简论建构主义教师观

建构主义在教师角色及其作用问题上的见解完全颠覆和否定了传统的教师观。建构主义认为,教师不是传递知识的“工程师”,而是苏格拉底倡导的“助产士”,教师的作用不在于给予学生“真理”,而是在确定的经验领域里,在意义建构上给予学生支持;教师不是支配学生学习的权威者和控制者,而是学生建构知识的帮助者、引导者与合作者;教师在教学活动中要有正确的角色认知并处理好角色互换;教师教育应按建构主义的理解和要求来确立培养目标。     

职前教师本体性反思能力培养的必要性与可能性

培养职前教师的反思能力已经成为世界各国教师教育的一项重要任务。然而,许多教师职前培养计划更多地关注职前教师工具性反思能力的培养,而忽视本体性反思能力的培养。这在一定程度上造成了在职前阶段所形成的反思能力很难成为促进教师发展的持久动力。因此,对在职前教育阶段培养职前教师工具性反思能力的局限性和培养其本体性反思能力的必要性与可能性进行探讨就显得很有必要。     

基于建构主义的教师教育探究

建构主义对我国教师教育具有深刻的指导意义：教师教育理念的革新;在具体情境中开展合作性学习;整合教师的“缄默知识”与“显性知识”;通过反思促进教师专业发展;重视教师评价的主体性、发展性与差异性。     

Trainee teachers’ experiences of teaching practicum: Issues,challenges, and new possibilities

Abstract

This paper focuses on a qualitative case study concerned with teaching practicum as a pivotal component of teacher education in Malawi. It addresses some of the issues and concerns associated with workload, ill-defined mentoring support, and implementation of certain pedagogical orientations during teaching practicum placement. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that trainee teachers undergo varied and often challenging experiences during teaching practicum. To counter some of the concerns, suggestions are made to improve certain aspects of teaching practicum. There is need for authentic school – college partnerships, improved structures of school-based professional support, and a deeper awareness of the complexity of learner-centred pedagogy. It is imperative that teacher educators engage with these findings to further improve the design of teaching practicum and the overall quality of teacher education and teaching in Malawi.     

国外建构主义教师教育改革研究

建构主义教师教育是以建构主义为主要理论指导的国外教师教育改革的新模式.其主要的改革原则包括:学习者中心原则、参与性原则、过程与目标统一的原则和整体性原则等.提出了教师教育的教学本身应是建构主义的等等教育教学主张.     

Mature student experiences in teacher education: widening participation in Greece and England

In the context of the growing number of mature students entering higher education in Europe, this study breaks new ground in comparing the personal and professional identities of mature student teachers in Greece and England. Using an analytical model of student success by Zepke and Leach (2008 Zepke, N. and Leach, L. Linking soft skills and student engagement in second chance education. Paper presented at the Comparative Education Society of Europe (CESE) annual conference. July7–10, Athens, Greece.  [Google Scholar]), the research sought to identify the factors affecting the progress and development of 30 mature student teachers (15 in each country). It was found that individual motivation and prior experience were assets in the development of the student teachers, while peer and family support were vital success factors. In the English context, the importance of institutional support from university and school-based tutors was also strong. Barriers included financial difficulties and domestic responsibilities, which had a particular impact on mature women students. Some recommendations to improve institutional support for mature student teachers are made in conclusion.     

Policy Changes in Brunei Teacher Education: Implications for the Selection of Trainee Teachers

To improve quality, teacher education programs in Brunei were recently eliminated at the undergraduate level and changed to master of teaching degree courses. Prospective teachers are required to obtain content-rich initial degrees prior to applying for teacher training. This study argues that the high entry qualification to teaching may, in itself, not guarantee teacher effectiveness. This study was to determine if those in teacher training were good candidates for long and effective teaching careers.     

The experience of black African religious education trainee teachers training in England

This study addresses issues surrounding the recruitment and training of black African religious education teachers within the context of the government’s intention to make the teaching profession more representative of the wider community. In relation to this there is a strong emphasis in the Teacher Training Agency’s Qualifying to Teach on selection procedures which promote equality of opportunity and the recognition of individual training needs. The study is informed by the work of Sikes and Everington who have highlighted the place of religion and culture within the personal histories of religious education teachers. Black African members of two successive cohorts of PGCE students are tracked to identify their training needs in relation to their cultural and religious backgrounds. The data identifies four cultural and religious factors which impact on their training to teach religious education in the UK. Finally, as advised by the Carrington Report, recommendations are made for the practice of teacher educators.     

Supporting the Construction of Teacher’s Practical Knowledge Through Different Interactive Formats of Oral Reflection and Written Reflection

The relevance of initial teacher education is a widely recognised concern. Researchers are striving to find innovative pedagogies that would better prepare student teachers for actual day-to-day teaching. In this study, a guided reflection procedure is presented that aimed to support student teachers in constructing practical knowledge and linking this with research-generated knowledge. In all, 21 student teachers at an Estonian university participated in the guided reflection procedure. Their lessons were video recorded, two meaningful events (one empowering and one challenging) selected, and oral (alone or with a peer or supervisor) and written reflections carried out. Differences between students’ practical knowledge as presented in (1) oral and written reflections and (2) in three oral reflection conditions were investigated. Results indicated that the procedure supports the construction of different types of practical knowledge. Moreover, the practical knowledge gained could be more easily transferred to other situations when the oral reflection was carried out with a peer or supervisor.     

PGCE Secondary Trainee Teachers & Effective Behaviour Management: an evaluation and commentary

This article addresses the important issue of initial teacher preparation in relation to classroom management. It is based on a study of Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Secondary) students in one university department. The study sought to ascertain the ongoing concerns of trainees during the course of their year's training, and to identify key issues for training providers as a result of this process. Data were gathered both by interview and by questionnaire. Carolyn Bromfield uses the findings to broker a discussion about the nature of behaviour training; her key message is that there is a need to move trainee thinking from a traditional behaviourist approach to one which highlights the relationship between behaviour and learning.     

Choice and diversity in English initial teacher education (ITE): trainees’ perspectives

In England, there has been an expansion of different routes into teaching resulting in an increasingly complex and diverse pattern of training provision. This reconfiguration of becoming a teacher is driven by concerns to improve the quality of teachers who are better able to raise standards in schools as well as to ensure a regular supply of teachers for the nation’s children. In consequence, there has been a move towards more school-based and school-led programmes set in a market-driven approach to pre-service teacher preparation. A great deal of research has focused on the implications of these structural changes in English teacher education, while much less attention has been paid to the perceptions and experiences of those who enrol on these diverse teacher education programmes.

This paper draws on a series of in-depth interviews with twelve trainee teachers following some of the different pathways into teaching in secondary schools. It explores the trainees’ rationale for choosing their route and how they describe the advantages and disadvantages of their chosen pathways.     

Elementary teachers’ science subject matter knowledge across the teacher career cycle

Although widely touted as important, there is little evidence regarding the influence of teaching experience on elementary teachers' science subject matter knowledge (SMK). To better understand this phenomenon, we administered an assessment of science topics taught in the fifth and sixth grades to 169 preservice teachers, 231 fifth-grade teachers, and 208 sixth-grade teachers. We then compared the mean scores of teachers at different stages in the career cycle using one-way and two-way ANOVA and explored the relationship between SMK scores and years of teaching experience using regression analysis. Findings indicate that (i) being assigned to a specific grade level had an impact on teachers' SMK for topics included in the grade level, (ii) teachers' SMK scores were lower later in their careers for both science topics they had never taught and for science topics they were responsible for teaching, and (iii) results differed for fifth and sixth grades. This study adds to the existing literature through the examination of a large sample of elementary teachers, with teachers of varying years of experience, while focusing on the science topics these teachers are responsible for teaching. The results of this study provide strong evidence that (i) years of experience teaching specific science topics is associated with the development of teachers' knowledge of these topics, and (ii) teaching experience, what teachers do in the context of their everyday practice, can be an effective means of self-directed learning for teachers. There is also evidence that this influence is not uniform across years of teaching experience or science topics taught. These findings raise important implications about future research into the mechanism of SMK development through teaching experience and teacher grade-level assignments.     

How do primary education trainee teachers perceive educational psychology?

Educational Psychology makes a significant contribution to the development of skills to research the effectivity of teacher practices in class. However, there is little agreement on what educational psychology concepts are most relevant for teacher training. This paper reports on trainee teachers’ self-perceived mastery of, and attributed importance to, the syllabus content of the Learning & Development module taken as part of the BA Primary Education programme at a university in Barcelona (Spain). Data were collected through a questionnaire answered by all the participants (N = 561) and a focused interview conducted with a representative sample (n = 24). Results showed that students attributed greater importance to syllabus topics related to socio-emotional development and teaching roles in the classroom. Theoretical topics, such as conceptual frameworks for development and learning, were less rated. Students reported deficient mastery of the syllabus topics and significant gaps between attributed importance and self-perceived mastery of contents were confirmed. Implications of our study results for teaching psychology to primary school pre-service teachers are discussed.     

Social justice and school linkages in teacher education programmes

This paper investigates current research into the role of education in combating social injustice, assembles this research to indicate key features of a teacher education programme that would assist education for social justice, and links these features to one innovative university teacher education programme to ascertain some of the practical difficulties in establishing such a programme. The research indicated key approaches that would enhance the probability that graduates from teacher education programmes will be able to pursue social justice initiatives.     

How Young Children Make Sense of Their Life Stories

Self, who we are and how we come to see ourselves, is increasingly viewed as the ongoing and changing story we tell about our lives. It is a story that begins in the early childhood years and that we actively construct out of the relational matrix of home, school, and community. Early childhood settings are crucial sites where young children construct stories of who they are in relation to others. Teachers play a meaningful role in guiding young children in constructing an ongoing sense of self in relation to others.