Teaching efficacy beliefs of national board certified physical educators

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards offers a voluntary advanced certification for K-12 teachers. The majority of teachers who pursue this professional development program live in the USA, although there are National Board Certified teachers across the globe. This study examined National Board Certified Physical Education Teachers’ (NBCPETs) teaching efficacy beliefs. In total, 334 NBCPET participants completed a demographic questionnaire and survey that included the Teacher Efficacy Scale. From that group, 65 were randomly selected and interviewed. Participants described perceptions of their abilities to influence learning and perceptions of how their teaching effectiveness compared to non-board certified physical educators. Teacher Efficacy Scale scores of respondents revealed strong Personal Teaching Efficacy (PTE), and their PTE scores were higher than their General Teaching Efficacy scores. Most NBCPETs expressed confidence in their abilities to influence student learning. Emerging themes related to their perceptions about their own teaching success were as follows: differentiated instruction, persistence, connection with and care for students, and work in a content area conducive to influencing students. While comparing their own teaching effectiveness with non-NBCPETs, most participants articulated a propensity to reflect on practice, a deeper understanding of and commitment to teaching effectiveness, and greater motivation to excel.     

Quality of the early childhood education environment and interactions,and their relationship with time dedicated to free play (Calidad del entorno y de las interacciones en educación infantil y su relación con el tiempo dedicado al juego libre)

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the quality of early childhood education (ECE) environments, the quality of teacher-child interactions and the duration of free play in 22 ECE classrooms in the Valencian Community, Spain. Twenty-two ECE teachers of four- and five-year-old preschoolers participated in the study. The quality of ECE environments and teacher-child interactions were evaluated using the ECERS-3 and TSRS, respectively. The time children spent in free play and non-free play was also registered. The study concluded that the quality of ECE environments was minimal. The scores of teachers on emotional support were in the medium-high range and scores in instructional support were low, with direct instruction as the predominant teaching style. Indoor free play was positively related to the overall quality of ECE environments and the quality of teacher-child interactions. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to the results of other studies in the Spanish context.     

Technology and Early Childhood Education: A Technology Integration Professional Development Model for Practicing Teachers

Despite the promise of technology in education, many practicing teachers are faced with multiple challenges of effectively integrating technology into their classroom instruction. Additionally, teachers who are successful incorporating educational technology into their instruction recognize that although technology tools have the potential to help children, they are not ends in themselves. This article describes a Summer Institute project that the authors facilitated in a medium sized midwest public university. The summer workshop afforded participating early childhood education teachers exciting opportunities to interact with various instructional tools and technology applications. Further, the practicing teachers explored various strategies to integrate specific technology tools into their lessons in a manner consistent with constructivist pedagogy. This article is intended to stimulate reflections on the need to adopt a suitable technology integration professional development model in early childhood education classrooms to support young learners.     

A case study of how a sample of preservice teachers made sense of incorporating iPads into their instruction with children

The increased use of and demand for technology in early childhood education classrooms and programs creates new challenges for practicing and preservice early educators being asked to employ such technology within their teaching. Early childhood teacher education programs have struggled to meet these demands for teaching their students how to integrate such technology into their instruction with young children. Preservice teachers who do receive such training often fail to develop the skills and/or beliefs required to implement technology effectively into their own classrooms. The study reported on in this article addresses this issue by providing insight into how a sample of early childhood preservice teachers who used iPads and their apps in their coursework and high-stakes early learning field placements made sense of using these devices as teachers. Such findings illuminate instructional opportunities for teacher educators to consider as they seek to assist their students in making sense about how to implement as well as adopt appropriate and effective instructional strategies into their own classrooms.     

BRIDGING THE DIFFERENCES TO UNCOVER THE SIMILARITIES: DISCIPLINES WORKING TOGETHER IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The study examined the integration of science and mathematics methods courses and preservice teachers’ understanding of constructivism. The participants were 50 preservice teachers who were enrolled in early childhood education mathematics and science methods courses, and an early childhood practicum. The two methods courses were integrated and the instructors adopted a collaborative approach, including common syllabi, texts, assignments, and teaching strategies. The preservice teachers completed e‐journal reflection that were subsequently coded and analyzed. The findings suggested that the instructional approach enabled students to develop and refine their understanding of constructivism. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

Child Skills and Teacher Qualifications: Associations with Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Reading Instruction for Struggling Readers

This study explored the extent to which kindergarten and first grade teachers provided individualized reading instruction to struggling readers during a unique one‐on‐one reading instruction task. Three outcomes of teachers’ instructional strategies were captured: code‐focused strategies, meaning‐focused strategies, and level of challenge. Child skills in decoding and vocabulary/oral language as well as teacher qualifications of education, experience, and knowledge of reading were examined in relation to the three instructional strategies. Multilevel analyses showed relationships between child skills and reading instructional strategies, with teachers generally using code‐focused and meaning‐focused strategies, as well as an appropriate level of challenge, with children who struggled less with early reading. Although teacher education was not associated with any of the reading instructional strategies, teacher experience and knowledge of reading was associated with meaning‐based instruction and the level of challenge provided to struggling readers.     

Learning to teach: Effects of classroom observation,assignment of appropriate lesson preparation templates and stage focused feedback

This article focuses on improving the instructional quality of student teachers in elementary education. We developed a coaching approach involving classroom observation and appropriate lesson preparation and feedback templates. Using an untreated control group design with pre-test and posttest (n = 198), we answered the question ‘whether student teachers who learned to teach with the new coaching approach achieved a higher level of pedagogical and didactical teaching skills compared to student teachers who did not receive this approach’. The effect variable used was the observation instrument ICALT. We compared the average scores of the control group and the experimental group on the posttest (ANCOVA). The differences found on the posttest, after controlling for the confounding variables, were significant on all ICALT scales. These effect sizes are medium on the scales; ‘Safe climate’, and ‘Clear instruction’, and large on the scales; ‘Classroom management’, ‘Activating pupils’, ‘Adaptive teaching’, and ‘Teaching learning strategies’.     

Teaching to address diverse learning needs: development and validation of a Differentiated Instruction Scale

In the province of Quebec, Canada, a trend towards full inclusion has impelled teachers to adapt their instruction to meet the needs of both advanced and weaker learners in regular school settings. The main purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate the Differentiated Instruction Scale (DIS), which assesses the use of instructional adaptations and academic progress monitoring strategies in general education classrooms. A total of 125 elementary school teachers participated in a cross-sectional study, allowing us to develop and validate the DIS. Overall our results show that the DIS is composed of two factors that are consistent with the predicted constructs (instructional adaptations and academic progress monitoring). Evidence of convergent validity is provided through correlations among DIS' subscales and two criteria: (1) teachers' autonomy support and (2) perceptions of school climate. Results also reveal that teachers tend to use instructional adaptations that do not require much preparation or tailored instruction. The DIS could thus be used in future research to investigate outcomes of differentiated instruction. Moreover, it could provide useful information on optimal strategies for promoting learning in children with different abilities in general education classrooms.     

An Evolution of Mathematical Beliefs: A Case Study of Three Pre-K Teachers

This case study involved examination of the evolution of mathematical beliefs of three prekindergarten teachers. The researcher followed three teachers at one school in west Alabama over the course of 6 months as they implemented a new mathematics curriculum in their pre-K classrooms. Interviews were conducted prior to implementation and at the end of the school year. Classroom observations were done throughout the implementation process. Three themes emerged from the data (a) math resources for the pre-K classroom, (b) pushing beyond—thinking mathematically, and (c) instructional strategies used the pre-K classroom. These themes revealed how all of the teachers' perceptions of early childhood mathematics curriculum and instruction evolved during the course of the study. These findings have implications for early childhood teacher education programs and professional development.     

Early Childhood Educators’ Self-Efficacy in Science,Math, and Literacy Instruction and Science Practice in the Classroom

Research Findings: Quality early science education is important for addressing the low science achievement, compared to international peers, of elementary students in the United States. Teachers’ beliefs about their skills in a content area, that is, their content self-efficacy is important because it has implications for teaching practice and child outcomes. However, little is known about how teachers’ self-efficacy for literacy, math and science compare and how domain-specific self-efficacy relates to teachers’ practice in the area of science. Analysis of survey and observation data from 67 Head Start classrooms across eight programs indicated that domain-specific self-efficacy was highest for literacy, significantly lower for science, and lowest for math. Classrooms varied, but in general, engaged in literacy far more than science, contained a modest amount of science materials, and their instructional support of science was low. Importantly, self-efficacy for science, but not literacy or math, related to teachers frequency of engaging children in science instruction. Teachers’ education and experience did not predict self-efficacy for science. Practice or Policy: To enhance the science opportunities provided in early childhood classrooms, pre-service and in-service education programs should provide teachers with content and practices for science rather than focusing exclusively on literacy.     

Constructivism and classroom teachers: What can early childhood teacher educators do to support the constructivist journey?

Abstract

Constructivism is a theory of learning that has become increasingly accepted by educators. Yet translating a theory of learning into practical instructional strategies has proven to be quite difficult for teachers. A qualitative study was recently completed that examined primary grade teachers’ understanding of constructivism and its influence upon their teaching practices. Analysis indicated that the teachers had several misconceptions of constructivism and were at varying levels of understanding, based upon their experience and professional development in constructivist education. This study has implications for the teacher education field, and early childhood teacher educators can play an important role in helping preservice and inservice teachers gain a deeper understanding of constructivism and implement teaching practices based upon this understanding. Suggestions for colleges of education are given.     

Making curriculum relevant to the lives of second level students: Teachers’ classroom practice

Abstract

This paper examines the professional practices of exemplary, post‐primary teachers in Ireland, England and the USA and identifies the ways in which these teachers make classroom experiences relevant to the lives of their students. In making the curriculum relevant, the teachers plan rich experiences and overtly discuss career requirements while focusing on the development of students’ personal and societal values together with their intellectual development and academic attainment. The main strategies used by these teachers to convey the relevance of the curriculum comprised self‐disclosure, the purposeful selection of curriculum content and instructional strategies, and the use of unanticipated opportunities which arise in the course of instruction.     

Teaching with student response systems in elementary and secondary education settings: A survey study

This study examined how 498 elementary and secondary educators use student response systems in their instruction. The teachers all completed an online questionnaire designed to learn about their goals for using response systems, the instructional strategies they employ when using the system, and the perceived effects of response systems. Participants in the study tended to use similar instructional strategies when using the technology as have been reported in higher education. These include posing questions to check for student understanding and diagnose student difficulties, sharing a display of student responses for all to see, asking students to discuss or rethink answers, and using feedback from responses to adjust instruction. A latent class analysis of the data yielded four profiles of teacher use based on frequency of use and breadth of instructional strategies employed. Teachers who used the technology most frequently and who employed broadest array of strategies were more likely to have received professional development in instructional strategies and to perceive the technology as more effective with students.     

What’s in a score? Problematizing interpretations of observation scores

Several recent, large-scale observations of naturally occurring classroom instruction have found consistent patterns in how teaching quality systematically varies across domains of instruction, patterns not found in student survey measures. Teaching quality is highest when examining aspects of classroom management; moderately high when examining aspects of student support; and low when focusing on the quality of the instructional support provided to students. This paper problematizes this interpretation, arguing that observed data patterns could result from dilemmas inherent in measuring teaching quality through observation. In problematizing these conclusions, we highlight the complexity of trying to measure instruction at scale, arguing for the need for caution and consideration of the complexity of measurement when interpreting scores from observation systems.     

Inservice Teachers Mentoring Aspiring Teachers

This qualitative study examined the impact of mentoring relationships upon preservice and inservice teachers' literacy instruction. Twenty-two undergraduate students seeking teacher certification were assigned in pairs to tutor primary school students in a university reading clinic. Eleven classroom teachers seeking reading specialist certification conducted ten mentoring sessions with each pair of preservice teachers. Purposeful sampling was used to select three of the mentoring teams for data analysis. In two out of three teams, results indicated that preservice teachers expanded their instructional strategies as a result of three components of the mentoring relationship: selection of strategies, organization, and non-judgmental support. All inservice teachers reported increased reflection on and adaptation to their instructional strategies. Findings support the conclusion that early mentoring experiences foster growth for both preservice and inservice teachers.     

Inquiry-based Instruction with Archived, Online Data: An Intervention Study with Preservice Teachers

This mixed methods study described preservice teachers’ conceptions of tides and explored the efficacy of integrating online data into inquiry-based instruction. Data sources included a multiple-choice assessment and in-depth interviews. A total of 79 participants in secondary, middle, and early childhood teacher education programs completed the multiple-choice assessment of their baseline knowledge of tides-related concepts. A sub-group of 29 participants also was interviewed to explore their understanding of tides in more detail before instruction. Eighteen of those 29 teachers participated in the instruction, were interviewed again after the instruction, and completed the multiple-choice assessment as a posttest. The interview data sets were analyzed via a constant comparative method in order to produce profiles of each participant’s pre- and post-instruction conceptual understandings of tides. Additional quantitative analysis consisted of a paired-sample t-test, which investigated the changes in scores before and after the instructional intervention. Before instruction, all participants held alternative or alternative fragments as their conceptual understandings of tides. After completing the inquiry-based instruction that integrated online tidal data, participants were more likely to hold a scientific conceptual understanding. After instruction, some preservice teachers continued to hold on to the conception that the rotation of the moon around the Earth during one 24-hour period causes the tides to move with the moon. The quantitative results, however, indicated that pre- to post-instruction gains were significant. The findings of this study provide evidence that integrating Web-based archived data into inquiry-based instruction can be used to effectively promote conceptual change among preservice teachers.     

Prospective teachers’ skills of attending,interpreting and responding to content-specific characteristics of mathematics instruction in classroom videos

This study explores prospective teachers’ skills of attending, interpreting and responding to content-specific characteristics of mathematics instruction in classroom videos. Prospective teachers analyzed the mathematics instruction of two teachers through four video clips and proposed alternative instructional ways to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. The results indicated that as prospective teachers examined the teachers’ instructional practices, they increased their level of attending and interpretation to content-specific aspects of instruction rather than focusing on generic dimensions of the instruction. When they watched and compared different characteristics of teachers’ mathematics instruction, they provided more detailed and mathematical instructional suggestions.