What Constitutes an “Opportunity to Learn” in Teacher Preparation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-448
Author(s):  
Julie Cohen ◽  
Rebekah Berlin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Teacher Education Research

Teacher education research is in still in the process of developing a robust set of tools that can measure the key features of coursework and fieldwork. This article focuses on the design of measures of “opportunities to learn” (OTLs) in content method courses that can be used across large populations of candidates at diverse preparation programs. We draw on the survey and interview data from a broader, longitudinal study of teacher preparation across four programs in the United States ( n = 455 candidates). Variance decomposition suggests far greater within-program variation than between-program variation in reported OTL. More nuanced analyses at a single university indicate significant associations between individual characteristics and reports of OTL, suggesting that self-reports of OTL may tell us more about the candidates who complete a survey than the programs that prepare them. Discussion focuses on implications for teacher education research and next steps for studying OTL in methods coursework.

Teacher Education Research

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Menter
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Teacher Education Research

Although teacher education has been recognized as a key aspect of educational policy and practice, especially over the past few decades, the research undertaken to inform policy is in many respects inadequate. Drawing on reviews of such research as has been undertaken in Europe, the United States, Australasia as well as other parts of the world, we can identify the key questions for teacher education researchers. These include such topics as the relationship between theory and practice in professional learning, the significance of partnerships between schools and higher education institutions, the relationship between preservice teacher education and ongoing professional learning and the nature of the assessment of beginning teachers. Three approaches to teacher education research may be defined, and all of them are important in the quest for better understanding of the field. These three approaches are research in teacher education—mainly carried out by teacher education practitioners; research on teacher education—mainly carried out by education policy scholars; and research about teacher education—carried out by scholars in a range of disciplines and seeking to explore the wider social significance of teacher education. An exploration of each of these three approaches reveals that there is a serious dearth of large-scale and/or longitudinal studies that may be seen as genuinely independent and critical. This suggests that there is a large agenda for future teacher education research.

scholarly journals Investigating the Third Space: A New Agenda for Teacher Education Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jori S. Beck
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Third Space ◽  
Clinical Teacher ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Teacher Education Research

The purpose of this article is to advocate for an expansion of third-space ideology to the research conducted in clinical teacher preparation programs including research designs and methods of data collection. Clinical teacher preparation has been advocated since the 1980s and is now being systematically realized in the early 21st century. Thus, it is time to revisit research designs and data collection related to this model. The author illustrates first-, second-, and third-space programs, including an overview of teacher residency programs, before advocating a mixed methods research paradigm that aims to create democratic spaces for teacher education research. Research and practice implications are discussed.

A Search for the Heart of Teacher Education Through Curriculum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Alternative Pathways ◽  
Caring Teachers ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

Most of the millions of teachers in public and private schools have gone through teacher preparation programs. Preparing a person to teach is a centrally important, complicated, and many-layered process that carries deep responsibilities for the people who prepare those teachers, namely, teacher educators. So, it is not surprising that, even in the face of over 1,400 research studies about its effectiveness, there are still ongoing debates about the impact of teacher preparation on teachers in classrooms. It is not uncommon to see claims that teacher preparation is vitally important and, at the same time, claims that teacher preparation makes little difference. Because of myriad philosophies and varied desired outcomes, experts who design the pedagogy and content have varying touchstones for excellence that are put into programs along with variation in courses, admission, and degree requirements. How is it possible to get to the “heart” of preparing knowledgeable and caring teachers? There seems to be no one curriculum for the thousands of people entering the classrooms across America, so how can educators design and implement the methods that will best serve students in classrooms all across the country? Many underlying philosophies and values, as well as research, steer this enterprise—which leads to more confusion and angst. There has always been the quest for a “one shoe fits all” model for definitive curriculum, so epochs in teacher preparation can be traced back to when ideas and practices shifted. Other, varied sources contribute to the implementation and goals of teacher education: state and federal governments, education college research faculty, and local Boards of Education. The necessary professional credentials should be a factor (and ideally the same in all states), but ways to obtain teaching credentials are currently multiplying as alternative pathways are being created at a rapid pace. Then, there is the central question: Who is speaking for the welfare of the children in a united voice? Certainly, everyone in this endeavor should never forget that the purpose of a free and public education, both in the United States and other countries, is to create a literate population who can support and sustain a democracy. The ongoing quest is to discover what constitutes the heart of teacher preparation.

scholarly journals The Initial Training of Science Teachers in African Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5459
Author(s):  
Diana Soares ◽  
Betina Lopes ◽  
Isabel Abrantes ◽  
Mike Watts
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Teacher Education Research

This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on the initial training of science teachers in Africa based on selected research articles, in the period 2000–2020, that emphasize the importance of surveying knowledge that goes beyond those that historically have a longer path in the building of scientific knowledge, such as that of European or North American countries. The analysis included a total of 31 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. The findings indicate a lack of knowledge, or at least visibility, considering the initial training of African teachers, particularly in developing countries. South Africa leads the number of publications. Within the five African countries implied in the SLR the following outputs were identified: (i) a division between teacher education research that is ‘place-based’ and one that uses (only) ‘universal theories’ (such as Vygotsky and Bandura); (ii) a tension between the application of student-centered learning and teaching models and more traditional classroom practices. Finally, the majority of articles highlight the importance of investing in further research around teacher education. Based on these outputs the importance of international cooperation in teacher education research articulating theory and practice to ensure a global and local perspective towards sustainable development is reinforced.

Especially for Special Educators

1976 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 244-252 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Exceptional Children ◽  
Teacher Education Research

Thirty special educators, some of whom have worked in the field for over 50 years, were interviewed by telephone. Each was asked to identify milestone events and pioneers in special education and to describe the development and role of teacher education, research, and The Council for Exceptional Children over the years. Crucial issues and needs in the field today were identified by the group and their responses were synthesized into the first of a series of articles celebrating the Bicentennial.

Afterword: The Need to Re-Balance Our Portfolio of Education Means and Ends

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Margaret Smith Crocco
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reform Movements ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Means And Ends ◽  
Historical Moment

The author responds to several themes that emerge across the articles in the special issue, considering them in light of contexts of schooling, teacher education, and the contemporary historical moment in the United States. The articles raise salient concerns about what the reform movements of the last twenty or so years have meant for scholars, practitioners, and students who are involved in schooling and teacher preparation.

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