Pre-service education for primary school English teachers in Indonesia: policy implications

Although English is only an extra-curricular subject at primary level in Indonesia, expectations over the improved quality of the teachers are exceptionally high . This is the case in the past few years in which the low proficiency of primary English teachers and their lack of teaching competencies have repeatedly been pointed out as major constraints. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether this problem is attributed to the delivery of pre-service education in preparing primary school English teachers. This paper gathered data from teachers, language teacher educators, primary school principals, members of educational boards, and educational consultants. The data were analysed using Grounded Theory in order to examine the adequacy of pre-service education in Indonesia to prepare primary school English teachers as well as factors that contribute to its efficacy or lack thereof. The findings of the study demonstrate the need for specific preparation for primary school English teachers as well as further training for teacher educators. This present study is highly relevant to Indonesia and other Asian countries where teacher efficacy is a major concern.     

关于中职幼师专业英语教学的思考与实践

伴随我国学前教育幼儿英语课程的广泛开设,如何更好地进行幼师英语教学,培养出符合时代要求的复合型优秀幼儿英语教师,如何变革才能使中职幼师专业的毕业生顺应我国学前教育的发展,胜任具有启蒙意义的学前教育,是中职幼师专业英语教学中应思考和总结的问题。     

Future teacher scholarship programs for science education: Rationale for teaching in perceived high-need areas

Data from Oklahoma Future Scholarship Recipients were collected covering awards over a seven-year period. Scholarships ($1000–$1500 per year) were awarded by the State Regents for Higher Education to attract and retain potential teachers into the teaching of science. The study focused on the reasons that these teachers (N=58) went into the teaching of science. From the survey teachers went into teaching because (in ranked order) they want to teach subject matter; they were committed to social change; they liked to work with and be a positive force in the life of children (adolescents), etc. They did not go into teaching for money, because it was easy, because they drifted into it, or because it was not their first choice. The teachers who received scholarships like teaching science, liked teaching, and are (they say) likely to stay in the field, but they would have gone into teaching anyway: 82% were not enticed into either the field or the discipline of science by their scholarships. Those who would use scholarships in the $1000–$1500 per year range, as a marketing strategy, to attract students to a discipline such as science should rethink the efficacy of this approach.     

Which English? Standard English and Language Variety: Some Educational Perspectives

The aim of this paper is to provoke thought on the role of standard English in the early years of education. It examines the nature and function of a standard and highlights its close relationship with political aims and its potential for liberation and oppression. The reality of language variety and bilingualism is outlined and leads to a discussion of standard English and early schooling. The paper concludes with some suggestions for avoiding the standard English trap.     

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.     

Future teacher scholarship programs for science education: Rationale for teaching in perceived high need areas

Data from Oklahoma Future Teachers Scholarship (OFTS) recipients were collected covering awards over a seven-year period. Scholarships ($1000–$1500 per year) were awarded by the State Regents for Higher Education to attract and retain potential teachers into the teaching of science. The study focused on the reasons that these teachers (N=58) went into the teaching of science. From the survey, teachers went into (in ranked order) teaching because they wanted to teach specific subject matter, they were committed to social change, they liked to work with and be a positive force in the life of children (adolescents), etc. They did not go into teaching for money, because it was easy, because they drifted into it, or because it was not their first choice. The teachers who received scholarships like teaching science, like teaching and say they are likely to stay in the field. However, the OFTS recipients indicated they would have gone into teaching anyway, 82% were not enticed into either the field or the discipline of science by their scholarships. Those who would use scholarship(s) in the $1000–$1500 per year range, as a marketing strategy, to attract students to a discipline such as science should rethink the efficacy of this approach.     

Transversal traits in science education research relevant for teaching and research: A meta‐interpretative study

This study is a meta‐interpretative analysis that focuses on research conducted and published by other researchers. Concepts central to this study include global practical relevance, curriculum design, and formative situation. We analyzed 35 studies selected from 374 published studies in the years 2000 and 2001 in three journals referenced in the International Scientific Index. Using a replicable methodology developed specifically for this research, we found evidence of s clusters of variables that suggest the existence of transversal traits in the 35 science education research studies. These results form a reference framework of theoretical and practical knowledge relevant for research and practice pertaining to teaching and learning science. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 574–599, 2008     

Complexity and contradiction: Disciplinary expert teachers in primary science and mathematics education

This article presents a systematic literature review about disciplinary expert teachers in primary science and mathematics education. This is a timely synthesis of the literature, as current reforms in teacher education in Australia and internationally require primary teachers to have specialised knowledge in a learning area. Systematic review protocols were used to identify and evaluate the relevance of numerous articles of which thirty-seven were included in the final analysis. Findings show insufficient evidence about whether expert teachers have a positive impact on instructional quality and student learning. Implications are discussed with reference to the current policy moment in Australia and teacher education more broadly.     

Common European framework of reference for languages (CEFR): insights into global policy borrowing in Malaysian higher education

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has emerged as a global policy in language education which has been ‘borrowed’ by nations across the world. This paper presents a critical analysis of Malaysia’s borrowing of the CEFR as part of English language curriculum reform with particular reference to policy motivation and implementation processes as outlined in the English Language Education Roadmap for Malaysia (2015–2025). The analysis draws on Phillips and Ochs’s (2003, “Processes of Policy Borrowing in Education: Some Explanatory and Analytical Devices.” Comparative Education 39 (4): 451–461.) framework for examining educational policy borrowing to highlight challenges as well as prospects of the implementation of the global policy in higher education in Malaysia.     

Secondary Teachers and English Language Learners (ELLs): Attitudes,Preparation and Implications

The education of language-minority students is a constitutional right. Throughout this article, the authors synthesize recent literature addressing two main questions: (1) What are secondary teachers’ attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs)? and (2) To what extent are secondary teachers being prepared to teach content effectively to this student population? Secondary teachers’ attitudes about ELLs vary, but are generally positive. The lack of teacher preparation—especially at the secondary level—to teach ELLs effectively is widespread. Thus, it is not surprising that secondary teachers feel ill-prepared to scaffold or differentiate instruction to meet these students’ language and academic needs. Since attitudes, preparation, and practice are interrelated, the authors also provide numerous implications for future practice at various levels: teacher-preparation programs, school district support, and classroom teaching.     

Preparing mathematics and science teachers through a residency program: perceptions and reflections

The critical challenge of recruiting, preparing, and retaining high-quality mathematics and science teachers for high-need urban schools is complex. Therefore, identifying factors that support and impede a teaching residency program’s implementation may have the potential to build an effective initiative that will benefit all stakeholders. The purpose of our study was to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions about their experiences in the Teaching Residency Program for Critical Shortage Areas program, a federally funded program designed to address teacher shortages in mathematics and science in high-need schools. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) the residency framework, (b) a relevant curriculum, and (c) immersion in an authentic school context. Our findings have the potential to inform policy-makers, school administrators, university directors of school partnerships, and other individuals who have direct influence on teacher recruitment and retention.     

Changing professional discourses in teacher education policy back towards a training paradigm: a comparative study

Modern definitions of professions connect professional knowledge to scientific studies and higher education. In the present article we examine the changing nature of this relationship in initial teacher education in two European countries: Sweden and England. The article is based on policy analyses from recent decades of teacher education reforms. The findings suggest a policy convergence through a shared policy return that has moved teacher education back toward a teacher training paradigm.     

Language policy in Zimbabwean education: historical antecedents and contemporary issues

This article analyses issues pertaining to language policy in Zimbabwean education beginning with the establishment of formal education under colonial rule. English is the official language of business, government and education, and the dominant language in the media. Official policy, before and after independence, has been characterised by continuities, rather than change, providing limited support for the development of indigenous languages. Furthermore, the capacity to support the development of indigenous languages has declined in recent years. The curriculum policy has progressively served to provide avenues for engaging and locking into limited networks of opportunities within and outside the country.     

Collaborative teacher education: forging tangible connections between field and classroom

This paper describes a collaboration between the authors, a university course instructor for an introductory Learning Sciences course in a university-based teacher education program, and a site coordinator for its paired practicum experience. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the collaborators found that their weekly conversations focused on supporting novice teacher learning had the potential to (1) lead to more strategic support of pre-service teachers, and (2) lend greater insights into the nature of the larger teacher education activity system in which they both worked. They consider the ways the seemingly simple addition of weekly conversations across sites of teacher learning can create spaces that collapse traditional theory/practice divides in teacher education.     

Talking back: teaching and learning through autobiographies in multicultural education

This research essay is intended to situate the curriculum in my multicultural education courses – of talking back through autobiographical inquiry – within real schools, a site where curriculum theorists rarely situate their work. The literature by curriculum theorists that precedes my study generally has focused on how pre-service teachers in multicultural education courses are changed (or not) as a result of course readings, discussions, and critical autobiographical reflection, all of which happen within the confines of the university classroom. My research essay extends the work of curriculum theorists on autobiography in education by focusing on the ways in which pre-service teachers use autobiographical inquiry to reflect on the impact of the context of real public schools and K-12 students on their constructions of themselves as teachers. In my extension of this work, I draw on bell hooks’ notion of “talking back” as an overarching framework in analyzing the autobiographical reflections of pre-service teachers.     

理工科高校人文教育课程的构建

长期以来,我国理工科大学生人文教育的状况不尽人意。许多高校尤其是理工科高校的人文教育课程在总体上受到轻视,由此制约了大学生人文素质的培养,制约了大学生综合素质的提高。本文分析了大部分理工科高校的人文教育课程设置的现状,分析对比了国外人文教育课程设置特点,尝试性的对建立适合我国理工科高校的人文教育课程体系提出了一些建议。     

Teachable-moment-oriented curriculum practice in early childhood education

This study explores aspects of teachable-moment-oriented curriculum practice by questioning whether a teacher's teachable moment is relevant to the learner's 'learnable moment'. For teachable-moment-oriented curriculum practice to result in developmentally and culturally appropriate meaningful learning, transforming the identity between learner and teacher seems imperative. Data collected from naturalistic settings in various teacher education contexts over the last few years are used. Both prospective and in-service teachers' images of teachable-moment-oriented curriculum practices are presented     

Conceptual change research and science education practice: a response from educators

We discuss the eight papers in this issue of Cultural Studies of Science Education focusing on the debate over conceptual change in science education and explore the issues that have emerged for us as we consider how conceptual change research relates to our practice as science educators. In presenting our interpretations of this research, we consider the role of participants in the research process and contextual factors in conducting research on science conceptions, and draw implications for the teaching of science.

Power relations in the enactment of English language education policy for Chinese schools

The scale of English language education in China is astounding, but recent research has shown that the latest national English education policy for Chinese schools has not been implemented successfully due to various reasons. One reason given for the lack of success is the impracticability of the top-down policy itself excluding teachers’ involvement and neglecting the contextual constraints. Building on the theoretical framework of multi-levelled actors in language planning and language policy, and drawing on some key concepts in relation to power in Critical Language Policy research, this paper explores how a national English language curriculum that emphasizes the international standards and norms in curriculum design has been enacted, ineffectively, by the key stakeholders through analysing the specific roles of three groups of key stakeholders involved in the English as a foreign language curriculum policy implementation.