Student‐teachers' concerns about teaching practice

The essence of helping student‐teachers lies in an exploration of their concerns about teaching. Based on this assumption, the current study aimed to explore student‐teachers' concerns and potential topics of reflection, following their teaching experiences. The analysis of fifty‐nine journals revealed the complex pattern of past and future‐oriented concerns relevant to students' personal and professional identity, the mission and fading of the teaching profession, and the emotional dimensions of teaching. This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about developing growth‐producing experiences for student‐teachers through their teaching practice.

Die Erforschung der Interessen und Sorgen von Lehrerstudierenden bezüglich des Lehrens stellt eine wesentliche Hilfe für sie dar. Auf der Grundlage dieser Einschätzung bestand das Ziel dieser Studie darin, zu explorieren, auf welche Thematiken und Interessen sich die Reflexionen der Lehrerstudierenden, im Zusammenhang ihrer Lehrerfahrung, beziehen. Die Analyse von 59 Zeitschriften brachte diesbezüglich folgende Sachverhalte zu Tage: es existiert ein komplexes Muster von Vergangenheits‐ und Zukunftsorientierten Interessen, die relevant für die personale und die professionelle Identität der Studierenden sind; das Auf und Ab der Lehrerprofession; die emotionalen Dimensionen des Lehrens. Dieser Aufsatz will zu den laufenden Diskussionen über die über ihre Lehrpraxis vermittelt Schaffung von entwicklungsermöglichenden Erfahrungen für Lehrerstudierende beitragen.     

Reflection in the context of team‐teaching

Team‐teaching is not a common practice in universities but in the experience of the authors of this paper it has a great deal to offer in terms of professional development because of the opportunities it provides for collaborative reflection. The paper describes the authors’ approach to team‐teaching, developed over a period of several years, and the application of the process in the teaching of a Master's course in Adult Education. They focus on the ways in which working with a teaching partner deepens and enhances the process of reflection in which they would normally engage individually and give examples of some of the outcomes triggered by their reciprocal reflection. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways in which team‐teaching provides many of the elements other authors have described as helpful in promoting effective reflection.     

Sex‐role‐related personality correlates of intellectual abilities in adolescents

A recent study illustrates the interrelatedness of personality variables and intellectual ability for both boys and girls.     

Frequency of co‐teaching in different teacher categories

Co‐teaching – or the use of more than one teacher in a classroom – has been commonly recommended as a means to promote inclusive education. The aim of the present study was to survey the actual frequency of co‐teaching among different teacher categories in the comprehensive school level in one Finnish city. The data were collected through a questionnaire answered by two representative samples of teachers including 117 resource room teachers in the first survey, and 317 teachers of various teacher categories in the second. The results showed that co‐teaching was a widespread phenomenon among resource room teachers and special class teachers but less frequent among other teacher groups. Overall, it was used only infrequently, typically from two to three hours a week. On a weekly basis it was implemented by every second special education teacher, every third classroom teacher and every sixth subject teacher. A comparison with a study from the early 1980s confirmed that the relative popularity of co‐teaching had increased only slightly during the years. Although co‐teaching is used sparsely, the teachers reported almost uniquely positive experiences obtained from it. It is argued that the promotion of co‐teaching needs additional incentives if it is hoped to make it more common.     

Student teachers’ patterns of reflection in the context of teaching practice

This study clarifies the basic structure of student teachers’ reflective thinking. It presents a constructivist account of teacher knowledge through a detailed analysis of various patterns of reflection in student teacher portfolios. We aim to gain a greater understanding of the process and outcomes of portfolio writing in the context of teaching practice. By closely analysing portfolio texts, we defined six main starting points for reflective episodes and several patterns under each of them. Also, the patterns of reflective episodes were analysed according to their deductive and inductive dimensions, together with their static and dynamic features. According to our results, it is possible that student teachers can reflect beyond solely practical issues on teaching, articulate multiple concerns about practice and elaborate them in an integrative manner as well as learn both from theory and from practice as a result of reflection for their future profession.     

Teacher evaluation standards in practice: A standards‐based assessment tool for diversity‐responsive teaching

Abstract

Although there is no question about the need for preservice and inservice teachers to have the skills to meet the diverse needs of students in todays classrooms, the issue of how to assess those same skills has proved to be problematic. This article reports on a joint effort by faculty from an urban university and a large public school district to create an observation tool that will assess and mentor preservice and inservice teachers’ abilities to address issues of diversity in their classrooms meaningfully. The authors will first report on missions and background information representing both the university and the school district and then on the development of a standards‐based assessment tool. Lastly, suggestions that compliment a comprehensive body of evidence of teacher evaluation will be discussed.     

The variation in academics’ experiences of teaching in an intense study centre compared with their traditional university settings

Abstract

Business and enterprise skills are essential for the future economic prosperity of any country, and many schools and colleges of Further Education in the UK run programmes or courses which specifically develop such skills. This article considers the current practices in the training of business awareness in some European countries and discusses an example of good practice — the Young Enterprise Europe scheme. The article concludes that there are a range of different methods for ensuring the development of business skills used within European countries, but there is no standard practice. The article argues that the Young Enterprise Europe programme could be launched throughout Europe to address such educational business development and proposes a model which is adapted from the Personal Effectiveness Model (Fennell, 1994). However, it concedes that further empirical research should be undertaken to draw more reliable conclusions.     

Developing teachers’ pedagogical practice in teaching science lessons with mobile phones

This paper presents the findings of an investigation carried out in Sri Lanka to explore how mobile phones can support science teachers’ pedagogical practices throughout the teaching cycle of planning, teaching and evaluation. Data were collected using observation supported by audio and video recordings from both continuing professional development workshops where a group of teachers planned four science lessons that integrated mobile phones and the subsequent implementation of those lessons. Thematic network analysis, carried out on the data with the help of NVivo8 qualitative analysis software, showed how mobile phones were used and the issues involved. It concluded that mobile phones can support science teaching in a variety of ways, in particular with communication during planning lessons, with relating subject knowledge to authentic locations and activities during teaching and with image and data capture to support assessment and post-lesson reflection. The additional pedagogical practices and knowledge base required when integrating mobile phones into science lessons are discussed in the light of Shulman’s original model.     

Communities of practice with teaching supervisors: A discussion of community members’ experiences

This paper presents the results of a study of interviews (N = 17) conducted with members of a community of practice (CP) comprised of school principals, vice principals, and department heads responsible for teacher supervision in their respective schools. This CP met once a month over the course of 2 years to work on adapting the New Brunswick Department of Education’s Francophone Teacher Evaluation Program. Using Wenger’s (Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1998) CP theoretical framework centered on four main concepts, namely meaning, practice, community, and identity, our study reveals that participants acquired knowledge by sharing their teacher supervision experiences. The participants learned new knowledge from others, enriched their supervision practices, and also gained indispensable practical skills with regard to the supervisory process. Furthermore, their fruitful discussions resulted in the creation of friendships and a sense of collegiality as they became agents for change.     

Fostering theory–practice reflection in teaching practicums

This article presents a design for supporting theory–practice reflection in teacher practicums. This design is based on three design principles that promote a transformative stance towards the creation of novel pedagogical approaches: mutual transformation of theory and practice, co-design among supervising teachers, university lecturers and student teachers, and participating in the long-term development of pedagogical practices. To evaluate the design, we analyse and compare student teachers’ portfolios across two implementations of the teacher practicum: a thematic practicum based on the proposed design and the conventional class teacher practicum of the University of Helsinki. The results show that the student teachers who participated in the thematic practicum used theory more frequently in their reflections. Moreover, their theory–practice connections were more robust than those made by student teachers who participated in the conventional practicum. On the basis of our results, we make suggestions regarding how to promote theory–practice reflection in teacher education.     

Searching for good practice in teaching: a comparison of two subject‐based professional learning communities in a secondary school in Shanghai

Since the mid‐1990s, the concept of professional learning communities has arisen in the education field in the West, aiming to improve teachers’ professional competency by using collaborative approaches. Western studies indicate that these strategies help teachers achieve professional growth. Schools in China have had a long history of enhancing the professional competency of teachers by using collaboration in school‐based contexts. But do professional learning communities in Chinese schools, especially in times of change, do the same for Chinese teachers? This study provides empirical data from Chinese teachers to assist global discussions on school‐based professional development. The study uses qualitative data collection methods, including semi‐structured interviews, observations and documentary analysis, to investigate how teachers from two subject departments in a secondary school in Shanghai enhance their knowledge and practice within their subject‐based professional learning communities. Results show that members of these two communities have shared common goals and have developed a sense of collective accountability. The study also found that socio‐cultural factors, such as the collectivist values, authoritarian‐oriented practices and influences of interpersonal relationship, are crucial in the development of Chinese professional learning communities, even though different communities may differ in other respects.     

Impact of an educational development programme on teaching practice of academics at a research‐intensive university

Evidence of the impact of educational development (ED) programmes on faculty is often not gathered beyond ascertaining the immediate reactions of participants. This paper reports the results of a study to determine what level of impact an ED programme at a university has had on academics' teaching practice over time. Kirkpatrick's framework provided a useful approach to conceptualise how to examine critically the impact of ED efforts. A series of semi‐structured interviews with 14 programme participants and a subsequent questionnaire survey of 248 participants were undertaken. The programme resulted in high‐level impact when rated according to Kirkpatrick's framework, including changes to individual behaviour and organisational practice, benefits to academics and perceived benefits to their students. Change was reported up to seven years after participation. These results emphasise the role that a well‐designed ED programme can play in enhancing the quality of teaching and assessment practice at a research‐intensive university.

Bepaling van die impak van onderrigontwikkelingsprogramme op dosente word dikwels beperk tot die verkryging van die onmiddellike reaksies van deelnemers eerder as meer omvangryke bewyse. Hierdie artikel rapporteer die resultate van 'n studie wat dit ten doel gehad het om die vlak van impak van 'n onderrigontwikkelingsprogram by 'n universiteit op die onderrigpraktyke van akademici, oor 'n tyd heen, vas te stel. Kirkpatrick se raamwerk het 'n nuttige benadering verskaf vir die konseptualisering van 'n kritiese ondersoek na die impak van onderrigontwikkelingsaksies. 'n Reeks semi‐gestruktureerde onderhoude met 14 programdeelnemers en 'n daaropvolgende vraelysopname van 248 deelnemers is onderneem. Gemeet teen Kirkpatrick se raamwerk, het die program tot hoëvlak impak aanleiding gegee, insluitend veranderinge in individuele optrede, organisatoriese praktyk, voordele vir akademici en oënskynlike voordele vir hulle studente. Veranderinge is tot sewe jaar na deelname gerapporteer. Hierdie resultate beklemtoon die rol wat 'n weldeurdagte onderrigontwikkelingsprogram in die bevordering van onderrig‐ en assesseringspraktyk by 'n navorsingsintensiewe universiteit, kan speel.     

Literacy,Black self‐representation,and cultural practice in an elementary classroom: implications for teaching children of African‐Caribbean heritage

This study examines literacy strategies used by Black teachers who aimed to create an environment in which African‐Canadian pupils could develop literacy skills as well as learn their social histories and personal identities as children of African heritage. The study site, located in a low‐income area of Ontario, Canada, was a school with a student population that was 80% Black. The data for the study were drawn from interviews with teachers about their pedagogy and from participant observations in their classrooms. Based on the findings, some implications for teacher education as well as for culturally supportive pedagogies for children of African heritage are considered.     

Evaluating the quality of learning environments and teaching Äpractice in special schools

This article reports on findings of a study which objective is the development of an instrument for systematic evaluation and improvement of the quality of teaching in special schools. The article describes the research process which led to the construction of the instrument as well as the way teachers can use the instrument to improve the quality of their teaching. The article advocates a practice perspective to professional development in special schools, as special schools in Denmark are under pressure by three international educational agendas: the agenda of accountability, the agenda of standards and the agenda of inclusion. The instrument suggests that professional development is teacher driven and not driven by the accountability agenda. The research approach was collaborative as 35 teachers and principals from 16 special schools participated in the research process. Their perceptions of quality in the practice of teaching in special schools and research literature on the quality of teaching in both mainstream schools and special schools have shaped the development of the instrument. Thus, the instrument is based on the finding, that teaching methods in general and special education are not as different as assumed. This finding is reflected in the instrument.     

Managing students with ADHD in out‐of‐class settings

Many students with Attention‐Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present with behavioral problems that are particularly evident in out‐of‐class settings (in the lunch room, on the playground, during field trips and special assemblies, etc). Barkley's (1997 Barkley, R. A. 1997. Defiant children: A clinician's manual for parent training. 2nd ed., New York: Guilford Press.  [Google Scholar]) technique has been known to help parents handle ADHD children's behaviors in out‐of‐home situations, and so its effectiveness to reduce problems in out‐of‐class settings was investigated with 65 teachers of male students previously diagnosed with ADHD. ANOVA revealed that Barkley's technique was effective in reducing the students' behavioral problems in out‐of‐class settings. This technique is easy to administer and school psychologists will likely find it useful in assisting teachers to handle ADHD students' behavioral problems.     

Examining the implementation of two co‐teaching models: team teaching and station teaching

In Turkey, the number of students in mainstream education is increasing, and a support service does not exist even though mainstreaming has been implemented for many years. Therefore, within this system, many students with special needs are failing. Thus, there is a need for evidence‐based research projects concerning the ways of supporting these students such as the co‐teaching approach. In the research detailed in this article, the participants were one regular education teacher and the researcher as special education teacher. The design of the study was action research. Data collection techniques were a checklist, documents (lesson plans, students’ products), researcher journal, actual recordings of co‐planning and reflection meetings and instructions. The findings were demonstrated based on the co‐planning meetings, teaching practices and reflection meetings. Concerning the challenging issues of implementation, support services should certainly be provided in the mainstream classes, and additional research is needed to systematically examine the impacts of teachers taking time to undertake common planning and/or discussing student performance.     

The nature and development of hypothetico‐predictive argumentation with implications for science teaching

This paper explicates a pattern of scientific argumentation in which scientists respond to causal questions with the generation and test of alternative hypotheses through cycles of hypothetico‐predictive argumentation. Hypothetico‐predictive arguments are employed to test causal claims that exist on at least two levels (designated stage 4 in which the causal claims are perceptible, and stage 5 in which the causal claims are imperceptible). Origins of the ability to construct and comprehend hypothetico‐predictive arguments at the highest level can be traced to pre‐verbal reasoning of the sensory‐motor child and the gradual internalization of verbally mediated arguments involving nominal, categorical, causal and, finally, theoretical propositions. Presumably, the ability to construct and comprehend hypothetico‐predictive arguments (an aspect of procedural knowledge) is necessary for the construction of conceptual knowledge (an aspect of declarative knowledge) because such arguments are used during concept construction and conceptual change. Science instruction that focuses on the generation and debate of hypothetico‐predictive arguments should improve students' conceptual understanding and their argumentative/reasoning skills.