Pupil Assessment Issues: A Teacher Educator's Perspective

The purpose of this article is to discuss the problems that effectively prevent secondary physical education teachers from utilizing the theoretically sound pupil assessment practices that are taught in professional preparation courses. After the need for formal, systematic pupil assessment as demonstrated in the professional literature is identified, six critical issues are discussed: a narrow and negative view of assessment, lack of responsibility for learning, the problem of vague and long-term goals, the problem of lack of record keeping, the need for administrative and collegial support, and professional preparation. Suggestions for teacher education focus on making pupil assessment a priority from the beginning to the end of the preparation period, and on weaving assessment practices directly into the teaching process.     

Characteristics of the Effective Teacher based on Pupil Evaluations

This research compared high-load and low-load versions of a text by manipulating text presentation, text organization, and example context on measures of fact and concept learning. The low-load text presentation variable enhanced fact and concept learning and post-reading ease of comprehension ratings. The low-load text organization variable led to higher post-reading ease of comprehension ratings. Ease of comprehension was related significantly to fact and concept learning. These findings are supported by cognitive load theory and extend the research to include variables that influence text processing.     

Teacher Education Programmes and Their Contribution to Student Teacher Efficacy in Classroom Management and Pupil Engagement

This study focuses on how different educational programmes contribute to student teachers efficacy for classroom management and their abilities to provide learning opportunities and good classroom outcomes. Data were gathered from 491 student teachers attending different teacher education programmes in Norway and analysed via structural equation modelling. The results revealed the following: (1) problem behaviour in the classroom has a negative effect on student teacher efficacy, (2) students' perceptions of the integration of pedagogic knowledge and practice supports students' efficacy beliefs, (3) support from supervisors contributes positively to student teachers' efficacy beliefs, and (4) student teachers in university college programmes for primary school teaching report higher teacher efficacy than students in university programmes for secondary school teaching.     

Student Teacher Attitudes to Sex Role Stereotyping: some Australian data

The sex role attitudes of 461 teacher education students were measured on a 32‐item questionnaire. Chi‐square analyses produced significant effects for gender on 22 of the items, showing that the females were more egalitarian than the males. However, most of the students adopted an egalitarian stance on many, though not all, of the items. Responses to some items (women getting drunk and swearing, corporal punishment, boys doing heavy chores, and boys dressing up and playing with dolls) suggest that some traditional stereotypes may be particularly resistant to change. The data also suggest that students may adopt egalitarian attitudes out of self‐interest rather than as a matter of principle, and are more accepting of general principles of gender equity than of specific practices designed to achieve it. Finally, although there is some evidence of ambivalence among the students, particularly the males, it is more accurate to characterise these students as definite in their gender attitudes.     

Attitudes Toward Disability: Teacher education for inclusive environments in an Australian university

The Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale (IDP) was used to explore the attitudes of preservice teachers at a large Australian University to people with disabilities. Using structural equation modelling, the factor structure of the IDP Scale was tested. The best fitting model was found to be one in which there were four factors (Discomfort, Sympathy, Embarrassment, and Vulnerability) that were derived from 16 items. Although significant effects were found for type of course, age, gender, language, and frequency of contact, the magnitude of these effects was minimal. Changes in student teachers’ attitudes toward disability over a one year general teacher training course were found to be minimal.     

试论培养反思型教师的思维态度——杜威“反思性思维”的启示

教师反思是教师专业发展的重要方式,同时,在教师教育、课堂教学等领域也扮演着重要角色。近年来的相关研究及改革把培养反思型教师推向了前所未有的高潮,但本文认为,教师反思首先要在思维态度上有所改观,才会有实质性的突破。依据杜威的反思性思维,尝试论述培养反思型教师的思维态度的重要性及方法,希望能有一些参考价值。     

An Investigation into the Relationship Between Teacher Motivation and Pupil Motivation

This article reports the findings of a small scale investigation in the form of a blind study carried out in four schools in the north east of England. It concerns the relationship between teacher motivation ( n = 4) and pupil motivation ( n = 66) during pupils' participation in design and technology project work at Key Stage 4. It was recognised that the sample of teachers was too small to be considered representative of motivated and demotivated design and technology teachers in general terms. However, the information gathered provided a more informed picture of the possible link between pupil motivation and teacher motivation. It also supplied an indication of some of the differences that exist between the approaches to teaching adopted by motivated and demotivated teachers of design and technology project work.     

The development and use of an instrument to assess students' attitude to the study of chemistry

This paper reports on aspects of a three-phase study whose aim was to gather information on undergraduates' responses to the study of science. The emphasis of this paper is on methodological issues arising from considerations of how to measure and analyse data on attitudes. The study draws on the methodology employed in an earlier study undertaken in Canada, the Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS) study, applying the methodology in a new context. The first two phases involved the development and validation of an appropriate research instrument. The third phase involved using the instrument with students in the first year of study at a South African University. In additional to the quantitative data gathered, the students' responses on the instrument were used to develop in-depth 'profiles' of particular groups of students. This technique proved particularly effective in identifying areas for possible remedial action.     

Understanding metacognition through the use of pupil views templates: Pupil views of Learning to Learn

As part of the Learning to Learn Phase 3 Evaluation [for full detail see Higgins, S., Wall, K., Baumfield, V., Hall, E., Leat, D., Moseley, D., et al. (2007). Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 3 Evaluation: Final Report. London: Campaign for Learning. Available at: www.campaignforlearning.org.uk; Higgins, S., Wall, K., Falzon, C., Hall, E., Leat, D., Baumfield, V., et al. (2005). Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 3 Evaluation Year One Final Report. London: Campaign for Learning. Available at: http://www.campaignforlearning.org.uk; Higgins, S., Wall, K., Baumfield, V., Hall, E., Leat, D., Woolner, P. et al. (2006). Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 3 Evaluation: Year Two Report. London: Campaign for Learning. Available at: http://www.campaignforlearning.org.uk] teachers across three Local Authorities in England were supported in using an approach fitting ideas of professional enquiry through action research [Baumfield, V., Hall, E., & Wall, K. (2008). Action research in the classroom. London: Sage]. In this complex project, teachers have explored different innovations that they believe to fit under the umbrella term of Learning to Learn, implementing and investigating approaches ranging from cooperative learning [Kagan, S. (2001). Cooperative learning. Kagan Publishing. www.Kaganonline.com] to Assessment for Learning [Black, P. J. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5, 7–73] to Thinking Skills [Baumfield, V. & Higgins, S. (1997). ‘But no one has maths at a party: Pupils’ reasoning strategies in a thinking skills programme. Curriculum, 18(3), 140–148]. As part of these enquiries teachers have increasingly involved pupils and their perspective for providing critical insight to processes associated with Learning to Learn. This corresponds to debates around pupil voice [for example, Flutter, J. & Ruddock, J. (2004). Consulting pupils: What's in it for schools? London: Routledge Falmer], and also the fact that teachers in the project see pupils as having characteristics that can support the development of a Learning to Learn philosophy [Hall, E., Leat, D., Wall, K., Higgins, S., & Edwards, G. (2006) Learning to Learn: Teacher research in the zone of proximal development. Teacher Development, 10(2)] This paper will use the method of pupil views templates [Wall, K. & Higgins, S. (2006). Facilitating and supporting talk with pupils about metacognition: A research and learning tool. International Journal of Research and Methods in Education, 29(1), 39–53] used by teachers as a pragmatic tool [Baumfield, V., Hall, E., Higgins, S., & Wall, K. (2007). Tools for enquiry and the role of feedback in teachers’ learning. Paper presented at the European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction Conference] to research pupils’ perspectives of Learning to Learn and the processes they perceive to be involved. It will use an analysis frame to examine and explore data about pupils’ declarative knowledge of the process of learning and therefore aspects of their metacognitive knowledge and skilfulness [Veenman, M. V. J. & Spaans, M. A. (2005). Relation between intellectual and metacognitive skills: Age and task difference. Learning and Individual Differences, 15, 159–176].     

正确认识和应对师生冲突

初中教师要正确认识师生冲突现象,掌握其主要特点,并根据具体情况正确处理各类冲突,切忌在冲突中和冲突后使用一些不合理的手段。     

Question Asking in the Science Classroom: Teacher Attitudes and Practices

Despite the wide agreement among educators that classroom learning and teaching processes can gain much from student and teacher questions, their potential is not fully utilized. Adopting the view that reporting both teachers’ (of varying age groups) views and actual classroom practices is necessary for obtaining a more complete view of the phenomena at hand, the present study closely examines both cognitive and affective domains of: (a) teachers’ views (via interviews) concerning: (1) importance and roles of teacher and student questions, (2) teacher responses, and (3) planning and teacher training; and (b) teachers’ actual practices (via classroom observations) concerning: (1) number and (2) level of teacher and student questions, as well as (3) teachers’ responses to questions. The data were collected from 3 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high school science teachers and their respective classroom students. The findings lay out a wide view of classroom questioning and teachers’ responses, and relate what actually occurs in classes to teachers’ stated views. Some of the study’s main conclusions are that a gap exists between how science researchers and teachers view the role of teacher questions: the former highlight the cognitive domain, while the latter emphasize the affective domain.     

Teacher and Student Attitudes to Affective Education: A European collaborative research project

This article reports on the outcomes of a comparative research project examining teacher and student attitudes to affective education across Europe. Affective education is defined as the aspect of the educational process that is concerned with the feelings, values, beliefs, attitudes and emotional well-being of learners. The article begins with a consideration of some of the conceptual issues in affective education and its diversity across Europe as a basis for stressing the relevance of cross-cultural comparisons. It then offers a general picture of the findings of the present research project, draws a number of tentative conclusions from this and ends with a reference to issues requiring further research in comparative work on affective education.