Education Commons^™

The Mathematics Education Of Future Primary And Secondary Teachers : Methods And Findings From The Teacher Education And Development Study In Mathematics, Maria Tatto, Sharon Senk, Glenn Rowley, Ray Peck

Ray Peck

In 2005, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Michigan State University, and the Australian Council for Educational Research took an important step in advancing the field of education by partnering to develop and implement the first international and comparative study of mathematics teacher education. The study was made possible by the substantial funding received from the National Science Foundation, the IEA, and the collaboration of 17 participating countries. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the methodology used in this major cross-national study of teacher education—the IEA Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics, known …

K-6 Classroom Teachers' Perceptions Of Effective Teacher Education Programs., Pauletta J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demands placed upon stakeholders of the public education system have become more and more compelling with each passing year. With the success of schools and students at stake, it is imperative to examine multiple facets of the public education structure. One of the most important aspects of this process is the development of preservice teachers entering the classroom.

This study initially chronicled the history of teacher education and state licensure. Subsequently, standards enforced by the Tennessee Department of Education and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education were also explored to gain information about the guidelines and criteria required …

Teacher Professional Standards, Accountability, And Ideology: Alternative Discourses, Katarina Tuinamuana

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher professional standards and accountability are today writ large on the landscape of both schooling and teacher education practice around the world. This paper explores some of the related debates through a discussion of four discourses on teacher professional standards: namely, discourses of commonsense, professionalism and quality, managerialism/performativity, and strategic manoeuvring. It is argued that each of these discourses legitimises particular understandings of standards and quality, illustrating the competing set of lenses through which they are viewed, as well as the broader ideologies from which they emerge, including neoliberalism and technical rationality. These discourses also represent the interpretive practice that …

Communities Of Practice And Teacher Development – Lessons Learnt From An Educational Innovation In Pakistan, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Communities of Practice (CoP) is a novel idea that highlights the importance of informal learning and working groups in an organization. Organizations need to nurture informal spaces of learning so as to enhance overall organizational success. This article builds on this idea and applies it to educational context of Pakistan, particularly towards the issue of teacher training. The paper presents the example of an educational improvement programme in KPK province of Pakistan titled ‘Primary Education Project – Improvement of the Learning Environment (PEP-ILE)’. It is highlighted that PEP-ILE created cluster based training model around subject areas. Such configuration allowed for …

A Sociocultural-Theory-Based Study Of The Impact Of Mediation During Post-Observation Conferences On Language Teacher Learning, Jane Harvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The post-observation conference offers a potentially fecund context for promoting language teacher learning, but very little research has been conducted into how this actually happens. Taking Vygotskian sociocultural theory as its theoretical framework, this study examined the mediational discourse of a series of post-observation conferences between a mentor and two practicing English language teachers to investigate the nature of the discourse and the relationship between the mediational discourse and the language teachers` learning. Features of mediational discourse identified a priori (such as intersubjectivity, graduated and contingent help, and externalization of reasoning) were present in the data, but were found 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 …

Teaching Indigenous Children: Listening To And Learning From Indigenous Teachers, Ninetta Santoro, Jo-Anne Reid, Laurie Crawford, Lee Simpson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article is based on the findings of a qualitative case study that examined the professional experiences and career pathways of fifty current and former Australian Indigenous teachers. Here, we draw on data obtained from semi-structured interviews with the teachers to highlight their knowledge in three key areas: ‘Indigenous ways of knowing’, ‘Indigenous learners’ lives beyond the classroom’ and ‘Building relationships with Indigenous students and communities’. We suggest that Indigenous teachers can potentially play important roles as teacher educators and as mentors to non-Indigenous teachers and preservice teachers. We argue that it is important for schooling systems and teacher education …

Early Career Teaching: Learning To Be A Teacher And Staying In The Job, Dawn Joseph

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article provides insights into the ways that teacher education programs might equip early career teachers beginning their professional identity. Situated in Melbourne (Australia), it discusses tertiary music education preparation for the profession and recognises the value and importance of having critical friends and mentors as a beginner teacher. By using narrative reflection both lecturer and graduate allow their voices to be heard as they make a contribution to understand the challenges new teachers face when building their professional identity and ‘staying in the job’. The discussion provided by the graduate, outlines her experience and engagement regarding the ‘positives’ and …

The Integration Of Technology Within Physical Education Teacher Education: Perceptions Of The Faculty, Helena Baert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the national Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) standards included a more integrated approach to teaching pre-service teachers about technology and stated that teacher candidates should be able to plan and implement technology infused learning experiences that meet lesson objectives. With the inclusion of the 2008 standards, PETE faculty have the task to create instruction that effectively integrates technology. This study investigated the preparedness for technology integration of 198 teacher educators within nationally recognized PETE programs. The study utilized survey research design to identify current technologies used, analyze current level of technology proficiency in relationship to the level of …

Arts Education In Swedish Teacher Training – What’S At Stake?, Monica Lindgren, Claes Ericsson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Swedish teacher education has undergone several reforms in recent decades aimed at incorporating teacher education into the university setting and strengthening the teaching profession. In view of earlier research that has shown how arts education in schools is ruled by dominant knowledge ideologies, the purpose of the project is to critically scrutinize current discourses related to arts learning and arts education in teacher education. The study is based on social constructionist theory and data were collected by various means, including 19 focus group interviews with teachers and students at 10 Swedish teacher education institutes.

Our analysis shows that an academic …

The Persona Doll Project: Promoting Diversity Awareness Among Preservice Teachers Through Storytelling, Mary Ellin Logue, V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, Soojoung Kim

Child Development and Family Relations Faculty Scholarship

The Persona Doll Project describes an experiential intervention with undergraduate preservice teachers designed to increase awareness about diversity and apply this awareness to curriculum planning and advocacy for children. Sixty-three undergraduate students in a social studies methods class were each assigned a persona doll for the semester whose background differed from their own. Each was charged with becoming the advocate for the child, represented by the doll, by telling informed stories that would help other students better understand a level of diversity beyond what they knew from their own lives. Students heightened awareness of their own assumptions through narrative, inquiry …

A Critical Look At Four Multicultural Reform Efforts In One Urban College Of Education, Mary Gove, Dinah Volk, Kristine Lynn Still, Grace Hui-Chen Huang, Sashelle Thomas-Alexander

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The article describes multicultural reform projects at an urban college of education including analyses of student's descriptions of their experiences in urban schools, the results of a faculty diversity self-study group and issues arising from culturally responsive pedagogy in an early childhood teaching class. The author's assertion that diversity education is an essential part of teacher education is discussed, and the importance of continuous critical analysis of teacher education is emphasized.

Navigating The Terrain Of Third Space: Tensions With/In Relationships In School-University Partnerships, Susan D. Martin, Jennifer Snow, Cheryl A. Franklin Torrez

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using theoretical conceptions of third space and hybrid teacher education, we engaged in a collaborative self-study of our practices as university-based teacher educators working in student teaching partnership settings. We sought to understand the ways in which the hybrid teacher educator fosters and mediates relationships to work towards a collective third space. In this article, we describe the nature of relationships in our work, the tensions wrought by complexities of these relationships, and ways we negotiated tensions in order to foster relationships that productively mediated processes of teacher education. In addition, we propose a framework for moving beyond traditional notions …

Bank Street And Teach For America: Process And Preparation, Paul Shirk

Graduate Student Independent Studies

In this paper I analyze the goals and practices of education that are implied in the mission statements and literature of Bank Street College of Education (Bank Street) and Teach for America (TFA). I noticed and struggled to understand the tension between the mission statements of the two organizations that I was a part of during my master's program. While analyzing the readings and my experiences, I began to see differences between these two organizations' theories and beliefs about child development. I considered how my experiences with children supported or refuted these beliefs. From Bank Street, I recognized many beliefs …

Mapping The Complexity Of Computer Learning: Journeying Beyond Teaching For Computer Competency To Facilitating Computer, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

For future generations to maximise their capability to operate within technologically driven economies, it is critical to foster computer abilities at every level of the schooling process. Teachers are central to this process. Yet, for many teachers, the need to integrate computer use in their teaching is threatening and overwhelming. This thesis argues that, given the rapid rate of technological change, skills-based approaches to computer education inadequately prepare teachers for a career of continued technological change. Effective computer education for teachers requires more than skills training. It involves changes in attitudes, values and beliefs that provide confidence for ongoing learning. …

Avatars, Blabberize, And Cell Phones: Abc's Of The Digital Age [Paper], Kay S. Gandy, Rebecca Stobaugh

School of Teacher Education Faculty Publications & Presentations

The Digital Age is revolutionizing education. Educators need to be well-trained on the variety of technology tools available. Technology tools captivate the interest of students and encourage high-levels of engagement. Often, the daily lives of students are rich in technology, while teachers lack the knowledge or skills to integrate technology into the curriculum. Two university teacher education professors will share innovative technology tools to enhance instruction. The tools were modeled in education courses for preservice teachers and transferred into K-12 classrooms. Technology tools included: Skype, PhotoPeach, Prezi, Blabberize, Xtranormal, Poll Everywhere (voting with cellphones), Tagxedo, GPS, and GIS. For example, …

The Online "Supplemental" Workshop: Course Enrichment To Support Novice Teachers' Analysis Of Classroom Video, Laura H. Baecher, Shiao-Chuan Kung

Publications and Research

As online learning and video technology become more consistent components of teacher education, the opportunities to blend the affordances of both was piloted in a specially designed online workshop. This workshop was designed to help teacher candidates become more sophisticated in their ability to recognize and describe specific teaching behaviors in videoed lessons. Using QuickTime Pro, iMovie, and Blackboard, a self-paced, asynchronous workshop to introduce techniques for observing and analyzing teachers and classes on video was created. Through a series of video tutorials and activities, teacher candidates were guided through the process of viewing the same video clip through different …

A Clinical Practicum Experience To Prepare Teacher Candidates For Classroom Literacy Instruction, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

There is a pervasive reading crisis in the United States. Critics, including policymakers, educators, literacy scholars, and professional educational organizations have openly accused university teacher preparation programs of not preparing candidates to deliver effective reading instruction. This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to explore ways in which teacher candidates' participation in a research-based university clinical practicum contributed to their pedagogical understanding of literacy instruction. Conceptually this study was based on constructivism and the ideas of Dewey, Freire, Vygotsky, and Schön. Data collection included multiple interviews and observations to determine how teacher candidates' participation in clinical practicum affects their assumptions about …

Where Would New Orleans Be Without The University Of New Orleans?, Paul Thomas Bole

Paul Thomas Bole

No abstract provided.

Transitioning From Student To Teacher In The Master-Apprentice Model Of Piano Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study Of Challenges, Solutions, Resources, Reflections, And Suggestions For The Future, Melissa Maccarelli Slawsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While many music educators learn how to teach through teacher training programs, the standard mode of transmission in which piano teachers learn to teach applied piano is through proficiency of the instrument under the guidance of a master teacher. This tacit development of pedagogical knowledge occurs through the master-apprentice model of pedagogy. The purposes of this study were (a) to explore how piano teachers learn how to teach from, and independent of, piano pedagogy coursework, overcome challenges, and continue to add to their pedagogy knowledge, and (b) to explore topics that would be most useful in a piano pedagogy course …

Teacher Educators Under Surveillance At A Religious University, Genevieve Harris

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to examine how institutional norms are enforced through surveillance and self-discipline among teacher educators at a religious university. The study builds on prior research regarding university norms and surveillance, as well as religious orientation and prejudice. Eight teacher educators met as part of a larger study on white racial identity and praxis. Focus groups and personal interviews were transcribed and analyzed using situational mapping, a postmodern form of grounded theory. Participants discussed four themes that illustrate surveillance and self-discipline: the university, academic culture, religion and whiteness, and sexism. The data reveal participant responses as …

The Future Of Teacher Education: Reflections On Innovations, David E. Lynch, Richard Smith

David Lynch

This article is about teacher education reform. At the time of writing, teacher education (which is predominately the domain of universities in Australia), has undergone numerous critical reviews with little change effect. The teaching profession's struggles to cope with a changing world has been documented and an increasing push from Australian governments, at both the state and federal level for improved school outcomes are regular pieces in the national Australian press. A cadre of teacher education commentators call for are think on teacher education. This article showcases a disruptive model in teacher education and answers some of the ponderings around …

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 …

Emerging Trends In Digital Citizenship In Pre-Service Teacher Practice, Gayle Yvonne Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article examines how technology and emerging digital trends are affecting civic participation and ways teachers can put strategies and techniques into practice and increase civic engagement.

Paradoxes Of Online Teaching, David E. Bair, Mary A. Bair

Peer Reviewed Articles

While much attention is paid to students’ experiences in online courses, there is sparse information regarding the experiences of faculty who teach online. Two university instructors address this gap in the literature and present an analysis of their experiences teaching graduate and undergraduate teacher-education classes at a university in the Midwestern United States. In this collaborative self-study, the authors analyze data consisting of their reflections and discussions, anonymous student surveys, anonymous course evaluations, and online observations by other faculty. They argue that online instruction poses several paradoxes. These paradoxical experiences illuminate the need for additional research about faculty experiences with …

Social Studies Preservice Teachers’ Citizenship Knowledge And Perceptions Of The U.S. Naturalization Test, Frans H. Doppen, Joseph R. Feinberg, Carolyn O'Mahony, Ashley G. Lucas, Chara Haeussler Bohan, George Lipscomb, Masato Ogawa

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

Teacher educators from six states invited their social studies methodology students to complete an abbreviated version of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test. The preservice teachers were also asked to share their conceptions of citizenship and evaluate the naturalization test. The findings from this study indicated that although this sample of preservice teachers had limited conceptions of citizenship, most were able to get a satisfactory score on the test. The authors discuss the implications of these results and suggest ways to broaden citizenship education in teacher preparation programs.

How To Teach The Art Of “Doing” Research: Lessons Learnt From Teacher Education Program In Pakistan, Nilofar Vazir, Rashida Qureshi

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.