Teachers use of writing to support students’ learning in middle school: A national survey in the United States

A random sample of middle school teachers (grades 6–9) from across the United States was surveyed about their use of writing to support students’ learning. The selection process was stratified so there were an equal number of English language arts, social studies, and science teachers. More than one-half of the teachers reported applying 15 or more writing to learn strategies at least once a month or more often. The most commonly used writing to learn strategies were writing short answers to questions, note taking for reading, note taking while listening, and completing worksheets. While teachers reported using a variety of writing to learn strategies, most of them indicated they received minimal or no formal preparation in college on how to use writing to learn strategies to support student learning, less than one-half of teachers directly taught students how to use the writing to learn strategies commonly assigned, and the most commonly used writing to learn strategies did not require students to think deeply about the material they were learning. We further found that teachers’ reported use of writing to learn strategies was related to their preparedness and the composition of their classroom in terms of above and below average writers, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities.     

A New Role for Teachers in Autonomous Learning Contexts

在自主学习环境下,教师不仅是管理者、组织者,而且是辅导员、评估者、教材开发者、观察者和研究员。要推动自主学习,教师首先要转变传统观念.更为重要的是,教师必须帮助学生树立对自己的学习负责的态度,培养学生的独立学习能力,并且为学生创造自主学习的环境。     

A Comparative Study of Pre-Service Teachers’ Views on Ethical Issues in Classroom Assessment in China and the United States

The purpose of this study was to compare pre-service teachers’ views of ethical issues in assessment practices in the US and China. Focus group interviews were conducted among 16 pre-service teachers from the US and 15 pre-service teachers from China. Results indicated that the inclusion of effort in grading is a key issue for the pre-service teachers in both the US and China. American pre-service teachers have more consistent views with experts regarding using multiple assessment methods and communications about grading. Pre-service teachers in both countries appeared to have consistent views with experts regarding the confidentiality and standardized test preparation. The findings of this study can help build guidelines regarding ethical issues in classroom assessment.     

Pedagogical Media Competencies of Preservice Teachers in Germany and the United States: A Comparative Analysis of Theory and Practice

Teachers need knowledge and skills to make effective use of the growing variety of media and technology texts and tools available for use in elementary and secondary education. For this reason, pedagogical media competencies are highly relevant for teachers’ professional development. The theory of media pedagogical competencies is first defined and then located in the context of the relevant scholarly literature from both Germany and the United States. We conducted a comparative analysis of German and U.S. pedagogical media competency models and report data on a survey of teacher education programs in Germany and the United States to identify the proportion of programs of study that include courses in media didactics, media and school reform, and media education. We consider the implications of the missing connections between the theoretical framework of pedagogical media competencies and the current practice of media pedagogical teacher training, revealing implications for further work needed to improve the integration of media in various school-related contexts.     

“Shaping Communities” as a Christian Practice and Popular Religion: Their Implications for Latina/o Religious Education in the United States

This article sets Dorothy Bass' Christian practices movement in critical dialogue with U.S. Latina/o popular religion in order to explore ways that these distinctive sets of practices could enrich one another. Then, it focuses on shaping communities as a Christian practice and correlates it with the U.S. Latina/o popular religious practices enacted by a predominantly Mexican-American congregation in East Los Angeles, California. It concludes by examining the implications for U.S. Latina/o religious education in light of José Irizarry-Mercado's concepts of bilingual aesthetic and inter-cultural experience.     

Could Practicum Placements in Contrasting Contexts Support the Preparation of Pre-Service Teachers for an Envisaged Inclusive Education System? A South African study

In contexts where inclusive education is nascent, teacher educators face the challenge of preparing pre-service teachers for a system that does not yet exist. While this might be possible through university-based coursework, difficulties arise when so few sites that model inclusive pedagogies are available for practicum placements. This article investigates whether practicum placements in contrasting contexts may prepare pre-service teachers for teaching in an envisaged inclusive education system. We analyse the reflections of South African pre-service teachers who have conducted practicum sessions in two contrasting contexts, neither of which offered ideal models of inclusion. We explore the extent to which moving between contexts enabled pre-service teachers to develop orientations towards teaching and learning that Black-Hawkins and Florian identify as essential for promoting and sustaining inclusive pedagogic practices. With reservations, we conclude that practicum placements over contrasting contexts potentially support the preparation of pre-service teachers for inclusive education.     

Teachers＇ Teaching Development： Cultural Construction the Core and Requirement of Teaching in Universities and Colleges

教学是高校的首要任务,大学文化建设的核心是教学文化建设,教学文化建设的核心是促进教师教学发展,而教师教学发展的核心是体系化建设。转变教学评价、建设教学团队、增强服务、引领专业发展是教学文化建设的几个主要方面。     

With Tools and Strategies Teachers Use in Online Courses： A Mexican Public University Case

The rapid development of ICT （information technology and communication） in the last two decades has changed society substantially as a whole. For higher education institutions, the external environment pressure to incorporate ICT in their educational and administrative processes has forced them to invest in resources for infrastructure and training. In addition, teachers have found that they can use technology in their teaching, but lack of full knowledge of how to use it effectively from a pedagogical point of view. The incorporation of new education modalities depends largely on the contextual variables prevailing in the institution and teachers. In UABC （Autonomous University of Baja California）, the early days of online education go hack to 1996, so the study period was from 1996 to 2009. An online survey was designed to fmd out the teachers＇ backgrounds and involvement in online education, their experience as online teachers, and the tools and practices used. Of 97 teachers who were identified with some experience in online teaching, 70% responded to the Survey （68）. It was found that the highest percentage （33%） of teachers who responded the survey started teaching online between 2003 and 2006. 56% of teachers have been teaching between one and five online courses. On the other hand, most teachers recognized that 30%-79% of the content of their courses were online based. The most popular learning management system used is moodle followed by blackboard in teachers＇ preference. In general, teachers expressed using the three main communication tools of online education： forums, chat and e-mail, favoring the use of e-mail. The communication slrategies teachers often use in their courses promoted student-student and student-teacher interaction. In their evaluation strategies, most said that they used self-assessment, rubrics and to a lesser extent online exams and co-evaluation. The results show that most teachers who have been involved in online education in UABC campus have expressed havi