Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Funding Teacher Education: A Catalyst For Enhancing The Universal Basic Education In Imo State Of Nigeria, Martin Okoro

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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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 …

The Structural And Conceptual Interweaving Of Mathematics Methods Coursework And Field Practica In An Era Of Mathematics Reform, Damon L. Bahr, Eula Ewing Monroe, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

This paper describes a study of observed relationships between the design of a preservice mathematics methods course with accompanying field practicum and changes in the extent to which participating preservice teachers identified themselves with the mathematics reform movement after becoming inservice teachers. The curriculum of the course with its embedded field practicum experiences was designed to support preservice teachers in interweaving methods coursework and pedagogical instruction with classroom practice. University and public school structures were interwoven by conducting weekly mathematics methods course sessions held at a public school site followed immediately by related classroom practicum experiences. The interweaving of conceptualizations …

Technology Use As Transformative Pedagogy: Using Video Editing Technology To Learn About Teaching, Michelle Macy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the paradigm of Sociocultural Theory, and using Activity Theory as a data-gathering and management tool, this microgenetic case study examined the processes - the growth, change, and development – engaged in by student-teachers in a foreign language education program as they worked together to complete an activity. The activity involved digital video recording and editing, mediators which were intended to facilitate the iterative review of and subsequent reflection and action upon the content of the video during its creation.

By investigating the process of contextual interaction between learners and the mediational elements of their environment as the activity progressed, …

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge For Teaching Elementary School Mathematics, Eva Thanheiser, Christine A. Browning, Meg Moss, Tad Watanabe, Gina Garza-Kling

Faculty Articles

In this paper the authors present three design principles they use to develop preservice teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching in their mathematics content and/or methods courses: (1) building on currently held conceptions, (2) modeling teaching for understanding, (3) focusing on connections between content knowledge and other types of knowledge. The authors share results of individual research projects and teaching approaches focusing on helping preservice elementary teachers develop such knowledge. Specific examples from different content areas (whole number, fractions, angle, and area) are discussed.

Problematic Conceptualizations: Allies In Teacher Education For Social Justice, Vonzell Agosto

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications

This review of the literature on the concept ally and ally identity development was inspired by a qualitative study exploring the identities and social justice values of prospective teachers of color. Although the participants in the original study never used the term ally, their narratives inspired me to characterize them as allies in the struggle for social justice education. However, a review of the literature on allies, as analyzed through critical race theory and critical discourse analysis, revealed emerging conceptualizations of ally as incongruent with minority identities as they position people of color at the periphery of this social justice …

Teach For Australia Pathway : Evaluation Report Phase 1 Of 3 (April-July 2010), Catherine Scott, Paul R. Weldon, Stephen Dinham

Initial Teacher education

This Report (Part 1) is designed to provide a summary of data gathered on the operation of the Teach for Australia Pathway to date.

Data were collected via site visits with schools and phone interviews with the program partners, the Associates, their mentors, principals and other school personnel, and the Educational Advisers over April through July 2010.

The information gathered to date aims to provide early feedback on how the program is being implemented – to synthesise emerging themes in the delivery of the program and to inform future development and implementation.

Pathways To Reflection: Exploring The Reflective Analytical Practices Of Novice Teachers, Emily Hayden

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study explores reflective practices of novice teachers teaching in a University Reading Clinic. Novices’ reflective practices are compared to those of experienced teachers in a pilot study. A theoretical model of novices’ reflective practices is developed and tested. Twenty-three novices wrote structured reflections after each teaching week. Theoretical coding identified six themes: Description, Confidence, Locus of Control, Adaptations, Discourse,Transfer. Graduated scoring and ANOVA explored trends, correlations, effects among themes. Confidence followed a significant linear trend. Adaptations, Discourse, Transfer followed significant quadratic trends. Significant correlations were found between Description-Discourse, Locus of Control-Discourse, Locus of Control-Adaptations, Discourse-Adaptation Slope. Significant …

The Influence Of Assertive Classroom Management Strategy Use On Student-Teacher Pedagogical Skills, Annette Barnabas, Clifford S., Joseph D.

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

This quantitative study examined the influence of teacher-educators’ use of assertive classroom management strategies on English as a foreign language (EFL) student-teacher generic-education and language-teaching skills. Concerns have been voiced that many teachers fail to communicate target skills and information to their students though they possess abundant subject-content and pedagogical-content knowledge. Traditionally, teacher-educators have been concerned with assisting students to grasp a defined body of knowledge through information transmission. Currently, teacher educators face the challenge of assisting student-teachers to learn how to learn so that they can face political, social and economic uncertainties and to become independent lifelong learners. This …

Issues Of Concern Related To Practicum Experiences In Undergraduate Education Programs, Dana Harwell, Jenifer Moore

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

In many undergraduate education programs, practicum experiences (also referred to as field experiences or lab placements) are an integral component of the curriculum. These placements are designed to provide undergraduate students with practical, authentic experience in classrooms of various levels. During practicum experiences, students are placed in classrooms in order to gain direct experience in teaching elementary or secondary students. However, because these clinical applications occur in real-world learning environments, many factors can influence their quality and effectiveness.

Imagining A Better World: Service-Learning As Benefit To Teacher Education, Virginia M. Jagla, Antonina Lukenchuk, Todd A. Price Dr.

Faculty Publications

This study intends to broaden the conception of service-learning and to expand on its models, epistemological positions, and exemplars. Our intentions are to develop a substantive analysis of service-learning in its current theoretical development and to diversify service-learning pedagogical repertoire for teacher education candidates in graduate education programs. As university faculty, who embed service-learning components in various education courses, we are concerned with the manner in which higher education institutions manage their practices—primarily according to narrowly conceived technical and prescriptive models, thereby restricting multiple ways of knowing, teaching and learning. We demonstrate how service-learning can develop new forms of knowledge …

Resolving A Cultural Conflict In The Classroom: An Exploration Of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Effective Interventions, Catherine Polydore, Kamau Siwatu

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

This study employed qualitative research methods to explore presservice teachers' thoughts about the effectiveness of interventions designed to resolve a cultural conflict involving an African American student. Ninety-five preservice teachers in the Southwest read a 300-word case study that was followed b y four experienced teachers' responses and their proposed culturally or non-culturally responsive interventions. Participants were asked to identify which of the four interventions were most and least effective and supplement their responses with an explanation. The results revealed that most preservice teachers were aware of the effectiveness of interventions that incorporated the student's culture into the teaching and …

Resolving A Cultural Conflict In The Classroom: An Exploration Of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Effective Interventions, Catherine L. Polydore, Kamau Oginga Siwatu

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

This study employed qualitative research methods to explore presservice teachers' thoughts about the effectiveness of interventions designed to resolve a cultural conflict involving an African American student. Ninety-five preservice teachers in the Southwest read a 300-word case study that was followed b y four experienced teachers' responses and their proposed culturally or non-culturally responsive interventions. Participants were asked to identify which of the four interventions were most and least effective and supplement their responses with an explanation. The results revealed that most preservice teachers were aware of the effectiveness of interventions that incorporated the student's culture into the teaching and …

Well-Prepared Middle School Teachers: Common Ground Or Subtle Divide Between Practitioners And University Faculty In The State Of Oregon, United States, Linda L. Samek, Younghee M. Kim, Jay Casbon, Micki M. Caskey, William L. Greene, Patricia Maureen Musser

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study followed a survey study that investigated university faculty, classroom teachers, and principals' perceptions of well-prepared middle school teachers in the state of Oregon in the United States. A qualitative approach allowed the researchers to explore and interpret the participants' views (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998). In spite of many similarities, a number of differences in emphasis or priority were found among the groups, including views on assessment, curriculum development, and the importance of family and community connections for beginning classroom teachers. This study provides a foundation for deeper analysis and discussion among university faculty and practitioners concerning the …

Teacher Education In Nigeria: Past, Present And Future Challenges., Israel Osokoya

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The history of western education in Nigeria was intimately bound up with the history of western education in Europe. During and after the Dark Ages in Europe, the church dominated the business of education and this had a tremendous impact on the intellectual life of people not only in Europe and America but also in the British colonial territories of Asia and Africa. Historically, the British imperial ambition and effective occupation of Nigeria dated back to the second half of the 19th century even though some Europeans including British traders had assumed trading activities with the people in the coastal …

Understanding Curriculum Perspectives: A Lesson In Frustration, Molly Mee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

During a heated discussion in my master-level Curriculum Theory and Development class on whether or not a given curriculum borrows more from the experientialist or the constructivist perspective, Suzy, a 45-year old veteran math teacher interrupts the discussion and in an agitated tone asks, “Professor will you please just tell us the answer?” This is typical of the responses I receive when my students read about curriculum perspectives to interpret them in light of their own teaching. Anticipating frustrations like Suzy’s I open my first class session with a lesson on Posner’s notion of reflective eclecticism which is an overarching …

Evidence-Based Decision-Making In Teacher Preparation, Kristen Crabtree-Groff

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Cooperative Learning, Flexible Grouping, and Scaffolding to name a few. Each of these strategies asks teachers to make instructional decisions based on the collection and analysis of data. In addition, classroom management practices, authentic assessment and student growth measures necessitate clear evidence gathering. As teacher candidates progress through their programs, they should encounter evidence-based decision-making — multiple means of collecting evidence, analyzing the evidence, setting goals, and evaluating results – throughout their coursework. We ask our teacher candidates to be reflective practitioners, in essence we ask them to use information to make evidence based decisions. The current pressures of accountability …

Teaching Teachers: A Study Of Teacher Educators' Perceptions Of The Effect Of Meeting Mandated Ncate Standards, Edward D. Hendricks

Education Faculty Publications

Teacher quality matters when it comes to student achievement. However, the fact that there are no nationally mandated standards as to how teachers should be prepared has led to wide variations in the quality of teacher education programs. It was in response to this situation that the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was established. The purpose of this qualitative participant observational study was to present how teacher educators perceive the effect of complying with NCATE standards on teacher preparation programs and on their own teaching practices. Eight purposefully selected faculty members of a university-based teacher preparation …

Teaching Teachers And Students About The Nature Of Science, Nelofer Halai

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This article advocates the teaching about the nature of science to both pupils in schools and teachers in teacher education institutions in Pakistan. Not knowing about science; teachers tend to continue to teach science as fixed knowledge and not as inquiry and this cycle continues. This cycle needs to be broken. This article first discusses the salient features about the concept of the nature of science and then illustrates these ideas with the help of a simple but a powerful activity which could be used both with teacher educators and pupils in secondary and lower secondary classrooms.

Traditional, Online, And Blended Instruction : An Investigation Of Outcomes In A Graduate Special Education Course Taught In Three Different Learning Environments, Mary C. Gozza-Cohen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Nationally and regionally there are insufficient numbers of qualified special education teachers to meet current demand. Online course delivery has been proposed as one way to reach more students and increase the number of special education teachers. A recent meta-analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Education (2009) reviewed the research on online learning and reported that on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those in traditional classes. However, among other issues noted in the meta-analysis, it was specified that many of the included studies did not control for curriculum materials and various aspects of pedagogy. This …

Mentoring In Teacher Education: Building Nurturing Contexts And Teaching Communities For Rural Primary School Teachers In Sindh, Pakistan, Nilofar Vazir, Rakhshinda Meher

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper examines how mentoring can improve the performance and level of teacher education in Pakistan, especially in rural areas. It presents a qualitative case study that focuses on two teachers from rural Sindh; one male and the other female. These teachers were participants in the Mentoring Program at the Aga Khan University – Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). Data was collected through participant observations, from structured and unstructured interviews, in the classroom and the field, and from reflective journals. The program focused on reconceptualizing the role of these teachers as mentors, developing relevant skills through critical thinking and reflective …

Redirecting The Teacher's Gaze: Teacher Education, Youth Surveillance And The School-To-Prison Pipeline, John Raible, Jason G. Irizarry

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This article addresses an apparent contradiction in American teacher education that results in conflicting goals for educators. It asks: How do we prepare teachers to interrogate their inherited professional roles in the surveillance and disciplining of youth? How might teacher education inspire pre-service teachers to care more about youth who belong to populations that have been deemed "undesirable" and expendable? We critically examine the role of teacher education in contributing to the criminalization of certain youth in urban communities and the resulting school-to-prison pipeline crisis that leads too many students from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse.

Exploring The First Year Of Teaching Through Focus Group Discussions, Ethno-Mimesis, A/R/Tography, And Performance Ethnography, Marilyn F. Cullen-Reavill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States is focusing on the important and worthy goal of no child being left behind and in order to accomplish this goal, we must ensure that no teacher, including the first-year teacher, is left behind. This study explores the experiences of three first-year teachers on a monthly basis and uncovers the successes, challenges, supports, and needs that they encounter.

Five research questions guided this study: 1. What are the experiences of a group of first-year teachers and in what ways were these experiences challenging, supportive, or detrimental? 2. What are the benefits for the first-year teachers in meeting …

Curry In Cambridge: The First Year, Eleanor Vernon Wilson

NERA Conference Proceedings 2009

Exposing future teachers to challenges associated with global diversity (cultural, ethnic, religious and economic) is of major importance in the 21st century. This is a study of the first year of an international student teaching placement for American students. The paper presents the reflections and learnings of the program director of this first year program and highlights some of the challenges of such a program. The paper emphasizes the need to reflect on desired outcomes and carefully study the benefits for all involved, the English schools and teachers and faculty, along with the American students. The director reflects that she …

The Impact Of Collaborative Teacher Teaming On Teacher Learning, Esther B. Dickinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Schools have organized professional learning communities to support teacher learning and hopefully student achievement. An investigation of these learning communities may provide a description of professional teacher learning and suggest implications and implementation processes. The following question guided this inquiry: In collaborative groups, what learning is recognized by teachers and what do teachers think facilitates that learning? The qualitative study investigated how teachers that participate in collaborative teams describe the learning process. The teachers responded to interview questions following observations of team meetings. The findings reveal what teachers perceive about their learning. The findings suggest the qualities of the learning …

Role Of Positive Experiences In Teachers' Reflective Engagement: A Case Study Of Three Individual Teachers, Zeenat Ismail, Rabail Qayyum

Business Review

This study examines determinants for small business success in Bangladesh. These include: characteristic of SMEs, their management and know-how, products and services, style of doing business, financial and other resources and external environment. Such study has not been conducted before in the context of Bangladesh. Findings of the study are useful for entrepreneurs and policy makers. Study is based on survey methodology through a questionnaire administered on the employees of small firms. Data is analyzed using SPSS. Six hypotheses are proposed and tested. Most significant factors affecting business success of SMEs in Bangladesh were found to be products and services, …

Evaluating Professional Preparation In Professional Practice, Marcia Fetters, Cathe Springsteen

Assessment Grants

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of The Evaluation Process For Teacher Education Students At Western Michigan University, Lynn Nations-Johnson

Assessment Grants

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Practice Of Teacher Educators In Implementing The Intel® Teach Essentials Pre Service Course In Pakistan, Nelofer Halai, Ratan Salem, Nasira Gardezi

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper focuses on understanding the practice of teacher educators in implementing the Intel® Teach Essentials Course at four sites in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. The focus is on teacher educators’ practices rather that the practice of teachers and hence the research sites selected for the study are teacher education institutions where the Intel® Teach Program is being implemented for teaching prospective teachers. A qualitative study was undertaken selecting 21 teacher educators and interviewing them on key objectives of the Intel Teach program. The findings are encouraging, and show that teachers in both rural and urban …

Teacher Investment In Learner Identity, Jenelle Reeves

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

From a sociocultural perspective, teacher identity is constructed in relation to others, including other teachers and students. Drawing on positioning theory and the concept of investment, this study analyzed the case of a secondary English teacher who negotiated his teacher identity in relation to English language learners (ELLs). Findings indicated that the teacher made an investment in ELLs’ identity by positioning them as like any other student. The desired return on the teacher’s investment was a strengthened self-positioning as a natural and highly competent teacher. The implications of teacher investment in learner identity for teacher practice, learner identity construction, and …