Predicting student ratings: the relationship between actual student ratings and instructors’ predictions

This study examined the relationship between student ratings and instructors’ predictions of these ratings, taking into account other instructor, student, and course characteristics. Participants in the study were 198 instructors in the School of Education at a major teacher training college in Israel. Data corresponding to one randomly selected course per instructor were collected using student and instructor questionnaires and college records. Results indicate a systematic positive relationship between instructors’ predictions and actual student ratings with respect to overall ratings and the ratings of three dimensions of teaching. Results also demonstrate a systematic trend whereby low‐rated instructors tend to overestimate their student ratings, high‐rated instructors underestimated ratings, and moderately rated instructors gave accurate predictions. Results have implications for using predictions to motivate teaching improvement.     

Knowing the subject matter of a secondary‐school science subject

This paper examines the fundamental yet largely neglected distinction between school subjects and academic disciplines in the discourse on teachers’ specialized subject‐matter knowledge. It analyses and critiques the curricular positions embedded in that discourse in the light of five possible relationships between school subjects and academic disciplines. Invoking Dewey’s logical‐psychological distinction and research findings, the paper argues that the subject matter of a secondary‐school science subject instead of the subject matter of its parent academic discipline lies at the heart of secondary‐school science teachers’ specialized subject‐matter knowledge. Knowing such subject matter entails knowing five intersecting dimensions: the logical, the psychological, the pedagogical, the epistemological, and the sociocultural. Implications are drawn concerning theorizing about what secondary‐school science teachers need to know about the subject matter they are expected to teach, subject‐matter preparation for teaching, and the development of secondary‐school science curriculum materials.     

Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics: some student teachers' views

ABSTRACT

This investigation examines the views of pedagogical content knowledge of 12 student teachers of mathematics drawn from three different training groups. Attitudes towards and understandings of pedagogical content knowledge were elicited using six Likert‐item statements whilst information on students' learning was obtained through open‐ended questioning. Differences between groups were apparent only in tendencies to give extreme responses and to adopt outlying positions. These differences may be attributable to differences in values or prior knowledge and to training parallels with the social construction of mathematical meaning. Indications of the acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge appeared in all training groups and seemed to be linked to a hierarchical view of mathematics; possible limitations for student learning are implied. Students' views also highlight the importance of reflection upon subject matter knowledge and awareness of learning processes when transforming mathematical ideas for teaching purposes. It is suggested that the role of prior learning is worthy of further investigation.     

Effective pedagogical practices for online teaching: Perception of experienced instructors

Institutions have focused on providing faculty with technological training to enhance their online teaching, but many online instructors would like to learn more effective pedagogical practices. This phenomenological study determines what experienced, award-winning South Dakota e-learning instructors perceive to be effective pedagogical practices. This study identified effective pedagogical practices for online teaching that are reflective of theories and practices referenced in the college teaching literature.     

Students' evaluation and instructors' self-evaluation of university instruction

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between students' evaluations of university instruction and self-ratings of instructors. The sample consisted of 52 instructors, from the School of Education at Tel-Aviv University, who taught 93 classes. The instructors, as well as their students, responded to a 20-item instructional-practices questionnaire. Instructor self-ratings had only a modest relationship with the ratings given by students (a median correlation of .28). Discrepancies between instructor ratings and ratings given by the students were further analyzed for (1) varying training in teaching - no difference was found; and (2) number of years of teaching experience - differences were noted; the self-ratings of less experienced instructors were closer to student ratings.     

The superior college teacher from the students' view

This analysis attempts a systematic synthesis of the rather large body of research on college students' views on teaching and their assessment of the effectiveness of various attitudes, behaviors, and pedagogical practices of instructors. Across studies, the following characteristics are consistently associated with superior college teachers or teaching (as determined in a variety of ways): stimulation of interest; clarity and understandableness; knowledge of subject matter; preparation for, and organization of, the course; and enthusiasm for the subject matter and for teaching. Friendliness (concern and respect for students), helpfulness (availability), and openness to others' opinions (encouragement of class questions and discussion) are characteristics that students say they prefer in teachers (especially when they freely describe their ideal or best teacher and the characteristics they see as important to good teaching). However, a teacher's standing on these characteristics appears not to be particularly important to students' global assessment of their actual teachers on teacher-evaluation questionnaires. Finally, relative to other characteristics, certain regulative activities of the instructor are typically and consistently lower in importance for superior teaching, at least by the several indicators used in the studies under review. The analysis concludes with interpretations and cautions.     

A QUALITY INITIATIVE FOR POSTSECONDARY TECHNICAL INSTRUCTORS

The quality of instruction provided through the post‐secondary technical institutes reflects the capabilities of the instructors. It would be ideal ifinstructors were trained through traditional teacher education programs. However, instructors inpost‐secon‐dary technical education generally have few collegiate programs in teacher preparation available to them.

The Georgia Instructor Academy is responsible for delivering in‐service training to both new and experienced instructors. The academy is divided into three specific divisions: the Technical Training Division, the Instructor Training Institute (ITI), and the Professional Development Division.

Technical Training provides instructors with opportunities to advance their occupational expertise. Training is delivered through classes, workshops, seminars, and industry‐based practicums and internships.

The ITI delivers pedagogical development. It provides new instructors with the basic pedagogical skills needed to become effective teachers. The ITI is broken into three hierarchical phases.

Professional Development provides experienced instructors with activities that enhance their professional lives. Classes, seminars, and workshops offer instructors opportunities to serve themselves, their home institutes, and professional organizations.

Educationally, the Georgia Instructor Academy provides various opportunities to develop and enhance the quality of Georgia's postsecondary technical teachers. By addressing these three important areas of teacher education this comprehensive program will benefit both students and, ultimately, the State of Georgia.     

Lessons on and from the dihybrid cross: An activity–theoretical study of learning in coteaching

During their training, future teachers usually learn the subject matter of science. However, they are largely left on their own when it comes to figuring out how to teach this subject matter, that is, how to find appropriate pedagogical forms. In this article we present a model of collective teaching and learning, which we term coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing, as a way to build deep learning of science concepts while learning about alternative ways to teach the same subject matter. As praxis, coteaching brings about a unity between teaching and learning to teach; cogenerative dialoguing brings about a unity between teaching and researching. Both are potential sites for deep learning. We articulate coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing in terms of activity theory and the associated first‐person research methodology that has been developed by critical psychologists as a method of choice for dealing with the theory–praxis gap. Our detailed case study highlights opportunities of learning subject matter and pedagogy by university professors who participate in coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing in an urban high school. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 253–282, 2002     

Exploring the Impact of Varying Degrees of Cognitive Conflict in the Generation of both Subject and Pedagogical Knowledge as Primary Trainee Teachers Learn about Shadow Formation

Primary teacher preparation courses to need support students in developing not only science content knowledge, but also pedagogical knowledge appropriate to the effective translation and representation of subject matter for learners in classrooms. In the case of the generalist primary trainee, this constitutes a considerable challenge. This study explored how a group of 13 primary trainees developed subject and pedagogical knowledge during university‐based training as they investigated shadow production in a variety of contexts using cognitive conflict as a strategy for promoting conceptual change. By using a metacognitive approach, students analysed their own learning in response to increasing depth of conflict within a series of shadow investigations. The results indicate that the depth of conflict perceived by the learners in this study was instrumental in inducing conceptual change and generating pedagogical insight within the domain of light.     

Use of Instructional Feedback and Modification Methods among University Faculty

This study focused on methods used by faculty to gather feedback and how this feedback was used to modify instruction. Data were gathered to determine the degree to which these methods of feedback and modification of instruction were dependent upon variables such as class size, teaching experience, pedagogical training, academic rank and status, gender and academic discipline. It was found that the amount of feedback and modification of instruction did not vary significantly across the variables of teaching experience and class size. The analyses examining the effects of the remaining independent variables (i.e. college of study, pedagogical training, gender, rank, status) did detect statistically significant results. Specifically, those instructors who had received some training in pedagogical methods gathered feedback about their teaching more than those instructors without such pedagogical training. Also, faculty from the Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts used more methods to gather feedback than those faculty from the College of Science and Mathematics. Faculty in the College of Science and Math also did the least in terms of course and instructional modification, significantly less than faculty in the Colleges of Agriculture, Business, Education, Engineering and Liberal Arts.     

Unacknowledged knowledge growth: A re-examination of the effects of teacher education

Researchers on teacher education have faced two dilemmas. The first concerns the knowledge base for teachers. Although education coursework provides the potential to transmit formally the knowledge base of the profession, the knowledge base required for teaching has never been systematically defined. The second dilemma concerns the distinction between the coursework and fieldwork in teacher preparation and how experiences in each contribute to knowledge acquisition and growth. Using the model of the components of the knowledge base in teaching emerging from the “Knowledge Growth in a Profession” project at Stanford University, this research looks at the self-reports of knowledge acquisition of six novice teachers during their teacher preparation year. The results suggest that coursework and fieldwork offer distinct opportunities for learning. From the field experiences teachers reported they acquire general pedagogical knowledge including classroom management and organization. They also learn about students' understanding and misunderstanding of their subject matter. From their coursework the novices reported acquiring their conceptions of their subject matter for teaching as well as their sense of pedagogical ideals.     

Linguistic‐minority Students and Bilingual Mathematics Teaching

Mathematics teaching and subject‐matter acquisition of two groups of linguistic minority students were studied; one in a minolingual second‐language class and the other in a traditional bilingual‐education model in the city of Oslo, Norway. The background of attempts at bilingual education in the Norwegian context is presented, and some aspects of bilingual education, bilingual pedagogy and research‐based perspectives on the role of bilingual education in subject‐matter acquisition is discussed. On the basis of an empirical study of the teaching situation of linguistic‐minority students it is concluded that linguistic‐minority students profit from bilingual mathematics teaching. The empirical research results indicate that linguistic‐minority students (LMSs) with a bilingual‐education (BE) background can achieve as good or better results in mathematics as monolingual students. The strength of bilingual education can therefore be said to reside in the favourable conditions that it creates for the comprehension of linguistic‐minority students of the content taught. By creating favourable conditions bilingual subject‐matter teaching also fulfils minorities’ expectations of participating in content‐area instruction: to understand what is being communicated in subject‐matter teaching and to learn what is normally expected to be learned in subject‐matter teaching. It is therefore legitimate to argue for bilingual education on pedagogical grounds without the support of old‐fashioned anthropological or psychological arguments.     

Teaching assistants from the People's Republic of China and US undergraduates: Perceptions of teaching and teachers

Abstract

The paper summarizes the results of a series of focus group interviews with Chinese teaching assistants and US undergraduates on their perceptions about teaching and teachers in their own and US cultures. Focus group interviews were held with Chinese math‐based science teaching assistants (CTAs) who were at three different stages of the teacher preparation process. Similarly, American undergraduates’ perceptions were elicited through focus group interviews and questionnnaires. CTAs viewed American college instructors as exciting, but unclear in their organization and presentation. Undergraduates thought ideal US professors should spend more time with their students, and have interpersonal skills in teaching. They did not value the professor's knowledge of the subject matter as much as CTAs did. Implications for future TA development programmes are also discussed.     

Developing and validating technological pedagogical content knowledge‐practical (TPACK‐practical) through the Delphi survey technique

Technological pedagogical content knowledge TPACK refers to the knowledge set that teachers currently use to further improve the quality of their teaching and assist their students in learning. Several TPACK models have been proposed, either for discussing TPACK's possible composition or its practical applications. Considering that teachers' practical experiences should also be critical to the development of those teachers' knowledge, this study invited a research panel (six researchers) and an expert panel (54 science‐related educators) to propose and validate the framework of TPACK‐practical. After two rounds of anonymous communications that followed Delphi survey techniques, a total of eight dimensions of TPACK‐practical and corresponding indicators were identified and rated as having high levels of importance. Among these knowledge dimensions, the knowledge of direct information and communication technology uses for enhancing teachers' professionalism and students' conceptual comprehension was rated with a high level of importance. Also, disciplinary differences were found to exist between the different groups of experts. Biology teachers showed significantly higher ratings across all knowledge dimensions, whereas physics teachers' ratings were comparatively low. Such findings suggest that the structure and content of subject matter shapes not only the way they teach with technology but also the thinking logics they build longitudinally from their learning experiences.     

The Shift from Teaching to Learning: How Well Designed for the Shift are University‐level History Teacher Training Programmes?

The author, the President of EUROCLIO, a major association of European history teachers, considers the present state of history teacher preparation in the universities of Europe. Her primary complaint is that university programmes that are intended primarily for the training and preparation of future historians may neglect the needs of students planning to teach history in middle or in secondary schools. Typical university undergraduate history programmes tend to be overly academic, failing to provide enough in the way of pedagogical training. Thus the author recommends a strong dose of pedagogical methods courses as well as practical training for future history teachers. Other European organizations, particularly the Council of Europe and the European Union, are taking an interest in the ways in which history is being taught in the schools of their member states. The article ends with a survey of some recent conferences sponsored by these two organizations as well as by EUROCLIO on pedagogical and topical aspects of history teaching.     

Ratings of university teacher instruction: how much do student and course characteristics really matter?

Several student and course characteristics were examined in relation to student ratings of instruction. Students at a major Canadian university completed the Universal Student Ratings of Instruction instrument at the end of every course over a three‐year period, providing 371,131 student ratings. Analyses of between‐group differences indicate that students who attend class often and expect high grades provide high ratings of their instructors (p < .001). In addition, lab‐type courses receive higher ratings than lectures or tutorials, and courses in the social sciences receive higher ratings than courses in the natural sciences (p < .001). Regression analyses indicated, however, that student and course characteristics explain little variance in student ratings of their instructors (<7%). It is concluded that student ratings are more related to teaching instruction and behavior of the instructor than to these variables.     

TEACHING GERONTOLOGY VIA DISTANCE EDUCATION: VARIETY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Teaching gerontology via distance education is growing in popularity. Yet, many challenges are encountered by those teaching gerontology at a distance; some technological and others pedagogical in nature. Successful strategies for structuring and teaching televised gerontology courses are presented in this paper. Strategies focus on types of teacher preparation, use of pedagogical tools, development and maintenance of rapport with students at remote sites, and ways to improve teaching of distance education classes in gerontology. It is argued that workload and compensation for instructors teaching distance education need to be addressed by administration in order to develop high quality distance education programs.     

Course characteristics and college students' ratings of their teachers: What we know and what we don't

From showing in a general way that there is room for course context to influence class (average) ratings of instruction, this review proceeds to a search for specific course characteristics that are associated with these ratings. Extant research has centered around five such characteristics: class size, course level, the electivity of the course, the particular subject matter of the course, and the time of day that the course is held. Although statistically significant zero-order relationships do not appear in every piece of research located for review, such relationships are more likely to be found than not for the first four of these characteristics. The associations may not be particularly strong, but rather clear-cut patterns do emerge. Of the studies reporting an association between size of class and class ratings, most find it to be inverse, although several studies show a curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship. Teacher (and course) ratings tend to be somewhat higher for upper division courses and elective courses. Compared to other instructors, those teaching humanities, fine arts, and languages tend to receive somewhat higher ratings. The possible reasons for these relationships are many and complex. A precise understanding of the contribution of course characteristics to the ratings of teachers (and the courses themselves) is hampered by two circumstances. Studies in which relevant variables are controlled are far fewer in number than are the studies in which only the zero-order relationships between course characteristics and ratings are considered. More importantly, existing multivariate studies tend to underplay or ignore the exact place of course characteristics in a causal network of variables.