The Development and Use of Improvised Science-Teaching Models: A Case of Natural Science Pre-Service Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 18-37
Author(s):  
Wiets Botes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Science Teaching ◽  
Natural Science ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Teaching Models ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Practicum Experience

The study aimed to describe how a team of final-year pre-service teachers followed the process of improvisation to develop and utilise improvised science-teaching models during a teaching practicum experience. Guided by a conceptual understanding of the process of improvisation, this purposeful qualitative case study sought to respond to a series of research questions. These research questions are: “What are the issues that necessitate the need to develop science-teaching models for a teaching practicum experience?”, “How could the process of improvisation enable Natural Science pre-service teachers to develop improvised science-teaching models for a teaching practicum experience?” and “To what extent do the Natural Science pre-service teachers utilise the improvised science-teaching models in their teaching practicum?” Data collection methods such as spontaneous free-response e-mail communications, a focus-group discussion, and the use of photo-voice methodology yielded rich empirical data. The findings revealed how the Natural Science pre-service teachers ultimately engaged with the improvisation principles to develop improvised science-teaching models from low-cost and recycled materials. The paper further describes how the improvised science-teaching models were introduced in the pre-service teachers’ Natural Science lesson delivery as part of a model-based teaching approach. Findings from the study suggest that initial teacher education programs render environmental and contextual consciousness in shaping pre-service teachers for the diverse schooling contexts. The study further suggests that initial teacher education programs be intentional towards structuring module course material to make the skill of improvisation accessible to pre-service teachers as part of their teacher development.

Teacher Education in Australia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Mayer ◽  
Wayne Cotton ◽  
Alyson Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
Federal Intervention

The past decade has seen increasing federal intervention in teacher education in Australia, and like many other countries, more attention on teacher education as a policy problem. The current policy context calls for graduates from initial teacher education programs to be classroom ready and for teacher education programs to provide evidence of their effectiveness and their impact on student learning. It is suggested that teacher educators currently lack sufficient evidence and response to criticisms of effectiveness and impact. However, examination of the relevant literature and analysis of the discourses informing current policy demonstrate that it is the issue of how effectiveness is understood and framed, and what constitutes evidence of effectiveness, that needs closer examination by both teacher educators and policymakers before evidence of impact can be usefully claimed—or not.

Tacit assumptions of citizenship education: A case study in Spanish initial teacher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Estelles ◽  
Jesús Romero
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Public University ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Tacit Assumptions

Current curricula, which organize initial teacher education programs, include, among their stated purposes, preparing teachers to help their future students to grow as global, participatory, and ethically engaged citizens. However, we know little about how teacher educators prepare their students to be citizens. This article analyses how a group of teacher educators from a public university in Spain understand citizenship education, exploring the net of metaphors and idealized visions they seem to share, regardless of their formal conceptualizations. The discussion of the findings considers the implicit hierarchies of these shared assumptions that define what is deemed as real, desirable, and possible in citizenship education. Implications for teacher education are also contemplated.

Conceptions and Models of Teacher Education

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Robinson ◽  
Rada Jancic Mogliacci
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Applied Science ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Conceptual Base ◽  
Science Approach ◽  
The Relationship

Initial teacher education programs across the world bear many resemblances to one another in respect to their overall design features. Students generally follow courses that teach them foundational knowledge pertaining to education, like psychology or sociology, disciplinary knowledge in particular subject areas, and general and specific pedagogical knowledge. In addition, students are exposed to varying degrees of school placements. Despite these similarities in overall structure, the curriculum content and activities of teacher preparation may vary considerably, dependent on the underpinning conceptions of the goals and purposes of the program. Historical and geographical contexts also influence the choice of particular goals for teacher education. Conceptions of teacher education can be clustered in a number of major approaches, each with its own subcategories. Although different terminologies may be used in the literature, the six major categories are as follows: a social justice approach, a master-apprentice approach, an applied science approach, a teacher identity approach, a competence approach, and a reflective approach. Each approach has certain key features and implications for curriculum design in teacher education, including vision, goals, content, teaching and learning methodologies, and the relationship between schools and colleges/universities. An example here is the difference between an applied science approach, based on the notion of teachers putting theories into practice, and a reflective practice approach, where teachers are encouraged to construct personal theories in and from practice. A second example of the different emphases is the extent to which education is located within its larger social context, with the relationship between school and society being more explicit within a social justice than a competence approach to teacher education. Conceptions may be implicit or explicit; in reality, most programs embody hybrid models with emphasis in particular directions. The articulation of the key concepts, principles, and assumptions that underpin the design of teacher education programs contributes to the field in various ways. Promoting an understanding of different traditions of teacher education helps establish a shared vocabulary and knowledge base; this can improve the quality of teacher education through deepening academic debate and enhancing program coherence. In addition, strengthening the conceptual base of teacher education supports the professional autonomy of teacher educators, through advancing debate on the purposes, ethics, and politics of education and providing tools to discuss the curriculum implications of policy reform.

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

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.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals A COVID-19 Re-envisioned Teaching Practicum Curriculum

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
Carisma Nel ◽  
Carolina Botha ◽  
Elma Marais
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
School Partnerships ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Alternative Placement ◽  
University School Partnerships ◽  
Faculties Of Education

The changes taking place in the schooling landscape because of the coronavirus are real and meaningful and have implications for the training of preservice teachers, especially the teaching practicum component of their initial teacher education programs. The havoc caused by COVID-19 forced many faculties of education into a state of ‘panic-gogy’ to ensure that student teachers could complete their teaching practicums. In this paper we argue that consideration should be given to core teaching practices and practice-based teacher education pedagogies (i.e., representations and approximations) that can be used in alternative “placement contexts” that will supplement and harness the authenticity of school-based experiences. We provide two conceptual tools, collaboratively developed by teaching practicum educators and mentor teachers, that can be used as heuristic by other university-school partnerships when considering teaching practicum redesign efforts.

scholarly journals Alternative routes to teacher professional identity: Exploring the conflated sub-identities of Teach For America corps members

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. M. Thomas ◽  
Nicole Mockler
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Teach For America ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Teacher Professional Identity ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Alternative Routes

Research on the development of professional identity for teachers who enter the profession through alternative routes is still in its infancy. In contrast to their peers who complete traditional initial teacher education programs, these teachers are exposed to different conditions and constraints that produce a range of sub-identities previously unidentified in the literature. This paper draws on interviews with 27 teachers who entered teaching through Teach For America and wrestled with these sub-identities as they considered their emerging professional identity. We argue that these sub-identities point to structural challenges embedded within Teach for America, and we highlight the need for additional research on the growing cadre of teachers entering the teaching profession through alternative routes, and subsequently influencing policymaking processes.

scholarly journals Development of Prospective Teachers’ Noticing Skills Within Initial Teacher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyhan Tekin-Sitrava ◽  
Gabriele Kaiser ◽  
Mine Işıksal-Bostan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Education Courses

AbstractAlthough the effects of professional development programs on teachers’ noticing skills have attracted considerable interest among mathematics education researchers, little is known about the developmental process of prospective teachers’ noticing skills within initial teacher education. This paper examines the extent to which prospective teachers’ noticing skills are developed through the mathematics education courses taken within the mathematics teachers’ education program using exemplarily the topic division of fractions. The study is grounded on the framework of Professional Noticing of Children’s Mathematical Thinking which specifies three facets of noticing, that are attending, interpreting, and deciding how to respond. Twenty-two prospective mathematics teachers (PSTs), who were enrolled in the Middle School Mathematics Teacher Education Program at a Turkish university, participated in this study. The results revealed that most PSTs gained expertise in all three kinds of noticing skills during their teacher education. The highest progression could be identified in the interpretation skills and the lowest in attending skills. These results are important for initial teacher education programs, highlighting that general, non-specialized mathematics education courses within initial teacher education have the potential to provide an efficient professional development program to develop PST’s noticing skills. The study points out that further research is needed in order to provide additional details about how teacher education programs could be redesigned and implemented to ensure opportunities for PSTs to develop noticing skills within all three facets leading to robust or at least substantial evidence of all three noticing skills.

scholarly journals Pedagogy, Didactics, or Subject Matter? Exploring Pre-service Teachers’ Interest Profiles

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-175
Author(s):  
Marcela Pozas ◽  
Verena Letzel
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Important Determinant ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Teacher Interest ◽  
Interest Levels

Abstract Interest has been considered an important determinant of teacher quality. However, research into teacher interest, and more specifically, pre-service teachers’ interest is limited. Hence, the current study tackled the current gaps in pre-service teachers’ interest and aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ interest profiles based on the multidimensional framework of teacher interest. A total of 225 pre-service teachers, enrolled in various initial teacher education programs of two universities in Germany, participated voluntarily in the study. The results revealed two distinct pre-service teachers’ profiles based on the three teacher interest factors. Interestingly, the two profiles did not significantly differ in their subject interest levels, but did vary in their didactic and educational interest. In addition, the findings also revealed gender and school track differences in pre-service teachers’ interests and profiles. Consequences for future research and teacher education are discussed in detail.

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