scholarly journals Weblogs as Tools for Encouraging Self-Reflection and Peer Feedback among Student Teachers

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Sarah A. AL-Ajmi
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Kuwait University ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Study Results

<p>A weblog is one of the most effective tools among the latest inventions that enhance student teachers’ learning and practice. With technology becoming crucial for both personal and professional developments, this study focused on the effectiveness of using reflective weblogs in teacher education programs. In this regard, the research investigated the level to which weblogs successfully promote self-reflection and yield peer feedback among student teachers. Furthermore, it explored student teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of weblogs as tools for self-reflection and peer feedback.</p><p>A case study of seven EFL student teachers taking a practicum course at Kuwait University was analyzed in this paper. The study was conducted in the English Curricula and Teaching Methods Department in the College of Education during the first semester of the 2013/2014 academic year. During the 4-week application period, participants were requested to reflect on their teaching practices and provide feedback on their peers’ posts. The data were collected through different qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and content analysis.</p><p>The findings of the study suggest that the use of the practicum blog is considered to be effective in facilitating student teachers’ ability to reflect upon their teaching practices and provide comments on their peers during the practicum course. Most participants agree on the usefulness of using weblogs in teacher education programs. Overall, the study results show that student teachers find the weblog as an effective tool for writing reflections, sharing ideas, providing feedbacks, and increasing proficiency levels. The results of the study provide the rationale for using weblogs in student teacher education programs.</p>

Exploring tensions in integrating core practices into initial EFL teacher education programs in the Chilean context

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110541
Author(s):  
Malba Barahona ◽  
Stephen Darwin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Sequential Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Core Practices

Internationally, there is increasing interest in the value of incorporating core practices into second language (L2) teacher education programs. This article reports on a research project that investigated how a set core practices are integrated into the Methods courses and practicums in Chilean language teacher education programs for English as a foreign language (EFL). The study was framed by a two-stage, sequential data collection strategy based on a questionnaire ( n = 48) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 21) to university-based, Chilean English teacher educators. The questionnaire identified teaching practices in use, whilst the interviews sought to understand how teacher educators taught these identified teaching practices, as well as the rationale for these choices. Two practices – facilitating target language comprehensibility and building discourse communities – emerged as the most prominent practices. Primarily, these practices were taught through modelling, decomposing, planning and simulations. However, potentially more complex issues around translanguaging, inclusion strategies and cultural practices tended to be framed using more directive and teacher-centred pedagogies. The outcomes of the study highlight several critical issues for L2 teacher education: the relative balance between theoretical and practical domains often compounded by the lack of meaningful opportunities for authentic classroom practice; and the significant challenges faced by teacher educators by engaging in ‘practice’ in a crowded program structure.

How the Match Gets Made: Exploring Student Teacher Placements across Teacher Education Programs, Districts, and Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. e20200014
Author(s):  
Elise St. John ◽  
Dan Goldhaber ◽  
John Krieg ◽  
Roddy Theobald
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
K 12

Emerging research finds connections between teacher candidates’ student teaching placements and their future career paths and effectiveness. Yet relatively little is known about the factors that influence these placements and how teacher education programs (TEPs) and K-12 school systems match teacher candidates to mentor teachers. In our study of this process in Washington state, we find that TEPs and K-12 systems share overarching goals related to successful student teacher placements and developing a highly effective teacher workforce. However, distinct accountabilities and day-to-day demands also sometimes lead them to prioritize other objectives. In addition, we identified informational asymmetries, which left TEPs questioning how mentor teachers were selected, and districts and schools with limited information with which to make intentional matches between teacher candidates and mentor teachers. The findings from this study inform both practice and research in teacher education and human resources. First, they illuminate practices that appear to contribute to informational gaps and institutional disadvantages in the placement of student teachers. Additionally, they raise questions about what constitutes an effective mentor teacher and provide researchers and policymakers with better insight into the professional realities of teacher educators and K-12 educators, as well as those of district human resource (HR) coordinators, which is important given their differing accountabilities and distinctive positionings in the education of teacher candidates.

Developing Critical Dispositions in Teacher Education Programs

2019 ◽  
pp. 106-124
Author(s):  
Jarrett D. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
American Education ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Purpose Of Education

This chapter advocates for the (re)framing of critical thinking from a skill to a disposition and proposes a framework whereby teacher education programs can create space for pre-service teachers to develop a critical disposition. By studying the context of American education and schooling and their corporate interest, pre-service teachers along with teacher educators can start to unravel the discourse and power inherent in American education. Understanding how these concepts lead to hegemony can begin the process of creating a counterhegemonic movement among American educators that includes the reclaiming of the purpose of education, raising pertinent epistemological question, and practicing critical self-reflection. The final part of the new framework for developing critical dispositions is a reintroduction of broader theoretical concerns into teacher preparation programs.

Liminal States of Disorienting Dilemmas: Two Case Studies of English Teacher Candidates

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-250
Author(s):  
Matthew L. McConn ◽  
Donna Geetter
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching

Research has shown that progressive methods taught in teacher education programs have little impact on traditional approaches teacher candidates encounter during their internship semester. To understand how to better address this disconnect with regard to preparing teacher candidates, the study reported here used instrumental case studies to examine two secondary English teacher candidates’ beliefs about teaching literature before, during, and after their student teaching semester. Through theoretical frameworks on learning processes, the researchers discovered discrepancies within the student teachers’ stated beliefs, lesson plans, videos of teaching, and their responses to interview questions. These discrepancies reveal both unexamined assumptions and a state of liminality, reflecting the process of transformation in their learning. The researchers suggest that education programs look at potential implications that are inherent in a state of liminality with regard to pedagogical content knowledge to better prepare teacher candidates for their experience in teacher education programs.

scholarly journals The pedagogical affordances of e-portfolio in learning how to teach: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Raja Nor Safinas Raja Harun ◽  
Mohd Hafiz Hanif ◽  
Goh Swee Choo
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Student Centred Learning ◽  
Professional Fields

The advances in technology have paved the way for student centred learning environment which allows for higher students’ engagement, active participation, deep meaningful learning, and critical thinking. One of the technology applications which have gained popularity at the beginning of the 1990s is the use of e-portfolio. Studies in many professional fields have shown exceptional findings on the adoption of e-portfolio. Nonetheless, the development of e-portfolio affordances over a period of time has yet to be explored to ascertain its usefulness particularly in the area of teacher education. This article presents the process of systematic literature on the e-portfolio pedagogical affordances in teacher education programs and issues to be addressed for successful implementation. Using the content analysis method, 28 articles which focused on e-portfolio, teacher education, English as a second language, scientific research, and secondary school were reviewed. The findings of the review have mainly shed positive lights on its use in documenting student teachers’ learning experiences particularly on assisting and assessing student teachers learning how to teach. This article implicates the relevance of having a holistic view and understanding of the e-portfolio pedagogical affordances and the need to recognize issues to be addressed prior to its implementation in a teacher education program. With this understanding, the university and teacher education institutions can have a well-defined policy on the adoption of e-portfolio into their teacher education programs. 

scholarly journals Effective Constructivist Teaching Learning in the Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Rajendra Kumar Shah
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Constructivist Teaching ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
The World ◽  
Potential Problems ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Effective Use

Constructivism has been a very powerful model for explaining how knowledge is produced in the world as well as how students learn. Moreover, constructivist teaching practices are becoming more prevalent in teacher education programs, while demonstrating significant success in promoting student learning. In this paper, the author takes a serious look at constructivist teaching practices highlighting both the promises and potential problems of these practices. The author argues that constructivist teaching has often been misinterpreted and misused, resulting in learning practices that neither challenge students nor address their needs. He outlines some of the ways in which constructivism has been misconstrued and analyzes several ways in which constructivist teaching has been misused. The author also presents two examples that illustrate the effective use of constructivist teaching and explains what makes them successful.

scholarly journals The Affordances of Mobile-App Supported Teacher Observations for Peer Feedback

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sercan Çelik ◽  
Evrim Baran ◽  
Olcay Sert
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Video Observation ◽  
Teacher Observation ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Certificate Programs ◽  
Observation Methods

Mobile technologies offer new affordances for teacher observation in teacher education programs, albeit under-examined in contrast to video technologies. The purpose of this article is to investigate the integration of mobile technologies into teacher observation. Using a case study method, the authors compare the traditional narrative paper-pen, mobile app-supported, and video observation methods. Participants included 2 experienced teachers of English as a Foreign Language who were selected as the observers and observees in a higher education institutional context. The data was collected in three different teaching sessions over 4 weeks. Data sources included lesson observation notes and semi structured interviews conducted with teachers after each session. Results suggest recommendations for the integration of mobile and video based observation tools into teacher professional development programs, pre-service and in-service teacher education programs, as well as teacher certificate programs.

scholarly journals Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Probing Current Issues for Student Teachers in EFL Teacher Education Program in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-154
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Karimi ◽  
Ebrahim Fakhri Alamdari ◽  
Mehrshad Ahmadian
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Informal Observation ◽  
Efl Teacher Education

The present study attempted to give insight into the features of an effective English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education program by exploring student teachers’ beliefs, ideas, and the challenges they encounter during their teacher education program. The data were collected through several semi-structured focus group interview sessions with a total number of forty-one BA, MA, and PhD students studying teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) at university. The qualitative grounded theory design was used to analyze the data, and the findings of the study were corroborated with interpretations obtained from the informal observation of several university classes in a TEFL teacher education program in Iran. The inductive analysis of the data resulted in developing the following categories: the challenge of developing the ability to move back and forth from theory to practice,  the struggle to establish a professional identity, the quest for the ‘self’, less-practiced reflective practice, and the missing connection between teacher education programs and schools. The discussion concerning the challenges and issues culminated in implications for EFL teacher education programs through which they can take the issues that student teachers normally experience into account and help them pave the way for an effective EFL teacher education program.

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