scholarly journals New Zealand Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Practicum and Potential for Video Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Susie Bassett
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Video Review ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Practicum Experiences

<p>This qualitative study of 20 pre-service early childhood teachers investigated the students’ perceptions of their practicum experiences and views of the potential for video review use using two on-line surveys of Student Teachers (STs) in their second and third year of study in a New Zealand undergraduate three-year degree Initial Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). This study found STs perceived practicum as highly significant within their ITEP and value practicum opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in the real-world context of ECE centres with children and within teaching teams. However, STs reported a wide range of perceived challenges indicating that the practicum is problematic at times. These challenges involve the establishment of relationships and communication, transparency of assessment practices, and STs’ agency. These issues appear interrelated and impact upon student teacher responses within, and perceptions of, their practicum experience. Students were ambivalent to the potential use of video review while also recognising the benefits to their teacher development. The findings of this study provide further evidence of the need to re-examine the traditional practicum model and to consider alternative approaches by ITEP’s including video review.</p>

scholarly journals New Zealand Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Practicum and Potential for Video Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Susie Bassett
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Video Review ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Practicum Experiences

<p>This qualitative study of 20 pre-service early childhood teachers investigated the students’ perceptions of their practicum experiences and views of the potential for video review use using two on-line surveys of Student Teachers (STs) in their second and third year of study in a New Zealand undergraduate three-year degree Initial Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). This study found STs perceived practicum as highly significant within their ITEP and value practicum opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in the real-world context of ECE centres with children and within teaching teams. However, STs reported a wide range of perceived challenges indicating that the practicum is problematic at times. These challenges involve the establishment of relationships and communication, transparency of assessment practices, and STs’ agency. These issues appear interrelated and impact upon student teacher responses within, and perceptions of, their practicum experience. Students were ambivalent to the potential use of video review while also recognising the benefits to their teacher development. The findings of this study provide further evidence of the need to re-examine the traditional practicum model and to consider alternative approaches by ITEP’s including video review.</p>

scholarly journals Meaningful Intersections of Social Justice and Contemporary Cultural Competencies in a New Zealand Master’s level Initial Teacher Education Programme

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Sexton
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
Critical Reflexivity ◽  
Values And Beliefs

In New Zealand, it is illegal to discriminate based on a person’s gender, race, ability or sexual orientation; however, this is not always the experience of student teachers. To promote, support and facilitate student teachers learning to be effective classroom practitioners, this paper’s initial teacher education programme was designed to support student teachers in developing critical reflexivity of their own developing self-as-teacher role identity. Specifically, this paper presents three life stories of how master’s level student teachers were supported by the intersections of social justice and New Zealand’s unique biculturalism. Student teachers challenged an educational community’s,  a school’s or a teacher’s normative attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding gender, race, ability and sexual orientation of these student teachers. These life stories highlight the importance of the educational setting’s impact on the social construction of identity of not only the students in the school setting but also the wider school community.

scholarly journals Education Support Worker's Perspectives on Their Work with Children with Disabilities in New Zealand Kindergarten Settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pamela Jean Backhouse
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Education Support

<p>International literature has focused on paraprofessionals working with students with disabilities in schools and similarly there is some investigative research on teacher aides working with children with disabilities in New Zealand schools. However there is little enquiry into Education Support Workers (ESWs) perspectives of working with children with disabilities in New Zealand Early Childhood Education settings. This study is intended to contribute to addressing this important gap in the literature. ESWs are allocated as primary supports for children with disabilities who need extra learning support and require intervention. This qualitative and quantitative research study is positioned within a sociocultural framework of the Te Whāriki (1996) Early Childhood curriculum which promotes inclusive practices for all children. One-hundred and three ESW respondents from the kindergarten sector completed and returned a questionnaire. Data collection included the role and proximity of an ESW, the child’s interactions with others, and the ESW’s relationship with the child with disabilities. The results revealed ESWs have a wide range of roles and responsibilities in their work with children with disabilities. They work in collaboration with teachers in determining their work with a child and integrate a child into the environment. The development of social skills and involving everyone in the child’s learning was a top priority. Also included was the building of relationships between the child, peers, teachers, and parents. In this study ESWs used a combination of positions such as working alongside, hovering, opposite, and behind and at the same time the child primarily interacted with the ESW, teachers, and peers. Even though there were some ESWs who worked exclusively with a child, the child still interacted in combination with the ESW, teachers, and peers. This result showed inclusion of others irrespective of the ESW’s close proximity. The ESW’s relationship with a child was reported as warm, caring, and positive and also described as very close, perhaps due to the nature of support for some children. This study explored ESWs’ perspectives on their work with children with disabilities and used self report. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed in the context of the ECE curriculum. Although some insight has been generated by ESWs’ participation in this study, there is still an urgent need for future research to ensure Ministry of Education policy and practice line up for children with disabilities and their families, in order for them to receive an equitable fair education as valued members of our community.</p>

iTE

2018 ◽  
pp. 2104-2118
Author(s):  
Brendan Mac Mahon ◽  
Seán Ó Grádaigh ◽  
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Pedagogical Knowledge ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Teaching Learning

Research on the use of iPad in initial teacher education is limited. This paper outlines a study to examine how the professional learning and pedagogical knowledge development of student teachers could be supported following 1:1 iPad deployment on a second level initial teacher education programme in Ireland. Findings show that iPad can be utilised both as an effective pedagogical tool and as a medium for the creation of new learning spaces where student teachers' professional and pedagogical knowledge development is supported through feedback, peer-learning, resource sharing and critical reflection. Creating resources with and for iPad as part of a collaborative design process can also support student teachers in developing and integrating technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) within their approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. Implications for initial teacher education providers and the integration of technology within schools are outlined.

scholarly journals Structural Dissonance, Enacted Hope and Initial Early Childhood Teacher Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bradley Robert John Hannigan
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Ideal Type ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher Education ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Ideal

<p>This thesis argues that there is structural dissonance in university-based initial early childhood teacher education programmes in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and suggests a pedagogy of enacted hope as a countermeasure. In this thesis, structural dissonance is constructed as a form of structural violence, which is based on the contradiction between socioculturalism in the content of IECTE programmes and individualisation in the context in which they are provided. This theoretical thesis uses Richard Rorty’s (1979, 1982, 1989, 1999) neo-pragmatic assumptions on truth, reality and knowledge to provide a coherent and consistent approach to the argument of structural dissonance and enacted hope. Distinctions between truth and justification, reality and appearance, found and made are rejected, and utility for social justice, language use, and an ironist approach to scholarship are adopted. This thesis uses philosophical hermeneutics as a methodology for interpreting the textual sources that make up the data drawn upon in this thesis. This methodology is linked to interpretive scholarship, research bricolage, and the constructivist paradigm in qualitative research. The methods used in this thesis are an ecological hermeneutic, ideal type method (converted into an interpretive method of textual analysis) and focus groups of student teachers. This thesis constructed two ideal types. The ideal type for socioculturalism is used to argue that the content of IECTE programmes is heavily influenced by socioculturalism. The ideal type for individualisation is used to argue that the context in which IECTE programmes are provided reproduces individualisation. Socioculturalism and individualisation are shown to be dissonant in the structure of a case IECTE programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand resulting in a situation of structural dissonance. A pedagogy of enacted hope is then proposed to counteract structural dissonance in the case study IECTE programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This pedagogy is constructed using a theory of hope developed through the integration of Ernst Bloch’s (1986) philosophy of hope, Rortyan philosophical assumptions and enactivist learning theory. Implications of using the pedagogy of enacted hope are then discussed in relation to the problem of structural dissonance.</p>

scholarly journals Incorporating Citizenship Education Framework in Social Studies Teachers’ Education Programme in Sultanate of Oman

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Saif Al-Maamari ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Sultanate Of Oman ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Social Studies Teacher

Educational system in Oman is attempting to educate Omani students to be "good" citizens in an increasingly globalized society. However, a few studies that have been conducted until now in Oman revealed a gap between the intentions of the educational policy of teaching citizenship education in the schools and the actual practices of teacher education preparation programs. Therefore, any endeavor to develop citizenship in Oman schools will not achieve its goals without taking teacher education into account both pre-service and in-service. Accordingly, the present study aims to propose a framework for developing citizenship education in the initial teacher education in Oman. This descriptive study highlighted the gap between the policy and practice in social studies teacher education. The international literature reveals that student teachers feel insufficiently prepared to develop citizenship and Omani student teachers are not exceptional. Thus, the present study proposed a framework to incorporate citizenship education in the current teachers' preparation programs. Furthermore, the study reveals the inadequate presence of the topic of citizenship in teacher education. Therefore, teachers' understanding of citizenship becomes shallow, which undoubtedly leads to superficial learning on the part of the students. Therefore, a framework was proposed to develop citizenship in teacher education. This framework consists of the rationale behind the change, the Layout of the ground for change in teacher education, the mechanisms of the change, and the areas of the change.

scholarly journals Enhancing student teacher self-efficacy beliefs to teach priority learners in New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Sally Hansen ◽  
Alison Sewell ◽  
Sarojinie Fernando ◽  
Abdelhamid Safa
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Teacher Efficacy ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programme ◽  
Teacher Efficacy Beliefs

The aim of this study was to explore the changes in student teacher efficacy beliefs for teaching priority learners over the course of a one-year postgraduate initial teacher education programme. The sample comprised 23 participants enrolled in the 2015 cohort in a pilot initial teacher education programme specifically tailored to enhance student teacher expertise to teach priority learners. Participants completed a specially designed and refined self-efficacy scale – Self-Efficacy with Diverse Learners: Student Teacher Scale – that targeted their efficacy beliefs about successfully promoting learning for priority learners at the start and at the end of their programme. Changes in efficacy beliefs were statistically measured and the findings indicated that student teacher efficacy beliefs for teaching priority learners had improved significantly over the course of their teacher education programme. In particular, the findings showed that their reported efficacy beliefs for implementing strategies for teaching English speakers of other languages, students with low socioeconomic status, and Māori learners had nearly doubled. Such findings have significant implications for teacher education reforms that aim to enhance student teacher adaptive expertise and in so doing, assist with the long-term goal of achieving more equitable educational outcomes in New Zealand.  

scholarly journals “I don’t really have a reason to read children’s literature”: Enquiring into Primary Student Teachers’ Knowledge of Children’s Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Jennifer Farrar
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Reader Identity ◽  
Primary Student ◽  
Literate Identities

Research into in-service teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature indicates there is a powerfully symbiotic relationship between teachers’ perceptions and projections of themselves as readers and students’ engagement with reading as a pleasurable activity (Commeyras et al., 2003; Cremin et al 2014). Less is known about pre-service teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature or their attitudes towards reading and the Scottish context is unexplored in this regard. Inspired by and aligned with the work of Cremin et al (2008) with in-service primary teachers in England, this project investigated the personal reading habits of more than 150 student teachers over a two-year period by capturing snapshots of their knowledge of children’s literature and perceptions of themselves as not only readers, but as readers of children’s literature, at various stages of their initial teacher education. Framed by understandings of literacy practices as socially and locally constructed (Barton & Hamilton, 1998) and of literate identities as fluid, contingent and plural (Moje et al., 2009), this paper also outlines how project findings linked to knowledge of texts for children and reader identity have informed the teaching and learning of children’s literature at university level.

scholarly journals Education Support Worker's Perspectives on Their Work with Children with Disabilities in New Zealand Kindergarten Settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pamela Jean Backhouse
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Education Support

<p>International literature has focused on paraprofessionals working with students with disabilities in schools and similarly there is some investigative research on teacher aides working with children with disabilities in New Zealand schools. However there is little enquiry into Education Support Workers (ESWs) perspectives of working with children with disabilities in New Zealand Early Childhood Education settings. This study is intended to contribute to addressing this important gap in the literature. ESWs are allocated as primary supports for children with disabilities who need extra learning support and require intervention. This qualitative and quantitative research study is positioned within a sociocultural framework of the Te Whāriki (1996) Early Childhood curriculum which promotes inclusive practices for all children. One-hundred and three ESW respondents from the kindergarten sector completed and returned a questionnaire. Data collection included the role and proximity of an ESW, the child’s interactions with others, and the ESW’s relationship with the child with disabilities. The results revealed ESWs have a wide range of roles and responsibilities in their work with children with disabilities. They work in collaboration with teachers in determining their work with a child and integrate a child into the environment. The development of social skills and involving everyone in the child’s learning was a top priority. Also included was the building of relationships between the child, peers, teachers, and parents. In this study ESWs used a combination of positions such as working alongside, hovering, opposite, and behind and at the same time the child primarily interacted with the ESW, teachers, and peers. Even though there were some ESWs who worked exclusively with a child, the child still interacted in combination with the ESW, teachers, and peers. This result showed inclusion of others irrespective of the ESW’s close proximity. The ESW’s relationship with a child was reported as warm, caring, and positive and also described as very close, perhaps due to the nature of support for some children. This study explored ESWs’ perspectives on their work with children with disabilities and used self report. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed in the context of the ECE curriculum. Although some insight has been generated by ESWs’ participation in this study, there is still an urgent need for future research to ensure Ministry of Education policy and practice line up for children with disabilities and their families, in order for them to receive an equitable fair education as valued members of our community.</p>

scholarly journals The 20 Hours Free Early Childhood Education Programme: A USA Perspective

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Bushouse
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Low Income Families

This article provides a comparative perspective on early childhood education (ECE) policy in the USA and New Zealand. The contrast between the two countries is significant. In the USA the federal government funds early childhood education only for the poor and disabled. Some individual states have created their own funding programmes, but again, they primarily target children from low-income families. Only a few provide universal access. By way of contrast, the New Zealand 20 Hours Free programme initiated in 2007 provides 20 hours of free ECE for three- and four-year olds regardless of family income. This article discusses the creation of the programme, starting with its genesis in 2005, and considers what are regarded as “wedge” issues, the controversy over the exclusion of private services and parent/whanau-led services, and the ongoing debate over the restriction on “top-up” fees. In the current global economic crisis, it remains to be seen whether the recently-elected National-led government will continue to fully fund the programme or revert to a subsidy strategy.

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