Moving away from Specialisation

Tina Detheridge, national co-ordinator for special needs, National Council for Educational Technology (NCET), offers an overview of recent advances in technology for special needs.     

Common pressures,same results? Recent reforms in professional standards and competences in teacher education for secondary teachers in England,France and Germany

Over the last decade, the introduction of professional standards and competences in initial teacher education for secondary teachers in England, France and Germany has provided the cornerstone of education reform in all three countries. The precise number and specific content of a measurable set of skills for teachers have offered challenges for policy makers, teacher educators, student teachers and teachers alike. The concept of standardised teacher education feeds into the idea that there is some convergence towards a uniform teacher ideal. However, an examination of the skills required of teachers in each of the three countries in this study reveals distinct education systems where path divergence is more evident.     

Bridging the Communication Gap (for Pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties)

Tina Detheridge, a Senior Lecturer at Westminster College, Oxford, suggests that, by using information technology, some pupils are able to generate unambiguous signals which, used in social contexts, stimulated interaction and enhanced communication. The work undertaken further highlighted criteria for the successful use of IT in such contexts.     

A Retrospective View of the National Board Certification Process

National Board Certification (NBC) is a voluntary yet advanced teaching credential that goes beyond the typical state licensure requirement (NEA, 2015 National Education Association (NEA). (2015). National Board Certification of Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/31738.htm [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this study is to determine the perspectives of teachers who have completed and achieved NBC, and specifically how it has impacted them as classroom teachers. Using data collected via a survey, this study provides an overview of the perspectives of 496 National Board Certified Teachers centered on the Five Core Propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The findings of this study revealed statistical significance on teachers’ reported growth in areas such as leadership, effective instruction, and subject mastery as a result of NBC. Findings also suggest positive change on each of the Five Core Propositions, such as "teachers are committed to students and their learning," as reported by teachers.     

Factors influencing elementary school children's attitudes toward science before,during, and after a visit to the UK National Space Centre

This article reports on attitude changes of 300 children, aged 10 or 11 years, from four schools, who visited the UK National Space Centre. Attitudes toward science and space were explored by examining responses to five different attitude scales. These were administered before, immediately after, and 2 months and 4–5 months after a visit to the main exhibition area and Challenger Centre. Observations during the visits and interviews of teachers and a sample of children were carried out. Before the visit girls were more anxious than boys. Immediately afterward, children showed more interest in space and a moderate increase in their views about the value of science in society. Nearly 20% of the pupils showed an increased desire to become scientists in the future. These children also showed a positive advantage over the other children with regard to science enthusiasm and space interest. Two months later, they continued to be more positive about being future scientists but only the girls' scores were still significantly raised. Most children found the Challenger experience positive but had more problems with the exhibition area. Teachers' preparation and support during the visit as well as their personal interest had a significant long‐term effect on children's attitudes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 53–83, 2005