Education Commons^™

Clinical Supervision Model In Teaching Practice: Does It Make A Difference In Supervisors’ Performance?, Esim Gürsoy, John Edward Kesner, Umut Muharrem Salihoglu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In search for better practices there has been a plethora of research in preservice teacher training. To contribute to the literature, the current study aims at investigating teacher trainees’ and cooperating teachers’ views about the performance and contribution of supervisors during teaching practice after using Clinical Supervision Model. Experimental in design, the study gathered both qualitative and quantitative data from participants in the experimental (n= 108 CT; n= 191 TT) and control (n=32 CT; n=100TT) groups. The findings revealed that there are statistically significant differences in participants’ evaluations of their university supervisor in favor of the experimental group, suggesting the …

Marketing An Alternate Model For Science And Mathematics Initial Teacher Education, Andrew Seen, Sharon P. Fraser, Kim Beswick, Margaret Penson, Robert Whannell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An innovative initial teacher education undergraduate degree has been offered for the first time in 2016 at an Australian University. The degree provides for qualification as a secondary science and mathematics teacher through the completion of a four-year integrated science, mathematics and education program of study where the synergies available through concurrent, integrated study of content and teacher pedagogy are available. The paper describes the results of the analysis of data from science and mathematics school teachers and career advisors in relation to the potential market for the program and perceived advantages and barriers to students selecting the degree.

Outstanding University Lecturers: Ambitious Altruists Or Mavericks Of The Academy?, Sharon Lierse

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The paper discusses the results of a research study to determine what characteristics outstanding university lecturers have in common. Academic staff and graduate students at an Australian university were invited to participate in a survey questionnaire followed by voluntary interviews. Lecturers who had been identified as outstanding were also interviewed. The five characteristics were expertise, holistic approach to learning, engaging the student, open door policy and ambitious altruists. This study found that outstanding lecturers were unconventional in their work practices and valued student learning often at the sacrifice of their own career paths. Outstanding university lecturers are ambitious altruists who …

Piloting Teacher Education Practicum Partnerships: Teaching Alliances For Professional Practice (Tapp), John Leslie Kertesz, Jill Downing

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on a practicum partnerships pilot project between local schools and a teacher preparation program in a medium sized regional university. Whilst addressing recent governmental recommendations for improvements in the teacher education practicum, the project also sought greater suitability by connecting the professional skills of experienced design technology practitioners to school capability requirements, and flexibility by moving from an established block time model to negotiation between school needs and part-time student availability. Despite some local success, the project raised questions of scalability and sustainability, and more significantly transferability to a fully online environment with geographically dispersed students. The …

Creativity From Two Perspectives: Prospective Mathematics Teachers And Mathematician, Gönül Yazgan-Sağ, Elçin Emre-Akdoğan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Although creativity plays a critical role in mathematics, it remains underestimated in the context of a mathematics classroom. This study aims to explore the views and differences creativity displays in prospective teachers and one of their lecturers with respect to the characteristics and practices of creative teachers and the characteristics of creative students. We collected data through interviews with four prospective mathematics teachers and one mathematics lecturer. The study results revealed that their perspectives on creativity varied greatly and were mostly influenced by the characteristics of their diverse backgrounds and teaching practices. The views of the prospective mathematics teachers with …

Career Motivations, Role Expectations And Curriculum Knowledge Of Prospective Secondary English Teachers In Western Australia, Brian Moon, Barbara Harris

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher quality, teaching standards, and entry criteria for teacher education courses are currently subjects of intense national debate and policy development in Australia. As tertiary institutions respond to calls for a review of standards, there is a need for more data on the characteristics of entrants to teacher education and the factors that are likely to influence their performance as teachers. This survey-based study investigated the entry characteristics of four cohorts of secondary English majors at one institution. Prior studies have focussed on graduate-level students in one-year preparation courses, and addressed fewer factors. This study surveyed undergraduate students embarking on …

Advocating School-University Partnership For Responsive Teacher Education And Classroom-Based Curricula: Evidence From Teachers’ Cognitions About Principles Of Curriculum Design And Their Own Roles, Muhammad Rahimi, Lawrence Jun Zhang, Nasim Nasr Esfahani

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated the differences between novice and experienced non-native English-speaking English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles and their own roles in designing an EFL curriculum. The challenge these teachers faced in their roles and the support system they needed were also explored. Data were collected from 40 non-natives English-speaking EFL teachers using a questionnaire and open-ended questions. The results show that the observed differences between the two groups’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles were not statistically significant. Results also reveal that both groups believed they lacked the required theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and time and …

You Mean I Have To Teach Sustainability Too? Initial Teacher Education Students’ Perspectives On The Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority, Janet E. Dyment, Allen Hill

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: In this paper, we report on an investigation into initial teacher education students (ITES) understandings of sustainability and the Australian National Curriculum Sustainability Cross Curricular Priority (CCP). We also explore their willingness and capacities to embed the CCP into their own teaching practices. The ITESs (N=392) completed a quantitative survey with a series of Likert Scale questions and were asked to list “5 words” when they think of sustainability. Analysis reveals that ITESs have generally limited to moderate understandings of sustainability and education for sustainability, but lesser understandings of the Sustainability CCP and the 9 organising ideas. Understandings of …

“To Get A Foot In The Door”: New Host Country Educated Immigrant Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Employability In Finland, Kaisa Hahl, Heini Paavola

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article sets out to find factors that promote or hinder employment opportunities for immigrant teachers educated in the host country. The data were collected through online questionnaires and focus group discussions among two student cohorts. After a year of graduating from English-medium teacher education in Finland, the employment situations ranged from full-time permanent teaching posts in Finland to unemployment. Although the majority was successful in securing at least some work, no one was teaching in mainstream classrooms in a Finnish-medium school. The scope of teaching qualifications and references from substitutions were considered factors for employment. Lacking “strong enough” Finnish …

A Study On Preferred Learning Styles Of Turkish Efl Teacher Trainees, Sevim Inal, Oya Büyükyavuz, Mustafa Tekin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since people have different ways of perception, levels of motivation, and attitudes towards teaching and learning they consistently differ from each other in their preferences of learning and acquiring knowledge. Therefore, the more instructors understand the differences, the better chance they have of understanding and meeting the diverse learning needs of their students. The present study has been conducted to investigate the Turkish ELT students’ learning style preferences in relation to gender and age to see if there is any relationship between achievement and learning style preferences. To perform the aim of the study Wintergerst and DeCapua’s (1999) learning style …

Graduate Teacher Preparation For Rural Schools In Victoria And Queensland, Jodie Kline, Bernadette Walker-Gibbs

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Graduate teachers' preparedness for working in rural settings are mediated by the development of pedagogical expertise, professional engagement with parents and the community, and broader notions of preparation to teach in rural contexts. The Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project is a four-year longitudinal study tracking teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria to investigate the effectiveness of their programs in equipping them to meet the learning needs of students in a diverse range of school settings. A sub-set of the SETE data was examined to explore graduate teacher preparation for rural schools, specifically the authors analysed 1,539 …

Picturebooks In Teacher Education: Eight Teacher Educators Share Their Practice, Nicola Daly, Marilyn M. Blakeney-Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is a great deal of contemporary research demonstrating the effective use of picturebooks in the classroom; however, there are few studies recording perceptions and use of picturebooks in Initial Teacher Education [ITE]. This study explores the reported use of picturebooks within a New Zealand university-based ITE degree programme. The data discussed in this article was collected using semi structured interviews with eight teacher educators from different learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. In order to unpack the power of using picturebooks as part of teacher preparation a discussion of why and how picturebooks are used by teacher educators …

Imagination And Aspiration: Flames Of Possibility For Migrant Background High School Students And Their Parents, Loshini Naidoo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper aims to show how imagination is an important tool in the formation of aspiration and ethnic capital for young high school students and their parents in the city of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. Through semi-structured focus group interviews with parents teachers and students, the data from the demographic space of the school revealed that despite the limitations in economic capital there was social and cultural capital in migrant families, which provided reinforcement for the realisation of various goals, especially through education and “hard work”. The students from migrant backgrounds had an opportunity to aspire and imagine a …

Preparing Palestinian Reflective English Language Teachers Through Classroom Based Action Research, Majida "Mohammed Yousef" Dajani

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: This study aimed to describe the implementation of individual action research projects among some forty English language teachers distributed in thirty Palestinian schools in Ramallah and Qabatya districts-Palestine. It aimed to analyze the outcomes of the teachers’ action research as part of a broader participatory action research project that is intended to increase the capacity among teachers in Palestine as part of the LTD program. The data revealed that in spite of the difficulties that Palestinian teachers face, action research was a powerful, inquiry and exploratory tool that impacted teachers’ classroom practices and professional development. Furthermore, the implementation of …

The Effects Of Microteaching On The Critical Thinking Dispositions Of Pre-Service Teachers, Zeki Arsal

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of microteaching on pre-service teachers’ critical thinking dispositions. The participants of the study consisted of 70 pre-service teachers (64.3% females, 35.7% males) in the Turkish Language teacher education program at a public university in the North of Turkey. In the study, an experimental and a control group with a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used to determine the impact of microteaching training on the critical thinking dispositions of the pre-service teachers in the teacher education programme. The results revealed that the pre-service teachers in the experimental group showed a statistically …

Beginning Teachers’ Perception Of Their Induction Into The Teaching Profession, Lynda Kidd, Natalie Brown, Noleine Fitzallen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Beginning teachers’ induction into the teaching profession needs to be personally and professionally fulfilling, which is often not the case. The main objective of this mixed method study was to gain a deeper understanding of beginning teachers’ experiences and the perceptions of their induction into the teaching profession and the support they received. A key finding was that many beginning teachers entered the profession through casual or contract positions. Although the beginning teachers reported receiving satisfactory support, the support received varied among schools. Beginning teachers’ perceptions of their induction are that the mentor and induction programs are limited. La …

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 …

Interrogating The Lesson Plan In A Pre-Service Methods Course: Evidence From A University In Kenya, Kefa L. Simwa, Maropeng Modiba

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The paper reports on research that examined how the content of a History methods course, taught in a university in Kenya, influenced student teachers’ lesson planning and pedagogical skills. A lecture on a lesson plan, micro-teaching lesson plan documents and presentations were examined to determine student teachers’ preparedness for teaching the History and Government (H&G) secondary school curriculum in Kenya. A case study was employed including lesson observations, interviews and document analysis. The findings demonstrate that focusing on parts of a lesson in lesson planning in the lecture may have derailed student teachers from developing the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) …

Personality, Resilience, Self-Regulation And Cognitive Ability Relevant To Teacher Selection, Eleanor Sautelle, Terry Bowles, John Hattie, Daniel N. Arifin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The current study uses social judgment theory to inform the design of processes to be used in selecting teachers for training programs. Developing a comprehensive selection process to identify individuals who are likely to succeed as teachers is a mechanism for improving teacher quality and raising the profile of the profession. The design of such a process requires the identification of qualities of effective teaching that can be assessed at selection, and their relative importance. Six psychological constructs are identified from previous literature that are likely to differentiate between teaching candidates – Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Resilience, Self-Regulation and Cognitive Ability. …

Thinking Differently About Infants And Toddlers: Exploring The Reflections Of Future Australian Early Childhood Teachers In Australia, Susanne Garvis, Donna Pendergast

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Australian early childhood teacher education programs, there appears to be a greater focus on the age group of kindergarten children compared to that of infants and toddlers (Garvis, Lemon, Pendergast and Yim, 2013). As a consequence, pre-service teachers may have little opportunity to interact and learn about this important age range. This paper reports on the incorporation of videos of young child and educator interaction into early childhood teacher education programs at one Australian university. The cohort of pre-service teachers (18) were asked to think in a structured way about the videos with the help of a reflective template, …

Teaching Mindfulness To Year Sevens As Part Of Health And Personal Development, Kathy Arthurson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recently the adoption of mindfulness or contemplative based approaches has escalated across many sectors, including in education. Proponents argue that mindfulness based teaching programs improve students’ life skills, provide emotional balance, reduce stress and enhance classroom climate. To date though there is little evaluation or knowledge of how young people experience such programs introduced to classroom settings. This paper reports some key insights gained from an independent evaluation of a pilot mindfulness based teaching program implemented (over nine weeks) with a class of thirty, year seven students at a private school in Adelaide. The research methods incorporated a self-completed student …

Inquiring Into Pre-Service Content Area Teachers’ Development Of Literacy Practices And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Jennifer Mitton Kukner, Anne Murray Orr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The focus of this qualitative multi-year case study is on pre-service teachers’ experiences related to the development of their literacy practices in teaching high school science, math, social studies and other content area courses during their final field placement in a teacher education program. Results indicate tangible indicators of overall growth in participants’ developing pedagogical content knowledge as well differences in the depth of their learning. All participants willingly supported the idea of integrating literacy in content area courses, but their successes were somewhat uneven, and reflective of their evolving pedagogical content knowledge, as they attempted to make literacy practices …

Connecting Attitudes Toward Teaching And Pedagogical Formation Courses: A Study Of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers, Oksana Parylo, Hilmi Süngü, Abdurrahman Ilgan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This quantitative study aimed to examine (1) the pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession and (2) whether their attitudes are impacted by the pedagogical formation courses that are part of teacher preparation. The findings of the pre-test showed that participants had positive attitudes toward teaching as a profession. However, the examination of the difference between the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards teaching profession based on before and after taking pedagogical formation courses revealed no statistically significant differences in the participants’ responses. The results of this analysis provide a better understanding of Turkish teacher candidates’ attitudes toward the teaching profession and …

Differentiated Instruction At Work. Reinforcing The Art Of Classroom Observation Through The Creation Of A Checklist For Beginning And Pre-Service Teachers, Pearl K. Subban, Penny N. Round

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional experience is viewed as integral to shaping philosophy and acquiring skills in the area of classroom teaching. Classrooms are complex places, with educators implementing differentiated strategies to cater for student diversity. Pre-service teachers who observe these lessons often miss the intuitive practices, as there is much to absorb during a typical observation session. Equipping them with a checklist enhances this experience, giving them intentional guidelines with regard to observation. The current study, utilized a qualitative approach, to gain an understanding of specific dynamics that impact on a pre-service teacher’s professional experience. The intersection of data and the literature led …

Seeking A Pedagogy Of Difference: What Aboriginal Students And Their Parents In North Queensland Say About Teaching And Their Learning, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Barry Osborne, Natalie Lloyd, Helen Boon, Linda Llewellyn, Tammi Webber, Gail Laffin, Megan Harrison, Cathy Day, Codie Kemp, Jennifer Wills

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: This study presents the outcomes of the first phase of a three phase research initiative which begins by identifying, through the voices of Aboriginal¹ students and community members, the teaching practices that influence Aboriginal student engagement and learning. The study occurs within the Diocese of Townsville Catholic Education schools in North Queensland, primarily in the Mount Isa area. Through open-ended interviews, Aboriginal students and community members express their views of the characteristics of effective teachers and effective teaching. Considering that the national education discourse in Australia is monopolised by discussion on teaching and teacher quality, we problematize this discourse …

Parent-Teacher Interactions: Engaging With Parents And Carers, Michelle Ellis, Graeme Lock, Geoff Lummis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study sought to identify factors that parents and teachers described as impacting on their interactions. Previous research indicated that student performance levels increase when parents and teachers work together; however, in practice, there are underlying tensions. The key findings revealed that the nature of parent-teacher interactions was either collaborative or non-collaborative, several activities underpinned these practices, and positive or less than satisfactory outcomes were afforded to students. Furthermore, parents and teachers had similar preferences on what practices made their interactions collaborative; however, they had different views (preferences) on what constituted non-collaborative practices. The findings from this research have implications …

Teachers´ Practices And Mental Models: Transformation Through Reflection On Action, María Soledad Manrique, Verónica Sánchez Abchi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This contribution explores the transformation of the teaching practices of 10 in- service kindergarten teachers who participated in a teaching education (T.E) course in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study is based on the assumption that representations underlie teaching practices and that T.E affects these representations (Scheuer & Pozo, 2006). Hence, a T.E course was designed and implemented to answer the following research question: how do teaching practices and teaching discourses change after teacher education? The T.E. course focused on the practices of personal narrative telling in kindergarten. It concerned the viewing and analyzing of videos of each participant´s classes. The …

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

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

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 …

Preparing Elementary English Teachers: Innovations At Pre-Service Level, Mochamad Subhan Zein

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The teaching of English for Young Learners has become a global phenomenon, but many countries are facing dilemma in terms of teacher preparation (Nunan, 2003; Kaplan, Baldauf, & Kamwangamalu, 2011). Indonesia is of no exception. Its pre-service system has not been adequate to sufficiently prepare elementary English teachers with knowledge and skills pertaining to their occupational needs. Moreover, systematic ways to overhaul the pre-service system remain yet to be seen. This study investigated the perceptions of English teachers and language teacher educators on educational policy measures for the improvement of pre-service education to better prepare elementary English teachers. The findings …

Exploring Turkish Social Studies Student Teachers’ Development Of Identity, Banu Çulha Özbaş

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to explore professional identity development among social studies student teachers in four-year teacher education program in Turkey. Fifty-five student teachers participated in the study. Data were collected about their metaphorical images about teachers and social studies teachers and a series of in-depth interviews was conducted with five of them. All data were analysed across different study years in the teacher education program using inductive content analysis. In the light of this analysis, the experiences of the five student teachers’ were examined in detail to gain a deeper understanding of how they had become social …