Transitions to becoming a teacher on an initial teacher education and training programme

This article is based on research with a group of one‐year Postgraduate Certificate in Education secondary trainee teachers during their initial teacher education and training in England. It considers tensions between trainees’ prior experiences and conceptions of teaching and their training programme. In doing so, it seeks to examine how a trainee’s dispositions as revealed through practice in various contexts are reflective of Bourdieu’s ‘habitus’. Associated with this, the paper also examines how particular forms of pre‐existing cultural capital and manifestations of biographical identity also pre‐dispose trainees to form affinities and disaffinities within particular fields. Lacanian concepts of the symbolic, imaginary and real are used to help explain how trainee teachers articulate resonance and dissonance during their field experiences, particularly in relation to ontological concerns of securing a professional stable sense of self.     

Aiming for agency. The effects of teacher education on the development of the expertise of early childhood teachers

Researchers worldwide have emphasized the critical role of teacher education in preparing teachers to respond in a professional manner to the prevailing discourse of accountability. We aimed to investigate the influence of initial teacher training programmes on agency, as part of the professional autonomy of early childhood teachers, vis-à-vis their impacts on teachers’ specific professional expertise. Drawing on qualitative data, we elucidate the vital role of early childhood teachers’ expertise in fostering their agency and the importance of teacher education for the development of this expertise. A quantitative follow-up study supports the qualitative findings. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Students’ conceptions of knowledge,the role of the teacher and learner as important factors in a didactic school reform

In the first part of this paper, conceptions of trainee teachers are defined, together with their importance for the process of teacher education. Many studies concerning teacher conceptions and models of teacher development show that the conceptions of instruction, knowledge, and teacher and learner roles are a key part of the teacher’s professional equipment. They affect his/her thinking, experiences and actions, and thus directly determine the quality of instruction and the teacher’s professional growth. The Slovene school system has been undergoing many changes in the past decade. The success of the reforms largely depends on the way teachers perceive knowledge and other basic educational categories. The purpose of the present study was to identify the conceptions of knowledge, teacher and learner roles held by the student teachers in primary education at the beginning of their professional training. Numerous categorizations of these conceptions were reviewed to form a four‐tiered hierarchic taxonomy of conception categories, ranging from teacher and content centred to learner and learning centred. The study shows that trainee teachers largely hold conceptions typical of the transmission model of education. The key question arising from this is how to shift the students’ conceptions towards a modern, cognitive‐constructivist model of education, which is an important basis for the didactic reform of the Slovene school system.     

Continuity and change in the visions of childhood in head start: Implications for early childhood teacher educators

ABSTRACT

Drawing on an autoethnographic approach, the purpose of this article is to support: 1) teacher educators in thinking about how to mentor sexual minority students as they consider the decision to disclose (or not) their sexual identities in their school placements; and 2) sexual minority students in navigating the decision to disclose (or not) their sexual identities in the context of practicum or student teaching. Early childhood teacher education faculty must be prepared to support sexual minority students in confronting decisions about disclosing their sexual orientation in the context of practicum and student teaching. Though sexual minority educators may choose to seek employment in schools or districts with explicit values about nondiscrimination, preservice teachers may not enjoy similar agency or protection, given that student placements are often dictated by geographic proximity to the university and partnerships with teacher preparation programs.     

Personal epistemology and relational pedagogy in early childhood teacher education programs

Over the last decade, research related to personal epistemological beliefs has offered insight into how to promote effective teaching and learning across educational settings. Personal epistemological beliefs reflect an individual's views about what knowledge is, how knowledge is gained, and the degree of certainty with which knowledge can be held. However, there has been no research that specifically investigates the relationship between such epistemological beliefs and early childhood practice. This paper draws together current research findings on epistemological beliefs and tertiary learning to provide a conceptual framework which can be used in early childhood teacher education programs to provide a basis for investigating early childhood teachers' understanding about their own learning and how they use this knowledge in their practice.     

Criteria for judging early childhood program goals

Four conceptions of curriculum operate simultaneously in early childhood education. If they are not all considered then “what is tested for” will dominate the others. Program goals should be judged on the basis of their , , and . There are seven ways in which the of goals are justified. There are five classifications which can account for the of goal statements. The uses of settings is the essential nature of the work performed by teachers of the young. Since much of teaching at this level is indirect, some setting factors can be judged good or bad without reference to goals.In addition to other dimensions, early childhood programs should be judged on the quality of their stated goals. The dificulty of developing and clarifying such criteria does not mitiate the need to do so.     

Aligning formative and summative assessments: A collaborative action research challenging teacher conceptions

Assessment innovations require explicitly challenging teachers’ assessment conceptions. In changing towards outcome-based curricula, aligning formative to new summative assessments is a challenge. This study, conducted in Dutch Agricultural Vocational Education and its new outcome-based summative assessments, aims to provide concrete insights into what teacher conceptions hinder the development of aligned formative assessment practices. In a structured collaborative action research, practitioners, researchers and consultants analyse teachers’ formative practices, identify underlying current conceptions and their misalignment to the new summative assessment system. An iterative process resulted in an overview of current conceptions versus required conceptions, showing required conceptual changes that are prerequisite for teachers to change towards formative assessment practices that are aligned to the new outcome-based summative assessment system.     

Becoming a Secondary Teacher in France: A trainee perspective on recent developments in initial teacher training

The paper begins by outlining recent reforms of initial teacher training in France, changes aimed at moving French teacher training away from its traditional focus on subject knowledge and pedagogic theory towards a stronger emphasis on classroom practice issues such as teaching and learning strategies and motivating reluctant learners. It goes on to examine the perceptions of some French trainee teachers; for example, how well prepared they felt for the challenges ahead and their training and support whilst on placement. Their responses reveal concern about the appropriateness and variability of some of their training, particularly school-based elements and mentor support. The responses also raise some interesting comparisons with experience in the UK and other European countries, all of whom are debating matters such as teacher accountability, societal expectations of the education system and how teachers should be trained. These comparative issues will be the focus for further research.     

Children's learning and developmental potential: examining the theoretical informants of early childhood curricula from the educator's perspective

The early childhood curriculum is informed by a complicated array of developmental and learning theories. In recent times these theories have been most readily articulated in approaches to curriculum planning emerging from the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) guidelines and the project work in Reggio Emilia. Drawing on a common theoretical heritage, each of these approaches places a certain emphasis on ideas emerging from cognitive constructivism and developmental theory. This paper explores the nature of these theoretical informants as they are played out in both DAP and Reggio Emilia. Findings from a study aimed at examining educators' conceptions of cognitive constructivism and developmental theory as utilised by DAP are reported, with the responses by four educators regarding these understandings in relation to their developing awareness of the Reggio Emilia approach detailed. The paper identifies differences in orientation between the educators' conceptions of developmental theory and constructivism relative to DAP and Reggio, and indicates the potential value further research in this area holds for examining how common theoretical informants can be played out to different effect across early childhood curricula.     

Using mathematical analyses activities to improve manipulative discrimination in early childhood teacher education

This article reports on the findings of manipulative analyses performed by preservice and in-service teachers in an early childhood teacher education program mathematics methods course. The activities are intended to model and promote mathematical analyses for better discrimination between mathematics manipulatives by early childhood teachers. Findings suggest that these activities elicit varied analyses by the teachers related to practical and pedagogical issues, but are initially lacking in mathematical considerations. Through modeling and practice, they do include mathematical considerations, possibly shifting their beliefs regarding manipulatives away from the common assumption that manipulatives will result in automatic learning. The depth of these analyses, though, suggests that greater focus is required in building a stronger content knowledge base.     

Improving early childhood teacher education: Preservice teachers' beliefs about inclusion

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs about the inclusion of children with special needs in early childhood settings. Nineteen female undergraduate early childhood education preservice teachers participated in one of five focus groups. Students were divided into three groups based on the courses they were enrolled in or had completed: Beginner (sophomore and junior courses), Intermediate (senior courses), and Advanced (student teaching). Additionally, 6 of the 19 students participated in individual interviews. Data analysis resulted in themes related to students’ beliefs and philosophies of inclusion, as well as their thoughts concerning practice in inclusive programs. This paper describes students’ beliefs within each group and compares responses across the different groups. Implications are discussed in relation to teacher education programs and directions for future research.     

Initial teacher trainees and their views of teaching and learning

One hundred and sixty-two student secondary teachers were followed through a postgraduate certificate in education course at a university department of education in England to identify, using a variety of methods, changes in their thinking about the teaching and learning process and initial training course. While it was found that student teachers' knowledge of teaching gained from earlier experience was highly influential in their views on teaching and learning and interpretation of the course, differences between individuals and curriculum groups emerged which suggest that the course of training could not be considered a constant, as had been assumed by earlier studies. Several issues are raised and discussed concerning the influence of preservice courses on student teachers' thinking and classroom practice, together with their implications for course design and the selection of students.     

Effects of Video Interaction Guidance on early childhood teachers

An experimental study showed that a video feedback intervention improved the interaction skills of early childhood education and care teachers. The teachers who had received the Video Interaction Guidance training appeared more stimulating in their behavior, were more sensitive and more verbally stimulating than teachers from the control group. The training results were still apparent three months after the training. An analysis of the behavior of teachers at micro-level also revealed positive outcomes. These findings show that video feedback training for early childhood educators is a promising method to increase their socio-emotional support and verbal stimulation in childcare practice.     

The effects of case‐based learning on early childhood pre‐service teachers' beliefs about the pedagogical uses of ICT

The study examined the extent to which case‐based learning could have an effect on pre‐service teachers' beliefs about the pedagogical uses of ICT in the classroom. One hundred second year early childhood pre‐service teachers enrolled in an ICT course participated in the study. Research data were collected with a questionnaire, reflection papers, course evaluations and focus interviews. The findings showed that initially the majority of pre‐service teachers had negative beliefs and certain misconceptions regarding the pedagogical uses of ICT and that case‐based learning effected their beliefs and conceptions. Future research studies should examine the extent to which a case‐based learning approach for the teaching of ICT in pre‐service teacher training can actually have an effect on appropriately integrating ICT into real classroom practices.     

论甘肃省域特色学前教育专业音乐课程体系的构建——以兰州城市学院特色学前教育专业(艺术方向)为例

我省学前教育专业均为普通学前教育专业,在音乐课程建设中存在定位不准、功能模糊等现象,导致学前教育专业音乐课程建设缺乏科学性和实效性.兰州城市学院学前教育专业被省教育厅批准为艺术方向的特色专业,构建富有学前教育专业(艺术方向)特色的音乐课程体系,不仅是兰州城市学院幼儿师范学院亟待解决的问题,同时也对我省高校学前教育专业音乐教育具有带动和辐射的作用.     

Early childhood teacher education: the case of geometry

For early childhood, the domain of geometry and spatial reasoning is an important area of mathematics learning. Unfortunately, geometry and spatial thinking are often ignored or minimized in early education. We build a case for the importance of geometry and spatial thinking, review research on professional development for these teachers, and describe a series of research and development projects based on this body of knowledge. We conclude that research-based models hold the potential to make a significant difference in the learning of young children by catalyzing substantive change in the knowledge and beliefs of their teachers.     

Finding balance: impact of classroom management conceptions on developing teacher practice

A sociocultural perspective on teacher learning was used to investigate how three beginning teachers’ conceptions of classroom management affected their developing teaching practices. Students were followed from student teaching through their first 2 years of teaching. Data sources included interviews, classroom observations, and teacher education portfolios. Although all three teachers shared common conceptions of management as establishing positive learning environments, only two of the teachers were successful in doing so. Four key ideas shared by these two teachers served as pedagogical tools that framed their decision-making and scaffolded their early practice. These four conceptions are linked to a course on classroom management not taken by the third teacher. Implications of these findings for teacher education are discussed.     

Preservice teachers,caring communities,and parent partnerships: Challenges and possibilities for early childhood teacher education

Abstract

The creation of caring classroom communities and a heightened focus on the central importance of partnerships between teachers and parents are two significant features of the revised guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices [Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, revised ed., National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC]. This article reports findings from a study of preservice primary grade teachers’ understandings of caring in which participants developed negative, adversarial beliefs about parents during their initial field placement period. The findings in this study indicate that in order to prepare preservice teachers to meet our expectations for high quality early childhood teaching practices, we must create teacher education programs and coursework specifically aimed at developing commitments to caring community and to parent partnership.     

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.