Education Commons^™

Mobile Learning: Implementing A 1 To 1 Ipad Project In A Teacher Preparation Program, Elizabeth Truesdell, Rebecca Birch

Elizabeth Truesdell

This brief paper examines how a teacher preparation program implemented a 1-1 mobile learning initiative with faculty, teacher candidates and their fieldwork supervisors. The initiative proceeded through a three-tiered approach to effectively integrating instructional technology in and outside of the classroom. Researchers employed a mixed method approach to data collection and analysis, which indicated an increased rate of faculty, student teacher and supervisor competency levels in the use of instructional technology. This study fills a gap in research regarding 1-1 iPad initiatives in teacher preparation programs.

Developing Digital Literacy Through Community Engagement, Elizabeth Truesdell, Rebecca Birch

Elizabeth Truesdell

This case study describes how one department of education sought to increase knowledge of digital literacy amongst preservice teachers. Framed by the researchers’ Three-Tiered Model of instructional technology use, this project leveraged a community partnership and the implementation of “instructional rounds” to educate students in digital technologies. The mixed-methods study includes pre- and post-surveys results, structured observations, and student reflections. Initial findings indicate students’ enhanced digital literacy skills and a reciprocally beneficial partnership with teachers and administrators at a local high school. Ultimately, students who participated in this project led a community-wide professional development workshop.

Teacher Factors And Student Achievement As Measured By The Act Assessment And Subsequent Teacher Perceptions Of Those Factors .Pdf, Jessica Weaver

Jessica Weaver

Developing A Culturally Responsive Literacy Pedagogy: Preservice Teachers, Teaching Cases, And Postcard Narratives, Annmarie Alberton Gunn

AnnMarie Alberton Gunn

No abstract provided.

Preparing Teachers To Apply Research To Mathematics Teaching: Using Design-Based Research To Define And Assess The Process Of Evidence-Based Practice, Sarah Van Ingen

Sarah van Ingen

Persistent lack of mathematics achievement and disparity in achievement has led to the publication of research findings related to equitable teaching practices. Although the publication of such research provides insights about approaches for potentially increasing equity in mathematics education, teachers must be able to apply what has been learned from these studies to their classroom teaching practices. Despite the widespread expectation that teachers use research-supported teaching strategies to meet the needs of their diverse classrooms, the research to practice gap persists. Little research is currently available to guide mathematics teacher educators in how to prepare future teachers to apply research …

Pathways To Teaching: A Curriculum Innovation Enhancing Recognition Of Students’ Career Aspirations And Expectations: Redesigning Curriculum To Acknowledge Diversity, Tess Boyle, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

Teacher education courses have traditionally focused on preparing students for a career of full-time permanent employment. While this is in some ways a necessary assumption, it also overlooks the employment realities of many future graduates who do not move into such positions. Though teacher accreditation processes in Australia have, to some degree, acknowledged the need for alternative pathways into the profession for those who do not find themselves with full time appointments, more can be done within teacher education to prepare students for alternative careers in the profession. The paper suggests that better understanding the career aspirations and expectations of …

Pathways To Teaching: A Curriculum Innovation Enhancing Recognition Of Students’ Career Aspirations And Expectations: Redesigning Curriculum To Acknowledge Diversity, Tess Boyle, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

Teacher education courses have traditionally focused on preparing students for a career of full-time permanent employment. While this is in some ways a necessary assumption, it also overlooks the employment realities of many future graduates who do not move into such positions. Though teacher accreditation processes in Australia have, to some degree, acknowledged the need for alternative pathways into the profession for those who do not find themselves with full time appointments, more can be done within teacher education to prepare students for alternative careers in the profession. The paper suggests that better understanding the career aspirations and expectations of …

Personal History And Present Practice: A Cross Cultural Study Of The Influences On Arts Integration In The United States And Japan, Jana L. Silver

Jana L Silver Dr.

Through observations, life history research, and qualitative data analysis, this study seeks to answer the question: Who and what influences elementary school teachers to ultimately use or not use art in their current classroom practice? This study examines the personal histories of nine elementary school general education teachers in the United States and Japan. Through reflections upon life history, pre and post teacher education this study investigates what influences the use of the arts in teaching practice and what influences the recognition of the arts as a vehicle for learning in a cross cultural context. In order to have a …

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Family Portraits: Past And Present Representations Of Parents In Special Education Text Books, Dianne L. Ferguson, Philip M. Ferguson, Joanne Kim, Corrine Li

Philip M. Ferguson

This paper analyses the descriptions of families of children with disabilities as contained in introductory special education texts over the last 50 years. These text books are typically used in pre-service teacher education courses as surveys of the education of ‘exceptional children’. The textbooks reflect the mainstream professional assumptions of the era about topics such as disability, special education, inclusion, and family/school linkages. However, they also shape the assumptions of the next generation of educators about these same topics. The paper summarises the results of a qualitative document analysis of a sample of these textbooks from two different eras. The …

Reflections On The Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group Report, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

An Assessment Of Teacher Education Students’ Perceptions And Satisfaction Of Their Learning Experiences In A Summer Pilot Program, Terence Hicks, Leontyne Lewis, Geraldine Munn, Earlyn Jordon, Kelly Charles

Terence Hicks, Ph.D., Ed.D.

This study assessed teacher education students' perceptions and satisfaction of their learning experiences concerning an accelerated summer pilot program. In addition, the study provided information on the impact and teaching effectiveness of the accelerated teacher education summer pilot program on participating students. Results from this study determined that compelling information and significant differences were found between students who attended summer session I and summer session II. Most importantly this study documented statistical significant differences among the two groups for questions regarding, “the clarity of exam questions,” (t(198) = 10.460, p < .05), “exams’ coverage of important aspects of the course,” (t(198) …

Comments On Deewr Discussion Paper: Future Options For Alternative Pathways Into Teaching, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

The DEEWR Discussion Paper, Future Options for Alternative Pathways into Teaching, focuses on a relatively unproven need for alternative pathways, while ignoring the major issues that face Australia in assuring a quality national teacher education system.

Comments On Deecd Discussion Paper: New Directions For School Leadership And The Teaching Profession, June 2012, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

The Effects Of Multiple External Mandates On Curriculum, Pedagogy And Child Activity In The Preschool Classroom, Kathleen A. Strub-Richards

Kathleen A Strub-Richards

Within the last decade, the pressures of implementing state mandated early learning guidelines and meeting the requirements from federal, state and local agencies, have taken their toll on many preschool programs. In the present study, preschool programs were given a chance to voice their opinions about how curriculum standards and other external mandates were directly and indirectly influencing curriculum planning, teaching practices, and child activity. A brief survey was sent to 90 preschool directors in a region in Massachusetts, 28 directors completed this survey. A sample of nine directors, from the survey respondents, volunteered to be interviewed. In two separate …

Using The Conceptual Change Model Of Learning As An Analytic Tool In Researching Teacher Preparation For Student Diversity, Douglas B. Larkin

Douglas B. Larkin

Pathways To Teaching: A Curriculum Innovation Enhancing Recognition Of Students’ Career Aspirations And Expectations: Redesigning Curriculum To Acknowledge Diversity, Tess Boyle, Renata Phelps

Tess Boyle

Teacher education courses have traditionally focused on preparing students for a career of full-time permanent employment. While this is in some ways a necessary assumption, it also overlooks the employment realities of many future graduates who do not move into such positions. Though teacher accreditation processes in Australia have, to some degree, acknowledged the need for alternative pathways into the profession for those who do not find themselves with full time appointments, more can be done within teacher education to prepare students for alternative careers in the profession. The paper suggests that better understanding the career aspirations and expectations of …

Pathways To Teaching: A Curriculum Innovation Enhancing Recognition Of Students’ Career Aspirations And Expectations: Redesigning Curriculum To Acknowledge Diversity, Tess Boyle, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

Teacher education courses have traditionally focused on preparing students for a career of full-time permanent employment. While this is in some ways a necessary assumption, it also overlooks the employment realities of many future graduates who do not move into such positions. Though teacher accreditation processes in Australia have, to some degree, acknowledged the need for alternative pathways into the profession for those who do not find themselves with full time appointments, more can be done within teacher education to prepare students for alternative careers in the profession. The paper suggests that better understanding the career aspirations and expectations of …

The Review Of Teacher Education For Languages Teachers : Final Report, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Jenny Wilkinson, Margaret Gearon, Suzanne Fernandez, Lawrence Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

This report produces a comprehensive national picture of the nature and effectiveness of teacher education and re-training opportunities for languages teachers. The report investigates course entry requirements, course content and structure for primary and secondary languages teachers; identifies structural impediments relating to the development of languages teachers' linguistic and pedagogical competency; and explores the potential application of the Professional Standards for Accomplished Teaching of Languages and Cultures, developed by the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers (AFMLTA), in teacher education for languages teachers.