Exploring difficulties in learning to teach English post-16

This article investigates the experiences and training needs of student teachers as they learn to teach post-16 English on a secondary Post Graduate Certificate in Education. A case-study was conducted on a sample of Open University PGCE English students and mentors over a six-month period. Five research instruments were developed and used iteratively to generate qualitative data. The study reveals significant problems, resulting in students feeling underprepared at the end of their 11–18 PGCE for the demands of post-16 English teaching. The results illuminate the need for more effective models of learning to teach post-16 English.     

大卫·格里芬的后现代科学成立吗

我们运用科学发展的最新成果 ,考察反思了大卫·格里芬等提出的后现代科学所依据的本体论、认识论、方法论基础。在此基础上得出结论 :这样的后现代科学是不成立的     

Teacher and student reflections on ICT-rich science inquiry

Background: Inquiry learning in science provides authentic and relevant contexts in which students can create knowledge to solve problems, make decisions and find solutions to issues in today’s world. The use of electronic networks can facilitate this interaction, dialogue and sharing, and adds a new dimension to classroom pedagogy.

Purpose: This is a report of teacher and student reflections on some of the tensions, reconciliations and feelings they experienced as they worked together to engage in inquiry learning. The study sought to find out how networked ICT use might offer new and different ways for students to engage with, explore and communicate science ideas within inquiry.

Sample: This project developed case studies with 6 science teachers of year 9 and 10 students, with an average age of 13 and 14 years in three New Zealand high schools. Teacher participants in the project had varying levels of understanding and experience with inquiry learning in science. Teacher knowledge and experience with ICT were equally diverse.

Design and Methods: Teachers and researchers developed initially in a joint workshop a shared understanding of inquiry, and how this could be enacted. During implementation, the researchers observed the inquiry projects in the classrooms and then, together with the teachers, reviewed and analysed the data that had been collected.

Results: At the beginning of the project, some of the teachers and students were tentative: inquiry based teaching supported by ICT meant initially that the teachers were hesitant in letting go some of the control they felt they had over students learning, and the students felt insecure in adopting some responsibility for their own learning. Over time a sense of trust and ease developed and this ‘control of learning’ balance moved from what was traditionally accepted, but not without modifications and reservations.

Conclusions: There is no clear pathway to follow in moving towards ICT-supported science inquiry in secondary schools. The experience of the teacher, the funds of knowledge the students bring to the classroom, the level of technological availability in the school and the ability of the students are all variables which determine the nature of the experience.     

The effectiveness of post-16 pathways for gaining employment associated with undergraduate degree study

This article sets out to examine the effectiveness of five different post-16 study pathways and the impact that spending time away from education has on gaining employment associated with an undergraduate degree. It also explores advice and guidance for students looking at post-16 study options, higher education and employment. An initial online survey was used, followed by case studies to form a mixed-method approach. The findings suggest that a vocational pathway better prepares students for making decisions around employment and study in comparison to the more traditional A Level pathway. They also highlight that a period of one to four years after finishing post-16 study and starting undergraduate degree study is the most effective for students to gain employment associated with their undergraduate degree. Finally, it was found that most participants did not have positive experiences with advice and guidance regardless of their pathway.     

Locating mathematics within post-16 vocational education in England

The political importance of mathematics in post-16 education is clear. Far less clear is how mathematics does and should relate to vocational education. Successive mathematics curricula (e.g. core skills, key skills) have been developed in England with vocational learners in mind. Meanwhile, general mathematics qualifications remain largely disconnected from vocational learning. Following a brief historical survey of mathematics within vocational education, the paper presents findings from a nested case study of student groups in three large Further Education colleges in England. The primary unit of analysis herein is student groups learning Functional Mathematics in two vocational areas: construction and hairdressing. We show how approaches to organising teaching, developing connected curricula and classroom pedagogy tend to isolate or integrate mathematics from/with the vocational experience. Integrated approaches are shown to impact positively on student engagement and attitudes to learning mathematics. The paper concludes by discussing the potential impact of academic qualifications displacing vocationally relevant mathematics.     

Student teachers' attitudes toward science and science teaching

Attitudes toward science and science teaching are the subject of a mounting body of research on teachers. A widely used instrument developed by researchers in the United States appears to be relevant to the Australian context and was considered appropriate for measuring attitudes of preservice student teachers attending a College of Advanced Education in Brisbane. The findings suggest that much more effort needs to be concentrated on fostering desirable attitudes toward science and the teaching of science among future primary school teachers.     

Student autonomy and reflections on researching and writing the undergraduate dissertation

The dissertation is often promoted as a means of advancing autonomous learning. It is said to offer the potential for students to move along a continuum from dependence to independence. This research used interviews with a small sample of students to obtain a better understanding of the way students approach the dissertation process. The study found that the extent to which students operated autonomously depended upon a complex set of factors determining what Rokeach in 1973 refers to as their ‘competency values’. The study concluded that in order to obtain a better understanding of the values underpinning the behaviour of their students, dissertation tutors should be prepared to enter into a dialogue with them. This process would also involve encouraging students to critically reflect on how they planned to undertake the dissertation.     

Vulnerable young people and post-16 educational aspirations during Covid-19

This study used a longitudinal, probability sample survey, Understanding Society Covid-19, to examine young people's post-16 educational aspirations at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on four vulnerable groups (namely, young carers; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young people; young people with long-term illness and disability; and people with internalising and externalising behavioural difficulties). The findings from this study showed young carers and young people with health conditions to be less likely to choose A levels, despite reporting roughly equal levels of school engagement and school-related support. The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the obstacles often faced by young carers and young people with pre-existing health conditions and behaviour difficulties. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to debates about social care and education and will have implications for public policy and action, especially as public services are under enormous strain and are less likely to reach those who need them most.     

Perceptions of university assessment and feedback among post-16 school pupils

The transition between school and university can be problematic for students. Understanding students’ expectations about the system they are entering is crucial in effecting a smooth transition. The school system involves small classes, often with teachers who know their students well. In contrast, university involves large class sizes and a degree of anonymity for the student. In the UK, National Student Survey responses for universities show that students are generally less happy about feedback relative to most other issues. The current study investigates school students’ expectations about assessment and feedback practices at university. Students were surveyed across Great Britain in 2006 and 2013. There were some significantly different responses from students between the two years of study in how coursework would be handled, but there were also many areas of consistency, demonstrating a clear pattern of expectation. For example, in both years of study 80% of students expected personal verbal feedback on their university assignments. This study discusses how student expectations may be based on their school experiences, rather than considering the reality of the university system they are entering. Misconceptions may be affecting students’ responses to surveys on assessment and feedback.     

加强大学生科技创新能力培养的实践与思考

本文从华中农业大学加强大学生科技创新能力培养的实践出发,对在普通高校中加强科研训练、构建创新体系、打造创新平台、建设创新文化、创新教育管理的实践和成效进行了总结,为大学生科技创新能力培养提出了可资借鉴的经验和建议。     

Student teachers' reflections on their learning process through collaborative problem solving in geometry

This paper reports research that focuses on student teachers' reflections on their learning process in a collaborative problem-solving context. One group of students with limited mathematical backgrounds worked on two problems in geometry without teacher intervention. We focus on two episodes from the group dialogues. In the first episode (section 5) the students basically reflect on two key issues. The first reflection is related to the concern of making problem-solving tasks too difficult in general while the second reflection has to do with the concern of participation in the solution process. The students discuss how they can give hints or introduce particular ideas before presenting a solution in order to stimulate colleague participation, thus promoting the understanding of the solution process. The second episode (section 6) illustrates the reflection of students on their preparation as future teachers of mathematics. They emphasise that the experience of getting stuck with a problem may help them to better understand the frustration pupils experience while working on unfamiliar problems in classroom. Based on the experience of getting stuck, the students reflect on how they could motivate themselves as well as pupils to work on mathematical problems. They suggest that a good strategy is to start working on an easier problem. If they succeed in coming up with a solution to that problem, they think that it is then more stimulating to proceed to a difficult one.     

Norwegian deaf teachers' reflections on their science education: implications for instruction

In this study, undertaken in an attempt to expand our understanding of science learning by deaf students, five teachers are interviewed about their views, based on their own experiences as Deaf students. They are all my former students and were among the first to successfully complete the upper secondary school with a university entrance certificate from a Norwegian school for deaf students. Physics was their major subject. These teachers see the systematic work in class discussions, especially on the concepts of physics, as a major contributor to their success, and they try to use similar methods in their own teaching. They believe that a thorough discussion of a topic using sign language prior to the reading of the textbook is crucial.     

Preparing educators in rural Hawai’i: Student reflections on technology-mediated programs

TechTrends - Technology-mediated delivery strategies have recently proved successful for the University of Hawai’i-Manoa’s College of Education. The success of these strategies is...     

Preparing educators in rural Hawai’i: Student reflections on technology-mediated programs

Conclusions Technology-mediated delivery strategies have recently proved successful for the University of Hawai’i-Manoa’s College of Education. The success of these strategies is manifested by programs enrolled to capacity, the financial stability of these programs and the establishment of a consistent schedule of offerings. It is, however, clearly a challenge for students to become comfortable with technology-mediated instruction. Hawai’i students have risen to the challenge, expressing appreciation for support structures such as a technology orientation and troubleshooting support. Based on students’ reflections, they view the challenge of increasing their own technology literacy as one that benefits their future teaching endeavors. While technology-mediated delivery changes the level of direct social interaction within the programs, students appear to appreciate the flexibility it provides. They also value the improved access to programs that such delivery has provided to Hawai’ is neighboring islands. Student feedback and reflection confirms that the College has improved its ability to serve the island state of Hawaii and affirms technologymediated delivery as an appropriate solution for addressing geographical challenges. These reflections should encourage the College’s continued exploration of new strategies for technology-mediated delivery.     

Educational psychologists’ responses to a post-16 service user film on their practice: a participatory research project

ABSTRACT

A film was made by a group of young people (YP) which aimed to inform educational psychologists (EPs) about how they would like EPs to work with them. A participatory research project was established with the YP which aimed to establish, through two focus groups, EPs’ views on the film. EPs responded positively to the film; they valued hearing from YP and expressed feelings including both pride and guilt. Interest was shown in plans for the distribution of the film, and critical reflections were made on the representativeness of the film. Findings are discussed in relation to the current context of gaining the voice of children and young people (CYP) and on improving services through service user feedback. The authors reflect on the strengths and limitations of using a participatory approach, considering challenges regarding methodological rigour and the opportunity that research poses for widening participation.     

Student task involvement in activity oriented science

The focus of this investigation was on relationships between teaching behaviors and student engagement in 13 middle school science classes. The results indicated that seven managerial variables and four instructional variables were significantly related to student engagement rates. Also the types of tasks allocated by teachers in science lessons were significantly related to the types of tasks undertaken by students. A canonical correlation analysis indicated significant relationships between three allocated task dimensions and three student engagement dimensions. Although teachers allocated adequate time for students to engage in investigation planning, data collecting, and data processing, the results indicated that overt engagement was prevalent only when data were collected. Attending was the predominant type of student engagement when investigations were planned and data were processed. The percentage of student time on task was approximately 63%. Rates of student off task behavior tended to be consistently high across all types of allocated tasks.