The ethical claim of partiality: practical reasoning,the discipline,and teacher education

Practical reasoning refers to a teacher's capacity to discern particulars and make wise judgements about how to act in pedagogical situations. But how do teachers know what is right? How are teachers' preferences to be grounded and their choices justified? I explore the disciplines as one source of moral perception. Assuming that narrative unities underscore the coherence and continuity of an individual's experience, I generated data in the context of a 2‐year teacher education programme. The case study of an aspiring teacher of secondary school language arts illustrates how the intellectual virtues of a discipline can influence a student teacher's practical reasoning. I conclude that teacher educators must attend to the complex ways in which a prospective teacher's prior discipline may influence aspiring teachers' orientations to experience, their consideration of educational ends, and, finally, their characters.     

美、英、澳三国教师教育课程设置的现状与特点

美国、英国和澳大利亚三国的教师教育课程设置各具特色,美国注重教师专业化,英国注重合格教师资格标准化,澳大利亚注重专业实践体验化。同时,三国也呈现出发达国家教师教育课程设置上的一些共性,包括创建开放灵活的课程模块,强化大中小学之间的联系,关注实践课程的开设和学生实践能力的培养。三国的教师教育课程设置适应了教育形势发展的要求和世界性教师教育改革的潮流,体现了较高的教师教育课程的研究水平。     

Teacher education and the best-loved self

Four narrative fragments involving research disseminated globally – namely, United States, Israel, The Netherlands, The People's Republic of China – are used to instantiate the phenomenon of teachers teaching their best-loved selves, without becoming the curriculum themselves. Next, the development of the best-loved self-conceptualization as it emerged in Joseph J. Schwab's scholarship is traced, along with important connections to Michael Connelly and Jean Clandinin's research programme. After that, two important research questions are addressed: (1) If the best-loved self is integral to the teacher-as-curriculum-maker image, what practices might we engage in in teacher education to foster the best-loved self? And (2) How does change happen in pre-service teachers' pedagogical practices and repertoires, given the potential significance of the teacher's best-loved self-image? To conclude, the work returns to the opening narrative fragments to determine the answers that lie within.     

Cognitive Scientists Prefer Theories and Testable Principles With Teeth

The visions of mathematics classrooms called for by current educational reform efforts pose great challenges for kindergarten through Grade 12 schools and teacher education programs. Although a number of colleges and universities throughout the country are making changes in their teacher education programs to reflect these reform recommendations, we have little systematic information on the nature of these programs or their impact on prospective teachers. These issues are of central concern in the study-Learning to Teach Secondary Mathematics in Two Reform-Based Teacher Education Programs-that we draw on in this article. The article focuses on 1 preservice teacher's (Ms. Savant) knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to proof, tasks, and discourse. A situative perspective on cognition and components of teachers' professional knowledge frame our research. We examined data on Ms. Savant's experiences in her teacher education program to understand the influences of teacher education on her development as a mathematics teacher. This research indicates that Ms. Savant's teacher education experiences did make a difference in her development as a teacher. Her mathematics methods course provided a large collection of tasks, engaged her and her preservice colleagues in discourse, and provided her with both formal and informal experiences with proof-all of these experiences reflecting reform-based visions of mathematics classrooms. The situative perspective on cognition directed our attention to issues of compatibility of goals and visions across the various university and kindergarten through Grade 12 classroom settings, and it helped us to understand why some aspects of reform-based pedagogy are more easily learned than others: Why some ideas and practices learned as a student in the university setting are more easily transported to the novice teacher's kindergarten through Grade 12 field setting. We conclude that compatibility of these settings on several key dimensions is essential for the settings to reinforce each other's messages, and thus work in conjunction, rather than in opposition, to prepare reform-minded teachers.     

A comparative study of the effect of certain factors on the teaching behavior of preservice elementary teachers of science

Undergraduate teacher education programs have long attempted to improve the prospective teacher's competence in implementing new curriculum programs, materials, teaching strategies, etc. The following study suggests that there are components of a lesson, other than program and materials, which may exert enough influence on the interaction patterns between teachers and pupils to be given closer consideration in the design of a teacher education sequence.     

Inclusive practice within the lived cultures of school communities: research case studies in teaching,learning and inclusion

This paper provides an account of a teacher's use of theory as a tool to develop inclusive practice through a social studies programme in a new entrant class. The account illustrates the ways in which the teacher drew on research to assist in the facilitation of an inclusive educational environment. Presented are research case studies the teacher encountered in an in-service teacher education programme, and the ‘social constructionist’ and ‘personal tragedy’ models that were used as theoretical tools to assist the teacher's planning and teaching practice. Mounted cameras, broadcast microphones and pre- and post-unit interviews with the teacher and students were used to explore the lived culture of the classroom, and the nature and effectiveness of the strategies the teacher used. An ‘interrupted narrative’ methodology engages the reader in the interplay between research and theory in the research case studies. Four major strategies used by the teacher have been identified and these are presented as theoretical tools for other teachers and teacher educators to use, critique and develop to support inclusive practice in their own contexts.     

Exploring the relationship between certification sources,experience levels,and classroom management orientations of classroom teachers

Teachers continue to report that classroom management is one of their greatest challenges in the classroom. Classroom management involves teacher's efforts to oversee classroom activities such as learning, social interaction, and student behavior. In this study, we examined the relationship between sources of teachers’ certification (traditional or alternative), teachers’ experience levels (experienced or novice), and teachers’ classroom management orientations (interventionist, non-interventionist, or interactionalist). We discovered that neither source of certification nor experience level alone impacts a teachers’ classroom management orientation. However, teachers with traditional certification and many years of experience exert significantly less control over classroom activities and students’ behaviors than do their colleagues with other educational and experimental backgrounds. Potential causes and ramifications of these findings are discussed.     

The Impact of a High Stakes Teacher Evaluation System: Educator Perspectives on Accountability

The use of student achievement data to evaluate an individual teacher's effectiveness has become a new focus in educational policy. This article focuses on the underresearched teacher perception of this new policy measure. Drawing on ethnographic research procedures, this article explores how first-grade teachers in one state navigated a new high-stakes teacher evaluation system. Although the results indicate that teachers have a desire for accountability, findings also show a variety of beliefs on the validity of teacher evaluation, as well as differing applications of scoring measures across school contexts.     

Understanding the role cumulative exposure to highly qualified science teachers plays in students' educational pathways

Years of experience, education level, and subject matter expertise are three measures of teacher qualification that are employed widely in contemporary educational policies including tenure, salary, and hiring, despite significant questions about their effectiveness at predicting student performance. These questions reveal a critical gap in the literature, concerning, in particular, the enduring impact of teachers' qualifications on students' educational experiences, and they ways in which related research has traditionally been framed and conducted. Specifically, studies examining these predictors have focused almost exclusively on investigating the role that an individual teacher's qualifications have on students' performance. In schools, however, students are exposed to different teachers every year, and those teachers often have differing qualifications. This study explores the impact of teacher qualification from a cumulative perspective by examining the relationship between cumulative science teachers' qualifications (measured by years of experience, education level, and subject matter expertise) and students' educational success (academic achievement, college enrollment, and decision to major in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics field). The study found that students taught by science teachers who—as a group—were cumulatively more highly qualified, tended to have higher achievement, as well as better educational pathways and outcomes in STEM. Given that students are taught by teachers from across a broad spectrum of qualification throughout their schooling, findings from this study could have important implications, not only for research and practice, but also for education policy.     

Teacher Education for Research‐based Practice in Expanded Roles: Finland's experience

Preparing teachers for a research‐based professionalism has been the central mission of teacher education in Finland since the mid‐1970s. More recently, as a result of such national policy developments as school‐based curriculum development and local decision‐making, the conception of teachers' work and professionalism has expanded. Drawing on experience within the teacher education programmes at the University of Helsinki and Åbo Akademi University, this paper discusses some of the programmatic issues that these developments have raised in class‐teacher, i.e. “elementary”, teacher education programmes. We focus in particular firstly on the research thesis that is a part of every teacher education programme in Finland, and the hallmark of the research‐based professional ideal; and, secondly on the emerging issues that derive from the need to incorporate the expanded understanding of the teacher's role within the curriculum of teacher education.     

Examining the Relationship Between Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Student Achievement Utilizing the Florida Value-Added Model

Utilizing a correlational research design, we sought to examine the relationship between the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of in-service teachers and student achievement measured with each individual teacher's Value-Added Model (VAM) score. The TPACK survey results and a teacher's VAM score were also examined, separately, with respect to teacher attributes. Upon examination of VAM scores and teacher attributes, the subject area, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students at the teacher's school, and the grade level of the teacher were all significantly related to VAM scores. In addition, the TPACK survey results overall and its constructs were examined with teacher attributes. The significant relationships were gender, subject area, the number of certifications, highest degree held by the teacher, years teaching, and teaching in/out of area. The analysis showed no significant relationship between a teacher's VAM score and the TPACK survey overall or its individual constructs.     

Teacher knowledge and the knowledge base of teaching

In this chapter, the knowledge base of teaching is conceived as all profession-related insights, which are potentially relevant to a teacher's activities. From this perspective, it is argued that teacher knowledge, or teacher practical knowledge, should be included within this knowledge base, along with formal propositional knowledge. Although teacher knowledge is strongly related to individual experiences and contexts, there are elements of teacher knowledge that are shared by all teachers or large groups of teachers, for instance, all teachers who teach pupils of a certain age level. Investigating teacher knowledge to identify these common elements so as to do justice to its complex and specific nature can be problematic from a methodological point of view. To illustrate the potential benefits and limitations of research on teacher knowledge, the results from several studies are presented. A major conclusion from these studies is that an understanding of teacher knowledge may be useful to improve teacher education and to make educational innovations more successful. Finally, three areas of interest for future research are identified.     

New Opportunities for Change in American Teacher Education: Insights From Hong Kong

This article is an exploration of the emerging narratives on learning and teacher education in the United States and Hong Kong, as found in official policy statements and curriculum documents. Particular attention is given to Hong Kong's initiative in implementing an interdisciplinary liberal studies curriculum, and the continued professional development of teachers for this proposed change. This recent trend is used to illustrate the possibilities for a broader vision of creating and substantiating knowledge and learning in teacher education programs in the United States.     

It takes two to tango: In dynamic inquiry,the self-directed student acts in association with the facilitating teacher

The current research presents a qualitative view of a teacher–student association within the context of dynamic inquiry, as encouraged by a new biology curriculum, “Biomind”. This curriculum enables open inquiry learning through teacher guidance. We characterized the various aspects of the student's functioning as a self-directed student during the open inquiry learning process. The student's functioning corresponds closely to the teacher's efforts to facilitate the student's scientific literacy, initiative, responsibility, and motivation. Dynamic inquiry does not separate teaching from learning, but creates a learning community of teachers and students that is crucial to the success of the inquiry process.     

Teachers' goal orientations for teaching: Associations with instructional practices,interest in teaching,and burnout

Two studies (one longitudinal) were designed to extend Butler's model of teachers' goal orientations for teaching. In Study 1, results from 281 teachers in Germany confirmed the predicted four-factor model comprising mastery, ability-approach, ability-avoidance, and work-avoidance goal orientations. As expected, mastery orientation and work avoidance emerged as positive and negative predictors, respectively, of adaptive patterns of instruction (mastery-oriented practices and cognitive stimulation) and high interest in teaching and low burnout; associations for both ability orientations were less consistent. In Study 2, 69 Israeli teachers completed the measures of instructional practices, interest in teaching and burnout several months after reporting their goal orientations. Results were very similar to those of Study 1. The two studies confirm that research on teachers' goal orientation is promising and has implications for understanding how teacher motivation might influence both teachers and their students.     

Trust versus control: the impact of school leadership on teacher reflection

As teacher educators have worked to encourage teachers to become more reflective, they have noted the important role that school context plays in supporting or constraining reflection in action. This study describes one kindergarten teacher's experiences in two contrasting school contexts. The study documents the leadership styles, school organizational structures and resources, faculty‐administration communication processes, and curriculum decision‐making practices that promoted or hindered the teacher's ability to reflect. Data analysis revealed striking contrasts between the two schools. These differences had an impact on the curriculum provided by the teacher, her ability and willingness to accept responsibility for her professional decisions, and her self‐confidence and job satisfaction. The study concludes with suggestions for teacher educators interested in helping their graduates find and maintain contexts supportive of reflective practice.     

当代美国教师教育课程思想的三种价值取向分析

学术取向、专业取向、社会(公正)取向共同构成了20世纪80年代以来美国教师教育课程思想的三大价值取向。专业取向教师教育课程思想以教育学科为中心,相信教育科学研究和教学知识基础的作用,在教育研究和专业评判的基础上,致力于建立专业教师队伍。学术取向教师教育课程思想以通识教育、任教科目为中心,通过教师掌握其知识结构,并把其注入教师教育课程中,完善教师的知识体系,促使教师形成良好的教育判断力。社会取向教师教育课程思想是在美国面对日益多元化的教学环境下,把教师当做转化型知识分子,赋权增能,以社会重建、改造为中心,实现教育和社会公平。三大价值取向的思想体现出了融合与多元模式的思想特征和发展趋势,构成了当代美国教师教育课程思想的基本图景。     

Reification of instructional materials as part of the process of developing problem‐based practices in mathematics education

This teacher development study closely examined a teacher's practice for the purpose of understanding how she selected and implemented instructional materials, and correspondingly how these processes changed as she developed her problem‐based practice throughout a school year. Data sources included over 20 hours of planning and analysis meetings with the teacher and 27 video‐taped lessons with discussions before and after each lesson. Through qualitative analysis we examined the data for: students' cognitive demand for curricular materials the teacher selected and implemented; teacher's beliefs and practices for students' engagement in mathematical thinking; and teacher's and students' communication about mathematics during instruction. We found that the teacher shifted her views and use of instructional materials as she changed her practice towards more problem‐based approaches. The teacher moved from closely following her traditional, district‐adopted textbook to selecting problem‐based tasks from outside resources to build a curriculum. Simultaneously, she changed her practice to focus more on students' engagement in mathematical thinking and their communication about mathematics as part of learning. During this shift in practice, the teacher began to reify instructional materials, viewing them as instruments of her practice to meet students' needs. The process of shifting her views was gradual over the school year and involved substantial analysis and reflection on practice from the teacher. Implications include that teachers and teacher educators may need to devote more attention and support for teachers to use instructional materials to support instruction, rather than materials to prescribe instruction. This use of instructional materials may be an important part of transforming practice overall.     

Missing pages? A study of textbooks for Dutch early childhood teacher education

A content analysis of the textbooks used in the Dutch early childhood teacher education shows clear inconsistencies with the intended curriculum. Neither the content standards found in the professional profile for teachers nor the content standards from the educational profile of their training courses are adequately covered in the books. Whilst they pay considerable attention to the teacher's educational duties, other tasks outside the primary work process are either dealt with in much less detail or ignored altogether, including the need for strategic planning, for reflection and evaluation, for the development of educational policy, and for co-operation and liaison with colleagues from other disciplines.