Trainee Primary Teachers’ Ideas about the Ozone Layer

The ideas of trainee primary teachers about the ozone layer have been examined. Students were well informed about the nature and location of the ozone layer and appreciated that it screens the Earth from ultraviolet (UV) rays, although some thought that it protects the Earth from acid rain. Most identified real causes of ozone layer depletion, but many thought that radioactivity and factory and vehicle emissions cause ozone layer degradation. Almost all realised that ozone depletion might cause more skin cancers; fewer recognised other potential biological problems. Many confused ozone layer depletion with global warming. The proportions holding these ideas were similar to those of older secondary school children, suggesting that misconceptions persist to the adult population. Since these ideas were found in final year trainee teachers, there is a danger that erroneous ideas or the attitudes based on them might be perpetuated in a formal learning context.     

German trainees' reflections on two approaches to initial teacher training

Two German native speakers come to England to undertake a course of initial teacher training. They complete the course successfully. Instead of seeking and finding jobs as teachers, however, they return to Germany to undertake a second course of initial teacher training. This is unusual. This article reviews their reasons for taking two routes in two countries leading to the same goal of qualified teacher status and their experiences of these routes. It uncovers interesting issues relating, for example, to teaching in an education system in which one has not been educated oneself, perceptions of workload, differences in approaches to mentoring in Germany and England, differences in the perceived status of trainees in each of the two countries and the impact of pupil behaviour and collegial support. In spite of the sample being small, the reflections of these two trainees provide messages which teacher trainers would be unwise to ignore.

Deux personnes dont la langue maternelle est l'allemand sont venues en Angleterre afin de pousuivre une formation pédagogique des enseignants. Elles ont réussi leur qualification avec succès. Cependant, plutôt que de chercher et trouver un emploi en tant que professeurs, elles sont reparties en Allemagne pour faire une deuxième formation pédagogique. Cela est inhabituel. Cet article passe en revue les raisons pour lesquelles elles ont choisi ces deux parcours dans les deux pays, sachant qu'ils concourent vers le même objectif, celui du statut d'enseignant. L'article rapporte également leurs expériences des deux formations. Il révèlera des points intéressants tels que: enseigner dans un système éducatif dans lequel l'intéressé n'a pas été éduqué lui‐même, leurs perceptions de la charge de travail, les différences du soutien professionnel en Allemagne et en Angleterre, les différences relatives à l'image des stagiaires et de leur statut dans les deux pays en question, et l'impact du comportement des élèves ainsi que du soutien collégial. Hormis le petit panel sur lequel cette étude a été menée, les réflexions de ces deux stagiaires fournissent des données qu'il serait imprudent pour les professeurs d' ignorer.

Dos alemanes nativos se desplazan a Inglaterra para realizar un curso de formación de profesorado. Finalizan el curso con éxito. Sin embargo, en lugar de buscar y encontrar trabajo como profesores, regresan a Alemania para llevar a cabo un segundo curso de formación de profesorado. Esto no es muy común. El presente artículo analiza sus razones a la hora de la elegir dos caminos en dos países diferentes con el objetivo común de conseguir la capacitación de profesor y sus experiencias. Se desvelarán aspectos interesantes relacionados, entre otros, con el hecho de enseñar en un sistema educativo ajeno al de uno mismo, con las percepciones sobre la cantidad de trabajo, con los diferentes enfoques de la figura del tutor de prácticas en Alemania y en Inglaterra, con las diferencias de estatus de los estudiantes en prácticas en ambos países, con el impacto en el comportamiento del alumnado y con el apoyo del resto de profesores. A pesar de la brevedad del artículo, las reflexiones de estos estudiantes nos proporcionan mensajes que los estudiantes aspirantes a profesores no deberían pasar por alto.

Zwei deutsche Muttersprachler kommen nach England, um als Lehrer ausgebildet zu werden. Den Ausbildungskurs schliessen sie erfolgreich ab. Anstatt jedoch eine Stelle an einer englischen Schule zu suchen und anzunehmen, gehen sie nach Deutschland zurück und fangen noch einmal mit der Lehrerausbildung an. Das ist ungewöhnlich. Dieser Artikel beschäftigt sich mit den Gründen, die die beiden Deutschen dazu veranlasst haben, ausgerechnet zwei Lehrerausbildungskurse in zwei verschiedenen Ländern zu absolvieren sowie mit den Erfahrungen, die sie in den beiden Kursen gemacht haben. Er enthüllt interessante Aspekte, die mit diesen Erfahrungen verknüpft sind, z.B:

• die Herausforderung in einem Schulsystem zu unterrichten, in dem man selbst nicht groβ geworden ist;

• der Arbeitsaufwand des Referendariats in beiden Ländern;

• die unterschiedliche Rolle des Mentors in England und Deutschland;

• das Ansehen des Referendars bei Kollegen in englischen und deutschen Schulen;

• der Einfluss des Schülerverhaltens gegenüber Lehrern sowie der Unterstützung des Lehrerkollegiums auf den Referendar in England und in Deutschland;

Auch wenn sich dieser Artikel auf die Erfahrung von nur zwei Lehrern in der Ausbildung stützt, bringt die Reflexion der beiden Referendare Fragen hervor, mit denen sich Lehrerausbilder in England und Deutschland beschäftigen müssen.     

The impact of bargaining and bargaining statutes on the earnings of public school teachers: A comparison in California and Missouri

Among labor economists there is a long-standing interest in the effects of collective bargaining in the public sector. Among industrial relations experts interest exists in the impact that differences in the legal status of public bargaining have on the outcomes of the bargaining process. It is the purpose of this article to shed some light on both questions by estimating the impact of collective bargaining on the earnings of public school teachers in the state of Missouri and then comparing the results with those obtained in the previous study for the state of California. The results reveal the same basic patterns and magnitudes of bargaining effects in the two states despite the differences in the legal status of bargaining.     

High and low implementers of content literacy instruction: Portraits of teacher efficacy

This study used a teacher efficacy framework to describe the perceptions of high and low implementers of content literacy instruction in the context of a year-long professional development program. Interviews from middle and high school content teachers illustrated efficacy differences between teachers who demonstrated high and low levels of content literacy implementation. High implementers exhibited higher levels of general, personal, and collective efficacy, whereas low implementers exhibited lower levels of efficacy for literacy teaching. Although both high and low implementers perceived content literacy positively, high implementers were characterized by persistence in overcoming barriers associated with content literacy implementation.     

Benefits,Challenges, and Opportunities of Conducting a Collaborative Research Course in an International University Partnership: A Study Case Between Kansas State University and Tallinn University of Technology

A globalized world requires research to transcend geographical boundaries; this includes training students in international collaborative research. The purpose of this project was to identify the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of students from two universities (Kansas State Univ. and Tallin Univ. of Technology) working on an international research project together. For this purpose, six graduate students from the Center for Sensory Analysis and Consumer Behavior, Kansas State Univ., partnered with 20 Food Science major students from a Product Development class at Tallinn Univ. of Technology. Students worked together by distance in a partnership developing a rye bread sensory lexicon for systematically understanding the sensory properties of this product category, conducting Landscape analysis by using sensory mapping techniques on rye bread products from Northeast Europe for capturing the market complexity and to identify opportunity for new product development and new products concepts. Students from Kansas then went to Estonia for further meetings. After the trip, students and professors were asked for their feedback. Results showed that students identify learning food trends from another country as the main benefit of their international collaboration, followed by intercultural skills and knowledge transfer. Language and difference in time zones, as well as educational backgrounds, were identified by students as the main challenges of the collaboration. When US students were asked to rate the learning outcomes stated in the syllabus, understanding the cultural characteristics of Estonia was the one scored highest. Professors mentioned this opportunity is unique because it gives a cultural component programs usually not only an offer and a chance to develop time management skills by working across divergent time zones, but also to practice options for managing language barriers. This project shows that it is possible to setup a partnership between students across different countries and have a positive outcome that includes unique learning experiences for students; especially in terms of time and project management.     

Information Handling Skills, Cognition and New Technologies

Few would dispute the efficacy of multimedia technology and the world wide web in promoting declarative knowledge or the acquisition of facts. It is the argument of this paper however that, apart from assisting a learner in "knowing that", these technologies are underestimated in their capacity to facilitate intellectual skills—procedural knowledge or "knowing how". Via examples from children employing information handling skills with a CD-ROM, this paper attempts to illustrate the ways in which new technologies support and enhance a range of skills associated with deep level processing and meaningful learning such as metacognition, problem solving and critical thinking.