Teacher Professionalism and Professional Development of EFL Teachers in China

The professionalization of teaching has had undergone a long process in China's history. The training of teachers started in 1681 when the first Normal School was set up by the early Christian missionaries. But the concept of professionalization of teaching was not put forward until 1980s, when we no longer face the problem of an inadequate number of teachers. Since then sociologists and educators have had explored the concept of teaching as a profession, and agreed that teachers are pro     

Capturing and Enhancing Science Teachers’ Professional Knowledge

This paper reports research from a three-year Australian science teacher professional learning project, the Science Teaching and Learning (STaL) Project, in which groups of science teacher participants (across years K – 12) worked with academics over a one-year period as teacher researchers. Through reflecting on their experiences within the STaL Project and collecting data from their classrooms related to specific science teaching concerns, teacher participants constructed cases around particular aspects of their professional learning. The cases that these participants developed elicited rich insights into their teaching and their students’ learning of science. This paper discusses how the cases were developed by the teacher researcher participants and uses exemplars as a way of illustrating the nature of the professional knowledge developed.     

Dimensions of Mathematics Mentoring in School‐based Initial Teacher Education

There have been significant advance in educational technology but they have not always brought about measurable shifts in user behavior. This study examined the relationship between teachers’ knowledge about a tool and their use of that tool. In many secondary schools use of a Learning Platforms (LPs) is no longer optional although the degree of engagement with the technology remains a matter of choice. However, individual decisions to use selected functionalities of these systems are not well captured in current models of technology acceptance. In a best-case scenario, self-reported possible and actual use of LPs was acquired for 50 teachers from eight technology-rich schools. Three key barriers to use were identified: the functionality of the software, workloads and personal interest. Based on teachers’ knowledge of LP functionality and perceived barriers to use, four distinct groups of teachers emerged. A low-user group identified all three barriers, showed little enthusiasm for use of this technology and had a markedly impoverished perception of the LP. There were three distinct higher use groups based on perceived barriers. While the functions used by these three groups showed less variation, with innovative functions such Blogs and Wikis remaining aspirational, there were differences in how such limitations were viewed. Whether the response was one of complacency and frustration has implications for professional development programmes.     

Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development and Higher Education

This paper presents and analyses data gathered from a survey of teachers in a range of secondary school English departments. It seeks to establish the ways in which teachers perceive their subject knowledge Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs and the ways in which they would like to engage with Higher Education (HE) English as part of their CPD. It also explores teachers’ reasons for wishing to undertake such study, and the ways in which they believe such studies could contribute to their development. Finally, it goes on to consider some of the constraints on CPD and the possible implications of this for Higher Education Institutions. The interface between schools and HE has, historically, been limited. However, engagement in CPD is one of the most significant ways in which dialogue between secondary and HE teachers of English can be fruitfully established.     

Finnish Cooperating Physics Teachers’ Conceptions of Physics Teachers’ Teacher Knowledge

This article examines Finnish cooperating physics teachers’ conceptions of teacher knowledge in physics. Six experienced teachers were interviewed. The data was analyzed to form categories concerning the basis of teacher knowledge, and the tradition of German Didaktik and Shulman’s theory of teacher knowledge were used in order to understand the results. The results show that the teachers strongly emphasize knowledge related to day-to-day teaching practice. In German Didaktik, this means knowledge of the best instructional methods, while in Shulman’s categorization it belongs to the category of representations, strategies, and methods. It was also found that the teachers appear to lack some of the essential key ideas of modern physics teacher education, such as a holistic view of instructional approaches.     

Teachers’ Evaluation of Enterprise Education in the Secondary School

Abstract

This investigation was undertaken as part of research into ‘mini‐enterprise'activity in the secondary school. The research aimed to evaluate ‘mini‐enterprise’ as an approach to learning and to offer different examples in practice. Fundamental to this evaluation was an examination of the views and attitudes of teachers towards ‘mini‐enterprise’ work. This paper describes the survey undertaken to determine teachers’ attitudes towards certain key ‘enterprise’ issues and offers a summary of the research findings concluding in a discussion of the wider educational implications.     

The Impact of Primary School Teachers’ Expectations of Pupils,Parents and Teachers on Teacher Track Recommendations

To advance the understanding about primary school teachers’ allocation process of pupils during the transition to secondary education, this study aims to investigate the influencing teacher expectations of teacher track recommendations. Using a qualitative research design consisting of an inductive approach, interview data were gathered from 15 Flemish sixth-grade teachers. The results indicate that foremost teacher expectations of pupils, more specifically of pupils’ perceived motivation or interests and learning attitude, were considered by teachers as influencing their track recommendations. Although empirical evidence was also found for the impact of expectations held by teachers about pupils’ parents and about themselves as teachers, as well as about teaching, teachers’ awareness of the impact of one’s own expectations was limited.     

Urban Teachers’ Perspectives of Strengths and Needs: The Promise of Teacher Responsive Professional Development

The Urban Review - This study examines urban high school teachers’ perceptions (N?=?50) of their strengths and needs in supporting diverse students in their classrooms....     

The Research on the System of Examination and Assessment of Academic Teachers Based on the Cultural Reflections

With some reflections on the management culture of higher educational institutions in China, this paper presents that it is not adequate to make analyses of rules and regulations from the mere perspective of institutional economics to get rid of short-term, which can be accounted for on a deeper level by the absence of management culture in the prevailing assessment system of teachers＇ achievements; while the key to reform the system of assessing teachers＇ work is to rebuild cultural conceptions in the management of higher educational institutions.     

Linking Industry and Teacher Education: How Do Student Teachers Benefit?

Abstract

As part of the foundation of its developmental work, the project Industrial and Commercial Perspectives in Initial Teacher Education (ICP) conducted a survey of existing industry‐education work within initial teacher education. All institutions with BEd, PGCE and concurrent courses were surveyed, using questionnaires directed towards educational studies and curriculum (methods) tutors. Respondents identified substantial benefits to students from involvement in activity of this kind. The benefits were felt to include contributions towards greater maturity of out look and an enhanced ability to relate to other adults, including parents of pupils. It was also considered that students gained a wider knowledge of the outside world and broader perspectives on the aims and processes of education. A further view was that students were able to give their teaching greater reality and impact through the use of materials and examples and through the involvement of people from industry and commerce.     

Student Teachers’ Knowledge About Chemical Representations

Chemical representations serve as a communication tool not only in exchanges between scientists but also in chemistry lessons. The goals of the present study were to measure the extent of student teachers’ knowledge about chemical representations, focusing on chemical formulae and structures in particular, and to explore which factors related to the education in school and university contribute to inter-individual differences. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, 322 students from 12 German universities in different stages of their university education were tested with the Chemical Representations Inventory (CRI, Taskin, Bernholt, & Parchmann, 2015). In addition, a short questionnaire was administered containing demographic data and possible factors that could have an effect on students’ success in solving the items of the inventory. The data was analyzed by using Rasch modeling. The results show that student teachers’ knowledge about chemical representations is quite low, with an average of students’ total achievement of 50 % in the corresponding inventory on chemical representations. A multivariate linear model revealed that passing exam(s) in organic chemistry at university, the grade of school leaving certificate, gender as well as studying chemistry in upper secondary school on basic and advanced levels are significant predictors of student teachers’ knowledge. In total, these predictors are able to explain 30.3 % of the variance in the test results. The dominance of school-related variables in the regression analysis indicates that school education seems to be still important after several years of studying and is not equalized by education at university.     

Partnerships in Teacher Education: a response to The Business Partnership in School‐based/‐centred Initial Teacher Training

Abstract

This paper is a response to a Joint publication from Enterprising Approaches to Teacher Education (EATE), the Teacher Placement Service (TPS) and the Banking Information Service (BiS) (June 1994) which examined the validity of business‐education partnerships in initial teacher training. While supporting the essential points made by EATE et al, this paper stresses the need for permeation and flexible learning strategies in introducing and addressing these aspects of the curriculum and cites experiences from the school‐based Post‐Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the University of Bath.     

Experienced Middle School Science Teachers’ Assessment Literacy: Investigating Knowledge of Students’ Conceptions in Genetics and Ways to Shape Instruction

Using a framework of assessment literacy that included teachers?? view of learning, knowledge of assessment tools, and knowledge of assessment interpretation and action taking, this study explored the assessment literacy of five experienced middle school teachers. Multiple sources of data were: teachers?? predictions about students?? ideas, students?? written and verbal responses to assessment tasks, teacher background questionnaire, and a videotaped teacher focus group. We investigated middle school teachers?? predictions, interpretations, and recommended actions for formative assessment in genetics. Results documented a variety of ways that teachers would elicit students?? ideas in genetics, focusing on discussion strategies. Findings showed how well teachers predicted student conceptions compared to actual student conceptions. We also found that teachers mostly described general topics they would use to address students?? alternative conceptions. Less often, they explained specific content they would use to challenge ideas or pedagogical strategies for conceptual change. Teachers also discussed barriers to addressing ideas. Teacher professional development should provide more support in helping teachers close the formative assessment cycle by addressing conceptions that are elicited with assessments.