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Full-Text Articles in Education
Efl Teachers’ Preparation And Beliefs In Niger, Peter Wiens, Bong Gee Jang, Katrina Liu, Billa Anassour, April Smith
Efl Teachers’ Preparation And Beliefs In Niger, Peter Wiens, Bong Gee Jang, Katrina Liu, Billa Anassour, April Smith
Teaching and Learning Faculty Research
Niger is a French-speaking country with a history of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in its middle and high schools. The teachers providing instruction in these programs have been trained in different ways including university-based programs, out of country programs, or no training at all. This study sought to examine the beliefs of Nigerien EFL teachers and analyze the relationship between their beliefs and their training. All EFL teachers in Niger were surveyed to understand their beliefs related to teaching. We found that training was related to teacher beliefs. As Niger determines how best to allocate its limited …
Changes In Beliefs Towards Children, Personality, And Future Social Studies Teachers: An Analysis Of Survey Data, Peter D. Wiens
Changes In Beliefs Towards Children, Personality, And Future Social Studies Teachers: An Analysis Of Survey Data, Peter D. Wiens
Teaching and Learning Faculty Research
For many years, teacher education has focused on the centrality of the learner in the educational process. This study examined how preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding children changed over the course of a teacher education program. It also examined the role of personality indicators in that change. Preservice social studies teachers were administered surveys in each year of a teacher education program to assess participants’ beliefs towards children and their personality type. Participants’ beliefs about children became more child-centered and personality type was a predictor of these beliefs.
How Middle Level Science Teachers Visualize And Translate Motion, Scale, And Geometric Space Of The Earth-Moon-Sun System With Their Students, Jennifer Wilhelm, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Rebecca Lindell
How Middle Level Science Teachers Visualize And Translate Motion, Scale, And Geometric Space Of The Earth-Moon-Sun System With Their Students, Jennifer Wilhelm, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Rebecca Lindell
Teaching and Learning Faculty Research
We examined teachers’ spatial-scientific reasoning and the alternative conceptions they held regarding Earth-space content. While participating in a professional development (PD) workshop, teachers engaged in an integrated mathematics and science project-based unit designed to foster spatial reasoning and improve lunar-related conceptual understanding. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotation (PSVT-Rot) and the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) were used to assess understanding. We found the teachers held similar alternative conceptions as their students. Moreover, we discovered that teachers had limited understanding of the Earth-Moon-Sun scale, motions, and geometric configurations. To determine how teachers’ spatial-scientific confidence and ability translated to their classroom practice, …
Spatial Thinking In Astronomy Education Research, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Jennifer Wilhelm, Rebecca Lindell
Spatial Thinking In Astronomy Education Research, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Jennifer Wilhelm, Rebecca Lindell
Teaching and Learning Faculty Research
Multiple studies show that spatial thinking skills contribute to students’ performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The study of astronomy is no different with the understanding of many astronomical phenomena requiring spatial thinking skills. This paper describes traditional and contemporary approaches to characterizing and measuring spatial thinking skills and suggests how they inform research in astronomy education. It summarizes previous literature in astronomy education research and categorizes the research approaches of astronomy education peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings that explicitly consider the role of spatial thinking. Additionally, it recommends directions and curricular approaches for astronomy education research …
Five Years Of Video-Based Assessment Data: Lessons From A Teacher Education Program, Peter D. Wiens, Matthew D. Gromlich
Five Years Of Video-Based Assessment Data: Lessons From A Teacher Education Program, Peter D. Wiens, Matthew D. Gromlich
Teaching and Learning Faculty Research
Teacher education programs are under considerable pressure to evaluate their effectiveness in training new teachers. Over the last several decades there have been repeated calls for more systematic research on preservice teacher preparation programs. One institution has heeded this call, using the Video Assessment of Interactions and Learning (VAIL: Jamil, Sabol, Hamre, & Pianta, 2015) to annually assess teacher noticing of teacher student interactions in preservice teachers. While there was no significant difference in first-test and last-test VAIL scores, VAIL scores were shown to be related to final college GPA. Additionally, there was a difference in student effort on the …