Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Examining Changes In Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs Of Pedagogy, Lynn Sheridan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service teachers enter teacher education with beliefs about teaching and ideas on pedagogical approaches. This research focuses on monitoring the pedagogical beliefs of a cohort of pre-service teachers’; pre-existing pedagogical beliefs on important/relevant pedagogy for secondary teaching and how these beliefs changed over the course of their degree. Data were collected from a cohort via a survey at the beginning and end of the year of the study. The cohort comprised pre-service teachers from each year of the four-year degree.

This research found that pedagogical beliefs changed over the duration of the course. This finding indicates that there are …

Preservice Generalist Teachers Enlightened Approach To Teaching Physical Education Through Teacher Biography., John E. Haynes, Judith A. Miller, Valeria Varea

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes a new learning experience, which was introduced following an examination of the literature regarding preservice primary school teachers’ (PPST) notions of their past experience in Physical Education (PE) (Elliott 2013). PPSTs were given the opportunity to recognise, reflect, interrogate and reframe a critical incident from their schooling in PE or Sport. This exercise was designed to enlighten students about their own schooling and the potential impact this event may have on pre-conceived ideas and opinions about teaching PE. Students (N=214) enrolled in off and on campus mode, of a preservice teacher education program in a …

Innovation In Course Design, Sally Knipe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Initial teacher education programs offered at Australian universities tend to qualify graduates to teach in the age-related contexts of early childhood/primary or secondary, a model that has reflected the organisational evolution of schools. Greater flexibility is required in the design of teacher preparation courses in order to produce graduates who meet teacher registration requirements for early childhood/primary and secondary and who have a better understanding of and focus on the academic and developmental needs of a diverse range of young people. With the establishment and growth of schools with Foundation to Year 9/10/12 learning environments a demand has been created …

Technology Integration In Elementary Classrooms: Teaching Practices Of Student Teachers, Ping Liu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines how and why student teachers integrated technology to enhance instruction in elementary classrooms. The participants were 31 student teachers who completed an assignment of eight weeks. Multiple data sets including observation notes of 347 lessons were obtained from three key groups for data triangulation. Results reveal that the primary technological means used to enhance teaching was to provide visuals for attention, engagement and interaction. All participants chose to integrate technology but varied substantially in their teaching practices. They applied technology for a number of reasons: student engagement, time management, motivation and meeting individual students’ needs. Variables such …

Enhancing Teacher Education In Primary Mathematics With Mobile Technologies, Sandy Schuck

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract

A challenge of teacher education is to produce graduate primary school teachers who are confident and competent teachers of mathematics. Various approaches to primary school teacher education in mathematics have been investigated, but primary teacher education graduates still tend to be diffident in their teaching of mathematics. In an age where personal use of mobile technologies is becoming ubiquitous, such technologies could provide a conduit into making mathematics teaching and learning more accessible to primary teacher education students. This paper introduces the use of a pedagogical framework which can scaffold mobile learning in mathematics teacher education programs. The paper …

Professional Development Of Elementary And Science Teachers In A Summer Science Camp: Changing Nature Of Science Conceptions, Ayhan Karaman

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Many countries all over the world have recently integrated nature of science (NOS) concepts into their science education standards. Providing professional support to teachers about NOS concepts is crucially important for successful implementation of the standards. For this purpose, a summer science camp was offered to elementary and science teachers. The main objective of this research study was to investigate the progress in specific NOS concepts made by the participant teachers. The responses of the teachers regarding the NOS concepts were obtained through VNOS-C questionnaire and scored using a rubric developed by McDonald (2008). The scored teacher responses were analyzed …

Scaffolding The Mathematical “Connections”: A New Approach To Preparing Teachers For The Teaching Of Lower Secondary Algebra., Christine A. Ormond

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper discusses the results of a three-year mixed methods study into the effectiveness of a mathematics education unit. This was written for both pre-service primary education students and re-training in-service teachers, to prepare them for the teaching of pre-algebra and early algebra. The unit was taught rom 2013 to 2015 inclusively in a School of Education setting of a university in an Australian capital city. Focusing on the Number and Algebra strand in the Australian Curriculum, its purpose was to better prepare some novice teachers through modelling a more coherent approach to mathematics teaching. The unit’s genesis lies in …

Classroom Management And National Professional Standards For Teachers: A Review Of The Literature On Theory And Practice, Helen M. Egeberg, Andrew Mcconney, Anne Price

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reviews the conceptual and empirical research on classroom management to ascertain the extent to which there is consistency between the “advice” found in the research literature and the professional standards for teachers and initial teacher education, in regards to knowledge and perspectives about effective classroom management. Focusing on the evolution of beliefs, knowledge and perspectives about classroom management the article will clarify effective classroom management and place this within the frameworks on effective teaching, in particular the AITSL standards, and consequently consider some implications for best practice.

A Common Language? The Use Of Teaching Standards In The Assessment Of Professional Experience: Teacher Education Students’ Perceptions, Tony Loughland, Neville Ellis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is a strong critique of the reductionist, technical and instrumentalist impacts of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers from critical policy researchers in education. At the same time, advocates of the standards espouse their potential as providing a common language of teaching. We argue that both views are based on logical rather than empirical warrants. Therefore, this study sought to gather empirical data via a survey of 229 teacher education students followed by focus groups in an endeavour to record their perceptions on the use of the standards as assessment criteria for professional experience. The findings are that a …

Unpacking The Clinical And Participatory Dimensions Of The Trump Math-Teacher-Residency-Program, Dalia Imanuel-Noy, Tili Wagner

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The research presents a Residency Math teacher education program that has been developed in Israel in search of transforming initial teacher preparation on the Clinical-Participatory continuum. It is a 'multi-phase' mixed-method research aiming to present the clinical and participatory dimensions of the TMR: the way in which they are reflected in the curriculum planning program, how Student Teachers (STs) in the program perceive the program's clinical and participatory dimensions and the nature of the challenges that arise in the program. Tools include: Documents of the programs; observations of the practical school experiences; A closed clinical social-interactive Questionnaire and a …

"There's Too Much To Explain": On Being A Bilingual Pre-Service Teacher In A Monolingual Teacher Education Institution., Jackie Coleman

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article is derived from a study which followed a group of bilingual and multilingual pre-service mainstream primary teachers over three years of their enrolment at an Australian university to investigate their perspectives and experiences related to their linguistic skills and the relationship of these to their English-medium course. By providing a platform for the voice of one study participant, Seo-yun (pseudonym), a bilingual Korean-Australian, to be heard in depth as her ‘story’ develops over three years, this article adds to the ‘stories’ of other linguistically diverse students in monolingual higher education contexts found elsewhere in the literature (For example, …

What Students Say About Homework – Views From A Secondary School Science Classroom In Trinidad And Tobago., Rawatee Maharaj-Sharma, Amrit Sharma

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Students’ experiences with homework started the moment they enter the schooling system, yet very little is known about how students view homework. In this work, science students’ views of homework, and the factors or experiences that have influenced their views of homework are explored. The participants for this work were 34 secondary school science students in their fourth year of secondary schooling. A Likert-type questionnaire was used to gather data on students’ views about homework and a semi-structured interview was used to explore what experiences and/or factors have influenced their views. The results indicate that the majority of students perceived …

Exploring Quality Teaching In The Online Environment Using An Evidence-Based Approach, Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, Jennifer Gore, Kathryn Holmes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Online learning is increasingly ubiquitous in higher education. However, research regarding online teaching often focuses on the affordances of the online environment rather than on the quality of pedagogy. In this paper we consider how online learning could be enhanced using rich pedagogical models that are consistent with a wealth of existing knowledge on pedagogy for face-to-face settings. To do so, we apply an established framework, the Quality Teaching model, to explore pedagogy in the online environment and illustrate its potential benefits using a case study of 60 students in a tertiary mathematics teacher education program. We conclude that the …

Influences On Preservice Writing Instruction During The Secondary English As An Additional Language Practicum In Australia, Minh Hue Nguyen, Jill Brown

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Informed by a sociocultural perspective on second language teacher education, the present qualitative study investigates three preservice teachers’ (PSTs) writing instruction during the English as an Additional Language (EAL) practicum in Australian secondary schools in relation to the multidimensional context of the practicum and the PSTs’ personal backgrounds. Sources of data included individual interviews with the PSTs and their school mentors, lesson plans and recordings, teaching materials, the PSTs’ self-reflections, and analysis of the schools’ EAL programs. Data analysis revealed that the main factors shaping PSTs’ writing instruction included the EAL programs at the schools, school teachers and the mentors …

Three Key Conditions To Revitialise An Eportfolio Program In Response To Increasing Regulation Of Teacher Education, John Leslie Kertesz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes a study undertaken within the education faculty of a mid-sized university in response to the recommendations of the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) (2014) that initial teacher education (ITE) graduates emerge with an evidence-based professional standards-focused portfolio of teaching competency. In concluding that current teacher educator usage of, and attitudes to, ePortfolios limit the capacity of this particular faculty to respond to this challenge, the paper proposes three critical conditions to revitalise a stalled ePortfolio program and prepare for an increasingly demanding future. In sharing this experience, the paper seeks to support discussion of how teacher …

Reflective Teaching And Self-Efficacy Beliefs: Exploring Relationships In The Context Of Teaching Efl In Iran, Mehdi Babaei, Arman Abednia

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on a study that explored the relationship between reflective teaching and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. Two questionnaires, the English Language Teaching Reflection Inventory (Akbari, Behzadpoor, & Dadvand, 2010) and Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs System-Self (TEBS-Self) (Dellinger, Bobbett, Olivier, & Ellett, 2008), were distributed among 225 Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between the general factors of teacher reflectiveness and self-efficacy. Standard multiple regression identified Efficacy for Learner Engagement as the only predictor of teacher reflectiveness and Meta-Cognitive Reflection as the only predictor of teacher self-efficacy. Finally, the interconnections …

“You Expect Them To Listen!”: Immigrant Teachers’ Reflections On Their Lived Experiences, Jyoti R. Jhagroo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The stories shared by the immigrant teachers capture some of their personal and professional lived experiences in their new teaching environment. The hermeneutic narrative approach of the study of seven immigrant teachers’ stories, as they compared their teaching experiences in their home country to their New Zealand teaching experience, offer insight into the teaching and learning context that they had come from and the transitional challenges they faced. Some of these challenges may be attributed to attitudes and beliefs, curriculum matters, and pedagogical approaches. These challenges, combined with their determination to pursue their teaching career in an environment that may …

Designing A Reflective Teacher Education Course And Its Contribution To Elt Teachers’ Reflectivity, Leila Tajik, Kazem Pakzad

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Researchers in the present study planned a reflective teacher education course and documented the contribution of such a course to improving teachers’ reflectivity. Five English teachers took part in the reflective teacher education course designed by the researchers. To record how the course could help improve reflective teaching, researchers asked participants to take part in stimulated recall prior to and after the course and to write reflective journals. Thematic analysis of the stimulated recall interviews and journals showed improvements in teachers’ reflective teaching as a result of attending the reflective course.

Part-Time Post Graduate Certificate In Education Teacher-Students: What Do They Bring To And Expect From A Formal South African Teaching Programme?, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi, Doras Sibanda

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature and extent of subject content and curriculum knowledge that part-time Post Graduate Certificate in Education students in one South African university, brought to the classroom, and the kind and level of knowledge that they expected and sought from the programme. The study employed a qualitative design and data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 146 part-time students on this programme. These students were teaching in different contexts: urban, rural and, township high schools. The findings indicated that teachers within the 0-3 years’ professional life phase expected to gain knowledge …

Comparing Stress Levels Of Graduate And Undergraduate Pre-Service Teachers Following Their Teaching Practicums, Gretchen Geng, Richard Midford, Jenny Buckworth

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In comparison to undergraduate pre-service teachers (PSTs), graduate PSTs have previously completed a three-year bachelor degree and are enrolled in initial teacher education (ITE) programs to become a teacher. Following a review of literature on teachers’ sense of stress, reflection and identity development, this study compared the stress levels and concerns of graduate PSTs with those of undergraduate PSTs. One hundred and fifty-one graduate and one hundred and fifty-nine undergraduate PSTs participated in this study. The graduate PSTs had significantly higher stress levels than undergraduate PSTs (p < .01). Contributing stressors from both groups’ own demographic background and teaching practicum perspectives were investigated and compared. These findings provide an empirical basis from which to develop appropriate strategies to support both groups of PSTs to manage their stress, develop their identity and personal beliefs and increase their retention in teacher education programs.

The Teaching Discipline Doesn’T Matter? An Assessment Of Preservice Teachers’ Perception Of The Value Of Professional Experience In Attaining Teacher Competencies., Peter Howley, Ruth Reynolds, Erica Southgate

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper is one in a series of papers interrogating some of the fundamental bases of what is seen as good professional experience in initial teacher education (ITE). This paper uses the case study of Health/Physical Education (HPE) students’ perceptions of their professional experience, compared to other teaching disciplines, in one regional university to examine the seemingly taken-for–granted view that professional experience in all teaching disciplines can be assessed according to generic professional standards. In this case when HPE students were surveyed on their views of their ability to satisfy the NSW Institute of Teachers’ Professional Teaching Standards during practical …

Mentoring Beginning Teachers And Goal Setting, Peter Hudson, Sue Hudson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australia has delineated a new direction for teacher education by embedding mentoring programs for teachers who support early-careers teachers as a system approach. This case study investigated how mentors after involvement in a mentoring professional learning program focused on goal setting with beginning teachers in their schools. Data were analysed from six mentors’ interviews using semi-structured questions and archival documents associated with the mentoring program. Findings revealed that negotiated goal setting facilitates potentially successful teaching practices that align to career stage standards. Other findings associated with goal setting are reported around: (1) mentor-mentee relationships, (2) roles, skills and responsibilities, (3) …

Investigating Coherence Among Turkish Elementary Science Teachers’ Teaching Belief Systems, Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Practice, Eralp Bahcivan, William W. Cobern

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated comprehensive science teaching belief systems and their relation to science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and teaching practices. Rokeach’s (1968) belief system was used as a framework for representing the hierarchy among in-service teachers’ teaching beliefs. This study employed a multiple case study design with three in-service science teachers. Cases were selected based on participant’s personal epistemology. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. Content analyses showed that when science teachers presented characteristics of autonomous self-construal more than related self-construal, they had a more advanced personal epistemology. In addition, these beliefs shaped participants’ conceptions of teaching and …

Utilizing An Experiential Approach To Teacher Learning About Afl: A Consciousness Raising Opportunity, Helen Dixon, Eleanor Hawe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this article we focus on how an experiential based approach to teacher learning about assessment for learning (AfL) provided opportunities for teachers to examine: their deep-seated beliefs about effective learning (and teaching); how these beliefs permeated their day-to-day actions and interactions with students, and the consequence of these actions and interactions for student learning. It also pays attention to how teacher self-efficacy in the use of various AfL strategies was developed through a heightened awareness of the beneficial effects of these strategies on teachers’ own learning in particular.

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For Professional Engagement Through Place/Community Pedagogies And Partnerships, Monica M. Green

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is an expectation that Australian teachers engage professionally in all aspects of teaching and learning, including engagement with teaching networks and broader communities. This paper reports on a partnership between a teacher educator and an environmental educator who set out to expand pre-service teachers’ professional knowledge, engagement and practice in an undergraduate Bachelor of Education (primary) course. The paper reports on a study about teacher education students’ perspectives of fieldwork-based learning and its potential to inform students’ future engagement with the broader school community. Using a conceptual framework of place- and community based education, the study examined data from …

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 …

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 …