Education Commons^™

Any Time, Any Place, Flexible Pace: Technology-Enhanced Language Learning In A Teacher Education Programme, Jocelyn M. Howard, Adèle Scott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Ongoing developments in e-learning, improved internet accessibility and increased digital citizenry provide exciting opportunities to integrate effective classroom pedagogies with online educational technologies, creating mixed-mode courses to enhance student engagement and facilitate greater autonomous learning. This research examines pre-service teacher education students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of experiential and digitally-mediated tools which take them beyond the constraints of traditional lecture-type delivery. Quantitative and qualitative results from distance and face-to-face cohorts show the value the students ascribe to tools employed in a modified language course. These are discussed in relation to reported changes in students’ proficiency in the target language and …

Validation Of The Malaysian Version Of The Teacher Education Program Coherence Questionnaire, Pauline Swee Choo Goh, Qismullah Yusuf

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The main purpose of this study was to validate a Malay Language version of a 30-item teacher education program coherence questionnaire. Two different samples of preservice teachers completed the Malay translation of the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (N=220) showed four types of perceived program coherence which had good internal consistency ranging from 0.79 to 0.86: ‘Opportunity to enact practice’, ‘Opportunity to analyze practice’, ‘Opportunity to connect ideas across courses’ and ‘Coherence between courses and practical experience’. The confirmatory factor analysis (N= 234) provided support for a four-factor model. In addition, an analysis of criterion validity of the four types of …

Active Learning And Self-Regulation Enhance Student Teachers’ Professional Competences, Päivi Virtanen, Hannele M. Niemi, Anne Nevgi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study identifies the relationships between active learning, student teachers’ self-regulated learning and professional competences. Further, the aim is to investigate how active learning promotes professional competences of student teachers with different self-regulation profiles. Responses from 422 student teachers to an electronic survey were analysed using statistical methods. It was found that the use of active learning methods, such as goal-oriented and intentional learning as well as autonomous and responsible group work, are strongly and positively related to the achievement of professional competences. To develop the best competences, student teachers need high learning motivation and excellent self-regulation strategies. The mean …

Disrupting The Tourist Paradigm In Teacher Education: The Urban Art Classroom As A Globalized Site Of Travel, Transience, And Transaction, Justin P. Sutters

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Employing Bauman’s scholarship on globalization, the author theorizes teacher candidates as tourists in order to critically examine current field observation practices in art education. The study follows preservice students as they participate in collecting narratives during field observations in an urban/inner-city school. The visual representations of their experiences are analyzed to isolate and address emergent themes that reveal the consumerist nature of field practices through instances of (trans)action. Recent national studies give credence to the shifting landscape of public education in the United States and the author suggests that the changing demographics of both teachers and students necessitate a reconceptualization …

The Transformation Of Creativity In Entrepreneurial Learning In Teacher Education: A Critical Reflection, Anna Ehrlin, Eva Insulander, Anette Sandberg

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study is to examine how students on a teacher education programme interpret entrepreneurial learning. The study was performed in Sweden, based on a design theoretical and multimodal perspective on learning and communication which provides the basis for how we understand learning processes in early teacher education. The sample consists of course literature, teachers’ PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and narrative texts written by students. The meaning given to entrepreneurial learning is presented from the analysis of the setting, in the teaching materials and the transformation in the students’ texts. We conclude that entrepreneurial learning seeks to challenge …

Navigating The Challenges Of Becoming A Culturally Responsive Teacher: Supportive Networking May Be The Key, Nina L. Nilsson Ph.D., Ailing Kong Ph.D., Shantel Hubert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research shows graduates of teacher education programs do not always transfer, or apply, the best practices they learn to instructional practice due to factors related to course features, the student, and workplace environment (e.g., Brown & Bentley, 2004; de Jong et al., 2010). This study examined the challenges a secondary-level English teacher in the United States encountered when she attempted to implement culturally responsive teaching practices she learned from a graduate course to her class with ELLs. Findings indicate she faced strategy- and language-related challenges due to student culture and school environment factors (“external challenges”), as well as her own …

Media Literacy In Teacher Education: A Good Fit Across The Curriculum, Jessica Meehan, Brandi Ray, Sunny Wells, Amanda Walker, Gretchen Schwarz

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Abstract

Current preoccupations in teacher education reform include data gathering, teaching technique, and preparing PK-12 students for standardized tests. The purpose of American education has been reduced to economic benefit. Concerns with ethical behavior, the good life, and democratic citizenship have fallen by the wayside except perhaps in a single social foundations course. Media literacy education infused in the teacher education curriculum offers one way to restore purpose to teacher education, encouraging both pre-service teachers and their students to think critically about their media-dominated society.

Class Exploration To A Campus Library Curriculum Center To Develop Book-Building Capacity For Teacher Candidates, Camille M. Russello Ph.D., Julie J. Henry

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The purpose of this pilot was to examine the effectiveness of the practice of providing opportunities for undergraduate elementary education teacher candidates to explore the campus library curriculum center as a group regularly during class time. During their visits, teacher candidates were guided in selecting and analyzing children’s literature for their future teaching. The research was focused on how these visits impacted teacher candidates’ understanding of children’s literature and literacy development. Data were collected through a survey administered at the conclusion of the course and responses were probed further during one-on-one interviews. Candidates described these visits as beneficial in …

Collaborative Teaching And Self-Study: Engaging Student Teachers In Sociological Theory In Teacher Education., Vivienne Hogan, Linda Daniell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents some of the findings of a three-year project researching the impact of changes made to teaching and learning in a first-year sociology paper for primary and early childhood education (ece) student teachers. The context of the research is an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme situated in the School of Education in a New Zealand University. Through self-study, teacher educators sought to gain a deeper understanding of how changes made to the paper influenced their teaching and student learning.

A collaborative teaching relationship was particularly important for the teacher educators to share concerns and present ideas for …

A Healthy Dose Of Race? White Students’ And Teachers’ Unintentional Brushes With Whiteness, Samantha Schulz, Jennifer Fane

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on efforts by three Australian academics to develop students’ sociocultural awareness (in particular, their racial literacy) during a time of mounting pressure on teacher educators to narrow and standardise their approaches. The field of health education provides a vehicle for research; however, it is not the paper’s central foci. Of key concern is the development of a critical disposition in students – a disposition geared toward teaching for social equity. Learning of this nature transcends topic domains, and therefore allows for collaboration between academics in different parts of teacher education. Specifically, the paper focuses upon ‘whiteness’ and …

International Students’ Experience Of Practicum In Teacher Education: An Exploration Through Internationalisation And Professional Socialisation, Georgina M. Barton, Kay A. Hartwig, Melissa Cain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores the practicum experience of international students studying in a teacher education course. Much research has investigated the experience of international students during their degree experience but there is limited research that has addressed the practicum; a key component of teacher education. The research that does exist tends to view international students as analogous rather than individual students with distinct needs and experiences. The current paper will draw evidence from fourteen (14) international students gathered via interviews. The themes of learning and teaching contexts and relationships; curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; and personal attributes were identified and the conceptual …

Teacher Education And Experiential Learning: A Visual Ethnography, Maureen F. Legge, Wayne Smith

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: This article reports research that critically examined our teacher education outdoor education pedagogy. The purpose was to use visual ethnography to critique our teaching over twenty years of annual five-day bush-based residential camps. The bush camps were situated in an outdoor education programme contributing to a four-year undergraduate teacher education Bachelor of Physical Education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research method involved photo-elicitation of selected photographs representing students’ experiences and our practices. We each wrote about the photographs using introspection and recall to create a layered narrative analysis reflecting on the educative focus of the images. We responded to …

Virtual R&D Teams: A Potential Growth Of Education-Industry Collaboration, Nale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Zahari Taha

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Both the professional literature and non-academic resources are replete with references to both the successes and failures of the current state of education. There is very little doubt that education is receiving intense scrutiny from a variety of sources and in regard to numerous aspects of its implementation. A primary focus of this examination has been the teacher work force, specifically its effectiveness in promoting measurable student growth and achievement. While this is a natural and imperative center of the investigation, it also encompasses ancillary issues, such as the manner in which the teachers are prepared to assume their instructional …

A Survival Guide: Seven Practices All Beginning Teachers Should Know, Derrick Davis

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Whether you have just graduated college or entering the teaching profession from a previous career, there are seven practices that all beginning teachers come to understand. Implementing these strategies could help to prevent costly beginning teaching errors from occurring and will aid in improving one’s overall experience as a beginning teacher, whether on the K-12 level.

Attitudes Of Teachers Toward Teaching Creative Strategies, Kirsten Limpert, Stuart Ervay

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Given the recent national emphasis on standards and the use of high stakes tests, American teachers may not have positive attitudes toward teaching creative strategies. It is possible for them to conclude that they will be held accountable primarily for how well students perform on summative tests that are based either on state standards or the new national Core Standards being adopted by many states. With so much emphasis on standards, they may not be acquainted with the New Bloom’s Taxonomy that places creating at the top of learning hierarchy, nor are they likely to be aware of why that …

Challenges In Designing And Implementing A Meaningful Field Experience For Future School Leaders, Mike Dishman, Traci Redish

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

During the past decade, educational leadership programs have faced significant criticism for degree programs not adequately preparing students for the current demands of school administration, particularly for not providing meaningful field experiences. Leadership programs have been challenged to replicate experiences provided in “model” programs, contain discrete and multi-month formalized internships in which candidates are released from teaching responsibilities. Unfortunately, such programs are highly dependent upon both external grant funding and significant financial support from universities and school districts. This paper examines the solution reached by one large suburban institution in Georgia when required to redesign its master’s degree program in …

Improving The Practical Aspect Of Pre-Service Teacher Education In Sub-Saharan Africa: Issues Of Conceptualization, Planning And Management, Cosmas Cobbold

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Teaching practicum, variously called teaching practice, professional practice, professional experience, practical experience, school experience, has always been part of teacher education regardless of the approach taken. The Standard Council of the Teaching Profession (1998, p.10) defines teaching practicum as: a period of time spent in schools where the prime focus for the trainee teacher is to practice teaching under the supervision of a mentor who should be trained for this job, to spend time with teachers and classes, observing, teaching small groups and whole classes, and undertaking the range of tasks that make up the teacher’s role including planning, assessing …

The Influence Of Assertive Classroom Management Strategy Use On Student-Teacher Pedagogical Skills, Annette Barnabas, Clifford S., Joseph D.

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

This quantitative study examined the influence of teacher-educators’ use of assertive classroom management strategies on English as a foreign language (EFL) student-teacher generic-education and language-teaching skills. Concerns have been voiced that many teachers fail to communicate target skills and information to their students though they possess abundant subject-content and pedagogical-content knowledge. Traditionally, teacher-educators have been concerned with assisting students to grasp a defined body of knowledge through information transmission. Currently, teacher educators face the challenge of assisting student-teachers to learn how to learn so that they can face political, social and economic uncertainties and to become independent lifelong learners. This …

Issues Of Concern Related To Practicum Experiences In Undergraduate Education Programs, Dana Harwell, Jenifer Moore

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In many undergraduate education programs, practicum experiences (also referred to as field experiences or lab placements) are an integral component of the curriculum. These placements are designed to provide undergraduate students with practical, authentic experience in classrooms of various levels. During practicum experiences, students are placed in classrooms in order to gain direct experience in teaching elementary or secondary students. However, because these clinical applications occur in real-world learning environments, many factors can influence their quality and effectiveness.

Evidence-Based Decision-Making In Teacher Preparation, Kristen Crabtree-Groff

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Cooperative Learning, Flexible Grouping, and Scaffolding to name a few. Each of these strategies asks teachers to make instructional decisions based on the collection and analysis of data. In addition, classroom management practices, authentic assessment and student growth measures necessitate clear evidence gathering. As teacher candidates progress through their programs, they should encounter evidence-based decision-making — multiple means of collecting evidence, analyzing the evidence, setting goals, and evaluating results – throughout their coursework. We ask our teacher candidates to be reflective practitioners, in essence we ask them to use information to make evidence based decisions. The current pressures of accountability …

Understanding Curriculum Perspectives: A Lesson In Frustration, Molly Mee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

During a heated discussion in my master-level Curriculum Theory and Development class on whether or not a given curriculum borrows more from the experientialist or the constructivist perspective, Suzy, a 45-year old veteran math teacher interrupts the discussion and in an agitated tone asks, “Professor will you please just tell us the answer?” This is typical of the responses I receive when my students read about curriculum perspectives to interpret them in light of their own teaching. Anticipating frustrations like Suzy’s I open my first class session with a lesson on Posner’s notion of reflective eclecticism which is an overarching …

Teacher Education In Nigeria: Past, Present And Future Challenges., Israel Osokoya

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The history of western education in Nigeria was intimately bound up with the history of western education in Europe. During and after the Dark Ages in Europe, the church dominated the business of education and this had a tremendous impact on the intellectual life of people not only in Europe and America but also in the British colonial territories of Asia and Africa. Historically, the British imperial ambition and effective occupation of Nigeria dated back to the second half of the 19th century even though some Europeans including British traders had assumed trading activities with the people in the coastal …

A Systematic Approach For Training Candidates To Use The Teacher Work Sample, Beth Walizer, Taggart Germaine, Keith Dreiling

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of scaffolding the work sample criteria through a teacher preparation program for elementary education candidates. This article illustrates the way that Fort Hays State University’s teacher education program has successfully implemented a work sample process. A process of scaffolding the criteria was woven throughout the elementary teacher education program to instruct candidates on how to develop, implement, and assess instructional units of study. As a way to describe the teacher work sample process, the authors have contextualized the model, provided components of a teacher work sample, and presented a program …

Best Practices In Educator Preparation, Deborah Gober

Perspectives In Learning

One of the themes emphasized in the College of Education (COE) Conceptual Framework is excellence in teaching. As defined in the Conceptual Framework, excellence in teaching embodies the use of best practices which embody a variety of educational ideas and activities that lead to improved student learning. The phrase “best practice” is used frequently in fields such as medicine or law to describe reputable work based on current research and employing the latest knowledge, technology, and procedures in the field (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 1998). However, best practice in education has been somewhat difficult to define.

Six Best Practice Structures, Two Disciplines, One Instructor, James Brewbaker

Perspectives In Learning

A common perception about teacher educators is that they preach better than they practice. Too many accomplished elementary and secondary teachers recall an education professor’s tedious class on the limitations of the lecture—delivered, sad to say, in a traditional lecture format. Too many accomplished teachers recall courses in which learning was measured solely through pencil-and-paper, short-answer recognition-and-recall tests that promoted cramming, test taking, and, too soon thereafter, forgetting the material in question. Too many accomplished teachers learned their craft in spite of faculty who were anything but pedagogical role models.

Teacher Education And Teacher Training In China, Chen Xiaoduan

Perspectives In Learning

Like other countries, Teacher Education is very important in Chinese education. It involves the great task to foster teachers for all levels of Chinese education. Since 1978 when China opened her door to reform, great changes have taken place in many aspects of Teacher Education. Government officials more often recognize that we must train good teachers to fostering good students. Only excellent teachers can educate excellent students. Teachers are being asked to improve their knowledge and skills. We are committed to reform the old system of teacher education and teacher training so that it can foster better teachers for our …