Promises and Challenges: Exploring a collaborative telementoring programme in a preservice teacher education programme

Telementoring offers many promises for collaborative opportunities in a teacher education programme. Unbounded by time and location, telementoring provides a forum for collaboration and collegiality between primary stakeholders in teacher preparation: preservice teachers, cooperating teachers, and university professors. This article explores a vision of telementoring that went unrealised. Through challenging lessons learned, the authors offer a plan for setting up an effective mentorship triad, utilising the World Wide Web as the medium to implement the telementoring context. Our triad of mentorship has the capacity to be expanded to include successive groups of novice teachers, creating a web of mentorship that will help inform all of our practices. It indeed holds great promise for the future.     

论高校教师合作文化的构建

社会变革、教师专业发展和高等教育教学改革都在呼唤构建以平等、民主、对话为特征的合作性教师文化。构建高校教师合作文化有助于促进教师发展,推动高校组织文化建设,推进高等教育改革。其实现途径包括：教师应转变观念、学会学习;努力营造合作氛围;建立发展性教师评价机制和建设互助合作的教师团队。     

Using rapid application development to improve the usability of a preservice teacher technology course

The aim of this research was to examine the use of a rapid application development (RAD) approach in improving the usability (effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal) of instructional materials for preservice teachers. The RAD approach used was the analysis, synthesis, evaluation and change (ASEC) model (Reigeluth & Nelson, 1997). After examining existing materials, 11 units of instruction were prototyped, tested, modified, and retested with the requisite changes being implemented over the course of three semesters. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 570 students, 7 instructional designers, and 4 lab assistants. Results of the study showed significant increases in usability scores between the second and third semester. Both positive and negative experiences in using a rapid development model are discussed.     

Supporting teacher professional development through online video case study discussions: An assemblage of preservice and inservice teachers and the case teacher

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential value of online video case discussions among preservice and inservice teachers, and the video case teacher as a tool for the professional development of teachers. Participants included a total of 26 preservice and inservice mathematics teachers and a veteran teacher who appeared on the video case. Using content analysis techniques, we provided a thematic analysis of the teacher discourse and demonstrated the exchanges between the participating teachers and video case teacher. We also assessed the overall effectiveness of our online forum set up for the professional development of teachers. Results indicated that participant teachers were able to make theory–practice connections by articulating specific frameworks that guided our study. The inclusion of the video case teacher was beneficial for the other teachers in several ways. We contend that online forum discussions of video cases in which collective engagement of preservice and inservice teachers, and the case teacher have a great potential to support teacher professional development.     

Coteaching as a model for preservice secondary science teacher education

This paper focuses on a 3-year, longitudinal study of the implementation of coteaching, as an innovative approach for preparing high school science teachers enrolled in an undergraduate science teacher education programme located in the United States. The coteaching|co-generative dialogue|co-respect|co-responsibility dialectic is introduced as a way to conceptualise coteaching practice and support successful implementation. We also discuss means to introduce coteaching into the preservice programs and report on findings from an evaluative study of the implementation process. Coteaching has the potential to re-conceptualise teacher preparation and professional development models for science teachers.     

Synergistic scaffolds as a means to support preservice teacher learning

This study investigates the role of synergistic scaffolds in supporting preservice teachers’ knowledge of self-as-teacher. Data include preservice teacher papers written before and after the introduction of scaffolds, surveys, and interviews. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze differences in the quality of the papers, the relationship between the scaffolds and the preservice teachers’ revisions, and the preservice teachers’ perceptions of which scaffolds best supported their learning. We conclude that carefully designed synergistic scaffolds can support preservice teachers in their exploration of self-as-teacher. Implications of our findings for teacher education and suggested areas for further research and development are discussed.     

High efficacy and the preservice reading teacher: A comparative study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential impact of two field experiences, tutoring and observing, on preservice teachers’ reading self-efficacy and content knowledge. Participants completed an adapted, reading version of The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES). Results showed that both groups reported growth in reading self-efficacy and content knowledge; however, there was only a marginally significant difference between reading self-efficacy motivation scores. Mean score differences showed that the observers changed more in their reading efficacy than the tutors; however, a greater number of tutors found the field experience to be worth maintaining in future courses.     

Defining content for field-based coursework: Contrasting the perspectives of secondary preservice teachers and their teacher preparation curricula

The current study examined changes and continuities in how 11 secondary teacher preparation programs and 743 preservice teachers conceptualized the content and sequence of field-based teacher preparation. Although curricula and candidates differed regarding the knowledge each deemed as most relevant for field-based preparation, they largely agreed on the types of learning activities considered as most meaningful for the acquisition of that knowledge base. Possible explanations for these discrepancies and continuities are discussed.     

The development,trial and evaluation of a constructivist teaching and learning approach in a preservice science teacher education program

This paper reports on the use of a constructivist teaching/learning approach to improve first year pre-service primary teachers' confidence in, and attitude to, teaching science. The two-semester program was based on allowing the students to explore science concepts in detail during the first semester and then developing constructivist pedagogy in the second semester. There were many benefits reported by students including ownership of knowledge, the development of pedagogic skills and the use of group work to develop ideas. However, a number of concems were raised such as uncertainty of knowing what to do when exploring knowledge for themselves and the lack of note taking which occurred. A number of issues that need to be considered when re-implementing the program are discussed.     

Teaching manual communication to preservice teachers of the deaf in an accredited comprehensive undergraduate teacher preparation program

NOTING THAT there are no standardized manual communication curricula or proficiency assessments available to teacher preparation programs, the author used a case study to describe how preservice teachers of the deaf are taught to incorporate American Sign Language and various forms of signed English as effective communication tools for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. An accredited undergraduate teacher preparation program located in a rural area was selected for the study. Eight curricular components were examined, and data were triangulated from observations, interviews, and document analyses. The author found (a) that manual communication was taught in three required courses making up 6.57% of the overall curriculum, (b) direct application to the classroom was limited, and (c) there was minor misalignment across the eight curricular components examined. The program did not require an exit-level proficiency exam.     

Reconsidering usage of blogging in preservice teacher education courses

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' perceived benefits of instructional blogs, classroom community, course satisfaction, and learning. The data were obtained via surveys administered throughout Fall 2009. Fifty preservice teachers from two undergraduate courses participated in this study. Results indicate that students did not utilize the full benefits of blogging. Students mainly used blogs for information sharing, rather than discussion or reflection. Additionally, preservice teachers' course satisfaction and perceived learning were found to be related to their feeling a sense of learning community.     

Creating and facilitating a teacher education curriculum using preservice teachers’ autobiographical stories

Preservice teachers’ autobiographical stories can serve as a personal, powerful, and poignant curriculum for teacher education. This research examines what and how preservice teachers learned through sharing their own and witnessing others’ autobiographical narratives in a literacy methods course. The teacher educator’s key role is examined in facilitating a public context of vulnerability in which preservice teachers shared painful stories revealing their sociocultural inequalities and personal struggles as literacy learners. Roles of the teacher educator are discussed in the transformation of autobiographies into deep understandings, universal connections and substantive strategies for preservice teachers to teach literacy effectively with diverse students.     

Professional development and the beginning teacher: issues of teacher autonomy and institutional conformity in the performance review process

This paper discusses some of the conditions that have facilitated the use of a customised virtual learning environment as part of a blended learning approach on a part‐time postgraduate initial teacher training programme for prospective primary school teachers. It is based on data gathered as part of a study of the impact of e‐learning on students following a part‐time flexible postgraduate route to Qualified Teacher Status. It concludes that the success of these particular virtual communities can be attributed to the balance, on the programme, between face‐to‐face and e‐learning together with the nature and structuring of the e‐learning tasks; the focus on professional learning with the immediacy of its application in the work‐place; its focus on independent and student‐led interaction; and the motivation and personal circumstances of the students involved.