Measuring Chinese teacher professional competence: adapting and validating a German framework in China

ABSTRACT

The study presented in the paper has the following goals. The first is to review and compare teacher competence frameworks developed in Eastern (Chinese) and Western (German) contexts, exemplified for the domain of mathematics. Major similarities of the two contexts could be reconstructed in the conceptualization of teacher competence as a multidimensional construct comprising knowledge, teaching-related skills and beliefs. Distinct differences could be identified as well, with the Chinese frameworks including a wider range of teacher-competence facets and emphasizing more teaching-related competencies than the Western (German) frameworks. The second purpose is to adapt and validate a German framework of the measurement of mathematics teacher competence in a Chinese context. This adaptation and validation uses exemplarily mathematics teacher, in detail follow-up-studies of the international Teacher Education and Development Study: Learning to Teach Mathematics (TEDS-M). With the integration of a qualitative approach (e.g. elemental validity) and a quantitative approach (e.g. construct validity) to validate the framework, the results of both approaches suggest a satisfactory validity for the adaptation. Overall, the results point out that the examined teacher competence framework and its instruments can be used for comparative analyses in Germany and China.     

Integrating science,mathematics, and environmental education: Resources and guidelines

Summary The integration of mathematics, science, and environmental education permits the students to gain from all three areas simultaneously. Science encompasses the art of questioning, investigating, hypothesizing, and discovering. Mathematics is the language that provides clarity, objectivity, and understanding. Many of the major contemporary issues involve societal issues stemming from advancements in science (Wiebe, Ecklund, & Hillen, 1986). Problem solving, creative mathematics and science thinking, core knowledge, decision making, and environmental training are all available in one time period in a properly conceived and directed activity. Teachers, too, are more interested when using methods and concepts more familiar to them. By increasing awareness and making a more effective use of classroom time we may get closer to producing the informed citizen needed for today’s world.     

Patterns of student interaction in Clark-Trow subgroups

Previous research on the Clark-Trow model has failed to provide evidence on whether students classified into the same Clark-Trow subgroup interact with one another or are even aware of their common orientation. Yet, this is a basic tenet of claims that these subgroups operate as campus subcultures. This study investigated whether students who self-select into the same Clark-Trow subgroup interact significantly more often with each other than they do with members of the other three subgroups. The results tend to disconfirm expectations based on the Clark-Trow model and suggest these subgroups do not operate as student subcultures.     

Decision-making and control: perceived autonomy of teachers in Germany and Sweden

Teacher autonomy has become an increasingly popular research topic over the past decade, reflecting wider national and global education trends. In this light, this article investigates and compares the perceptions of German and Swedish teachers concerning their professional autonomy. We analyse teachers’ perceptions using a grid, and view teacher autonomy as a multidimensional phenomenon taking place in different domains (educational, social, developmental and administrative) and at different levels (classroom, school, profession). The findings show that the teachers interviewed in Germany and Sweden value autonomy in various domains and dimensions differently, even if there also are many similarities. In instruction, that is, the educational autonomy domain, they perceive themselves to be very autonomous, in particular in relation to choices of content and method. Autonomous work in the classroom arena is also seen as the very core of the teaching profession. Overall, German teachers perceive themselves to be significantly involved in more areas of their work, and they refer much more to decisions which are to be made, whereas their Swedish colleagues are more concerned about control. Finally, we discuss the findings in relation to different nation-specific forms of extended or restricted autonomy teacher autonomy.     

Zukünftige Lehrpersonen und das Medienhandeln von Kindern und Jugendlichen

Kindern und Jugendlichen in der Schule den Erwerb von medienbezogenen Qualifikationen zu erm?glichen, ist in Deutschland seit langem in vielen Richtlinien und Lehrpl?nen als Ziel verankert. Die vorliegende Studie geht im Rahmen einer Pilotstudie an der Universit?t Paderborn der Frage nach, welche Kenntnisse und Annahmen zukünftige Lehrpersonen über das Medienhandeln von Kindern und Jugendlichen, über dessen Einflüsse und über die Aufgaben von Schule im Medienzusammenhang besitzen (N = 173). Die Skalen wurden theorie geleitet auf der Basis eines Modells medienp?dagogischer Kompetenz von Lehrpersonen entwickelt. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass die Kenntnisse und Annahmen der Lehramtsstudierenden Defizite bzw. Probleme aufweisen, die eine Integration von medienp?dagogischen Lehrangeboten in die Lehrerausbildung notwendig erscheinen lassen.     

Unterricht mit digitalen Medien — zwischen Innovation und Tradition?

Konzepte zum Einsatz von digitalen Medien verdeutlichen deren Potenziale hinsichtlich einer Unterstützung des problemorientierten, selbstbestimmten und kooperativen Lehrens und Lernens. Offen ist aber, ob Lehrerinnen und Lehrer dieses Potenzial auch wirklich nutzen. M?glicherweise werden die neuen Medien lediglich in überlieferte Handlungsmuster integriert. Ziel des Forschungsprojekts, über das hier berichtet wird, ist es, einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung einer Theorie zum Lehrerhandeln im Medienzusammenhang zu leisten. Dabei wurden (1) Handlungsmuster von Lehrpersonen beim Einsatz neuer Medien im Unterricht identifiziert und (2) Hypothesen über m?gliche Zusammenh?nge von Handlungsmuster, Medien-Expertisegrad und Fachzugeh?rigkeit generiert. — Es wurden Videoaufnahmen von 20 Unterrichtsstunden mithilfe eines niedrig-inferenten Kategoriensystems analysiert und hinsichtlich zugrundeliegender Grundmuster clusteranalytisch ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass auf einer zugrunde gelegten Skala mit den Polen „instruktional“ und „konstruktivistisch“ unterschiedliche Muster von Lehrerhandeln beim Einsatz digitaler Medien im Unterricht identifiziert werden k?nnen, die sich als traditionell-lehrerzentriert bzw. als innovativ-schülerorientiert beschreiben lassen.     

Students' understanding of cloud and rainbow formation and teachers' awareness of students' performance

This study describes primary school students’ knowledge about rainfall, clouds and rainbow formation together with teachers’ predictions about students’ performance. In our study, primary school students’ (N?=?177) knowledge about rainfall and rainbow formation was examined using structured interviews with open-ended questions. Primary school teachers’ (N?=?110) awareness of students’ understanding was measured with questionnaires and the results will be discussed in relation to teaching experience and the use of different teaching practices. Our results show that students in every grade hold a wide-ranging set of misconceptions that reflect different combinations of their own understanding and learnt scientific knowledge. Teachers tended to overestimate students’ performance and described second-grade students’ knowledge more accurately than fourth- and sixth-grade students’ knowledge. Teachers with less teaching experience were found to less overestimate and more underestimate sixth-grade students’ knowledge than teachers with more teaching experience.     

3. Dirk Tänzler/Hubert Knoblauch/Hans-Georg Soeffner (Hrsg.): Zur Kritik der Wissensgesellschaft. Konstanz: UVK Verlagsgesellschaft 2006. 300 S. ISBN 978-3-89669-674-8. Preis: 29,- €

Ohne Zusammenfassung