Book Reviews

ABSTRACT

Student foundational knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is formed in their elementary education. Paradoxically, many elementary teachers have constrained background knowledge, confidence, and efficacy for teaching STEM that may hamper student STEM learning. The association between teacher preparation to teach STEM and student achievement in STEM motivated the authors' professional development program. The authors created and implemented a professional development program to address K–5 teacher confidence for, attitudes toward, knowledge of, and efficacy for teaching inquiry-based STEM. Using data from 2 independent cohorts the authors found significant and consistent increases in pre- to postinstitute assessments of teacher confidence, efficacy, and perceptions of STEM. Further, they found increased participant attention toward linking STEM curriculum and instruction to learning standards. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Teacher expectations in a university setting: the perspectives of teachers

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate the bases of teacher expectations in higher education. The first author interviewed 20 university teachers from an English-as-a-foreign-language course, exploring their expectations for the first-year undergraduates in their classes. The grounded theory method was adopted to analyse the data that had been collected. The results showed that for this sample of 20 teachers, student characteristics were important contributing factors to their expectations in the teachers’ university settings. The factors the teachers considered important included students’ (a) prior academic achievement, (b) motivation, (c) study skills, and (d) academic discipline. Also, teacher characteristics were found to be another major source of these university teachers’ expectations, including teachers’ (a) past teaching and learning experience and (b) teaching self-efficacy. The findings suggested that the bases of teacher expectations in higher education may differ from those at the elementary or secondary school level.     

Preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusion: Early childhood education and elementary education programs

Abstract

Teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of children with disabilities play a central role in the successful inclusion of these children into general education classrooms. This study examined possible predictors of preservice teachers’ attitudes toward (1) persons with disabilities, and (2) inclusion of children with disabilities into general education classrooms. Participants were students majoring in early childhood education and elementary education. Preservice teachers’ attitudes toward persons with disabilities and inclusion were explained significantly by their personal relationships with persons who have disabilities and the number of courses related to special education/teaching strategies taken. However, preservice teachers’ experiences working with persons who have disabilities was not a significant predictor. Further, the relations between preservice teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion and personal experience variables were mediated by their attitudes toward persons with disabilities. This study provides evidence that more effective, practical experiences and course content related to children with disabilities, inclusion, and teaching strategies need to be provided in teacher education programs to support successful efforts with inclusion. This study also suggests that teacher education programs should strive to improve students’ attitudes toward inclusion, as well as toward persons with disabilities.     

The Relationship between Personality and Achievement Variables in the Elementary School

Abstract

A 20-hour training program in human relations skills was provided for two groups of student teachers using the model initially developed by Carkhuff (3). One group received training concurrent with the student teaching experience while the other received human relations training immediately prior to student teaching experience. A control group of student teachers received no training. Results indicated that the training was highly successful, however, the group trained before the student teaching experience decreased in human relationship skills following the experience. The concurrently trained group, while exhibiting no deterioration, did not achieve as high an initial level of functioning as the former group. The attitudes of both experimental groups toward the training experience were extremely favorable. Implications of the findings for the timing of human relations training groups in the teacher education process were considered.     

Prospective teachers’ teaching experience: teacher learning through the use of video

Background: Future teachers need to observe, interpret and analyse teaching during the initial teacher education period. The use of videoed teaching and learning in teacher education promotes reflection, and analysing videos of teaching is helpful in learning effective classroom practices that prospective teachers mostly do not have the chance to observe during fieldwork experiences. The analysis of videos of teaching can be seen as a way to enhance the development of prospective teachers’ professional vision, which, in turn, improves instruction. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine prospective teachers’ reflections on video examples depicting their own teaching experiences. It aimed to create a professional development environment to facilitate the prospective teachers’ reflection on their own videos and those of their peers to improve their professional vision. Sample: This study was conducted with over 200 (in 31 groups) third-year prospective mathematics teachers in a university in Western Turkey. The student teachers, receiving training to teach first- to fourth-grade elementary school pupils, were taking a teaching methods course. Design and methods: In the first week of the semester, the student teachers, working in groups, were assigned mathematics topics to teach the elementary school pupils. During the semester, each group prepared by trying out their activities in front of other student teachers in other groups. At the end of the semester, one student teacher from each group presented a short lesson related to their mathematical topic to the elementary school pupils. This lesson was videotaped, then later it was watched and discussed by the student teachers. Of the student teachers who undertook the teaching in the videos, 22 volunteers agreed to be interviewed. All groups of student teachers provided written reflections on their experience. Selected videos of the class discussions about the videos of teaching were also used for triangulation. The data were analysed to identify the issues the prospective teachers reflected upon. A content analysis technique was employed. Results: The data indicated that the prospective teachers were able to reflect on several issues related to effective teaching, connect their theoretical knowledge to their practice and consider issues related to pupil learning and difficulties. Conclusion: The findings suggested that the use of video, together with discussions between the student teachers, had the potential to create promising learning opportunities for prospective teachers.     

Hear our voices: Student teachers' experiences during practical teaching

Abstract

Practical teaching forms an integral part of teacher training. Teacher education programmes at the University of South Africa (Unisa) are no exception. However, there are two sides to this coin. On the one side, research studies led to the conclusion that teaching practice is a valued and a very necessary part of teacher education for students to become competent teachers. On the other side, it was also concluded that teaching practice was less than satisfactory because of deficiencies in the quality of supervisor teachers and in the application of theory in practice. Given the critical importance of practical teacher education, there has been a concern among lecturers at Unisa about how student teachers experience their teaching practice periods. A survey based on two unstructured questions and open-ended semistructured questions as a data collection instrument was undertaken with a sample population of third-year teacher training students to determine the negative and positive experiences of student teachers during their teaching practice. It was evident from the findings that the most outstanding positive experience of the student teachers concerned was the support system offered to them by the supervisor teacher. Negative experiences included exposure to bad discipline in the classrooms and the enlistment of students as cover teachers, thus precluding the presentation of lessons as planned. These findings compelled the researchers to prepare students during their training more thoroughly for what they might experience while doing their teaching practice.     

Can cooperating teachers help student teachers develop a vision of education?

Abstract

Research in teacher education is increasingly concerned with teachers' visions of education and their sense of calling, mission, and professional identity. Interviews with outstanding cooperating teachers focused on exploring their beliefs on teacher vision, and what makes a good teacher. The teachers were also asked to discuss their beliefs on whether vision—and the independence of spirit that a strong vision is thought to foster—is relevant in their work with student teachers. The teachers revealed a strong sense of why they teach and shared goals around several themes. They also maintained that reflection is key to developing a vision of education. Teacher education programs can support these teachers' views of quality education by developing conceptual frameworks that foster reflection and the development of a vision for education, particularly in the student teaching experience.     

Recent Developments in Teacher Education in the United States of America

Two national reports published in 1986 marked the beginning of teacher education reform in the United States of America. Both of these reports proposed a twofold approach to teacher education reform: first, to enrich the professional education of teachers by eliminating undergraduate teacher certification programs and requiring graduate level training; and second, to change the structure of the teaching profession by replacing the existing undifferentiated system in which all teachers have the same rank with a two-tiered system in which lead teachers or career professionals would assume higher level responsibilities and receive higher salaries than regular teachers. A ten-year follow-up report identified some progress toward these goals of teacher education reform but criticised schools of education for not making greater efforts to connect their educational programs to elementary and secondary schools. The report argued specifically for professional development schools to link university schools of education to school systems. Most of the recent efforts to reform teacher education have adopted this approach. A particular focus has been the preparation of new and experienced teachers to educate an increasingly diverse student population.     

Environmental Pollution: An Ecological Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of participation in a 3-day outdoor environmental education program on preservice teachers' attitudes toward self-efficacy—which is a teacher's belief that he or she can teach environmental education (EE) effectively—and on outcome expectancy—which is a teacher's estimation of his or her influence on student learning. Participants were a convenience sample of 72 preservice elementary teachers taking a science methodology course at a state university. Participants were divided into 2 groups for this modified pretest/2-posttest/control group study. The instrument for all 3 tests was Sia's (1992) Environmental Education Efficacy Belief Instrument. The authors used parametric t tests to compare group means. The results suggested that the preservice teachers' self-efficacy was high before the program and remained unchanged by their teaching experiences but dropped significantly approximately 7 weeks after teaching. The lack of change in self-efficacy from the teaching experience was attributed to the structured nature and success of the teaching experience, but the negative effect of time on self-efficacy was believed to have resulted from the preservice teachers reevaluation of their ability to teach as they learned more about teaching methodologies. In addition, there was no significant change in outcome expectancy as a result of participation in the program or over time (7 weeks).     

DELINQUENCY AND THE SCHOOLS

Primary teachers in their first year of teaching, and two groups of students in their final year of university, were surveyed in order to determine the nature of attitude changes during teacher education and in the first teaching year. One group of students was followed into its first year of teaching. The attitudes of the trainee teachers and novices were contrasted with those of experienced teachers and non‐education students over a two‐year period, using a semantic differential instrument.

The overall finding was that Lortie's contention that the attitudes of American teachers are based on their own early experiences as pupils in school holds for Australian teachers also. While there was some change in student attitudes during the final university year, towards the ‘progressive’ orientations of the university course, this orientation did not persist far into the first year of teaching.     

Impact of early clinical experiences on student attitudes about diversity

Abstract

Undergraduate pre‐service teachers enrolled in the first professional semester of an early childhood teacher preparation program were assigned clinical placements in schools with diverse student populations. Pretest and posttest self‐report questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to gain insight into the impact of the experience. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the feedback indicate that early clinical placements in diverse settings can positively impact student attitudes toward children of religious and cultural groups different from their own. Such experiences can also impact student views of priorities in teacher education. Implications for teacher preparation programs are offered.     

“Asking,Learning, Seeking Out”: An Exploration of Data Literacy for Teaching

Abstract

The current study explored preservice and inservice teachers’ perspectives on data literacy for teaching. Semi-structured interviews were employed with 12 teacher candidates in elementary and special education. The findings revealed participants’ misconceptions regarding formative and summative data; their understanding of the value of formative data; perceptions of challenges related to data literacy for teaching including time, making sense of data, and reliability and validity; and candidates’ preferences for authentic data literacy instruction.     

Mentoring by Prospective Teachers as Preparation for Working with Children at Risk

The effectiveness of a dyadic relationship between student teacher and individual child, referred to as 'mentoring', is examined. Interviews between student teacher and teacher educator revealed that student teachers benefited from the experience in their understanding of children, especially those at risk. They also improved interpersonal and teaching skills. These effects could be enhanced by supervisor guidance.     

Trained for isolation: The impact of departmental cultures on student teachers' views and practices of collaboration

Today, isolated practice is regarded by most educators, administrators and policymakers as an inadequate way of performing teachers' work. Most teachers and teacher educators embrace the current dominant discourse on the virtues of teacher collaboration, but these beliefs do not always materialize in the way programs of initial teacher education are organized and in the way student teachers experience their practice training. This paper examines this contradiction by analyzing the network structure and contents of teachers' professional interactions with student teachers and among themselves in two secondary-school English departments. The data show that despite the formal arrangements and the discourses favoring collaborative practice, the student teachers within the two departments were socialized into professional cultures that framed their views of themselves and of teaching in essentially isolated ways. The paper discusses implications of these results for studies of collaborative cultures in teaching and for the training of beginning teachers.     

Understanding Early Adolescents Through Dialogue Journals

The purpose of this article is to share the results of a study that explored the recommendations of practicing teachers about ways to prepare preservice teachers for including children with disabilities into general education classrooms. A survey was distributed to 71 practicing general elementary education teachers. The survey included the following questions: What should the general education student know about teaching students with special needs? Should this information be included in one course or integrated with other course content? General education teachers reported that teacher education programs should include the following content: behavioral strategies, conflict resolution and social skills, identification of students with special needs, adaptation of curriculum and materials, adaptation of instructional strategies, legal regulations and individual education programs, and co-teaching, teaming, and collaboration. These data suggest that preservice teacher preparation programs would include content courses to address these thematic areas and present a solid knowledge base about teaching children with disabilities.     

Implementing Humane Technology: Short-Term Training for Teachers

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine if one brief workshop in humane education would change teacher classroom behavior sufficiently to bring about recognizable student gains. Twenty-two elementary and nine secondary teachers were trained to use Flanders’ Interaction Analysis to assess their classroom behavior and to build programs for improvement based on that assessment. While the single session did produce statistically significant gains on a number of indices, it was not sufficient to change behavior patterns so as to result in measureable student gains. It was concluded that the short-term training was enough to train the teachers to use the instrument for assessment, but not enough to bring about behavior change.     

Pedagogical influence of interaction with cooperating teachers on the efficacy beliefs of student teachers

Abstract

Cooperating teachers are often identified as some of the most important figures in the preparation of new teachers, and the reasons are not difficult to understand. Surprisingly, however, very little research has been conducted to quantify the effects of cooperating teachers on student teachers. This study examines the impact of student teachers' perceived interactions with their cooperating teachers and the influence that interaction has on student teachers' self‐efficacy for teaching. Results indicate a moderate correlation between perceptions of teaching efficacy and cooperating teacher‐student teacher interactions. Differences were found in the frequency of interaction based on the certification level of the student teacher, with elementary level student teachers perceiving a greater amount of interaction with their cooperating teachers. However, no differences based on certification level were detected in perceived efficacy. Student teachers' perceptions of the level of guidance offered by their cooperating teachers provided the most reliable predictor for their efficacy belief.     

Teaching Collaboration between a University Professor and a Classroom Teacher

Significant improvement in teacher education and classroom practice can be attained by successful collaboration between university faculty and public school teachers. This paper shares an experience of collaboration between a university professor and a Fourth-grade teacher in teaching a Language Arts Methods course. The experience started with differences in teaching philosophy between the two participants. This paper articulates how the differences stimulated the two participants to change, and how they built their trust and achieved success in their collaborative teaching.     

Paired peer learning through engineering education outreach

ABSTRACT

Undergraduate education incorporating active learning and vicarious experience through education outreach presents a critical opportunity to influence future engineering teaching and practice capabilities. Engineering education outreach activities have been shown to have multiple benefits; increasing interest and engagement with science and engineering for school children, providing teachers with expert contributions to engineering subject knowledge, and developing professional generic skills for engineers such as communication and teamwork. This pilot intervention paired 10 pre-service teachers and 11 student engineers to enact engineering outreach in primary schools, reaching 269 children. A longitudinal mixed methods design was employed to measure change in attitudes and Education Outreach Self-Efficacy in student engineers; alongside attitudes, Teaching Engineering Self-Efficacy and Engineering Subject Knowledge Confidence in pre-service teachers. Highly significant improvements were noted in the pre-service teachers’ confidence and self-efficacy, while both the teachers and engineers qualitatively described benefits arising from the paired peer mentor model.     

A Study of Student Disciplinarian Practices in Two Georgia High Schools

Abstract

In thin study pupil control Ideology was conceptualized along: a continuum ranging from “custodialism” at one “extreme to “humanism” at the other. Hypotheses were deduced from a conceptual framework which emphasized the saliency of client control in organizations with unselected clients. Data for student teachers (N = 282) were collected from students who completed their student teaching experience during the 1065-06 school year at Oklahoma State University; the instruments were administered and completed in group meetings both before and after student teaching. It was hypothesized that student teachers would be significantly more custodial in their pupil control Ideology after the student teaching experience than before; separate tests of the hypothesis were made at both the elementary and secondary levels. Ail hypotheses tested were confirmed at a level of significance beyond the .001 level.