Education Commons^™

Volunteering Within Initial Teacher Education: Factors That Boost And Block Participation, Daniella J. Forster, Jennifer Archer, Rukhsana T. Tajin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Voluntary professional experience can be a powerful way for initial teacher education (ITE) students to develop an understanding of schools and their communities. Do ITE students make use of these opportunities? There is little Australian research that explores genuine volunteering that does not “require” students to engage with the community. We conducted an on-line survey with 141 ITE students who were eligible to participate in a volunteer program. What factors reduced volunteering and what factors enhanced it? The results showed that, while students value volunteering and can point to benefits that come from it, most are unable or unwilling to …

Grappling With Multiplicity: A Framework For Teacher Formation, Yvonne Masters, Annette Freak

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

On enrolment in a teacher education course, pre-service teachers embark on a complex voyage of self and professional discovery. In an attempt to assist them grapple with the multiple definitions of a ‘good’ teacher, the authors developed a conceptual framework that captures core elements of change, transition and transformation. Frameworks, whether descriptive, explanatory or predictive, inform the knowledge base for educational research and practice. Irrespective of the degree of sophistication of the framework, from a simple concept to a more multi-layered consideration, there is the capacity to present complexity in a more manageable form. The ideas, concepts and constructs charted …

Changes In Science Teaching Self-Efficacy Among Primary Teacher Education Students, David Palmer, Jeanette Dixon, Jennifer Archer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Many preservice primary teachers have low self-efficacy for science teaching. Although science methods courses have often been shown to enhance self-efficacy, science content courses have been relatively ineffective in this respect. This study investigated whether a tailored science content course would enhance self-efficacy. The participants were preservice primary teachers and data collection was by survey and interview. Self-efficacy increased during the course and the increases were stable after a 10-month delay period. The factors that enhanced self-efficacy were: learning science content, perceptions of learning how to teach science, and teacher enthusiasm.

Teacher Education For The Middle Years Of Schooling: Sustaining Quality Middle Level Preparation In Australian Universities., Brenda Shanks, Tony Dowden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The middle years of schooling (Years 5-9) has emerged as a significant field of educational research in the last two decades but investigation of specialised approaches to middle level teacher education has received little attention. The rationale for specialised programs or units is that middle level teachers require specific preparation to be able to meet the educational needs of young adolescents (10-15 years old). This article draws from a doctoral study in which three outstanding teacher educators, with responsibility for middle level teacher education in their Australian universities, were interviewed about their programs (Shanks, 2010). The article identifies and discusses …

From 'Following' To Going Beyond The Textbook: Inservice Indian Mathematics Teachers' Professional Development For Teaching Integers, Ruchi S. Kumar, Kalyansundaram Subramaniam

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract :In this paper we describe four Indian in-service middle school mathematics teachers’ shifts in their roles with respect to the textbook. The shifts occurred through participation in collaborative investigation on the topic of integers in professional development meetings. Analysis of teachers’ talk in these meetings indicated a shift in teachers’ role from reliance on textbook to using the knowledge of integer meanings to establish the connections between contexts and representations. We claim that this change in role occurred as a result of teachers developing knowledge of important ideas and representations in the professional development setting and identifying themselves as …

School Leaders As Participants In Teachers’ Professional Development: The Impact On Teachers’ And School Leaders’ Professional Growth, Annette Hilton, Geoff Hilton, Shelley Dole, Merrilyn Goos

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Over a two-year period, approximately 70 teachers from 18 schools participated in an on-going professional development program as part of a study to promote the teaching and learning of numeracy. Principals and other school leaders were invited to participate in the professional development program alongside their teachers, which 20 leaders from 11 schools chose to do. Throughout the project, data were collected from teachers and participating school leaders using surveys, interviews, and workshop discussions to investigate teachers’ and leaders’ professional growth. The findings showed that school leaders’ participation in teacher professional development programs has a positive influence on the capacity …

Teachers' Use Of Wikipedia With Their Students, Hagit Meishar-Tal

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One of the most impressive phenomena in the creation and dissemination of human knowledge in recent years is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia written collaboratively by Web users. Nevertheless, teachers tend to oppose the use of wikipedia by their students and question its reliability. This paper explore the perceptions of k-12 school teachers in Israel towards the quality of the information in wikipedia and the reasoning they hold for these perceptions. Findings show that most of the teachers perceive Wikipedia as an environment of middling to poor reliability, accuracy, and timeliness. Many teachers do not realize how authoritative information is when generated …

Examining Student Teachers’ Beliefs About Oral Corrective Feedback: Insights From A Teacher Education Program In Turkey, Kemal Sinan Ozmen, Hale Ülkü Aydın

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ beliefs about language learning and teaching are largely shaped during pre-service teacher education. Although many empirical studies have analyzed various dimensions of how student teachers’ beliefs and practices are formed, the literature is scarce with the research on student teacher’s beliefs about oral corrective feedback. For the field of English language teaching, student teachers’ beliefs about correcting erroneous utterances count for their future instructional choices. Thus, as an uncharted territory of inquiry, this issue merits a scholarly attention. To this end, the present study investigated the stated beliefs and behaviors of 98 nonnative student teachers via various qualitative tools; …

An Investigation Of Teachers’ Awareness And Willingness To Engage With A Self-Directed Professional Development Package On Gifted And Talented Education, Kylie T. Fraser-Seeto, Steven J. Howard, Stuart Woodcock

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite recognising the importance of educators in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students, research indicates that teachers often lack the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and meet the needs of gifted and talented students. Evidence suggests this lack of preparation may be related to teachers’ professional development. This quantitative study of 96 primary school teachers aimed to provide an initial insight into the knowledge and uptake of the 2005 DEST/GERRIC Gifted and Talented Training Package. It further aimed to give some insight into teachers’ opinions and behaviours as it pertains to this mode of professional development. …

How Does Pre-Service Teacher Preparedness To Use Icts For Learning And Teaching Develop Through Their Degree Program?, Lincoln Gill, Barney Dalgarno, Lauren Carlson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

It is now well accepted that graduating teachers need the capacity to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in ways which harness their learning affordances and develop students’ digital literacies. However, effective ICT integration in the classroom is challenging because it requires complex application of technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. A key challenge for teacher educators is the provision of learning experiences at university and on professional placement which will allow pre-service teachers to develop these capacities. Understanding the learning process of pre-service teachers in relation to ICT integration is essential if this teacher education challenge is to be addressed. …

Language Teachers’ Conceptions Of Intelligence And Their Roles In Teacher Care And Teacher Feedback, Reza Pishghadam, Elham Naji Meidani, Gholam Hassan Khajavy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to find the relationships among teachers’ conceptions of intelligence, teacher care, and teacher feedback in the realm of English Language Teaching (ELT). To this aim, three scales were developed to measure the aforementioned constructs. The participants consisted of 81 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their 426 students who were learning English in private language institutes. The scales were validated by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the correlations among their subscales were investigated. The findings suggested that modularity, increasibility and applied ELT are associated with the nature and amount of teacher …

The Lesson Observation On-Line (Evidence Portfolio) Platform, David G. Cooper

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: At a time when teacher training is being moved to school-based programmes it is important to engage in a research-informed dialogue about creating more distinctive, and cost-effective 21^st century models of teacher training. Three years ago I began feasibility field testing the Lesson Observation On-line (Evidence Portfolio) Platform [LOOP] concept (Cooper, 2012). Student-teachers from a university in the Midlands of England were video recorded, with their schools’ permissions, teaching mathematics’ lessons during their second period of teaching experience. The video recorded lessons together with the trainees’ lesson plans, accompanying lesson resources, lesson self-evaluations and snapshots of …

Using Qualitative Research Methods To Assess The Degree Of Fit Between Teachers’ Reported Self-Efficacy Beliefs And Their Practical Knowledge During Teacher Education, Mark Wyatt

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: There is a need for qualitative research into teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs so that the relationship between these beliefs and other cognitions possessed by teachers, including their practical knowledge, can be better understood by teacher educators. Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs may need supporting if they seem too low or challenging if they seem too high. However, clear criteria are needed to facilitate assessment, together with the use of rigorous qualitative methods. This article explores these issues while reporting on research conducted in Oman into the cognitions of two in-service English language teachers. There is a focus on how qualitative case study …

Feedback, Iterative Processing And Academic Trust - Teacher Education Students' Perceptions Of Assessment Feedback, Susan E. Davis, Joanne M. Dargusch

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Feedback and reflective processes play an important role in learning with both teachers and students required to play active roles. The importance of feedback processes and practices takes on an added dimension in the field of teacher education as the assessment and feedback processes are also professional practices that students themselves will be enacting in their professional roles. To this end, feedback provides opportunities for students to develop their own professional assessment literacy but also draws attention to the role of the teacher-education lecturer or assessor and the roles and relationships involved. This article reports on a research study …

Avoiding Practice Shock: Using Teacher Movies To Realign Pre-Service Teachers’ Expectations Of Teaching, Jeremy Delamarter

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service teachers often have unrealistic expectations of teaching. They often create an inspiration/content dichotomy in which they expect relational activities to trump content delivery. Unchecked, these misaligned expectations can lead to practice shock, the disorienting and sometimes traumatic identity crisis that often occurs during the first year of teaching. Teacher preparation programs can use course-based reflective activities to provide structure and impetus for reevaluating expectations. This article studies the effects of these activities on two undergraduate pre-service teachers. Popular Hollywood teacher films were used to confront and challenge candidates’ expectations of teaching. An analytical framework based on Baudrillard’s (1995) simulacra …

Student Voices In School-Based Assessment, Siu Yin Annie Tong, Bob Adamson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The value of student voices in dialogues about learning improvement is acknowledged in the literature. This paper examines how the views of students regarding School-based Assessment (SBA), a significant shift in examination policy and practice in secondary schools in Hong Kong, have largely been ignored. The study captures student voices through a survey of 423 Secondary 5 students and interviews with 45 students in 3 schools concerning the use of SBA in the high-stakes assessment for the English Language subject. Results suggest a wide range of student perceptions of, and responses to SBA and related feedback. In general, students indicated …

Getting Ready For The Profession: Prospective Teachers’ Noticing Related To Teacher Actions, Aslihan Osmanoglu, Mine Isiksal, Yusuf Koc

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to investigate what the prospective elementary mathematics teachers noticed and how their noticing changed in an environment in which they discuss on video cases. To achieve this aim, we asked senior elementary mathematics prospective teachers to watch and discuss videos depicting real elementary mathematics classrooms. In this qualitative study, the main data sources were the participants’ reflection papers and interviews with the focus participants. The online discussions among the focus participants were also analyzed. For the analysis, the Learning to Notice framework (van Es & Sherin, 2002) was used. The findings suggested that prospective …

The Value Of Masters Study To Teachers’ Professional Practice: Contradictory Discourses Within The Workplace, Helen Dixon, Gillian Ward

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Postgraduate study provides teachers with opportunities to become critical consumers of research as well as generators of their own knowledge, enabling them to fulfil the mandate of teaching being a research informed and evidenced based profession (Robinson, 2003). This article pays attention to 18 practicing teachers’ reasons for undertaking a master’s degree and the type of workplace support offered during their enrolment. Findings suggest that teachers’ reasons for undertaking academic study were very much tied to their perceptions of what it means to be a teacher and how teaching and learning can be improved. As such teachers’ professional identity seemed …

Teaching For Democracy: Towards An Ecological Understanding Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs, Babak Dadvand

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Due to the significance of beliefs in giving direction to the activities of educators, the present study examined the beliefs of 12 Iranian pre-service teachers about democratic education. Overall, the findings of focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews pointed to a technicist and often an apolitical view of teaching held by most of the participants. While these findings can be explained with reference to a constellation of factors in Iran’s education policy, this study concludes by pointing to the need for an ecological understanding of teachers’ belief systems. Such an approach identifies teachers’ agency embedded within a matrix of structural …

Content Validation Of Statements Describing The Essential Work Of Australian Special Education Teachers, Kerry A. Dally, Ian Dempsey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article describes the procedures used in developing and validating a set of statements for Australian special education teachers. Using the existing AITSL Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the proficient level as a basis, a set of statements describing the specific skills and knowledge required by Australian educators working in special education and inclusive settings was prepared. Two groups of subject matter experts reviewed, revised and rated the relevance of the complete set of 49 statements. According to the experts’ ratings the content validity of each statement and the corresponding standard met Polit et al.’s (2007) criteria for excellence.

Changing Expectations, Same Perspective: Pre-Service Teachers’ Judgments Of Professional Efficacy, Graham Hardy, David Spendlove, Damien Shortt

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This two-part study tracks and measures the professional self-efficacy judgements of two cohorts of pre-service teachers (PST). In Part One, the GTCE’s Code of Conduct and Practice (GTCE, 2009) was used to help form an instrument which tracked changes in the professional self-efficacy judgements of 211 PST through a one-year graduate program. Judgements were sought from PST both about themselves, and importantly, also about practicing teachers in the profession. In Part Two, statements making up the new DfE Teaching Standards (DfE, 2011) were similarly used to form an instrument and used with a subsequent cohort of 416 PST. Outcomes showed …

Preliminary Evaluation Of The Friends For Life Program On Students’ And Teachers’ Emotional States For A School In A Low Socio-Economic Status Area, Cristina A. Iizuka, Paula M. Barrett, Robyn Gillies, Clayton R. Cook, Welber Marinovic

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the FRIENDS for Life program on students’ and teachers’ emotional outcomes in a school serving a high-poverty population. The focus of the intervention was to train/coach teachers with strategies to develop social and emotional skills for students. A single group, pre/post-test design was used to conduct a preliminary investigation of the intervention to improve participants’ social and emotional outcomes. At the end of the intervention, students who were at risk showed significant decrease in their anxiety levels and teacher’s demonstrated significant improvements on their emotional resilience.

A Case Study Of Online Instructors And Their Quest For Greater Interactivity In Their Courses: Overcoming The Distance In Distance Education, John A. Huss, Orly Sela, Shannon Eastep

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of seven online instructors in Teacher Education (three from the United States, four from Israel) pertaining to the deliberate efforts they make to build interaction into their web-based classes to support learning. In the tradition of cooperative inquiry, the use of purposive sampling and a semi-structured interview protocol provided the best opportunity to describe, rather than explain, the perspectives of these instructors who are currently teaching online and developing within the medium. Participants expressed the need to establish quality interactions throughout their distance courses, yet acknowledged barriers they …

Enhancing Playful Teachers’ Perception Of The Importance Of Ict Use In The Classroom: The Role Of Risk Taking As A Mediator, A. Lin Goodwin, Ee Ling Low, Pak Tee Ng, Alexander S. Yeung, Li Cai

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In today’s world, teaching and learning processes inevitably involve the application of information and communication technology (ICT). It seems reasonable to expect personal attributes such as cognitive playfulness to be associated with consistent application of ICT. Using survey responses from Singapore students in a teacher education programme (n = 450), structural equation modelling (SEM) found that the effect of cognitive playfulness on the perceived importance of ICT was mediated by risk taking orientation, but the mediation effect was not observed with perceived competence in ICT use. Academic self-concept had negligible relation with the two ICT variables. As personal attributes …

Professional Learning Of Teachers In Ethiopia: Challenges And Implications For Reform, Fekede Tuli Gemeda, Päivi Tynjälä Professor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract

Continuous professional development of teachers is of growing interest globally, as it is considered vital to cope effectively with ongoing changes and to improve the quality of education. This qualitative case study explores potential and actual barriers that hinder teachers’ professional development in Ethiopian schools. Data was collected via interviews and focus group discussions from 37 purposively sampled participants. The study reveals three major challenges in teachers’ development: 1) conceptions and conceptual issues related to teaching, professional development and mentoring, 2) management and leadership, and 3) teachers’ work conditions. The need to reconsider educational change management strategies, reform teacher …

Exploring Links Between Pedagogical Knowledge Practices And Student Outcomes In Stem Education For Primary Schools, Peter Hudson, Lyn English, Les Dawes, Donna King, Steve Baker

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an emerging initiative in Australia, particularly in primary schools. This qualitative research aimed to understand Year 4 students’ involvement in an integrated STEM education unit that focused on science concepts (e.g., states of matter, testing properties of materials) and mathematics concepts (e.g., 3D shapes and metric measurements) for designing, making and testing a strong and safe medical kit to insulate medicines (ice cubes) at desirable temperatures. Data collection tools included student work samples, photographs, written responses from students and the teacher, and researcher notes. In a post-hoc analysis, a pedagogical knowledge practice …

Epistemological Considerations For Approaching Teaching In An On-Line Environment Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Teacher Education Program: Reconsidering Tpack, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Cecily Knight, Max Lenoy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research inquiry explores teacher educator knowledge, understandings and beliefs informing their teaching in a web-based Australian teacher education program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Through the use of a phenomenologically aligned interview process, the study investigates instructors’ consideration of practice for teaching in an on-line environment. Using the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as a lens for analysis, what emerges from the data is how lecturers’ knowledge and beliefs about students influences the roles they adopt as educators, and how this influences, in turn, what and how technology is used to support student learning. The …

Facebook And The Final Practicum: The Impact Of Online Peer Support In The Assistant Teacher Program, Lisa F. Paris, Julie Boston, Julia Morris

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australian pre-service teachers (PST) frequently report feeling isolated and vulnerable during the high stakes Assistant Teacher Program (ATP) final practicum. Mentoring and online learning communities have been shown to offer effective support during periods in which pre-service and beginning teachers feel challenged. As social media progressively infiltrates all aspects of contemporary life, individuals and organisations are opting to use technology in highly adaptive ways; as a result, they have to navigate both the positive aspects and pitfalls of the medium. In this paper we examine whether university Facebook^© support groups, coupled with professional standards training and moderator involvement by …

In Defence Of The Lecture, R. Scott Webster

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In response to the lecture format coming under ‘attack’ and being replaced by online materials and smaller tutorials, this paper attempts to offer not only a defence but also to assert that the potential value of the lecture is difficult to replicate through other learning formats. In this paper some of the criticisms against lectures will be challenged, in particular that they are monological and promote a banking concept to learning. To make this argument I shall be drawing upon Freire’s ‘banking concept’ and Vygotsky’s notion of ‘inner speech’ and shall claim that listening is a virtue to be encouraged …

The Curious Schools Project: Capturing Nomad Creativity In Teacher Work, Mary Ann Hunter, Sherridan Emery

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Curious Schools project is a teacher professional learning initiative that aims to provide an insight into – and resource for – creativity in Tasmanian schools. It offers an alternative to conventional models of teacher professional learning by engaging teachers in multi-modal methods of documenting and reflecting on their work as the basis for an online community of practice and public showcase for creativity in education that takes place ‘behind the scenes’. The authors, as coordinators of the project, describe the rationale behind the project and the ways it embraced discourses and practices of curiosity as a means of making …