How do teacher mentors perceive their role,does it matter?

Mentoring student-teachers and novice teachers constitutes a critical factor in teacher-education programmes and yet, little emphasis has been placed on the mentors themselves, particularly in relation to their own professional development (PD) and the construction of their identities. Does it really matter? This study investigates two groups of mentors: one group who received professional training and one group who received no professional training. The research questions address how mentors perceive their role, what preparation they receive to serve as effective mentors, and what are their professional needs. The study illuminates essential aspects of the mentors’ role perception and the impact of mentoring education on the professional identity of mentors. The implications are that low involvement in PD workshops could be linked to the uncertainty in mentors’ own self-perception as mentors. How mentors perceive their roles does matter if they wish to gain recognition by significant others within their institutions. Likewise, schools need to provide a supportive culture which is fundamental to identity construction.     

Making sense of professionalism and being a professional in a Kenyan higher education context

The concept of the professional in the context of a rapidly expanding higher education sector in a developing country offers interesting insights into the values, attitudes and motivations of lecturers. The article charts the expansion of higher education and summarises the challenges that it faces. It goes on to examine through interviews with faculty (staff) in one private university in Kenya what they understand by professionalism, what constitutes professional (and less than professional) behaviour and whether they feel that the institution supports or militates against professionalism amongst the academic workforce. The findings suggest that their view is unproblematic and resides in their specialist knowledge and accompanying values and behaviours and is less concerned with status, autonomy or agency. Faculty are clear what a professional is and what constitutes professional behaviour, but appear to recognise and accept that this is a low-status profession where colleagues struggle to survive materially, often prioritise extra teaching for research and enjoy limited opportunities for professional development. The research suggests that Kenya, and other countries in a similar position, may well struggle to provide an environment where professionalism will flourish as staff face a range of challenges to grow and improve their higher education system.     

导师视角下社科类研究生专业基础阅读的思考——以教育管理专业为例

专业基础阅读是指研究生为学好本专业而围绕核心学科及相关学科开展的结构性、储备性、奠基性阅读,它不同于学术研究阅读——如为专题论文写作和学位论文研究而开展的文献阅读或专题阅读,它对社科类学术型研究生的专业成长具有极为重要的价值。本文结合教育管理专业研究生的培养经验,例析社科类研究生专业基础阅读中存在的实际问题,进而建议社科类研究生在阅读目的上从“学以致用”转变为“学以致知”、在阅读内容上从“杂乱无章”发展为“自有体系”、在阅读素养上从“海绵型”读者成长为“钻石型”读者。     

Puberty,health and sexual education in Australian regional primary schools: Year 5 and 6 teacher perceptions

The research reported in this paper investigates why teachers in regional primary schools in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia, are choosing to outsource the teaching of sexuality education. A survey was conducted of 29 Year 5 and Year 6 teachers from local primary schools. The teachers provided information about: their confidence in delivering sexuality-related topics; their perceptions of the relevance of given sexuality topics to their students; the teachers' own professional development preferences; and what they saw as their personal limitations in teaching sexuality education. Teachers tended to report low confidence in teaching topics that are considered ‘sensitive’, such as menstruation, wet dreams and sexual intercourse. Furthermore, they indicated a need for professional development in teaching sexuality education. The greatest hurdle identified lies in identifying how to motivate, engage and support teachers to take a professional interest in teaching sexuality education.     

“Practising what we preach”—teacher educators’ dilemmas in promoting self-regulated learning: a cross case comparison

Teacher educators, as mentors involved in developing student–teacher learning, encounter increasing demands to promote self-regulated learning (SRL) in their students. This study investigated how teacher educators are committed to promoting SRL in their students, as well as how they promote their own professional development as self-regulated learners, which may (or may not) mirror the way they support SRL in their students.In both the Israeli and Dutch teacher education contexts, the study investigated how teacher educators conceptualize SRL and what they mean by actively utilizing SRL approaches, both as a framework for their own professional development and as a way to involve their students in self-directed learning.The study notes several professional dilemmas teacher educators face with respect to SRL. These dilemmas seem to be connected to their underlying conceptions of teaching and learning, as well as the demands of the setting in which they teach. Furthermore, what teacher educators themselves are doing in terms of SRL does not align with what they are teaching others to do; this divergence was the case in the Dutch context more than in the Israeli context. As such, teacher educators struggled with both learning to use SRL approaches themselves, and teaching their students to use them.     

A “Chameleonic” Identity: Foreign-Born Doctoral Students in U.S. Counselor Education

This study explored the interplay between a multidimensional model of acculturation and professional identity development among eight foreign-born doctoral students in U.S. counselor education. Themes generated through an interpretive phenomenological analysis revealed that the participants, while trying to adapt to the Euro-American cultural context of their counselor programs, experienced a sense of conflict, loss, and grief, resulting in what they called a “chameleonic” professional identity. Findings illustrated that for international counseling students, professional identity development is an arduous and complex process deeply intertwined with their acculturation experiences. Implications for counselor programs and future research are further discussed.     

Professional support staff at higher education institutions in Sweden: roles and success factors for the job

This paper aims to analyse and discuss the professional support staff at higher education institutions in Sweden in terms of how they view their roles and what the success factors for them are. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with support staff from the fields of business liaison, internationalisation and strategic research support. The results show that the participants have shaped their own roles and see themselves as back-office staff. This can make it challenging for them to prove their contribution to the academic activities of education and research. Because they neither identify themselves as administrators nor hold academic positions, their ability to build credibility on a personal basis is a central success factor. Aware of being actors in a culture dominated by academic values and norms, they see a more transparent discussion of their roles as a desirable development in the sector.     

Addressing contradictions in teachers’ practice through professional learning: an activity theory perspective

ABSTRACT

This case study focuses on the professional learning of 38 K-9 teachers who engaged in a professional development (PD) programme in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through collaborative action research (CAR). Through the lens of CHAT or Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the author examined what teachers were learning, the contextual factors that influenced their learning and classroom practice, and the outcomes of this PD initiative. The changing activity system of the teachers is described, as well as how they addressed contradictions in their practice. Addressing these contradictions resulted in an expansion of their object and professional growth. The study contributes to a growing body of research in teacher education which applies CHAT as a conceptual framework to understand teacher professional learning and how interactions among activity system components influence teachers’ development and practice.     

Knowledge foundations for teaching reading and spelling

Changes in education policy, the accumulation of research evidence that skilled instruction prevents and ameliorates reading failure, accountability requirements, and a new emphasis on multi-tiered interventions in schools are all causing a growing interest in improving teacher knowledge and skill in reading instruction. Consensus frameworks that explain reading development and individual differences provide an outline for what teachers need to know. The details of that content, however, including the English phonological system, the organization of English orthography, and the language structures that are processed during reading and writing, are challenging for teachers to learn. Recent studies are reviewed that investigate the relationship between teacher knowledge, practice, and student outcomes. The paper argues that teachers must have considerable knowledge of language structure, reading development, and pedagogy to differentiate instruction for diverse learners. Policy mandates for improvement of reading achievement should provide for more effective teacher education, as the knowledge base is not learned casually or easily. Research on how teachers best develop expertise should inform our licensing and professional development programs.     

Managers,researchers, teachers and dabblers: enabling a research culture in nursing departments in higher education institutions

This small-scale study investigates the research activity of individuals employed as nurse educators in higher education. Four distinct interpretations of their role emerged from the work they chose to do. Managers, researchers, teachers and dabblers had different views on the importance of scholarly activity in higher education. All groups appreciated the value of research for evidence-based practice. However, the different situations often limited their opportunity for research inquiry and the type of activities they committed to undertake. A research culture appears to be essential for all four groups; teachers to inform their curriculum delivery, researchers to be fully appreciated for their contribution to the advancement of professional nursing knowledge and dabblers to encourage and support their research initiatives. Managers are fully aware of the importance of research to curriculum development and implementation, yet are often overburdened with operational and administrative tasks and so have the most difficulty in finding time for research. It is argued that senior management should consider a radical rethink of the multifaceted nature of a nurse educator's role in higher education institutions in order to promote and nurture a culture that is conducive to their research activity.     

Toward a Pedagogy of Transformation

An on-going challenge in teacher education programs is how best to support new teachers in connecting their university coursework with their professional identity development and pedagogical practice in the schools. The reading and writing of case studies is one promising strategy teacher educators have explored as a means of assisting teachers in developing and cultivating a self-reflective, theory and practice reflexive, style of learning in the teacher education classroom and beyond. In the present paper, I present a case study of my own journey as a developmental and educational psychologist responsible for co-teaching a secondary teacher education course called "Adolescent Development for Teachers", in which having student-teachers research and write-up a case study of a single adolescent became the focus of the course and our pedagogy. I describe events that brought about the use of the case study in the course, the influence the use of the case study had on myself as an instructor as well as the students, and what students say are the educational benefits and difficulties of completing the adolescent case study. Implications for infusing a developmental focus into teacher education programs are discussed.     

Survivors of the Storm: Teaching in a Post-Katrina World

This article describes the independent reading and research project of an early childhood education graduate student who taught in a school district heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina. She surveyed a sample of kindergarten teachers in the district to determine how they were responding in the aftermath of Katrina. The voices of teachers reflect their personal and professional struggles as they went about teaching in a post-Katrina world. She describes the challenges she faced in completing this project and what she learned through this experience.     

Reframing Westernized culture: insights from a Critical Friends Group on EcoJustice education

In this article I report the findings of an intrinsic case study involving seven ecologically minded teachers who participated in a Critical Friends Group (CFG) for five months. The topic of our discussions was EcoJustice education, which involves analyzing and reframing Westernized culture. Findings are focused on how the participants grappled with what EcoJustice education means and their affective responses to both the content and the professional development experience. Analysis of the data revealed that reframing Westernized culture takes time, that it is not merely an intellectual exercise but also an emotional and psychological one, and that personal internalization comes before practical application. The participants also indicated that they valued being in a CFG where they could be honest and vulnerable as well as supported, connected, inspired, and challenged. I conclude by recommending CFGs as a model for transformative professional development in environmental education.     

论幼儿教师实践智慧的优化策略

幼儿教师实践智慧作为关注幼儿成长需要、应对教学活动突发事件以及支持教师专业成长的重要因素,在引导幼儿身心成长和促进教师专业发展中起关键作用,是当前学前教育研究的热点领域。其优化途径和策略的探索发掘也是当前众多学者普遍关注的问题。基于对幼儿教师实践智慧存在价值与基本理念的认识,文章提出尊重幼儿教师个体的实践创造、加强幼儿教师的专业实践训练、建立幼儿教师实践智慧共享机制、鼓励幼儿教师进行实践反思与自我超越的优化途径和策略,旨在帮助幼儿教师在其专业实践中更好地获得、分享自己的实践智慧,促进专业成长,为幼儿成长提供更为优质的指导。     

Professional primary school teacher identity development: a pursuit in line with an unexpressed image

The results presented in this article are taken from a case study of novice primary school mathematics teachers’ professional identity development from the perspective of the teachers themselves. The empirical material was collected through self-recordings, observations and interviews. The results show how the professional identity development of these novice teachers becomes a pursuit in line with their image of a primary school teacher. To develop a sense of themselves as primary school teachers they need to establish their own criteria - individual (including graduation and personal knowledge) and social (the ability to work in one school, have colleagues and have a class of their own for which they do the planning and teaching). These criteria are shown to be both a precondition for and a part of professional identity development. The novice teachers’ image of what it means to be a primary school teacher directs their actions and becomes the goal of their professional identity development. Because of its high impact, student and novice teachers’ image of primary school teachers ought to be made visible in both teacher education and teacher induction.     

In good hands: Preparing research-skilled graduates for the early childhood profession

Recent developments in early childhood teacher education have seen the inclusion of curricula designed to serve the concept of continuous professional renewal through educating undergraduates in the interpretation, execution, and use of research. The challenge for educators is to “demystify” research and teach in ways that are professionally meaningful as well as intellectually acceptable. In this study, we follow three groups of early childhood students as they engage in a one-semester research subject. Focus groups and individual interviews showed considerable shifts in student attitudes about the value of research and in their development toward becoming active researchers who see research as a tool for answering questions in education.     

Digital game building: learning in a participatory culture

Background: Research findings indicate that developing good relationships with pupils, managing classroom processes adequately and developing confidence and trust with other teachers are among the aspects of teaching that are found to be challenging. Although many studies conclude that collaborative reflection is a crucial activity for supporting teachers’ professional development in school, studies that focus on what teachers reflect on and how they reflect are more limited.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to improve our understanding of what situations teachers experience as challenging in their teaching, what types of help they seek when trying to manage such situations and, furthermore, how teachers reflect together on how to develop as teachers, when they have time to collaborate.

Sources of information and method: The study aimed to explore these areas theoretically by bringing together data from, and discussing the implications of (1) an interview study and (2) a formative intervention study which involved teachers from lower secondary schools in Norway working with a researcher–participant. The data were analysed by using the constant comparative method of analyses. By discussing aspects of these two studies together, the research aimed to identify and address some of the theoretical questions pertinent to teacher development.

Findings and conclusions: The analysis and discussion of the data from the two studies illuminates teachers’ recognition of the value of having time to reflect together. It also indicates, however, that it is not only a matter of teachers having time to observe, reflect together and focus on their development processes: the types of discourse used during collaborative reflection must also be suitable. The researcher–participant’s role highlighted the untapped potential to be found by looking into how language is used in dialogues aimed at supporting teacher development. Helping teachers to develop the skills to reflect collaboratively and constructively, in a way that ultimately improves teaching and learning, is therefore an important challenge for teacher education and the education of teachers and school leaders.     

“To make the tacit explicit”: Teacher education, emerging discourse, and conceptions of teaching

The influence of teacher education on teaching is a problematic area, both in practice and in research. Often, because much research adopts a “first-order” perspective which focuses on teachers' behaviors, influences of teacher education are seen as temporary, negligible, or difficult to determine. The study reported here grew out of a general concern to document, via a “second-order” perspective which examines their thinking and perceptions, how teachers modify or improve what they do through formal teacher education. It addresses three important areas which have received little attention in recent research: foreign language teaching, in-service graduate education, and the role of a shared, professional discourse in developing teachers' conceptions of teaching. The paper presents a summary of the findings of an 18-month longitudinal study which examined how foreign language teachers' conceptions of their classroom practice developed as they took part in an in-service teacher education program. The paper discusses how the program's shared professional discourse contributes to increasing the complexity of the teachers' thinking about their teaching and suggests that as they learn to articulate their de facto ways of thinking in the shared discourse, the teachers gain greater control over their classroom practice and are thus more able to shape it to their own ends.     

Noticing and weighing alternatives in the reflection of regular classroom teaching: Evidence of expertise using mobile eye-tracking

Instructional videos are widely used to study teachers’ professional vision. A new technological development in video research is mobile eye-tracking (MET). It has the potential to provide fine-grained insights into teachers’ professional vision in action, but has yet been scarcely employed. We addressed this research gap by using MET video feedback to examine how expert and novice teachers differed in their noticing and weighing of alternative teaching strategies. Expert and novice teachers’ lessons were recorded with MET devices. Then, they commented on what they observe while watching their own teaching videos. Using a mixed methods approach, we found that expert and novice teachers did not differ in the number of classroom events they noticed and alternative teaching strategies they mentioned. However, novice teachers were more critical of their own teaching than expert teachers, particularly when they considered alternative teaching strategies. Practical implications for the field of teacher education are discussed.

     

Using a Retrospective Pretest to Measure Learning in Professional Development Programs

Millions of dollars are spent annually on professional development, and designers of training events recognize they must demonstrate to all stakeholders the value added by these programs. The purpose of this study was to measure the learning that occurred during professional development seminars for community college academic department chairs. The research question was the following: What increases in knowledge and skills did program participants attribute to their training experience? Using Alliger and Janak's model for levels of learning as a conceptual framework, data were collected through a preliminary questionnaire on learning needs, session and overall evaluations, and a retrospective pretest addressing 35 knowledge and skill areas. Statistical analysis of retrospective pretest results for six areas identified by participants as priorities indicated that participants felt learning had occurred as a result of the seminar (significant at .0001 level). The retrospective pretest instrument was deemed an effective tool for evaluating learning in continuing education offerings, higher education professional development events, and similar settings.