Examining teachers’ use of computer-based technologies: A case study

This paper presents a case study that illustrates the extent to which technology is used in and out of the classroom in the elementary schools of Turkey. The data were collected through interviews, observations and document analyses. The results show that teachers use technology for administrative purposes, technology education, non-educational purposes, instructional preparation, teacher-directed instructional delivery, student homework and instructional assessment. This study further reveals that teachers’ use of technology is very limited. If teachers use technology for instruction, it is almost always to support their traditional teaching methods.     

Teaching with student response systems in elementary and secondary education settings: A survey study

This study examined how 498 elementary and secondary educators use student response systems in their instruction. The teachers all completed an online questionnaire designed to learn about their goals for using response systems, the instructional strategies they employ when using the system, and the perceived effects of response systems. Participants in the study tended to use similar instructional strategies when using the technology as have been reported in higher education. These include posing questions to check for student understanding and diagnose student difficulties, sharing a display of student responses for all to see, asking students to discuss or rethink answers, and using feedback from responses to adjust instruction. A latent class analysis of the data yielded four profiles of teacher use based on frequency of use and breadth of instructional strategies employed. Teachers who used the technology most frequently and who employed broadest array of strategies were more likely to have received professional development in instructional strategies and to perceive the technology as more effective with students.     

In search of a new, linguistically and culturally sensitive paradigm in deaf education

For more than a century, educators have recognized the low academic achievement of deaf children in America. Teacher training programs in deaf education historically have emphasized medical-pathological views of deaf people and deaf education rather than appropriate pedagogies that draw upon and build on deaf students' linguistic and cultural knowledge. A recent and growing interest in educating deaf children bilingually acknowledges the value of American Sign Language and English in the classroom. The authors address the dire need for prospective teachers and teacher educators to rethink their views of deaf people and, in doing so, rethink the teaching methodologies in deaf education.     

农村教师专业发展的重要标志:教育技术能力

教育技术能力是农村教师专业素质的必要组成部分,是农村教师专业发展的重要标志。根据我国《中小学教师教育技术能力标准(试行)》(2004),从意识与态度、知识与技能、应用与创新、社会责任四个方面具体规定了中小学教师包括农村教师应达到的教育技术能力标准,旨在提高农村教师教育技术能力水平,促进农村教师专业能力发展,让农村孩子"学有所教"的教育质量得以提高。面对农村教师这个十分重要而又独特的群体,其教育技术培训、考核和认证体系的特殊政策与实践运作方式,要根据《标准》,结合实际来探索。     

Teacher self-assessment of evidence-based classroom practices: preliminary findings across primary,intermediate and secondary level teachers

The limited implementation of evidence-based classroom practices and ways to provide effective professional development to address this challenge remain enduring concerns in education. Despite these concerns, there exists a well-established research literature on evidence-based practices for effective classroom management and instructional practices. One identified area of need is research investigating the extent that different classroom practices are more or less important across school and grade levels. The current study examined results from 612 general education teachers across school levels (323 primary, 208 intermediate, 81 secondary) who completed an on-line self-assessment of their use of evidence-based classroom practices. Statistical analysis found significant differences in teachers’ self-reported use of several evidence-based classroom practices across school levels (primary, intermediate, secondary). Implications are presented for using teacher self-assessment to inform professional development in schools.     

Using Smart Boards and Manipulatives in the Elementary Science Classroom

This study summarizes the results of a survey administered to 48 elementary schools in the largest school district in a southeastern U.S. state, conducted by university faculty to evaluate the use of SMART Boards and handson experiences, the objectives of which were to identify preparedness of elementary classroom teachers in teaching elementary Science, in using SMART Boards and in using manipulatives for teaching in the elementary Science classroom, as well as to identify frequency with which elementary classroom teachers use SMART Boards and/or manipulatives and reasons for using or not using SMART Boards and/ or manipulatives in the elementary Science classroom. Results of the survey will be used to address areas of needed improvement among pre-service teachers, to identify areas in which early career teachers need additional training or information and how best to improve the quality and training of the Elementary Science component of the education degree.     

Negotiating the constraints of schools: environmental education practices within a school district

The purpose of this study was to explore environmental education (EE) practices within elementary and secondary schools. Using complementary mixed-methods (survey and focus groups), we detail these practices in schools (n?=?58) within one school district. Our findings are categorized according to classroom teaching conditions affecting EE, and whole-school perspectives of the supports and resources for EE in these schools. Our analyses reveal that while typical normative teaching and cultural constraints of schools are still evident (e.g. curriculum standards, school-level organization), there are identifiable practices involving administrators and teachers negotiating these challenges due to their personal commitment to schools and the environment. In particular was a provincial environmental certification program called Ecoschools supporting environmental educators’ initiatives at their respective schools. We conclude with a discussion of recommendations based on an interpretation of our findings in relation to the school reform literature on how to enhance EE in schools and propose future research opportunities.     

西部少数民族地区教师培训的发展研究

教师培训工作是提高教师队伍整体素质的重要环节,提高农村中小学教师素质又是提高我国农村基础教育水平与质量的基础和保障。该文在实地调研的基础上,研究近几年来西部农村中小学教师培训的基础、现状和存在的问题,并结合调查地区的实际情况提出解决问题的策略,以促进该地区教师培训工作的健康发展。     

The role of interpreters in inclusive classrooms

The roles of interpreters in an inclusive classroom were examined through a qualitative, 3-year case study of three interpreters in an inclusive school. Interviews were conducted with interpreters, classroom teachers, special education teachers, and administrators. The interview data were supplemented with observations and field notes. Results indicate that in addition to sign interpreting between American Sign Language and speech, the interpreters clarified teacher directions, facilitated peer interaction, tutored the deaf children, and kept the teachers and special educators informed of the deaf children's progress. The interpreter/aides and the classroom teachers preferred this full-participant interpreter role, while the special educators and administrators preferred a translator role. Classroom teachers were more comfortable with full-time interpreters who knew the classroom routine, while the special educators and administrators feared that full-time interpreters fostered child and teacher dependence. These issues are discussed in terms of congruence with the Registry of Interpreters code of ethics and how integration of young children might be best facilitated.     

Measuring practical knowledge among prospective and current teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students

Research on teaching and teacher research has a long history. However, in the field of the education of deaf and hard of hearing students, this research is limited. The study addresses one particular area of research on teaching and teacher research: practical knowledge of teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students. Practical knowledge is defined as how educators think about their classroom practice. By means of a survey designed and tested by the researcher, four hierarchical groups (beginning education students, graduating education students, novice teachers, and experienced teachers) in the education of deaf and hard of hearing students were surveyed on their practical knowledge. Practical knowledge codified as images, rules of practice, and practical principles. Results were measured to demonstrate for categories and characteristics of practical knowledge storage among prospective and current teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students. The instrument was designed as an assessment tool to measure aspects of this knowledge, apply it to levels of pedagogical expertise, and expand research in this area.     

Pre‐service elementary teachers’ beliefs about use of the Internet in the social studies classroom

The Internet has become one of the most common instructional tools because of recent developments in telecommunications and Internet technology. Accordingly, educators increasingly support the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate pre‐service elementary teachers’ beliefs about the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom. Data were collected through an open‐ended questionnaire from 37 pre‐service elementary teachers in a large Turkish university. An inductive analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Thus, the emergent patterns of the data were used to develop coding categories. The data analysis indicated that the majority of the participants supported the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom, while they acknowledged the disadvantages and negative aspects of the use of the Internet.     

A case study of how a sample of preservice teachers made sense of incorporating iPads into their instruction with children

The increased use of and demand for technology in early childhood education classrooms and programs creates new challenges for practicing and preservice early educators being asked to employ such technology within their teaching. Early childhood teacher education programs have struggled to meet these demands for teaching their students how to integrate such technology into their instruction with young children. Preservice teachers who do receive such training often fail to develop the skills and/or beliefs required to implement technology effectively into their own classrooms. The study reported on in this article addresses this issue by providing insight into how a sample of early childhood preservice teachers who used iPads and their apps in their coursework and high-stakes early learning field placements made sense of using these devices as teachers. Such findings illuminate instructional opportunities for teacher educators to consider as they seek to assist their students in making sense about how to implement as well as adopt appropriate and effective instructional strategies into their own classrooms.     

The Unseen Digital Divide: Urban,Suburban, and Rural Teacher Use and Perceptions of Web-Based Classroom Technologies

This quantitative study investigated the differences in perceptions and attitudes toward technology integration of K-12 public school teachers in rural, suburban, and urban environments. The purpose was to examine the relationship between frequency of use and perception of effectiveness of web-based learning tools based upon the type of school setting. A survey of 2,200 school teachers in a Mid-Atlantic state revealed significant differences of usage and perceived effectiveness among respondents. The research found teachers from urban schools trailed rural and suburban schools in usage and perception. Suburban schools indicated the highest perceptions of technology effectiveness, followed by their rural peers. Current teachers, administrators, and teacher educators may benefit from this insight to identify the most effective technologies, as well as work focus on improved use of technology, particularly in the urban classroom.     

Mathematics word problem solving for deaf students: a survey of practices in grades 6-12

One hundred and thirty-three mathematics teachers of deaf students from grades 6-12 responded to a survey on mathematics word problem-solving practices. Half the respondents were teachers from center schools and the other half from mainstream programs. The latter group represented both integrated and self-contained classes. The findings clearly show that regardless of instructional setting, deaf students are not being sufficiently engaged in cognitively challenging word problem situations. Overall, teachers were found to focus more on practice exercises than on true problem-solving situations. They also emphasize problem features, possibly related to concerns about language and reading skills of their students, rather than analytical and thinking strategies. Consistent with these emphases, teachers gave more instructional attention to concrete visualizing strategies than to analytical strategies. Based on the results of this study, it appears that in two of the three types of educational settings, the majority of instructors teaching mathematics and word problem solving to deaf students lack adequate preparation and certification in mathematics to teach these skills. The responses of the certified mathematics teachers support the notion that preparation and certification in mathematics makes a difference in the kinds of word problem-solving challenges provided to deaf students.     

Urban Pre-service K-6 Teachers’ Conceptions of Citizenship and Civic Education: Weighing the Risks and Rewards

To effectively help urban pre-service teachers to provide civic education opportunities in their future classrooms, teacher educators should know how urban pre-service teachers themselves conceptualize citizenship and civic engagement. Through the research question—how do urban K-6 pre-service teachers currently enrolled in an urban education teacher certification program at a 4-year university construct key concepts and ideologies about citizenship and civic education?—we examined how 15 pre-service teachers understood these concepts. Using three conceptions of citizenship—personally responsible citizen, participatory citizen, and justice-oriented citizen (Westheimer and Kahne in Am Educ Res J 41(2):237–269, 2004)—our analysis demonstrated that urban pre-service teachers’ conceptions of their students’ lives significantly influenced their ideas about civic education in elementary schools. Although the participating pre-service teachers overwhelmingly promoted personally responsible citizenship, we found the participants to heavily weigh developmentally appropriate practice and classroom context when considering the risks and rewards of promoting justice-oriented citizenship in elementary classrooms.     

How student teaching in an urban setting affects teacher candidates' career motivations

This is a qualitative study to determine changes in the motivation of senior student teachers to teach (at the elementary, early childhood, and secondary levels) in an urban setting during the student teaching internship in an urban public school. Emerging themes include roles of classroom teachers, discouragement from tenured teachers, school bureaucracy, views of students, relationships with cooperating teachers, candidates' views about subject matter, and their views about themselves. The findings indicate that motivation to teach changed during student teaching. This cohorts' experiences strengthened their confidence and commitment to teach in culturally diverse urban public schools rather than discouraging them. This research supports a contextual approach to understanding motivation and challenges educators to reflect on several issues of preservice training as well as collaboration with teacher practitioners. With a knowledge of what attracts teachers to the occupation and an understanding of how that attraction is influenced by field experiences in urban schools, programs which prepare teachers may be better able to educate teachers who want to teach in urban schools and can perform successfully in that setting.     

Technology utilisation in elementary schools in Turkey’s capital: a case study

A case study was conducted to explore teachers’ current technology use in elementary schools in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The data were collected through a survey, and participants included 1030 classroom teachers across eight districts. The present study results revealed that significant challenges remain with regard to technology use in the classroom, even in the capital of Turkey, where teachers have advantages in terms of technology access and use compared to rural areas. The participant teachers used technologies most frequently for lesson preparation activities, rather than for delivering instruction. Although the teachers felt that school principals and colleagues were usually supportive of technology use in lessons, they complained about insufficient professional development activities and incentives. Representing a snapshot of teachers’ technology use in elementary school settings, this study sheds light on essential factors that should be considered in any technology integration process in schools. The study findings offer valuable insight for policy-makers and school leaders on how to support the technology integration process and allocate money for technology initiatives.     

地方师范院校实施农村中小学教师培训的思考

地方师范院校作为农村中小学教师培训的重要阵地,有着自身的优势。而在落实教师培训这一"使命"的过程中也不同程度上出现了认识不到位、内容脱离实际等问题,需要及时的反思和改进,以提升地方师范院校在农村中小学教师培训中的实效,进而提高教师自身的专业发展,最终促进农村中小学教学质量的提高。