An easy A or a question of belief: pupil attitudes to Catholic religious education in Croatia

This paper describes the results of a mixed model research that, as the first of its kind, aimed to determine the nature of, and underlying factors influencing, Croatian elementary pupils’ attitudes towards confessional Catholic religious education (RE). Analyses of the questionnaire responses of the eighth-grade pupils from the stratified sample of schools revealed generally positive attitudes towards confessional RE as well as homogeneity with respect to academic achievement and higher estimations of girls. Qualitative analyses offered more critical pupil perspectives on RE and its delivery. From the triangulation of the data, three separate elements emerged as the foundation of the attitudes towards RE. The first and primary influence is the exposure to religious sentiment and values from their families. Secondly, pupil attitudes are affected by their own personal development and a growing ability to critically observe the world around them. Finally, the methods through which RE is delivered and assessed also serve as a strong contributor to pupils’ attitudes. The voices of pupils demand an adoption of a more dialectical approach to teaching and learning, and lesser reliance on catechesis which could reflect positively on the attitudes of all pupils, and especially of those who are most critical of the subject.     

Pupils' enjoyment of history: what lessons can teachers learn from their pupils?

This article explores pupil attitudes towards history as a school subject in England, with a view to developing a better understanding of the factors which influence disaffection or engagement with the subject. The study attempts to identify what pupils like and dislike about how they are taught and what they are taught in history lessons. The study was carried out in 12 secondary schools with pupils aged 11–14. Questionnaires were returned from 1740 pupils and 160 of these were involved in focus group interviews. The findings show that how pupils are taught appears to matter more than what they are taught and identifies teaching approaches that pupils considered to be particularly effective, and teaching approaches that appear to contribute to pupil disaffection and disengagement from the subject. The study also provides insights into the extent to which pupils find history enjoyable compared to other school subjects. Although the study is primarily of interest to history teachers, it may also be of interest to teachers of other subjects who have a concern for the degree of pupil engagement with their subject.     

Supporting Pupils with Dyspraxia in the Visual Arts Does Drawing from Observation Function as an Official and Discriminatory Discourse?

This article examines the demands that pupils with dyspraxia may face when engaging with the secondary art and design curriculum in a mainstream secondary school. It explores the possibility that there is an exclusive approach to art and design, prioritising a formalist approach to the teaching of specific skills and mastery of techniques, and considers the implications that this may have for such pupils. Specific attention is paid to the role of observational drawing and the demands that this may make for pupils with dyspraxia. The article will explore existing guidance offered for subject‐based practitioners and aims to contextualise this within the current debates on art and design education and the recollections of individual experiences of art and design. It will outline the hypothesis that pupils with dyspraxia may be one group of pupils amongst many for whom their art and design experience does not offer an inclusive experience, and it seeks to question the existence of a hierarchy of practice and its subsequent relevance.     

彝族农村小学高年级学生数学问题解决观念的调查研究

通过对233名彝族农村小学4～6年级学生进行数学问题解决观念问卷的抽样调查,结果发现:学生数学问题解决观念归为数学问题、常规和非常规数学问题解决、数学问题解决动机和数学问题解决能力五方面的自我认识和看法;凉山彝族农村4～6年级学生数学问题解决观念总体上不理想,在数学教学中应给予充分重视;民族和性别因素在方差分析中主效应明显,可能与彝族学生思维方式、语言习惯等文化背景差异及当地小学数学教学现状有关;数学问题、常规和非常规数学问题解决、数学问题解决动机等观念显著影响数学问题解决观念。     

TEACHERS' VIEWS ON PRIMARY SCHOOL STREAMING

The ability and attainment of pupils at 10 RAF secondary schools overseas is compared with that of their contemporaries in the UK, and the effect of frequent changes of school, which the overseas pupils sometimes undergo, is also discussed. The inquiry reveals little difference in the average ability and attainment of the two groups, except that the overseas CSE candidates, unlike the GGE candidates, did less well in their examinations than their ability seems to warrant.     

Bottom: A Case Study Comparing Teaching Low Ability and Mixed Ability Year 9 English Classes

This article takes the form of a case study which compares two Year 9 English groups ‐ one mixed ability, one a low set ‐ and the different approaches used to prepare the pupils for their SATs. The focus of observation has been on the differing opportunities made available to a mixed ability set, contrasted with a bottom set, and identifies clear implications that lower set pupils are offered a significantly limited range of teaching strategies in the delivery of the National Curriculum. The article indicates that the benefits of selective setting in English are for adults rather than children, and argues that placement in a low set has a detrimental effect on pupils rather than providing an appropriate learning environment. Finally, the article draws attention to the long‐held anomaly that whilst setting continues to proliferate in the UK education system, there is no clear evidence that it has any positive impact on pupil performance.     

Textual Cohesion and Effective Reading: A teaching strategy

The unfamiliarity of the language of books sometimes contributes to the limited effectiveness with which pupils read. An action research project was carried out with a group of primary school teachers and their pupils, who belong to minority ethnic groups, in order to develop a teaching strategy to help these pupils to attend to the cohesive elements of texts, alongside the conceptual content. The teachers selected texts for reading and discussion with their pupils and they included in the discussion some prepared questions aimed at recovering the meaning of cohesive devices in the texts. The teachers found that they developed their own awareness of the linguistic demands on pupils of the texts which they selected, and the responses of the pupils demonstrated the contribution of the cohesive elements of the texts to the interplay of the factors, linguistic and conceptual, which influence pupils' effective reading.     

Differences in pedagogical understanding among student–teachers in a four-year initial teacher education programme

As teacher educators, preparing student–teachers who are able to address diverse student needs is our main concern. It has been suggested in the literature that teachers who are adaptive to students’ needs are those who possess adequate pedagogical content knowledge or pedagogical understanding. However, it is not uncommon for teacher educators to find student–teachers with diverse pedagogical understandings even at the point of graduation from the teacher education programme. This paper aims to explain and analyse the development of pedagogical understanding among student–teachers in an initial teacher education programme. The findings are drawn from a study conducted at the Hong Kong Institute of Education where in-depth interviews were carried out during the four-year programme. The findings from the three selected cases provide an explanation for why some individual student–teachers show continuous development, whereas others remain confused in their pedagogical understanding throughout the teacher education programme. While acknowledging individual differences in pedagogical understanding, we attempt to explain such differences by investigating the relationship between different dimensions of the student–teachers’ learning such as the integration of pedagogical understanding with the teaching contexts, integration of feedback from lecturers and supporting teachers, and their focus of concern. The findings reveal that the three cases demonstrate different levels of pedagogical understanding and possess varying ‘senses of agency’. Of the three cases, the first one, Peggy has the strongest sense of agency. Despite influences related to classroom management, diverse learning ability among pupils, and the teaching methods which pupils were accustomed to previously, she actively introduced rhythmic movements into her lessons, developed pupils’ ability to learn gradually and achieved an impact on pupils’ learning which was also recognized by her supporting teacher. The analysis suggests that the second case, Lilian has a weaker sense of agency as she was severely limited by influences in the teaching context in her first teaching practice and resorted to teacher-centered teaching strategies. She improved later on in the programme and started to plan her own learning, drawing on the feedback she received as well as learning from other taught modules, from feedback from various sources, and from her pupils’ responses to her teaching and her own evaluation of her teaching. The third case, Stephanie remained confused throughout the programme and struggled with the implementation of student-centered teaching strategies. The ability to practice one’s own convictions and demonstrate an active sense of agency distinguishes the student–teacher who achieves better pedagogical understanding. Drawing on the findings, the paper concludes that it is crucial for teacher educators to identify ways to nurture a sense of agency among student–teachers. Implications for teacher education programmes are discussed, including providing opportunities for student–teachers to be able to articulate and integrate their pedagogical understandings, as well as negotiate how to accomplish their learning and teaching targets despite complex classroom situations.     

School experiences and teacher socialization: A longitudinal study of pupils who grew up to be teachers

In this paper it is argued that experiences as a pupil are of importance for socialization into the teaching profession. Schooling experiences of pupils that turned to the teaching professions are compared with their school fellows who turned to other careers. Our data are based on a longitudinal study carried out in a Swedish medium-sized community where pupils were followed from the school start (at age 7) into adulthood (to age 23). Out of 671 pupils 34 later turned to teacher careers. During primary school the group of pupils who later became teachers were more well-adjusted and stimulated students compared to the other pupils. And as adults they have specific perspectives of schooling close to those predominant in middle-class positions and distant from those frequent in working-class positions, according to our data. Based on these findings it is argued that teachers and student teachers have to reflect upon and to analyze their own school experiences in order to understand differences in experiences and rationalities among their own students.     

History through drama an enactive approach to learning

The prevailing accountability climate assumes that we can identify the quality of teachers by discovering what their pupils have learned from them. However teachers are only good if they are responsible for worthwhile learning. The current pressures to improve test performance are linked with some learning of questionable value. In any case we are necessarily limited in our ability to attribute responsibility for learning to particular teachers and to identify in any detail what learning has taken place. We need a radical change of direction. We should judge teaching quality on the basis of audited self-review.     

浅论复调音乐及其弹奏训练

钢琴作品充满复调结构 ,而钢琴是一种能够演奏多声部的乐器。复调音乐的代表人物是德国的巴赫 (J S Bach) ,复调音乐作品是每一个钢琴弹奏者必须学习的课程 ,我们既要训练学生大脑多层次的思维能力、多声部的听辨及组织能力 ,手指的独立性与控制能力 ,又要训练学生把握复调作品的纵横关系 ,以及色彩、力度、声音的准确表达。     

Inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in secondary mainstream schools: teacher attitudes,experience and knowledge

The aim of the current study was to examine the experience, attitudes and knowledge of school staff in relation to inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream secondary schools. Fifty-three participants from 11 secondary schools in the north-west of England completed a survey that covered socio-demographic information and teaching experience, perceptions of inclusion within their school, experience and knowledge of ASDs, influences on integration of pupils with ASDs, ability to cope with behaviours associated with ASDs and benefits and problems associated with integration of pupils with ASD in mainstream schools. Respondents tended to indicate positive attitudes towards inclusion. Our analysis also showed that senior managers and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators reported greater self-efficacy in teaching pupils with ASD and in coping with behaviours associated with ASD than did subject teachers. Finally, respondents reported social inclusion as both a potential benefit and challenge for pupils with ASD. The implications of these findings for future training and practice are discussed.     

Four Student Teachers' Pedagogical Reasoning on Functions

This study attempts to identify theinfluence of student teachers' subject matterknowledge for teaching on the process ofpedagogical reasoning. This influence isstudied through the way in which the concept offunction is presented to pupils in teachingthrough the textbook problems. Our findingsshow that the four student teachers in ourstudy differed in their subject-matterknowledge for teaching both in the differentaspects of concepts they emphasised and in theuse of a representation repertoire to structurelearning activities. All of this conditionedthe use of graphical and algebraic modes intheir planning of subject matter to bepresented to pupils. We explored also theinfluence of images of mathematics,teaching and learning on student teachers'organisation of the subject matter forteaching, but found this only slight. Finally,regarding the relationship between subjectmatter knowledge and pedagogical contentknowledge in student-teachers' ways of knowingthe subject matter, we offer some implicationsof these findings for mathematics teachereducation programmes.     

Preparing teachers to teach pupils with special educational needs in more inclusive schools: evaluating a PGCE development

As we move towards a more inclusive education system in the UK, there is a real need to equip teachers to work in more diverse classrooms from the start of their teaching careers. In this article, Gill Golder, teaching and research fellow (physical education), Brahm Norwich, Professor of Educational Psychology and Special Educational Needs, and Phil Bayliss, senior lecturer in special educational needs and education studies, all based in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Exeter, describe developments in Exeter's secondary phase Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme. The authors set their account in the context of policy requirements in England and international trends towards more inclusive teacher education. They report on an initiative designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of trainee teachers and to equip them to differentiate their teaching to meet the individual needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs. This initiative involved all trainees working intensively with one pupil, supported by the SENCo in their teaching practice school. Building towards a form of dispersed teacher preparation that may have applications in other contexts, the programme offered student teachers a systematic strategy for individualised teaching and the support of web-based resources. Gill Golder, Brahm Norwich and Phil Bayliss include evaluations from student teachers, SENCos and principal subject tutors in their report. They conclude that this is a promising way of working, which highlights the national and international need to develop practical ways of enhancing initial teacher education in relation to special educational needs and inclusion.     

The Equation, the Whole Equation and Nothing But the Equation! One Approach to the Teaching of Linear Equations

There exists an extensive range of research looking at the teaching and learning of linear equations, resulting in many papers highlighting a range of teaching approaches and illustrating a variety of significant cognitive problems and stumbling blocks to the learning of linear equations with understanding. Building on this literature, this paper presents some of the results of a case study which looked at the mathematics classroom of one particular teacher, Alwyn, trying to teach mathematics with meaning to less able pupils at secondary school level. Our interest here is those lessons which dealt specifically with the learning of linear equations, in which firstly a different approach was utilised and secondly many of the problems referred to in the literature were not present. We contrast this method with the teaching of linear equations to a variety of ability levels in several other classrooms that we have studied and we attempt through use of the Pirie-Kieren model, to analyse and account for the successful growth of understanding of the lower ability, year eight pupils in one particular classroom.     

The school staff's perception of their ability to teach special educational needs pupils in inclusive settings in Finland

Recent studies have suggested that the professional training received by general educators does not adequately prepare them to properly implement inclusion-based practices. The idea of inclusion in practice has not significantly changed the situation of teaching pupils with special educational needs (SENs) in mainstream classes. This study's primary intent is to examine the factors that identify the school staff's ability to meet the needs of SEN pupils in their daily teaching situations. A total of 187 elementary school teachers, principals and teaching assistants in a Finnish city completed a structured questionnaire that used a self-evaluation method. Two components were generalised according to answers concerning the respondents’ confidence in and knowledge of teaching SEN pupils. The results indicate that teachers’ qualifications constitute the main reason affecting their ability in this area. Pedagogical and practical knowledge, as well as collaborative skills in teaching SEN pupils, is focused on special educators. These findings reveal the need for additional and in-service training and more effective cooperation between special and general education to share the knowledge of teaching SEN pupils in practice.     

Discussion on teaching English songs in primary school

English is a foreign language for the pupils in primary school in China.There are giant differences between English and our mother tongue——Chinese,and we don't have the real situation for the English study,which makes it more difficult.Primary school is the key stage of gaining a language,and the result depends on their interest during the learning,to a large extent.As we know,pupils like singing and dancing,they're lively and active,easy to shift attention,and has great capability to imitate.Songs are popping,easy to pronounce and recite,lively and active,which correspond with the pupil's cognition characteristic and the law of somatopsychic development.Furthermore,they enrich the teaching,provoke the interests,memory new knowledge,break through teaching difficult points.This essay mainly discusses about the application of English songs in the primary school teaching,also,I will share with you some experiences of teaching English songs in a primary school for six years.     

CURRENT ARTICLES

In the post-pillarized society of the Netherlands, formal religious education still is structured according to religious dividing lines. “Religion” in confessional schools is a compulsory subject; in public schools, taking a so-called neutral position with regard to religious traditions, “Religion” is an optional subject (Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Islamic religious education or Humanistic World View Education), taught to pupils on parents’ request. Nowadays, due to processes of modernization, globalization, and individualization, the position of religion in society has changed and subsequently the position of “Religion” as a subject in classes has changed. These days for principals and teachers in public schools it is urgent to reflect on their positionality regarding (religious and secular) worldview education. In this contribution we present our findings from document analysis and from (focus group) interviews with principals, and from observations in public schools, resulting in a plea for “Life Orientation for all” as a compulsory subject in all schools for all pupils.     

Teaching Grammar and Testing Grammar in the English Primary School: The Impact on Teachers and their Teaching of the Grammar Element of the Statutory Test in Spelling,Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

The research examined the impact on teachers of the grammar element of a new statutory test in Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) in primary schools in England. The research aimed to evaluate the nature and the extent of changes to the teaching of grammar and to wider literacy teaching since the introduction of the test in 2013. The research explored teachers’ responses to teaching grammar to a statutory test format, and how teachers implemented rapid curriculum change in their classrooms. The research sought to learn the perspectives of teachers as they adjusted to new English assessments and new expectations for children’s language in the primary school. This paper draws on teacher interviews (n = 16) and an online survey of teaching staff (n = 170). Teachers discuss their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of grammar at their own level, and their skills for teaching pupils; they also discuss their observations of how pupils have responded to explicit grammar teaching and the grammar test. The data give some insights into the processes for teachers of applying new requirements for teaching and testing grammar, and how teachers strive to make grammar accessible to children. The findings discussed in this paper are: (1) since the introduction of the statutory SPaG test in primary schools, time spent teaching decontextualised and contextualised grammar has increased significantly; (2) grammar is now taught explicitly and formally as a classroom literacy routine; (3) the test format influences grammar teaching content and approaches; (4) teachers observe that pupils enjoy learning grammar and taking the test; (5) teachers disagree about the extent to which explicit grammar teaching and testing have a positive impact on pupils’ language and literacy skills; (6) teachers feel more confident about teaching grammar.     

The Part which Metacognition can Play in Raising Standards in English at Key Stage 2

This article explores the role of metacognition in developing literacy at Key Stage 2 and suggests that the ability to extend pupils’ metacognitive awareness deserves to be given a high focus in English teaching, as it is through this that deeper levels of understanding will be acquired. Metacognition can be enhanced by giving pupils an explicit repertoire of techniques to aid their understanding of how are they learning. Examples derived from five research cases reveal how some teachers have tried to achieve this, and the pivotal role which this may play in raising standards in English.