Assessing Science Teaching Explanations in Initial Teacher Education: How Is This Teaching Practice Transferred Across Different Chemistry Topics?

The last 20-25 years have seen a significant shift in the views about what teachers need to know to be able to teach. This shift has led to new developments in the theory of second language teacher education (SLTE) and a growth in research in this area. One area of research concerns the attitudes and expectations of those learning to become teachers. While most studies in this area focus on teacher education programmes in BANA countries, this article looks at data from student teachers studying in Russia and Uzbekistan. The study employed a quantitative and qualitative research design, using a researcher-designed on-line questionnaire. Through snowball sampling, data from 161 students and recent graduates in the two countries were collected, analysed, and compared to investigate the content of SLTE programmes. The study identified what the novice teachers felt were the strengths and weaknesses of their programme, and what changes they would like to see. Results showed that while the respondents were mainly satisfied with their methodology, and theoretical linguistics courses, they felt the need for more practice, both teaching and language practice. The data also revealed that, in Uzbekistan in particular, the idea of global English struggles to take hold as native-speaker models remain the norm. The implications of the study underline the need for SLTE to explicitly link theory to practice and to promote the idea of varieties of English, rather than focus on native-speaker norms.

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Newly Qualified Female Teachers’ Perception of Teaching Practicum as a Component of Initial Teacher Education in South Africa

African Journal of Teacher Education ◽

10.21083/ajote.v10i1.6389 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 38-69

Author(s):

Charmaine Helena Iwu

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Novice Teachers ◽

Prospective Teachers ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Teaching Profession ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Pass Rates ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Teaching Practicum ◽

Female Teachers

This study was undertaken with the aim of understanding how newly qualified female teachers perceive teaching practicum in the South African context. Teaching Practicum is a vital component of the initial teacher education (ITE) programme because it enriches future teachers’ knowledge, skills and abilities towards a lifelong career in the teaching profession. Teachers make valuable contributions to the growth of any nation as they help produce future leaders. It is therefore necessary to have a competent teaching workforce to improve pass rates as well as reduce dropout rates among learners. The study took the qualitative deductive premise making use of semi-structured interviews to collect data from more than 30 novice teachers. Key words, which helped in the identification of themes, were distilled from the responses. A core overall finding of the study point to a mix of experiences - benefits and shortcomings - which not only affect the development of prospective teachers but also have profound implications for both policy enhancement and implementation. Regarding policy enhancement and implementation, it is suggested that universities and schools where novice teachers are posted for teaching practice should have good relations for support advancements. In this case, it is advised that the novice teachers should be exposed to critical mentoring opportunities to allow for clearer understanding of the real classroom scope. This study believes that for this to be fruitful, schools should among others be well-equipped. Suggestions for further research are also flagged. .

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Unpacking the Potential of 360degree Video to Support Pre-Service Teacher Development

Research on Education and Media ◽

10.2478/rem-2019-0009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 63-69

Author(s):

Nicoletta Balzaretti ◽

Andrea Ciani ◽

Chelsea Cutting ◽

Lisa O’Keeffe ◽

Bruce White

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Teacher Development ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Web Based ◽

Video Cameras ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Video Viewing ◽

Pre Service Teacher

Abstract Video has become a useful tool in Initial Teacher Education for self-evaluation and reflection by pre-service teachers (PSTs). The availability of 360degree video cameras and web-based applications, to review and annotate 360degree videos, allows PSTs greater flexibility to view and review their practice from a variety of perspectives. This study explores PSTs’ use of 360degree video for reflection on their teaching practice. 360degree video provides PSTs with the capacity to pan ‘around’ the video, and in doing so has supported PSTs to detach and reflect on their own practice. The findings suggest that the PSTs valued the additional perspectives afforded by the 360degree nature of the video, which had a particular impact on their understanding of their presence, interactions and explanations. Peer video viewing was also found to be a useful tool in supporting PSTs to ‘notice’ additional areas for improvement in their own practice.

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Primary specialisations in Australia: graduates’ perceptions of outcome and impact

The Australian Educational Researcher ◽

10.1007/s13384-021-00496-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

S. Main ◽

M. Byrne ◽

J. J. Scott ◽

K. Sullivan ◽

A. Paolino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Primary Teacher ◽

Advisory Group ◽

Australian Government ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Mixed Methods Case Study ◽

Bachelor Of Education ◽

The University

AbstractIn 2014, the Australian Government established the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) to advise on how teacher education programmes could ensure new teachers were adequately prepared for the classroom. Following this, the Australian Government endorsed a key recommendation of the TEMAG Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers report, the inclusion of specialisations in primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This research was conducted at an Australian public university that, in 2016, had embedded specialisations in a revised primary teacher programme structure and was one of the first ITE institutions in Australia to graduate primary teachers with a specialisation. Using a mixed-methods case study design with convenience sampling, this study sought to investigate these primary graduates’ perceptions of undertaking a specialisation in relation to the development of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in the specialist area, as well as perceived employment advantages. This research took place over 4 years with participants having completed a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at least three months prior to participating. The participants reported benefits to having completed a primary specialisation but expressed concerns about their preparedness to teach their specialisation and whether it would result in any advantages for employment. Recommendations from the participants included teaching practice in their area of specialisation, consideration of specialist skills and changing the timetabling of the specialisation in the programme. Ultimately, there is a need for ongoing research in this area to determine the extent to which primary specialisations deliver the intended outcomes and impacts at both the policy driver level and the university level.

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Data in practice: A participatory approach to understanding pre-service teachers’ perspectives

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology ◽

10.14742/ajet.6388 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 107-119

Author(s):

Rita Prestigiacomo ◽

Jane Hunter ◽

Simon Knight ◽

Roberto Martinez-Maldonado ◽

Lori Lockyer

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Learning Analytics ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Education Programme ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Learning Design ◽

Data Literacy ◽

Use Of Data ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Teachers Perspectives

Data about learning can support teachers in their decision-making processes as they design tasks aimed at improving student educational outcomes. However, to achieve systemic impact, a deeper understanding of teachers’ perspectives on, and expectations for, data as evidence is required. It is critical to understand how teachers’ actions align with emerging learning analytics technologies, including the practices of pre-service teachers who are developing their perspectives on data use in classroom in their initial teacher education programme. This may lead to an integration gap in which technology and data literacy align poorly with expectations of the role of data and enabling technologies. This paper describes two participatory workshops that provide examples of the value of human-centred approaches to understand teachers’ perspectives on, and expectations for, data as evidence. These workshops focus on the design of pre-service teachers enrolled in teacher education programmes (N = 21) at two Australian universities. The approach points to the significance of (a) pre-service teachers’ intentions to track their students’ dispositions to learning and their ability to learn effectively, (b) the materiality of learning analytics as an enabling technology and (c) the alignment of learning analytics with learning design, including the human-centred, ethical and inclusive use of educational data in the teaching practice. Implications for practice or policy: Pre-service teachers ought to be given opportunities to engage and understand more about learning design, learning analytics and the use of data in classrooms. Professional experience placements for pre-service teachers should include participatory data sessions or learning design workshops. Teacher education academics in universities must be provided with ongoing professional development to support their preparation work of pre-service teachers’ data literacy, learning analytics and the increasing presence of data.

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Student Responses to an ICT-Based E-Assessment Application for the Teaching Practicum/ Teaching Practice MODULE

Learning and Performance Assessment ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-0420-8.ch053 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1134-1147

Author(s):

M. Noor Davids

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Current Model ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Development Stage ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Student Responses ◽

Pedagogical Content ◽

Teaching Practicum ◽

Research Questions

Situated within the context of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in South Africa, this study introduces the notion of an interactive Teaching Practicum E- Assessment application: e-assessment application for the teaching practicum/Teaching Practice module to replace the current model of assessment. At present students enrolled for an Initial Teacher Education qualification have to complete a compulsory Teaching Practice module. The successful completion of the module arguably provides evidence of students' readiness for professional practice. The assessment of the teaching practicum is often riddled with anxiety on the part of the students and conflict between students and their supervisor. Two interrelated research questions guided this study: What are students' experiences of the current teaching practicum assessment? and What were students' responses to the ICT-based assessment proposal? Data were collected from a sample of Teaching Practice students (N = 40) and a focus group discussion conducted with eight (8) students. Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) and critical connectivity theory provided the study with analytical and conceptual lenses. Findings are discussed in response to the research questions posed in preparation of the software development stage of the project.

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Student Responses to an ICT-Based E-Assessment Application for the Teaching Practicum/ Teaching Practice MODULE

International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education ◽

10.4018/ijicte.2017070102 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 15-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Noor Davids

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Current Model ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Development Stage ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Student Responses ◽

Pedagogical Content ◽

Teaching Practicum ◽

Research Questions

Situated within the context of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in South Africa, this study introduces the notion of an interactive Teaching Practicum E- Assessment application: e-assessment application for the teaching practicum/Teaching Practice module to replace the current model of assessment. At present students enrolled for an Initial Teacher Education qualification have to complete a compulsory Teaching Practice module. The successful completion of the module arguably provides evidence of students' readiness for professional practice. The assessment of the teaching practicum is often riddled with anxiety on the part of the students and conflict between students and their supervisor. Two interrelated research questions guided this study: What are students' experiences of the current teaching practicum assessment? and What were students' responses to the ICT-based assessment proposal? Data were collected from a sample of Teaching Practice students (N = 40) and a focus group discussion conducted with eight (8) students. Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) and critical connectivity theory provided the study with analytical and conceptual lenses. Findings are discussed in response to the research questions posed in preparation of the software development stage of the project.

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