Understanding teachers’ motivation for and commitment to teaching: profiles of Chinese early career,early childhood teachers

ABSTRACT

To better understand the reasons underlying attrition and the teacher shortage, and to develop ways to attract and retain high-quality teachers in early childhood education, it is necessary to explore teacher motivation and commitment to teaching. Although previous research has investigated various aspects of teacher motivation and commitment to teaching, little attention has been paid to this in the context of early childhood teachers, especially early career teachers. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 12 early career, early childhood teachers in mainland China, this study aims to examine early career early childhood teachers’ motivation to teach and commitment to teaching in the Chinese context. Four distinct types of early career, early childhood educators were identified: committed passionate, committed compromiser, undecided, and uncommitted. Each of these had unique motives for teaching and different levels of commitment to kindergarten teaching in mainland China. The four types of early career early childhood teachers identified in this study demonstrate the diversity and complexity of teaching motivation and commitment to teaching in the field of early childhood education. The findings from this study can provide implications for policy-makers and teacher educators to enhance novice teachers’ motivation and commitment to teaching in the early childhood context.     

谈音乐教师在教学中的主导作用

音乐教师在教学中的主导作用是非常重要的，其主导作用表现在：要针对性地备课；要创造良好的音乐环境；要有灵活生动的教学方法；要有丰富的课外音乐活动；要不断加强自身修养。     

双师课堂课程开发引论：缘起、主题与方法

AI教师与真人教师联袂执教的双师课堂课程开发已成为重要课题。从缘起、主题与方法三个层面进行考察发现,当前国内外双师课堂课程开发活动,主要聚焦于“AI教师的选用与开发”“双师课堂课程开发”和“双师课堂课程开发的学习效应”三大主题。文章创新性地采纳超学科哲学范式,采取整体主义行动研究方法论,采用融通性混合方法,结合逻辑分析、技术建模、行动研究、量化方法和质性深描技术等,系统地探索与建构AI教师的选用模型、AI教师开发的关键技术、双师课堂深度学习模型、双师课堂课程开发整体模式、AI整合性课目学习知识研究方式、双师课堂课程开发促进深度学习的效应以及双师课堂课程开发促进深度学习的内在机理,以期为双师课堂课程的适切开发提供新思路。     

关于高等职业教育特色的几点思考

办出特色是高职教育发展的生命线，高职教育应体现高职的特色，专业设置，师资队伍建设，实训基地建设等方面。     

同声传译中的预测

根据Daniel Gile的认识负荷模型理论，同声传译的译员在翻译过程中精力分为听解分析、言语生成、短期记忆及协调四个部分。为了降低译员的精力负荷，提高翻译的质量，试从减轻记忆负担的角度分析了预测在同传中所发挥的作用，同声传译中的预测方法。以及预测中的补救措施。掌握了预测技巧，译员在同传过程中便会更加游刃有余。     

Korean EFL teachers’ perceptions of the impact of EFL teacher education upon their classroom teaching practices

This study employed qualitative data collection and analysis methods to investigate the influence of English as a foreign language teacher education programme on Korean teachers’ classroom teaching practices. Six in-service secondary-school teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the data collected from these interviews. Findings from the analysis included that: a) most of the teachers were dissatisfied with the largely theory-oriented pre-service teacher education programmes that they attended; b) a major source of influence on their teaching was their experience of in-service teacher training programmes with practical curricula; c) observation of other fellow teachers’ teaching had the strongest impact upon the teachers’ teaching practices; and d) the teachers’ low English proficiency and the washback effect of the Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test hindered the maintenance of the changes brought about by in-service teacher education programmes. This study ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings.     

Sustaining and retaining beginning special educators: It takes a village

The need to support and retain beginning teachers has become critical given: (1) the shortage of teachers in certain disciplines, and (2) the current emphasis on teacher qualifications and student achievement. In this study, five first year special education teachers in the southwestern section of the United States provided information on the persons and activities that supplied them with much needed and valued support. The results indicate that having a strong network of support and a variety of resources positively influenced these teachers’ ability to focus on student learning and on their intent to remain in their positions.     

EFL teachers’ perceptions of English language policy at the elementary level in Taiwan

Due in large part to the trends towards economic globalization, English has become the most widely disseminated and ubiquitous international language. The purpose of the study was to investigate what Taiwan’s EFL teachers at the elementary level believe about the policy of English as a compulsory subject and how they perceive the benefits and obstacles of the policy’s implementation. Ten elementary English teachers in Tainan City and its suburban areas participated in this study. Data were collected through teachers’ interviews, classroom observation and document analysis. Results found that all ten teachers agreed with the policy for English as a compulsory subject at the elementary level. They observed both positive and negative sides of this top‐down policy. Classroom observation and interview data revealed that EFL teachers had to plan their English classes with the constraints on a large class of students with mixed levels of proficiency, limited teaching hours and resources. Parents’ expectations of and attitudes towards English learning also became an obstacle.     

Australian teacher education: inside-out,outside-in,backwards and forwards?

Abstract

Teacher Education in Australia seems to be in a dynamic and constant cycle of review and change. Policy governing teacher education has also been eminently changeable and dynamic. To some extent this stems from three year terms for governments where a short term and expedient political view is taken. There has also been ongoing centre-periphery tension between the Commonwealth government and the State governments regarding regulation and accreditation of teacher education programmes with there now being regulatory bodies at both national (Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership – AITSL) and state levels. Despite all of this, teacher education is still the butt of ongoing criticism and investigation and is now more highly regulated than ever. Since teacher education occurs within a university context, with the exception of that which is offered through some private providers or some Technical and Further Education (TAFE) providers, it is also at the whim of government funding policies impacting universities generally.     

基于合作的教师专业发展模式——美国专业发展学校(PDS)合作模式探究

美国专业发展学校(PDS)是上个世纪80年代兴起的一种基于合作的、新型的教师教育模式,它以其独特的组织形式和良好的效果引起了人们的关注,现已成为美国教师教育改革的主流趋势．本文旨在对PDS的产生背景、基本合作模式及其存在的问题进行分析与探究,以期能为我国的教师专业发展学校以及教师教育改革提供一些启示和参考。