scholarly journals What Counts as Best Practice Teaching for Teacher Educators: Theory and Practice

Author(s):  
Aurelia Atukwase

The aim of this essay is to operationalize best practice in teaching, what it is, what it constitutes and the kind of knowledge teacher educators need in order to become best practitioners. This is because some authors often use the phrase ‘best practices’ whenever debating about what teachers should portray in view of preparing teacher trainees for the teaching profession . What always occupies my mind, however, is not only the exploit of the phrase, but also the way different educational researchers even go ahead to suggest the benefits of best practices in teacher education without unpacking the phrase itself. My argument here is that not until teachers as practitioners re-define the scope of teaching in view of best practice, it might continue posing challenges for novice teachers to know the kind of knowledge they need to posses if they are to showcase best practices in teaching.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Merve Selçuk ◽  
Ece Genç Yöntem

Becoming a teacher of English language requires both knowledge of theory and practice. Teacher candidates at the faculties of education in BA programs in Turkey practice teaching through observing real classrooms and doing micro-teachings in real schools during their four-year teacher training. This study was conducted at a foundation university in Turkey, in which senior pre-service teachers, before they enter the teaching profession and become novice teachers, go and experience teaching to fulfill the requirements of the practicum (school experience course) in their last semester. This course requires them to observe three different levels of classroom in real schools, write reflective papers, prepare lesson plans and practice teaching. The transition from pre-service to novice teacher can be facilitated via successful practicum programs offered by the faculties of education in Turkey. The impact of practicum tends to result in either entry into teaching or teacher retention. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the effects of this program on students’ decisions on entry into the profession. The data were collected in two stages: Before and after the practicum. At the beginning of the last semester, before they go practicum, five pre-service EFL teachers were asked the reasons for choosing teacher education programs, and their concerns related to practicum and the profession through an in-depth semi-controlled interview. Those pre-service teachers were also interviewed on the same topics at the end of the semester, after practicum. Results indicated that practicum or school experience has contributed positively to their perceptions regarding their entry into teaching because almost all of them wanted to enter teaching at the end of the program, and they are in-service teachers now. These findings suggest that teacher education courses should aim to develop students’ practical knowledge, and the relationship among the mentor teacher, the supervisor, and the student teacher should be valued and supported more in teacher education programs.


Author(s):  
Colleen Conway ◽  
Shannan Hibbard

This chapter situates the study of music teacher education within the larger body of music education and teacher education research. It problematizes the terms teacher training, teacher education, and best practice and introduces the concept of teaching as an “impossible profession.” Goals of teacher education, including reflective practice and adaptive expertise, are discussed. The chapter outlines the challenges that music teacher educators face as they try to prepare preservice teachers for the realities of P-12 school-based music education while instilling in these new colleagues a disposition toward change. It concludes with narratives that examine teachers’ descriptions of classroom relationships throughout the lens of presence in teaching as a way to remind teacher educators of the importance of their work to push the boundaries of music teacher education in order to serve the profession at large.


Author(s):  
Darshana Sharma

Teaching Practice is widely recognised as the sine-qua-non of any teacher education programme. It is a component in the teacher preparation programme where prospective teachers are provided with an opportunity to put their theoretical studies into practice, get feedback, reflect on practice and consequently further improve their teaching skills. As teaching practice is an important component of a teacher education programme, considerable attention must be given to make it more effective and fruitful. This paper is based on a research study conducted to know pre-service teachers' experiences of the quality of teaching practice and the common concerns they have during teaching practice. On the basis of focussed group discussion a total of five themes were identified, these are (1) usefulness of teaching practice (2) experiences/concerns with pupils' behaviour (3) experiences/concerns with own behaviour (4) experiences/concerns with supervisors' behaviour (5) experiences/concerns with institutional and personal adjustments. The outcome of the focussed group discussion was used to prepare a structured questionnaire. Among other things, the study recommended rigorous practical training in lesson planning, demonstration lessons by teacher educators, simulated teaching before the commencement of practice teaching, school orientation programmes, a separate internship of two weeks and writing a journal by student teachers during teaching practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Liv Gjems ◽  
Inge Vinje

<p>In several European countries, teacher education is regulated by national plans that emphasise pedagogy as the central subject. Pedagogy shall include research-based knowledge, as well as having a strong connection between theory and practice. We have interviewed teacher educators about what they emphasise about theoretical and practical issues in the subject of pedagogy. Though they have to follow the curriculum, they express that they have different conceptions and emphasise different issues both in theoretical and practical pedagogy. Their answers point to the challenges between the establishment of a professional autonomy and the control the national curriculum imposes them The teacher educators were quite vague about their teaching about research-based knowledge. They expressed that they need support, time and possibilities to discuss the content in the curriculum and how to educate high qualified teachers.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewald Kiel ◽  
Thomas Lerche ◽  
Markus Kollmannsberger ◽  
Viktor Oubaid ◽  
Sabine Weiss

<p>Lee S. Shulman deplores that the field of education as a profession does not have a pedagogic signature, which he characterizes as a synthesis of cognitive, practical and moral apprenticeship. In this context, the following study has three goals: 1) In the first theoretical part, the basic problems of constructing a pedagogic signature are depicted. 2) In the empirical part, based on a multi-method approach, teachers’ and teacher educators’ beliefs and attitudes about a pedagogic signature are identified and ranked. It is argued that beliefs are of particular importance because they have a filter effect on how teachers deal with scientific knowledge. 3) The third part, the discussion, explains the findings, particularly the fact that moral aspects and aspects referring to a particular attitude play an overwhelming role. The explanation leads to some basic considerations on how to construct a pedagogic signature and on how such a signature can be turned into a viable concept for teacher education.</p>


Author(s):  
Przemysław E. Gębal ◽  
Monika J. Nawracka

This article discusses the issues of academic education of foreign language teachers in three different educational systems. It presents them in the context of education culture and school culture, showing their influence on the way of organization and realization of education processes. School and education in general, including university preparation for the teaching profession is a place of developing so-called social capital. Reflection on the way these processes operate plays a key role in the planning and implementation of effective educational activities, using the so-called good practices of each of the systems. In the comparative research, the teacher training programmes in Iran, Germany and Poland are subject to comparative analysis against the framework of European standards for teacher education.


2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael James Anderson ◽  
Kelly Freebody

Teacher education in universities is under pressure. In many new education policies there is a renewed focus on teacher quality, and therefore quality initial teacher education. In some countries this renewed focus has led to a resurgence of “alternative approaches” to teacher education such as Teach for America / Australia. One of the most persistent complaints about pre-service teacher education is that educational theory presented in these programs does not relate sufficiently to the real work of teachers. In an attempt to overcome these real or perceived divides, tertiary drama educators at the University of Sydney constructed a professional experience program based on both the community of practice model (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and Frierean notions of praxis (1972). The community of praxis approach emphasises the importance of integrating theory and practice to support the development of beginning teachers. This article outlines the development, implementation, and evaluation of this approach, including the reasoning behind its foundation and the theoretical and practical significance of such an approach for teacher-educators.


Author(s):  
Holly H. Pinter ◽  
Lisa A. Bloom ◽  
Charmion B. Rush ◽  
Cameron Sastre

Research regarding best practice for preparing both special education and general education teachers for inclusion has been sparse in the US. The purpose of this chapter is to systematically review and summarize research regarding teacher preparation for inclusion. A thorough search uncovered 35 relevant studies. Themes that emerged from analysis of this research of best practices for teacher preparation for inclusive education included content for inclusion infused in teacher education courses, attention early and often to attitudes and dispositions toward inclusion, opportunities for collaboration and co-teaching, strong university-school partnerships, and collaboration to teacher education faculty.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Easterly ◽  
Tobias Pfutze

This paper does not address the issue of aid effectiveness—that is, the extent to which foreign aid dollars actually achieve their goals—but on “best practices” in the way in which official aid is given, an important component of the wider debate. First we discuss best practice for an ideal aid agency and the difficulties that aid agencies face because they are typically not accountable to their intended beneficiaries. Next we consider the transparency of aid agencies and four additional dimensions of aid practice: specialization, or the degree to which aid is not framgemented among too many donors, too many countries, and too many sectors for each donor); selectivity, or the extent to which aid avoids corrupt autocrats and goes to the poorest countries; use of ineffective aid channels such as tied aid, food aid, and technical assistance; and the overhead costs of aid agencies. We compare 48 aid agencies along these dimensions, distinguishing between bilateral and multilateral ones. Using the admittedly limited information we have, we rank the aid agencies on different dimensions of aid practice and then provide one final comprehensive ranking. We present these results as an illustrative exercise to move the aid discussion forward.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-69
Author(s):  
Charmaine Helena Iwu

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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