Teachers' perspectives on student problematic behavior and social skills

This study examined program outcomes of student problem behavior and social skills, based on teachers' perspectives, before and after early behavioral intervention services. The study targeted students in kindergarten through grade 5 who were identified by the school system as being at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Students identified received early intervention services based on individualized positive behavior supports (i.e. social skills training, functional behavioral assessment, and team collaboration). The results indicate that early intervention services that teach social skills and use functional behavioral assessments to deal with problem behaviors are beneficial to children displaying behavioral challenges.     

Teachers' perspectives on curriculum making in Primary Geography in England

The phrase ‘curriculum making’ has recently been used to describe medium-term planning and teachers’ enactment of such planning in the classroom. This narrows the term's initial use from that in the first half of the twentieth century when it was employed inclusively from national programmes to lesson planning. While considering related studies about curriculum making, this paper focuses on the interpretation described and used by the Geographical Association (GA) to encourage more open approaches to medium-term curriculum planning in England by teachers. It reports the outcomes of a small-scale study of primary teachers’ perspectives on their experiences of curriculum making during one GA project, ‘The Young Geographers Project’. It identifies a number of ‘curriculum dynamics’, including teachers’ feelings of liberation, children's agency in curriculum making, the importance of subject knowledge, engaging with children's everyday experiences and interests, and purposefulness for curriculum topics while retaining flexibility and openness. Reflecting on these findings, 10 features pertinent to curriculum making are noted.     

Teachers' perspectives on classroom practice in Botswana: Implications for pedagogical change

Attempts to improve the quality of education in Botswana have, inter alia, included an emphasis on a learner-centered pedagogy. Attempts at implementing this pedagogy have been made within the ambit of the technical rational model of curriculum development. The attempts, however, have produced inconclusive results, and these results have often been rationalized in technicist terms, e.g., as being due to lack of resources and poorly trained teachers. Overlooked in this technicist model are the teachers' perspectives on the innovation. Using the case-study approach within the rubrics of the qualitative research paradigm, this study sought to establish the perspectives of geography teachers in a senior secondary school in Botswana vis-a-vis the learnercentered pedagogy advocated in Education for Kagisano ( Social Harmony ), a report produced by the 1977 Commission on Education. The findings indicated that teachers' classroom practices were influenced by many factors other than technical ones: these included the teachers' assumptions about the nature of knowledge and the ways it ought to be transmitted, their perceptions of students, and the goal of schooling. It also emerged that their assumptions were incongruent with the basic tenets of the learner-centered pedagogy. The findings, then, are an indictment of the technical rational model of change implementation applied in Botswana. They indicate that disregarding what teachers know and think about their taken-for-granted classroom practices when effecting change can lead to disappointing results.     

Teachers' perspectives on environmental education in multicultural contexts: Towards culturally-responsive environmental education

This inquiry explores teachers' perspectives on enacting environmental education in a Québec urban locale with high student diversity. Participating in focus groups and interviews, teachers from three schools discussed their experiences incorporating environmental education into their multiculturally-diverse classrooms. Challenges included value clashes, a lack of common lived experiences, and reconciling contradictory educational perspectives and political policies, which often placed teachers in paradoxical positions. Findings suggest moving toward practices of culturally-responsive environmental education that demand more than awareness but include interactive dialogue. Teachers need support from beyond the classroom and the capacity to develop curriculum facilitating the inclusion of students' culture.     

Education reform and competency-based education

The core purpose of this paper is to describe a new educational paradigm as well as possible directions and tasks for education reform in the 21^st century. The present-day education system has failed to nurture the kind of creative people who can play leading roles in development or to produce citizens of a good character and democratic tendencies. We need to look at education from the standpoint of expanding the totality of possibilities for national development. The current educational system of Korea can be characterized as one of “manpower-centered education. ” In this system, education functions to produce the human resources needed by the nation, and there is a strong belief in the classification and selection of high-quality human capital via the school system. We can think of an educational model that is parallel to the current system of manpower classification and selection and call it “competency-based education. ” In this model, the identification of individual ability, talent, and aptitude is deemed to be the most important, and the key task of education is self-actualization through recognition and cultivation of such talents and abilities. What educational values should be pursued within a new competency-based paradigm? First, we can reduce the relative weight of subject-centered education and introduce a competency-based curriculum in order to teach key competences for life. Second, new intelligence theories must be introduced into education in order to foster the development of students' talents, aptitudes, and potentials. Third, we can make use of positive psychology, which is a newly emerging field, the core concept of which is the belief that happiness in life depends on one's ability to develop and maintain positive feelings and emotions.     

Analysis of the second e-forum on competency-based approaches

As its title suggests, this is an account of “the Second E-Forum on Competency-based Approaches” and summarises the opinions and experiences expressed by the participants. The forum was based on a discussion paper prepared by the Canadian Observatory of Educational Reforms and a series of questions raised by Philippe Jonnaert were used to stimulate the debate. The article concentrates on five main themes that came to light through the discussion: (1) the relevance of the concept of competency; (2)␣competency and situations; (3) competencies and theories of action; (4) competency-based approaches and pedagogy by objectives; and (5) teachers and educational reforms. The e-forum made it possible for many educators “to gather together” from around the world to share their viewpoints and perceptions. This document seeks to identify the points of convergence and divergence arising from the debate and to make the reader reflect on difficulties encountered when dealing with a curricular reform. Original language: English Leticia Perez (Argentina) A certified English translator and English teacher from Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires. She holds a post-graduate certificate in Translation Skills from the City University of London and the Sworn Translators Association of the City of Buenos Aires. She has worked as an Academic Pro-secretary at the School of Education and Social Communication of the Universidad del Salvador since 2004. Especially interested in education, she is currently taking a Master in Education at the Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires. E-mail: lperez@salvador.edu.ar or leticiaperezsaldi@hotmail.com     

A competency-based guided-learning algorithm applied on adaptively guiding e-learning

This paper presents a new algorithm called competency-based guided-learning algorithm (CBGLA), which can be applied on adaptively guiding e-learning. Computational process analysis and mathematical derivation of competency-based learning (CBL) were used to develop the CBGLA. The proposed algorithm could generate an effective adaptively guiding learning path in order that it would guide the learners to study adaptively without requiring teacher involvement. In order to verify the effectiveness for the CBGLA, a system is implemented. Using statistical methods, the data of which are collected from the students' learning activities on the system, we have verified the efficiency of the CBGLA by the comparison of the pre-test and post-test scores of students. While the learning materials possess fixed scope and could be classified into several categories, students could even learn more effective under the guidance of CBGLA system than a teacher. Analyzing the questionnaire, it also has been shown that learners were very satisfied with the design of the system user interface and the guided-learning mechanism.     

Critical perspectives on testing teaching: reframing teacher education for English medium instruction

The investigation reported here provides a basis for considering the role of corrective and transformative critiques in producing knowledge through testing teaching for reframing teacher education in response to, and as an expression of, the globalisation of English. This knowledge-producing approach to critique begins with a literature review of prior testing models of content and language integrated learning through English medium instruction (EMI) programmes. Delphi procedures were employed with a panel of 30 experts from three focus groups, namely teachers, testing experts, and teacher evaluation administrators. A comparison of relative importance of the indicators generated through this study via the analytic hierarchy process yielded practical implications for reframing the internationalisation of education using EMI. The analysis of interviews with teachers was used to critically rework or otherwise correct the testing model. Through adopting the practice of critique as a knowledge-producing venture, this study offers a model of EMI testing that can contribute to improvements in the organisation of professional learning and change, as well as certification procedures.     

骨干教师领导角色的认知研究

提倡赋权教师参与学校运作和治理的教师领导力理论自上世纪80年代在美国提出后得到了迅速发展和广泛认同。该理论引入国内后,较普遍的认知是我国的骨干教师在事实上充当了该理论所定义的教师领导角色,但相关的实证研究尚付阙如。本研究通过实证调研尝试揭示一线教师对骨干教师领导角色的认知情况。本研究发现,从骨干教师扮演应然和实然的角度来看,他们和美国"教师领导"是类似的,但教师对骨干教师领导角色的认定也深受校长领导力和学校氛围的影响。另外,一线教师对于"教师领导"这个称谓并不满意,故本研究提出用"领导型教师"作为具有领导力的教师在国内的对应表述,以期引起大家对骨干教师领导力的关注。     

浅析基于能力本位教育的创新型高职英语教学

不管每位学员从事何种职业,都必须具备能力本位教育核心的实际能力。由此,英语作为高职教学的专业课程,必须依据自身职业岗位上职业能力的需要做好服务的基本课程,量力而行。按照高职学院的教学要求,高职英语教师需要建立以学生的需要为核心的高职英语教学目标策略,就地取材,合理教学,创新教材、教法的各个方面,适应能力为本位核心的高职英语教学要求。     

Teachers' perspectives of changes in their practice during a technology in mathematics education research project

Teachers' perception of changes to their teaching practice, with respect to digital technology use in secondary school mathematics, during their participation in a research project are reported. Two case studies are presented of teacher perspectives illustrative of the range of perceived changes teachers made to their practice and positions along the ‘path of change’ during their participation in the project. Participating in a project supportive of teacher change and resulting in perception of substantial change was necessary, but not sufficient, to meet the goal of transformative use of digital technologies to increase the level of cognitive demand experienced by students.     

High stakes testing and student perspectives on teaching and learning in the Republic of Ireland

There is now a well developed literature on the impact of high stakes testing on teaching approaches and student outcomes. However, the student perspective has been neglected in much research. This article draws on a mixed method longitudinal study of secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of two sets of high stakes examinations on student experiences. The analyses are based on surveys completed by 897 lower secondary students and 748 upper secondary students, along with 47 lower secondary and 53 upper secondary group interviews with students. Findings show the presence of impending high stakes exams results in increased workload for students, with many reporting pressure and stress. Throughout their schooling career, students clearly favour active learning approaches. However, for some students, particularly high-aspiring middle-class students, these views change as they approach the terminal high stakes exam, with many showing a strong preference for a more narrowly focussed approach to exam preparation. This article highlights how students shift from a position of critiquing exam-focused teaching methods as inauthentic to accepting such methods as representing ??good teaching??.     

试论教师的学生观

教师的学生观是影响建立和谐师生关系的关键,树立正确的学生观不仅要正确对待学生,同时要正确对待教育职业,并树立正确的教师价值观。     

论教师的价值观及其作用

教师的价值观看不见、摸不着,作用于深层,又无处不在.它反映教师内心深处究竟相信什么、需要什么、坚持什么、追求什么,体现在社会生活、个人修养和教学活动的方方面面,直接影响教师的课堂教学态度和教学行为,影响学生的价值观及其终生走向.     

杨贤江教师职业素质观及其对教师发展的启示

杨贤江的职业教师素质观是以承认学生的主体性为教师职业的前提,以培养学生的主体性为教育的归宿,要求教师以教为乐,以生为本.他认为教师的专业知识素质包括广博的科学文化知识、学科的专业知识和教育心理科学知识,并要提升学生的发展能力,这启示了教师要将发展渗透在终身学习、创新、日常生活和社会实践中.     

基于教师成长规律的教师培养模式一体化建构

教师培养模式一体化是"教师教育一体化"的核心,必须建立在教师成长规律的基础上。教师成长大致要经历新手教师——胜任型教师——骨干型教师——专家型教师四个阶段,并呈现出如下规律性特点:教师的献身精神源于创造性劳动中获得的愉悦与满足;从摹仿他人走向自觉地研究、运用教育学、心理学;勇于创新是教师专业化发展的直接动机和共同特征。教师培养模式一体化,是根据教师专业化发展理论,遵循教师成长规律,对职前培养、入职教育、在职培训进行的整体规划,力求各阶段既相对独立、各有侧重,又相互衔接、内在一体。其核心内容是培养目标一体化、课程设置一体化、培养过程一体化和师资配置一体化。     

教师教学风格浅议

教学风格是教学艺术的成熟、教学能力的高强、教学效果获得成功的标志,是教师在教学实践中长期努力的心血结晶;教学风格是教师教学过程中多种内在、外在因素的结合体;教学风格的形成要求教师在教学语言上要精雕细刻,在教学方法上不断创新,在教师仪表上追求完美。