Preparing the Next Generation of Science Teacher Educators: A Model for Developing PCK for Teaching Science Teachers

Science education doctoral programs often fail to address a critical piece—the explicit attention to the preparation of future science teacher educators. In this article, we argue that, in addition to developing skills and a knowledge base for research, doctoral students must be given the opportunity to observe, practice, and reflect on the pedagogical knowledge necessary to instruct science teachers. In particular, we contend that the construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can be adapted to the context of knowledge for teaching science teachers. We use the PCK construct to propose a model for the development of knowledge for teaching science teachers, grounded in our experiences as doctoral students and faculty mentors. We end by recommending a vision for doctoral preparation and a new standard to be included in the ASTE Professional Knowledge Standards for Science Teacher Educators.     

教学比赛:教师个体成长的阶梯——基于优秀教师PCK建构的个案研究

教师在参加教学比赛过程中,课程改革的推动作用、教研活动的促进作用、名师培养机制和教师合作共同体的支撑,对教师个体专业发展具有非常重要的意义。因此,要加强教学比赛的示范引领作用,开展教研活动,激发教师PCK生成,促进教师专业发展,完善教师在职培养制度,为教师个体专业发展保驾护航。     

The function and integration of components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in classroom teaching: a case study of business English teachers

While pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been studied across a wide range of research areas, including science, language teaching and mathematics, there is limited research on the role of PCK in business English (BE) teaching, an important teaching area of English for Specific Purposes. Informed by the conceptual framework of the PCK model for BE teaching, this study examined how four BE teachers integrated the PCK components in their actual classroom teaching in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in China. The analysis of multiple sources of data including classroom observation, semi-structured interviews and teaching materials, identified the different patterns and ways in which the four PCK components (i.e. knowledge of the purposes of BE teaching, knowledge of instructional strategies for BE teaching, knowledge of students’ understanding of BE, and knowledge of the BE curriculum) functioned and were integrated in BE teaching. Implications for BE teaching practice and suggestions for future research on PCK in BE teaching are presented in the paper.     

Approaches to studying and perceptions of the academic environment among university students in China

It has been claimed that students from “Confucian-heritage” cultures approach studying in higher education differently from Western students. This study investigated the experiences and the approaches to studying of students at a university in China. A total of 356 students completed both the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI). Their responses to the CEQ yielded two factors concerned with student support and course demands. Their responses to the RASI yielded two factors: a deep/strategic approach and a surface approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of student support were more likely to adopt a deep/strategic approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of course demands were less likely to adopt a surface approach. In broad terms, the students' perceptions and approaches to studying were similar to those of Western students, though with some specific differences. The findings add to the literature on Chinese students' approaches to learning and also have practical implications for teachers seeking to promote more desirable forms of studying in their students.     

大学物理教学的改革与实践

从提高大学物理教学质量入手,分析了大学物理教学现状,对大学物理教学的改革与实践进行了探讨．研究内容包括三个方面：教师综合素质的提高、立体化教学资源的建设、教学模式的实践和教学评价体系的改进．     

Development of a Scale to Assess the demand for specific competences in teachers after graduation from university

Universities in Germany show an increasing need for specific information on professional demands encountered and addressed by graduates training to become teachers. To provide information on demands and abilities in teaching graduates, a specialised teacher module was developed in the framework of the German Cooperation Project for Graduate Tracer Studies (KOAB, INCHER Kassel). The scale operationalises a model of teacher action based on guidelines published by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK 2004; 2000). To test validity of the 40-item-strong scale, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, AMOS) was conducted. Analyses are based on a sample of 937 teachers in training who graduated from the universities of Cologne and Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2008. Overall, the results of the first analyses emphasise the scale’s potential to provide insight into the demands for which students should be prepared by their teaching studies.     

Changing the teaching/learning procedures in physics for agricultural engineering. A case study

The subject ‘Physical Fundamentals of Engineering’ for agricultural engineers in the University of Extremadura has long had high rates of students not attending classes, not presenting for examinations and, finally, failing the subject. During the 2007 and 2008 courses, the teaching/learning procedures were strongly modified. Analysis of the proportion of students taking final examinations and of the final marks shows that the new procedure leads to a satisfactory progress in most of the objectives, including a general improvement in their marks and pass rates. In particular, it was found that the new procedure needs to be maintained by the teachers for at least two courses for the greatest success.     

A case study of women instructors and their education in the reign of Abdulhamid II

Abstract

This study demonstrates how the cultural role of Ottoman women began to change during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as well as considering emerging conflicts due to their altering roles in society as they were educated in the Darulmuallimat (teachers’ college for women) and acquired social positions as woman instructors. The first phase of the study is about schooling for women in the late Ottoman Empire and how women became teachers. The work mentions an interesting historical document which shows the relationship between a female instructor and a director of education (maarif müdürü) in Trabzon. This document also points to the disturbances aroused by these changes in women’s social status which needed to be reconstructed. It indicates how the government took measures to preserve the existing norms as women became more visible in the community and reminded them that their first responsibility was always about preserving their chastity and esteem. The first woman teachers to commence participating in the public sphere were effective at shaping and structuring culture in the Ottoman Empire; thus they should be investigated in terms of their social roles and their effects on cultural transformation as well. The case of Macide Han?m is considered in the cultural, economic, and political contexts of late Ottoman history with an emphasis on women’s education and modifying social roles. The study was carried out by scrutinising historical documents in the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives, especially documents in the maarif mektubi kalemi section.     

PCK:教师教学观念与教学行为发展的桥梁性知识

PCK具有观念性特征和实践性特征,它既影响着教师教学行为的发展,又影响着教师教学观念的发展,在教师教学观念和教学行为之间的互动发展中发挥着桥梁性作用。     

The effects of feedback from students to university instructors: An experimental study

This article reports the results of an experimental study of the effects of students' evaluative feedback to university instructors. Data obtained indicated that feedback from students did not have any significant effects on the instructors' teaching performance and their perception of teaching. Some limitations of the study are discussed with suggestions for further exploration of the problem.     

The implementation and development of science process skills in the natural sciences: A case study of teachers' perceptions

Abstract

The notion of scientific literacy, with its concomitant emphasis on science process skills gave rise to this study. This case study research sought to explore the perceptions of four primary school Natural Sciences teachers with respect to the implementation and development of science process skills at classroom level in a disadvantaged urban primary school in South Africa. Qualitative data, generated via focus group interviews and classroom observations were analysed. These data revealed that the implementation and development of science process skills were strongly influenced by the teacher's confidence and understandings of these skills, and that these in turn could be coupled to their present and past experience of science process skills. A key recommendation of this study, that might go some way to addressing these issues, is the implementation of high quality and sustained (over a long period of time) appropriate in-service training of primary school Natural Sciences teachers.     

大学物理实验课的课程体制研究与探索

黄山学院2002年成立以来,为适应教学改革和素质教育的需要,通过对物理实验课程的研究与实践,本文提出理科大学物理实验课程体制建设的建议。     

大学初任英语教师职业认同影响因素的调查研究

近年来教师职业认同已成为一个独立研究的领域。本研究从职业生涯周期的角度出发,调查研究大学初任英语教师职业认同及其影响的因素。本研究对广西的12所大学的74名初任英语教师的职业认同状况及影响因素进行了问卷调查,调查的结果表明初任英语教师的总体职业认同水平较高。影响因素中教师自传和教学环境对初任英语教师职业认同都有影响,其中教学环境中的学校文化对教师的职业认同起决定性作用。     

Enthusiasm vs. experience in mentoring: a comparison of turkish novice and experienced teachers in fulfilling supervisory roles

his study investigates how trainee teachers perceive their supervising teachers’ supervisory competency. Through a questionnaire that was specifically developed for this study and which contained open-ended questions, student teacher candidates were asked to comment on their supervising teachers’ competency in preparation for supervision, instructional planning and reflection, and collegial supervision and effective mentoring. Data for this study was gathered from 690 student teachers who were in their last year in college pursuing a teaching credential. The results indicated that the student teachers rated their supervising teachers’ competency in supervision as poor to partially competent. Although there is no significant relation found between the gender and fulfillment of supervisory duties, the main significant finding was between supervising teachers’ experience in teaching and completion of the supervisory role. The results showed that the younger or less experienced supervising teachers demonstrated better supervisory skills. Furthermore, our results indicated that although experience is important, it should not be the only criterion for selecting supervising teachers for supervisory duty.     

Teacher change: ideas emerging from a project for the teaching of university mathematics

This paper reports the changes that occurred in the didactic approaches of three professors who participated in a project intended to develop new ways of teaching mathematics to second year university students. An enactivist perspective is used to address the process of change that emerged as a result from interactions during project meetings. We describe changes in the participants' actions by looking at data obtained from the meetings and the classrooms. Teachers were able to ‘see more’ and modify their teaching practices incorporating a more open and flexible approach in accordance to their structural state which depended on their previous history. Therefore, the results varied. It was possible to observe, however, similar changes in all members of the group which included the use of vocabulary from learning theories and the inclusion of in-depth reflections on teaching and learning.     

Prerequisites for the successful group mentoring of first-year university students: a case study

In this article we present a case study on a group mentoring practice proven successful in earlier studies in terms of student self-regulation and collaboration. The purpose of our study was to uncover the factors behind the success by interviewing the mentor teachers. The findings showed that the group mentoring focused on four main themes: (a) promoting social relationships, (b) providing personal support, (c) providing study guidance, and (d) strengthening the agency of students. The findings suggest that the leading ethos of group mentoring was related to a humanistic approach to mentoring. However, successful mentoring also seemed to require both situated apprentice and critical constructivist perspectives in addition to the humanistic approach. It is concluded that the combination of multiple goals and contents in group mentoring is the main contributing factor behind the success of the mentoring model examined. Additionally, the teachers reported a variety of positive impacts of group mentoring on teachers’ work.     

Individual and collective agencies in China's curriculum reform: A case of physics teachers

This study explores how physics teachers in a high school negotiate the relationships between individual and collective agencies in the context of the on-going curriculum reform in China. Drawing on Bandura's social cognitive theory, the study employs ethnographical methods including observation, interviewing, and the researcher's and teachers’ reflective journaling through the researcher's involvement with various school activities. The findings indicate that collective teacher agency creates a platform for individual teachers’ professional development, a conducive culture for teacher collaboration, and provides concrete examples that individual teachers can constantly refer to, reflect upon, and learn from for reform implementation. The results offer an understanding of the influences underlying physics teachers’ agency deployment as they engage with curriculum reform processes, especially the negotiation between individual and collective agencies. The findings justify a case for preparing physics teachers on how to deploy both individual and collective agencies in the face of the complicated social structures and ultimately shed light on the desired curriculum decentralization in the Chinese school system.     

高校学生评教的结构方程模型分析——以唐山学院为例

在教学质量评价体系中,学生评教占据着重要地位,科学合理地分析学生评教数据,对于增强评教结论的说服力及科学性有着重要意义。文章通过构建结构方程模型,运用SmartPLS对学生评教数据进行计算和验证,对学生评教指标体系的数据关系及内部结构进行了研究和探讨,并以实证为例对学生评教存在的问题及改进措施进行了分析。     

Care,thoughtfulness, and tact: a conceptual framework for university supervisors

The pedagogical work of university supervisors has received little attention in teacher education literature. Based on this concern, this paper provides a conceptual framework for university supervisors, recasting their role as teacher pedagogues focused on responding to the particular contextual needs of student teachers as they learn to teach. Using care, thoughtfulness, and tact as a conceptual framework, the author argues for an interactive and responsive pedagogy of field‐based teacher education grounded in the university supervisor’s concern for the development of the student teacher.     

多媒体技术在大学物理教学应用中存在的问题及对策分析

本文分析了多媒体教学的优势和教学中容易带来的问题,探索了更好地发挥多媒体教学作用的方法和原则。