scholarly journals Teacher candidates’ and course instructors' perspectives of a mandatory Indigenous Education course in teacher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Melissa Oskineegish ◽  
Paul Berger
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Aboriginal Education ◽  
Faculties Of Education ◽  
Education Courses

This mixed methods study examined non-Indigenous teacher candidates’ disposition towards a mandatory Aboriginal Education course in teacher education from teacher candidates’ and course instructors’ perspectives. Results from a pre- and post Likert Scale survey of two sections of an Aboriginal Education course at a small Canadian University indicated that teacher candidates felt more knowledgeable by the end of the course, and maintained a fairly strong interest in, and positive attitude towards, the course. Results from course instructors provided additional and, at times, contradictory information, describing the course as limited and, at best, an introduction to the issues and perspectives within Indigenous education. The results suggest the need for mandatory Indigenous Education courses and for faculties of education and school boards to provide further learning opportunities with Indigenous education content and resources.

scholarly journals The Role of Self-Reflection in an Indigenous Education Course for Teacher Candidates

in education ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-95
Author(s):  
Melissa Oskineegish
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Aboriginal Education ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
Personal Reflections

This paper explores the role of self-reflection in a teacher education program. In a mandatory Aboriginal Education course in northwestern Ontario, teacher candidates participated in a variety of self-reflection activities that included two reflection papers, non-traditional sharing circles, and lectures, and classroom discussions that challenged common myths, stereotypes, and prejudices about Indigenous peoples. In a survey with open-ended questions administered at the end of the course, 36 teacher candidates shared their perspectives about self-reflection at the end of the course. Findings from the survey were correlated with seven teacher candidates’ reflection papers and with my personal reflections as a participant-as-observer in two of the mandatory courses. The themes that emerged from analysis were placed into three categories; these categories described the role of self-reflection as a process of (1) self-evaluation, (2) establishing personal connections with course theory, and, (3) developing a culturally inclusive pedagogy. The findings suggest that self-reflection in an Indigenous Education course can provide teacher candidates with an effective approach to uncover, identify, and examine internal biases that impact their understanding of teaching Indigenous students and integrating Indigenous content into the curriculum.Keywords: Indigenous Education; self-reflection; teacher education

Investigating Differences in Teacher Practices Through a Complexity Theory Lens: The Influence of Teacher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan D. Martin ◽  
Sherry Dismuke
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Practices ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Education Coursework

How to prepare teachers to be effective in our nations’ classrooms seems to get increasingly complex, yet the links between teacher education and teachers’ eventual practices are little understood. Using complexity theory as a theoretical framework, this mixed-methods study investigated writing teacher practices of 23 elementary teachers. Twelve teachers had participated in a comprehensive course focused on writing, either at inservice or preservice levels. The other teachers had not taken any course focused on writing and had little to no writing professional development. Despite the small number of participants in our study, quantitative analysis demonstrated significant differences on multiple, effective practice indicators. These findings were borne out in qualitative analyses as well. Clear connections of teachers’ practices and understandings and the course were noted. These findings contribute to understandings of the ways in which teacher education coursework makes a difference in optimizing candidate learning and reducing the variability across teacher practices and subsequent student learning opportunities. Findings suggest implications for policy makers, teacher education programs, as well as for teacher educators and researchers.

scholarly journals Attitudes and Beliefs of Students and Lecturers about Educational Theories: Results of a Mixed Methods Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan T. Siegel ◽  
Martin Daumiller
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Educational Theories

Educational theories are central for teacher education. Despite their theoretical relevance, students’ and lecturers’ understandings of educational theories and their theory-related attitudes and beliefs thereof are hardly understood. To elucidate these constructs and to test their relevance, we conducted a mixed methods study with 32 students and 12 lecturers. We found that both groups perceived educational theories as rather abstract concepts. Students reported rather negative attitudes and naïve beliefs. For both populations, we found that attitudes and beliefs were strongly tied to motivational and affective aspects when dealing with educational theories, which stresses their relevance for teaching and teacher education.

scholarly journals Teacher-Candidates' Perceptions of School Climate: A Mixed Methods Investigation

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Cherubini
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
School Climate ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Teaching Experience

Preservice teacher-candidates are assigned to a number of different schools for their practicum experiences and as a result are immersed in a variety of school cultures and their respective climates. Interestingly, though matters related to school climate and the hidden curriculum are discussed in the literature, there is a lack of comprehensive research around preservice teachers’ expectations and observations during their formal teacher education program. Given that beginning teachers’ experiences are intensely impacted by their observations and experiences throughout their teacher training, the purpose of the study was to investigate teacher candidates’ beliefs about the climate of schools at the beginning and near completion of their teacher education program. More specifically, this study employed a mixed methods research design to determine how beliefs about the hidden curriculum of schools compared to teacher candidates’ impressions as they gained practice-teaching experience in various schools. The results may induce preservice education faculty to evaluate the underlying pedagogical causes that profoundly illuminate and engagingly implicate the tensions within teacher candidates’ expectations of school climate and their observed realities.

scholarly journals The development of interaction skills in preservice teacher education: A mixed-methods study of Dutch pre-service teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Fukkink ◽  
Lisanne Jilink ◽  
Rosanne Op den Kelder ◽  
Kirti Zeijlmans ◽  
Iris Bollen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Preservice Teacher ◽  
Preservice Teacher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Interaction Skills

Innovative praxis for environmental learning in Canadian faculties of education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Laura Sims ◽  
Hilary Inwood ◽  
Paul Elliott ◽  
Susan Gerofsky
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Environmental Learning ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Faculties Of Education

Abstract This article explores innovative praxis in Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in four preservice teacher education programmes in Canada. ESE is finding its way into teacher education in a variety of innovative and interdisciplinary ways, as both part of mainstream programmes and in their co-curricular margins. Using a case study approach, each case builds on unique connections to Indigenous education, art education, cultural learning or educational gardening, which supports a variety of differing aspects in relation to ESE. These cases share a common theme of building relationships at the heart of ESE teaching and learning in the mainstream and the margins of the academy. Brought together through a Canadian network of faculty, researchers, policy-makers and community educators that was formed in 2016, these cases demonstrate a deep commitment and imaginative capacity for embedding ESE in Canada’s teacher education systems.

scholarly journals Perspectives of Canadian Teacher Candidates on Inclusion of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Hutchinson ◽  
Patricia Minnes ◽  
Julie Burbidge ◽  
Jenn Dods ◽  
Angela Pyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Sense Of Efficacy ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Children With Developmental Disabilities

This mixed-methods study reports on the perspectives of 208 teacher candidates on teaching children with developmental disabilities and delays (DD) in inclusive classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The questionnaire included items on demographics, experience, knowledge, and feelings of competence, advocacy, and sense of efficacy. Open-ended questions addressed challenges and successes experienced when including children with DD. Findings suggest that qualitative items elicited more positive responses than traditional questionnaire items and elicited more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the challenges and successes associated with social inclusion. In the qualitative data, respondents showed understanding of dilemmas associated with inclusive education. Feelings of competence about teaching children with DD and about collaborating with colleagues predicted general sense of efficacy scores; those with experience advocating for individuals with disabilities reported greater knowledge, experience, and confidence related to teaching students with DD. Knowledge, experience, and confidence were highly correlated. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

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