhancing teacher education curricula on campus and in P‐12 classrooms where teacher education candidates work.     

Teacher preparation for equitable access through the integration of TESOL standards,multiple intelligences and technology

Abstract

Schools need teachers who can provide English language learners with equal access to academic content and to information technologies. The authors propose that the integration of standards in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages), the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) and technology can provide an equitable education, support learning differences and develop English language skills across the curriculum. The authors suggest how the integration of TESOL standards, MI theory and technology can become a part of pre-service teacher education and discuss some of the challenges to transferring this integration into the classroom     

Strong back,legs, feet,and a good pair of shoes: Connecting stories of inspiring teachers to coursework in teacher education

Abstract

Because of their belief in the social interactionist model of teacher education, the authors read aloud to various undergraduate and graduate classes excerpts from published teacher stories, either vignettes or opinion pieces. Their immediate goals were to help build class community, advertise books that the students might then return to on their own, personalize discussion topics, and inspire continuing reflection and pride in the chosen profession. A more long‐term goal was to get students to internalize stories that would help guide their actions in the classroom. This article describes their use of teacher stories and includes some of the readings as well as a comprehensive list of teacher stories consulted. Student reactions were varied depending on the stories and the contexts of the readings. Reactions included apathy, evaluation of the teacher, self‐reflective journal entries, and a refusal to pass a book on to peers without the promise of being able to take it home. The authors are reading/language arts educators, who recommend the use of teacher stories for teacher education in all fields.     

Early literacy standards: What new teachers should know

Abstract

Students in early childhood teacher education programs are expected to know, plan curriculum, and teach within several sets of content area, national, state, and local, learning standards. Understanding where these standards originated and why they are important within the context of classroom practice will help new teachers begin their careers aware of their role in helping children become competent in the content‐area standards. At the heart of the standards movement are the early literacy standards, necessary for achieving both reading and language arts competencies and for achieving competency in social studies, science, and mathematics in the K‐12 grades. Understanding and applying the standards, through best practices, can guide teachers in the writing of objectives, development of activities, selection of materials, and the authentic assessment of children's learning within their classroom.     

Informatique Pour Tous: a case study of information technology in teacher education in France

ABSTRACT

The national program Informatique Pour Tous was announced in France in 1985. This paper describes a resulting training program conducted in French secondary schools, the assessment of this program, and conclusions that can be drawn from it in terms of contents for pre‐service and in‐service teacher training in the educational use of computers. In this article, after a short background on the French policy of computer equipment in schools, the objectives of the training program are presented. Then the activities of the teachers who were trained in this program are analyzed, on the one hand through information gathered during their annual meetings and on another hand through interviews with the heads of some of the teachers' schools. Requirements for training contents and practices in teacher education are developed.     

Walking the talk: Western Australian teachers’ beliefs about early reading and spelling instruction and their knowledge of metalinguistics

Abstract

In the context of a national inquiry into the teaching of literacy in Australia, an investigation of beliefs about early reading and spelling instruction and knowledge of metalinguistics of primary pre‐service teachers in Western Australia was undertaken. We also sought to discover how confident this group felt about teaching reading and spelling and how their teacher training could better prepare them for these complex and challenging tasks. Results indicated that pre‐service teachers in this particular sample were strongly in favour of code‐based instruction and believed that it was important to know how to assess and teach phonological awareness and phonics. Despite these beliefs, it was found that knowledge of spoken and written language structure and linguistics terminology was not well developed and only 7 per cent of participants stated that they felt well prepared to teach reading and spelling. These findings highlight a disparity between what educators know and believe and what convergent research purports as effective early reading and spelling instruction.     

Normalizing literary responses in the teacher education classroom

In this essay, the authors present analyses of data emerging from a study of a classroom of pre‐service English language arts teachers' readings of a young adult novel that challenged normative sexuality stereotypes. They argue that when literary fictions are included within teacher education ‘methods’ courses, the possibility that literature might support generative learning is eroded by the normative structures of teacher education, particularly those pedagogical beliefs and practices that separate discourses of experience from discourses of knowledge. The authors offer a brief overview of studies of human consciousness, with particular attention to how literary experiences can contribute to its development. They suggest that the identities that co‐emerge with conscious awareness are structured by normalizing discourses instantiated within teacher education methods courses. The essay concludes with a discussion of how the conscious awareness of beginning English teachers might be more expansively developed within pre‐service teacher education.     

Principles of Technology Integration and Curriculum Development

Abstract

To better prepare pre-service candidates for teaching in the information age, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has defined National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) to guide technology integration into teacher education programs. Based on these standards, Brigham Young University (BYU) has implemented strategies for technology integration into their teacher education program by creating curriculum design teams composed of School of Education faculty, public school personnel, and instructional design and technology specialists. This paper describes basic principles that have led to the successful development of curriculum design teams for systemic reform in teacher education.     

Aesthetic experience in a dynamic cycle: Implications for early childhood teachers and teacher educators

Abstract

This study describes early childhood teachers’ own beliefs and concepts of aesthetic experience in young children. The teachers involved in this study were directly engaged in preschools for 4 and 5 year‐olds where arts and aesthetic education are a primary consideration of their integrated curriculum. These teachers identified a variety of features of aesthetic experience in three dimensions, which develop in a dynamic, non‐linear cycle. This study suggests that early childhood teacher's awareness and knowledge of aesthetic experience is critical to support the high quality of young children's learning through the arts. It concludes with implications for both teacher education programs and early childhood teacher educators. © 2005 Published by Elsevier Inc.     

Community,Towards Dialogue: A Self-Study of Online Teacher Preparation for Special Education

ABSTRACT

Online teacher education is experiencing significant growth worldwide. One of the major challenges accompanying this growth is that many teacher educators find themselves underprepared and under pressure to design online teacher education courses that reflect their beliefs about what constitutes high-quality teacher preparation practice. Further, teacher educators in disciplines such as special education face additional challenges in developing understandings about the legalities of writing and implementing disability service plans and performing additional testing. In this self-study of online special education teacher education practice, two collaborators worked to identify strategies and practices for professional community building in a class about teaching reading to students with disabilities. The findings highlight issues of teacher educator authority and presence online against other needs to model collegiality and promote scholarly thinking. Researchers in online teaching may find insight into both the cognitive and contextual concerns as they work to enhance online teacher education while they plan their own investigations.     

Evolution of Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge,Beliefs, and Practices: How Can We Support Beginning Teachers Use of Technology?

Abstract

In this study, we examined a group of four teachers who completed extra educational technology coursework and field experiences during their teacher education programs to determine how their technology integration knowledge, self-efficacy beliefs, intentions, and practices evolved over time. We conducted interviews and evaluated data sources at three intervals: (1) after teacher education coursework was completed, (2) after student teaching was completed, and (3) after two initial years of teaching. Results showed that school resources and environment had a strong impact on beginning teachers' practices, regardless of strong internal enabling factors.     

A comparison of the influence of government policy on information and communications technology for teacher training in England and Northern Ireland

Abstract

This article examines the introduction of national standards and guidelines for the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in initial teacher training in England and Northern Ireland. The context for the increased focus on ICT in teacher education is described for each part of the United Kingdom (UK). Comparisons are drawn between the two areas of the UK to show how schools and teacher training institutions have attempted to meet the standards within each political context by examining the positive features of three case teacher training courses, two in England and one in Northern Ireland. From this, inferences are drawn about the level of intervention by Government and whether greater government control has reduced or increased the integration of ICT into the cycle of teaching and learning.     

Pedagogic Benchmarks for Information and Communications Technology in Teacher Education

Abstract

This article analyses the required content and strategies of information and communications technology (ICT) training for teachers in terms of learning to know, learning to do, learning to live with each other and with others, and learning to be. We conclude that the fast-changing role and nature of ICT in education, combined with the low level of penetration of ICT into present educational practices, requires a strategy that includes three aspects. These aspects are the training of students within teacher training institutions, the high-level implementation of ICT in schools as a joint effort by students, schools and teacher training institutions, and the formation of cooperating communities of practice to ensure the continued flow of emerging knowledge and practices to the educational field. Special attention should be given to unwanted and unforeseen side effects that may affect pupils' lives today and in the future.     

Contributions of Instructional Practices to Reading Achievement in a Statewide Improvement Program

Abstract

The amount and direction of school change in reading achievement on a statewide, high-stakes performance assessment were identified. School change in reading achievement with instructional practices reported by teachers in primary and intermediate grades in 33 schools was predicted. Meta-analyses of the effects of instructional practices in reading on achievement in 6 areas—including reading, writing, language use, mathematics, science, and social studies—were conducted. In Grade 5, achievement in reading, science, mathematics, and writing increased significantly. Practices of integrated instruction and use of abundant texts and resources were associated positively with change in achievement. Basal emphasis and comprehension instruction were associated negatively with achievement change. In Grade 3, few effects were observed. Findings are interpreted in light of existing models of integrated instruction and the roles of teacher knowledge in achievement and learning.     

Changes to a Chinese pre‐service language teacher education program: analysis,results and implications

The current nation‐wide reform of Chinese primary and secondary education prompted an empirical research project, “An empirical investigation of in‐service English teachers1 1. In this paper, the term “English teacher” refers to a teacher of English language, who teaches English as a second or foreign language. View all notes in primary and secondary schools and a study of a pre‐service language teacher education program”, conducted at Baoding, China. This project is considered as potentially relevant to other Chinese and Asian nations that are engaged in the transformation of their provision of English language instruction. This project was developed in two stages: first, it sought data from in‐service English teachers, using questionnaires and interviews with English teachers from schools differentiated by geographical context and system; and second, these data were used to inform the design of a new pre‐service English teacher education program. In this paper, the consultative processes of Stage 1 are discussed and the teachers' proficiencies in the new direction of teaching English are critically examined. On the basis of these data, reflections and implications of the strengths and weaknesses of the present pre‐service language teacher training program are made.     

Teachers’ Self Training Activities on Computer Networks in Japan

Abstract

In‐service teacher training programmes in Japan are conducted by various organizations including local education boards, the Education Ministry, and public foundations. Pre‐service teacher training is extensively offered at national, public and private colleges and universities. These formal programmes fulfil the basic needs of teachers and they have little link to distance education systems. Teachers’ spontaneous energy to teach themselves is now directed towards using personal computer networks and the Internet. These telecomputing activities are reviewed and future directions suggested     

Critical Factors in On‐Campus Clinical Experiences: Perceptions of Preservice Teachers

In this paper, I present the findings of a self‐study into my teaching practices as a sociology‐of‐education lecturer working in the pre‐service teacher education programme of a regional university in New South Wales, Australia. The principal data source is a logbook of the teaching practices which characterised several tutorial classes taught in 2007. To understand these practices, the paper draws upon Aristotle's concepts of techne and praxis, and Bourdieu's understanding of practices as socially constructed and contested. The paper situates tensions between more technicist and praxis‐oriented teaching approaches to pre‐service teacher education, within the teacher education and university contexts in which these classes were undertaken. In doing so, the paper reveals tensions between assessment‐driven and more authentic teaching practices, and more student‐ and teacher‐centred teaching practices. The paper also shows how accountability pressures within tertiary settings have led to a more instrumental approach to tertiary teaching. I conclude that there is a need for greater attention to the conditions of work which influence teacher educators' practices, rather than fetishising individualistic instantiations of such practices.     

Psychological and Moral Development for Teacher Education

Abstract

After a brief discussion on the need for more effective teacher education programmes in the United States, the article presents a first attempt to link moral and psychological education with a teacher training curriculum. Employing a sample of pre‐service teachers, the course in educational psychology was redesigned to deliberately teach counselling techniques as a means of stimulating ego and moral development. The results indicate positive shifts on both the Loevinger test of ego development and Kohlberg post‐conventional moral maturity using the Rest, Defining Issues Test. The relation between teacher training and development is detailed. It is strongly suggested that teacher education should adopt a developmental framework for both goals and instructional strategies.