Expanding the instructional triangle: conceptualizing mathematics teacher development

As mathematics educators think about teaching that promotes students’ opportunities to learn, attention must be given to the conceptualization of the professional development of teachers and those who teach teachers. In this article, we generalize and expand the instructional triangle to consider different interactions in a variety of teacher development contexts. We have done so by addressing issues of language for models of teachers’ professional development at different levels and by providing examples of situations in which these models can be applied. Through the expansion of our understanding and use of the instructional triangle we can further develop the concept of mathematics teacher development.     

Engaging pre-service science teachers to act as active designers of technology integration: A MAGDAIRE framework

This paper describes our efforts in developing the MAGDAIRE framework (abbreviated from Modeled Analysis, Guided Development, Articulated Implementation, and Reflected Evaluation) to transform pre-service science teachers’ roles in a teacher education course: moving pre-service teachers from the roles of passive users of technology, as they themselves learn technology integration, into active designers of technology. The results suggested that MAGDAIRE significantly improved the pre-service teachers’ technology competency levels. Moreover, MAGDAIRE facilitated the pre-service teachers’ critical reexamination of the affordances of technology for their teaching practices from the views of subject matter selection, motivation empowerment, information presentation, activity design, and pedagogy transition.     

Exploring the relationship between teacher enjoyment of mathematics,their attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time amongst early years primary teachers

In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle, and the amount of time teachers spent teaching mathematics. Ninety-eight primary educators were surveyed regarding their attitudes and behaviors towards mathematics instruction. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics explained variance in both teacher attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time spent on mathematics, even after relevant educator characteristics were accounted for. Findings suggest that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics in the early primary years has important implications for both the quality and quantity of mathematics instruction students receive.     

What does it mean for teachers to be data literate: Laying out the skills,knowledge, and dispositions

This article reports on the evolution of a conceptual framework for a construct called data literacy for teachers. Data use has become an emphasis in education but few educators have received sufficient training or preparation pertaining to data literacy skills. This article lays out the framework, identifying the specific knowledge, skills, and dispositions teachers need to use data effectively and responsibly. It concludes with a call to schools of education and teacher preparation programs to begin to integrate data literacy into curricula and practical experiences.     

Teacher education, preservice teacher beliefs, and the moral work of teaching

This paper presents a case for attending to preservice teachers’ beliefs that are relevant to the moral work of teaching within teacher education research and practice, and examines what it would look like to do so. The case for attending to candidate beliefs is grounded in a learner-centered approach to teacher education and in the literature on the role of beliefs in teacher learning and change. The authors demonstrate how attending to preservice teacher beliefs is particularly critical for the task of preparing candidates for the moral work of teaching, and present a conceptual framework that can guide that task and teacher education research and practice designed to support it.     

Preparing preservice teachers to be data literate: a Queensland case study

Data driven pedagogy has been introduced into Australian schools over the last decade to improve student learning outcomes, but are teacher educators preparing preservice teachers to be data literate? We used a survey to investigate ready-to-graduate preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding their knowledge and skills in data literacy. Before entering a course on data literacy their belief responses indicated that they had basic data interpretation knowledge, but they were unsure of how to translate that knowledge into the classroom to improve student outcomes. The survey was administered again after a data literacy course, which included a five-week supervised professional experience task of observing data being used in schools to drive pedagogy. The post-course survey responses showed students increased confidence in their ability to interpret and use data, suggesting that a data literacy course linked to the professional experience task improves teachers’ sense of preparedness to use data in the classroom. Keywords: Data literacy; professional learning.     

Initial epistemological beliefs transformation in one teacher education classroom: Case study of four preservice teachers

Education literature suggests that preservice teachers hold similar initial beliefs, viewing the teacher as the authority figure passing knowledge to the students. In consistency with constructivist practice, these beliefs should be challenged to enable the preservice teachers to develop alternative ideas, seeing the students capable of constructing knowledge with the help of the teacher. These beliefs are found difficult to change in the course environment. Drawing on surveys and teaching observations from four preservice teachers in an introduction methods course, the study showed that the four participants had different epistemological beliefs, some beliefs being more resistant to change than others.     

An international validation of the engaged teacher scale

The purpose of this study was to test and validate the Engaged Teacher Scale (ETS) in a Turkish context (ETS-TR). In order to test the construct validity of the ETS, data were collected from 388 teachers in two northeast cities of Turkey. First-order confirmatory factor analysis results supported the 16-item and four-factor model of ETS while second-order confirmatory factor analysis suggested that a single factor was also appropriate for representing teacher engagement. Additionally, four multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to provide further validation evidence. Results showed that subscales of the ETS-TR were found to be positively correlated with teacher self-efficacy. Given our evidence of validity and reliability, we recommend researchers interested in measuring the engagement of Turkish teachers to consider using the ETS-TR. The adaptation of ETS into Turkish also provides a measure for use when conducting research examining cultural comparisons between english-speaking and Turkish teachers.     

Co-analysis of work in the triadic supervision of preservice teachers based on neo-Vygotskian activity theory: Case study from a French university institute of teacher training

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of the joint training activities of a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor during an advisory visit on (a) the professional development of a preservice teacher's activity and (b) the reorganization of mentoring activity following this visit. The results are considered from a theoretical perspective based on cultural-historical psychology (Leontiev, A. (1984). Activity, consciousness, personality. Moscow: Progress Editions.; Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. In: M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner & E. Souberman (Eds.), Mind in society (pp. 79–91). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.; Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). Thought and language. Paris: La Dispute.; Vygotsky, L. S. (2003). Consciousness, the unconscious, emotions. Paris: La Dispute.) and the clinical study of activity (Clot, Y. (2003). Vygotsky, consciousness as liaison. In: Vygotsky, consciousness, the unconscious, emotions. Paris: La Dispute, pp. 7–59.; Clot, Y. (2004). Work between functioning and development. Bulletin de Psychologie, 57(1), 5–12.; Clot, Y. (2008). Work and the power to act. Paris: PUF.; Clot, Y., & Faïta, D. (2000). Types and styles in work analysis. Concepts and methods. Travailler, 6, 7–43.). The discussion focuses on the conditions that led to the greater effectiveness of the advisory visit, which is an integral part of teacher training programs that alternate classroom work with co-analysis of the work. Proposals are also made for new directions in training supervisors and cooperating teachers with a view to building a training team.     

Looking through the lens of a teacher's life: The power of prototypical stories in understanding teachers' instructional decisions in mathematics

The focus of this narrative inquiry was to examine how teachers describe influences on their instructional decisions in mathematics. Using a lens provided by pivotal or prototypical stories teachers told about their past experiences, connections were suggested between these past experiences and their instructional decisions. These connections helped to illustrate how instructional decisions may be shaped by priorities and beliefs established earlier in life, as well as by current contexts. Further research on the use and characteristics of prototypical stories is suggested.     

Using possible-selves theory to understand the identity development of new teachers

Questions about identity and future success often occupy the thinking of individuals during life transitions. Possible-selves theory describes how future-oriented thought provides identity-relevant information and motivation to pursue self-relevant goals. Expected and feared possible selves of beginning teachers (n = 221) were analyzed revealing four main categories (i.e., interpersonal relationships, classroom management, instruction, and professionalism). Differences between student and beginning inservice teachers suggest a transitional trajectory that could have implications for understanding the “how” of teacher identity development. Possible-selves theory may help bring a degree of unity across divergent frameworks and help link identity to broader issues of teacher development.     

论在大学新生中开展导师制工作的现实意义

在大学新生中开展导师制工作符合学生需要和高校学生管理工作的需求,真正做到了教书和育人相结合,同时对当前高校学生管理工作也是一种新的尝试和有效补充,具有积极的现实意义。     

Misconceptions about data-based decision making in education: An exploration of the literature

Research on data-based decision making has proliferated around the world, fueled by policy recommendations and the diverse data that are now available to educators to inform their practice. Yet, many misconceptions and concerns have been raised by researchers and practitioners. To better understand the issues, a session was convened at AERA’s annual convention in 2018, followed by an analysis of the literature based on misconceptions that emerged. This commentary is an outgrowth of that exploration by providing research, theoretical, and practical evidence to dispel some of the misconceptions. Our objective is to survey and synthesize the landscape of the data-based decision making literature to address the identified misconceptions and then to serve as a stimulus to changes in policy and practice as well as a roadmap for a research agenda.     

Leaving lessons: learning from the exit decisions of experienced teachers

For most teachers in the United States, teaching is no longer a career-long occupation. This article examines the narratives of a particular group of leavers, former teachers who made significant investments in their teacher training and who taught for at least three years before making the decision to exit. The accounts of these invested leavers are used to look at workplace change as a motivating factor for teacher exit, particularly changes in classroom authority that occur after teachers have begun to feel competent.     

Preparing teacher leaders: Perceptions of the impact of a cohort-based, job embedded, blended teacher leadership program

This qualitative study was designed to examine teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of the impact of a graduate program designed to prepare teacher leaders. Impact was investigated through interviews with 20 graduates and 6 principals. Using Mezirow’s concept of transformational learning, the study documents perceived transformation of teachers’ frames of reference: two related to teaching (adopt an inquiry stance; learn to view oneself as an autonomous professional), and two related to leadership (adopt a leadership stance; view student learning as a communal responsibility). The study includes implications for the design of graduate level teacher education programs to enhance their impact and effectiveness.     

The development of data use,data skills,and positive attitude towards data use in a data team intervention for teacher educators

This study focuses on understanding how a participation in a data team develops data skills and data use in individual teacher educators. Five teacher educators collaborated in a data team that used data to solve the problem of student teachers dropping out during their course of study. This study aimed at understanding how teacher educators learn from their participation in the data team. We collected data through interviews, surveys, and a knowledge test, and gained insight into the development of data skills, attitude towards data use, and the teacher educators' data use in daily practice. The results show that the data team members’ data skills and attitudes towards data use changed in different ways during the data team intervention depending on their initial situation, and that overall, their data use for school development increased.     

What we're teaching teachers: An analysis of multicultural teacher education coursework syllabi

This study is an examination of syllabi from multicultural teacher education (MTE) courses taught across the United States. Using qualitative content analysis and drawing on existing typologies for multicultural education, I analyzed the theories and philosophies underlying MTE course designs. The analysis revealed that most of the courses were designed to prepare teachers with pragmatic skills and personal awareness, but not to prepare them in accordance with the key principles of multicultural education, such as critical consciousness and a commitment to educational equity. An unexpected outcome was a new five-layer typology for MTE.     

Teacher effectiveness and teacher growth from student ratings: An action research of school-based teacher evaluation

Teacher effectiveness evaluations are considered an effective mechanism for promoting teacher growth. We implemented teacher effectiveness evaluations in three Chinese secondary schools over two years and (a) developed an action research framework for school-based teacher evaluations composed of five links, i.e., purpose and consensus, data collection and analysis, data interpretation and feedback, data use, and evaluation of the actions and (b) found that “school-based” instruments of student ratings have valid statistical properties, and teacher effectiveness can be regarded as a single-factor holistic concept in different schools. We also (c) analysed 2-year longitudinal data and identified changing trajectories of teacher effectiveness as an example for data feedback and use. Teacher effectiveness presents changing trajectories for different subgroups, representing different ecologies in three schools and provides insights for teacher growth. A (d) meta-evaluation of the actions shows that most teachers are positive about this evaluation, although differences are observed between schools.     

Defining content for field-based coursework: Contrasting the perspectives of secondary preservice teachers and their teacher preparation curricula

The current study examined changes and continuities in how 11 secondary teacher preparation programs and 743 preservice teachers conceptualized the content and sequence of field-based teacher preparation. Although curricula and candidates differed regarding the knowledge each deemed as most relevant for field-based preparation, they largely agreed on the types of learning activities considered as most meaningful for the acquisition of that knowledge base. Possible explanations for these discrepancies and continuities are discussed.     

Approaches to studying teacher collaboration for instructional improvement: A review of literature

While prior literature reviews provide insights into the characteristics and outcomes of teacher collaboration, they minimally address the theories and methods undergirding studies. However, these factors profoundly shape research, including how meaning is drawn from findings. Foregrounding theory and methods, this review examines approaches to studying teacher collaboration for instructional improvement. The 43 reviewed publications illustrate that while research on teacher collaboration is methodologically robust and often theoretically grounded, the use of interdisciplinary and critical theories could expand knowledge on collaboration as a pathway for transformation. Findings also illuminate the need for additional longitudinal research as well as studies with a focus on contextual factors such as school funding, size, and student demographics. Such work could inform how productive collaboration can be supported across a range of school contexts.