The change in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about teaching and learning: a study among pre-service teachers

This study investigated the change in Singaporean pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching over the course of a teacher preparation program. An online survey was administered during the first week of a nine-month program and the same survey was administered after the 413 participants had completed all their course work and teaching practice. Participants exhibited significant changes in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching – participants indicated more relativistic epistemological outlooks and less constructivism in beliefs about teaching. At the end of the teacher preparation program, they seemed to less value effort in learning and believed more in innate ability.     

Action research – connecting practice and theory

Teacher education is often criticised for not being relevant and for there being a lack of continuity between practice teaching and the university coursework. In the literature, action research is presented as a way to bridge the gap and connect the two. The present article explores, through a qualitative study, how research-based knowledge communicated at the university and experiences from practice teaching interact in student teachers’ action research projects. The study also explores the outcome, for the student teachers, of conducting research in their practicum. The findings show that student teachers use theory and research in many different ways, and they are both consumers and producers of research. They especially emphasise the outcome of theory interacting with real situations encountered in the teaching practice. Contributing to a positive impact on their outcome were the opportunity they are offered to reflect on their own practice, the possibility they have to focus on something they find important, and the chance to make their own experiences with a particular tool for professional development.     

The impact of instruction in enhancing teachers’ knowledge of teaching mathematics in some Lesotho primary schools

The quality of mathematics teaching in Lesotho primary education remains one of the vexing problems in the education system. The study investigated how teachers viewed the impact of instruction on enhancing their knowledge of teaching. Data for the study were elicited from the second-year students enrolled for a Bachelor of Education in the 2009/10 academic year at the National University of Lesotho. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The findings show that before instruction, the teachers operated with limited knowledge of teaching. At the end of the course the teachers’ knowledge of teaching was enhanced. Significant change was apportioned to engaging in reflection and teaching for relational understanding. Implications of the findings for the course, teacher education and professional development are also discussed.     

\"互联网+\"教师专业发展的实践路径初探

\"互联网+\"时代的到来引发了教师思维方式、认知方式和行为方式的变革,并驱使教师在专业思维能力、专业认知方式和专业能力方面的变革与发展. \"互联网+\"教师专业发展具体包括从权威、封闭、近享、共存的实体思维向平等、开放、共享、协同的互联网思维转变;有效利用互联网\"知识生产-互联-分享\"特性,促成教师专业知识增长和实践性知识分享;积极开展网络校本教研和教师网络学习,进而形成教师专业洞见力等实践路径.     

The contribution of educational research to teachers’ professional learning: philosophical understandings

In this paper, we argue from principle that teacher education must enable a positive relationship between educational research and teaching knowledge and practice. We discuss two popular conceptions of good teaching, which conceive of the teacher as craft worker and as executive technician, and suggest that, while each of these aspects of knowing reflects something of the qualities that good teachers need, any one on its own is insufficient. In contrast to such mono-dimensional conceptions, a research-based textured notion of professional judgement encompasses a complementary and mutually enriching relationship between different aspects of professional knowledge and practice. We identify three interconnected and complementary aspects of teachers’ professional knowledge: situated understanding; technical knowledge; and critical reflection. Accordingly, teaching as professional endeavour demands of teachers practical know-how, conceptual understandings of education, teaching and learning, and the ability to interpret and form critical judgements on existing knowledge and its relevance to their particular situation. We conclude that in principle research can both enrich and be enriched by teachers’ professional knowledge and practice but that to build this relationship in a holistic way into teacher education programmes and partnership models presents considerable practical challenges.     

关于职教教师专业发展特点的思考

职教教师专业发展主要有四个特点,分别是知识基础的特殊性、专业发展的复杂性、空间结构的多元性和理论的弱质性。     

西方教师知识与教师专业发展研究述评

在西方教育研究领域,教师知识作为教师认知世界中稳定和基础性的一部分,一直是教师教育与发展的一个核心议题。随着教师知识认识论的变化,其研究内容也随之在演变和扩展:从教师知识分类研究发展到教师实践知识研究。知识观的转向必然会导致教师发展范式的转变,而这些变化对推动我国教师教育研究与发展具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Beliefs of experienced and student teachers about the nature and purpose of social studies education in New Zealand elementary schools

This paper reports on an investigation carried out in New Zealand into experienced elementary and student teachers’ beliefs about the nature and purpose of social studies education. Since its inclusion in New Zealand's curriculum, social studies has been organized around the notion of citizenship education with curricula and programmes of work influenced by four overarching “traditions” – social studies as: citizenship transmission; social science; reflective inquiry; and personal, social and ethical empowerment. A 20-item scale based on these traditions was administered to 228 student teachers and 64 experienced teachers. A factor analysis indicated that participants' perceptions of the dimensions of social studies education were, with one exception, reasonably close to the four traditions. Despite the contested nature of social studies, the student and experienced teachers held similar positions on the relative importance of the traditions and dimensions. It is argued that this agreement arises, wholly or in part, from their common “apprenticeship of experience” in classrooms, the broader socio-historical context in which their beliefs were developed, the widespread influence of a prevalent educational discourse, and a shared lack of experience in formal knowledge associated with specific social science disciplines. It was concluded that the uncomfortable generational encounters often reported in the literature between novice and experienced teachers are unlikely to occur in relation to the teaching of elementary social studies in New Zealand.     

Defining content for field-based coursework: Contrasting the perspectives of secondary preservice teachers and their teacher preparation curricula

The current study examined changes and continuities in how 11 secondary teacher preparation programs and 743 preservice teachers conceptualized the content and sequence of field-based teacher preparation. Although curricula and candidates differed regarding the knowledge each deemed as most relevant for field-based preparation, they largely agreed on the types of learning activities considered as most meaningful for the acquisition of that knowledge base. Possible explanations for these discrepancies and continuities are discussed.     

Novice teachers as organisational people: expectations of a professional work environment,collegiality, recognition and respect

This study introduces a model of novice teachers’ expectations together with supporting empirical evidence. The model is sectorial, distinguishing novice teachers’ expectations according to their reciprocal relations with their partners in the school. The study investigated 237 teachers attending internship programmes at five large teachers training colleges in Israel, using a self‐report questionnaire. The findings revealed that: (1) the expectations of novice teachers are based on a sectorial organisational view of the school, as proposed by role theory; (2) novice teachers have very high expectations of their organisational work environment; and (3) their highest expectations are for public recognition of the importance of teaching, while the lowest expectations are for receiving support and backing from the partners in the educational process. The article discusses novice teachers’ views of their function as organisational people and of the school as an arena for developing and nurturing their organisational selves.     

教师研究与中学英语教师职业发展

20世纪80年代中、后期,一场被称为“教师研究”的教育实验运动席卷美国,学校教师(K-12)成为课堂教学研究的主体,这一教育实验运动的成效尤见于语言教学领域。联系到目前我国中学英语教学研究的现状,身处一线的教师虽掌握着课堂教学的第一手资料,却由于缺少学科理论上的指导和研究手段上的训练而无法成为教学研究的主体。教师研究对中学英语教师的职业发展和英语教学效能的提高具有着十分重要的意义,因此在我们的师范教育课程设置中应增强旨在提高师范生和在职培训教师的研究能力的研究型培养模式。