Mendelian genetics: Paradigm,conjecture, or research program

Kuhn's model of the structure of scientific revolutions, Popper's hypothetic-deductive model of science, and Lakatos's methodology of competing research programs are applied to a historical episode in biology. Each of these three models offers a different explanatory system for the development, neglect, and eventual acceptance of Mendel's paradigm of inheritance. The authors conclude that both rational and nonrational criteria play an important role during times of crisis in science, when different research programs compete for acceptance. It is suggested that Kuhn's model, emphasizing the nonrational basis of science, and Popper's model, emphasizing the rational basis of science, can be used fruitfully in high school science courses.     

Promoting versatility in mentor teachers’ use of supervisory skills

Mentor teachers need a versatile supervisory skills repertoire. Besides taking the prevalent role of daily advisor and instructor, mentor teachers should also be able to stimulate reflection in student teachers. Video recordings of 60 mentoring dialogues were analysed, both before and after a mentor teacher training aimed at developing the encourager role. Mentor teachers’ repertoires of supervisory skills were found to consist of an average of seven supervisory skills. After training, a shift was observed in the frequencies and duration with which supervisory skills were used. Although considerable inter-individual variability existed between mentor teachers, training positively affected the use of supervisory skills for stimulating reflection in student teachers.     

Coming out,coming home,coming with: Models of queer sexuality in contemporary China

The authors investigate coming out and coming home as models of queer sexuality for contemporary Chinese queer subjects. Through semi-structured interviews with 13 Chinese queer subjects, the authors investigate the distinctness of the coming-out and coming-home models, their points of dissonance and consonance, and the ways in which queer subjects take them up (partially or fully, temporarily or enduringly), revise them, or reject them. Finding that interview narratives exceed the normative parameters shaped by these two models, the authors elaborate a third, distinct model—coming with—which better accounts for how some contemporary Chinese queer subjects are crafting livable lives.     

Uncovering contents of mentor teachers' interactive cognitions during mentoring dialogues

In the context of developing mentor teachers' use of supervisory skills, two consecutive studies were conducted, using stimulated recall. Firstly, with eight participants, an instrument was developed to categorize contents of interactive cognitions. Secondly, with 30 participants, the instrument was applied to uncover contents of mentor teachers' interactive cognitions, before and after training in supervisory skills. After training, mentor teachers demonstrate an increased awareness of their use of supervisory skills. This indicates that mentor teachers not only seem to emphasize pupil learning and needs when conducting a mentoring dialogue, but simultaneously focus on their own supervisory behaviour.     

Alternative teacher education in the Netherlands 2000–2005. A standards‐based synthesis

Findings are synthesized from six evaluation studies of alternative teacher certification programs introduced in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2005. The available evidence raises concerns about the feasibility of accelerated workplace learning for aspiring teachers. Intake assessments amounted mostly to selection procedures, while less attention was paid to advising candidates. In candidates' workplace learning, work often overrode learning. They received little mentoring and were offered few opportunities to qualify themselves in all basic aspects of teaching. Conclusions and recommendations regarding the development of alternative teacher education are formulated on the basis of five quality standards for teacher education.

Entre 2000 et 2005, les Pays‐Bas ont mis en place des parcours parallèles pour la formation des enseignants. Dans cet article, l'auteur présente les résultats de six études qui ont évalué la qualité de ces parcours parallèles. Les résultats disponibles soulèvent des questions quant à la possibilté de réaliser des formations accélérées effectuées sur le terrain et destinées aux futurs enseignants. Dans ces formations accélérées, l'évaluation initiale (intake assessment) servait la plupart du temps à sélectionner les candidats tandis que peu d'attention était accordée à la fonction conseil. Lorsque les candidats étaient formés sur le terrain, la pratique prenait le dessus sur la formation. Ils n'étaient guère encadrés et avaient peu l'occasion de se familiariser avec tous les aspects fondamentaux du métier d'enseignant.

S'inspirant de cinq standards de qualité pour la formation des enseignants, l'auteur présente ses conclusions et ses recommandations pour la mise en place de parcours parallèles en ce qui concerne la formation des enseignants.

Se sintetizan los resultados de seis estudios en los que han sido evaluados programas alternativos de certificación de profesores que han sido introducidos entre 2000 y 2005 en los Países Bajos. La evidencia disponible plantea cuestiones sobre la viabilidad de aprendizaje acelerado por futuros profesores en el lugar de trabajo. Las evaluaciones llevadas a cabo se limitaban a menudo a procedimientos de selección, mientras que se solía prestar menos atención al asesoramiento de los candidatos. En su lugar de trabajo, el proceso de aprendizaje de los futuros profesores fue relegado a segundo plano a causa del trabajo. Resultó que los futuros profesores recibieron poca tutoría y que se les ofrecieron pocas oportunidades de cualifarse en todos los aspectos de la enseñanza. Se sacan conclusiones y se hacen recomendaciones en cuanto al desarrollo de programas alternativos de formación del profesorado a base de cinco criterios de calidad para la formación del profesorado.

In diesem Forschungsbericht werden die Ergebnisse von sechs Evaluationsstudien zu den zwischen 2000 und 2005 in den Niederlanden eingeführten alternativen Lehrerausbildungsprogrammen zusammengezogen. Die Befunde lassen Fragen über die Realisierbarkeit von beschleunigtem Lernen während der Arbeit durch ankommende Lehrer aufkommen. Zulassungsprüfungen beinhalteten meistens Ausleseverfahren, wobei der Beratung von Kandidaten weniger Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wurde. In dem Lernen von Kandidaten während der Arbeit war der Arbeitsaspekt haüfig stärker vertreten als das Lernen. Sie empfingen wenig Betreuung und erhielten wenig Gelegenheit, sich in allen grundlegenden Lehrerfähigkeiten zu qualifizieren. Es werden Schlussfolgerungen und Empfehlungen bezüglich der Entwicklung von alternativen Lehrerausbildungsprogrammen formuliert aufgrund von fünf Qualitätsstandarden zur Lehrerausbildung.     

The role of prosocial attitudes and academic achievement in peer networks in higher education

After the transition to university, students need to build a new peer network, which helps them to adapt to university life. This study investigated to what extent students’ prosocial attitudes and academic achievement facilitate the embeddedness in friendship and help-seeking networks, while taking structural network characteristics into account. Participants were 95 first-year bachelor’s degree students and were part of learning communities consisting of 12 students at a university in the Netherlands. Measures included student-reports of prosocial attitudes, peer nominations of friendship and help-seeking networks, and officially registered grades (GPA). Longitudinal social network analysis, stochastic actor-based modeling with the package RSiena, revealed that both students’ own prosocial attitudes and achievement played a role in their friendship formation, whereas only students’ own achievement made the formation of their help-seeking relationships more likely. When students were friends, it was more likely that they approached each other for help and vice versa. Similarity in achievement level contributed to relationship formation in friendship and help-seeking networks. Overall, the results underscore the importance of both student’ prosocial attitudes and achievement for their social adjustment (i.e., making friends) and only achievement for their academic adjustment (i.e., seeking help) during the first year of university within the context of small-scale teaching.

     

Mapping mentor teachers’ roles in mentoring dialogues

This literature study deals with the issue of how to conceptualize the supervisory behaviour of mentor teachers in mentoring dialogues by systematically examining empirical literature on key aspects of mentor teachers’ behaviour during dialogues with prospective teachers. From the findings a model is derived which can be used to study mentor teachers’ behaviour in mentoring dialogues. The model may be helpful in the further development of the quality of mentor teachers’ behaviour in mentoring dialogues.     

Fostering teacher community development: A review of design principles and a case study of an innovative interdisciplinary team

To deal with recent reforms and the accompanying complexity of work in secondary education, ongoing collaboration between teachers has become more important. A community is seen as a promising learning environment to support and embed collaboration into the culture of the school. However, community theory for the design of teacher communities seems underdeveloped. Therefore, this study aims to formulate a set of design principles to foster the development of teacher communities in secondary education. The set of design principles is based on a review of literature, as well as on a best-practice case. The case study was used to validate design principles from the literature in the target context. The resulting design principles were based on context-intervention-mechanism-outcome logic that takes into account the context-dependency of interventions as well as the mechanisms that help with understanding of how interventions produce certain outcomes. Implications for practice relate to ownership and co-design of the arrangement. The set of design principles provides a practical basis for teachers and administrators aiming to facilitate community building in their school. Future research is recommended on testing the effectiveness of the arrangement in the target context by means of a multiple case study.