scholarly journals Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of the Pedagogical Function of Heroes and Hero Stories

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Kenneth V. Anthony ◽  
Melissa Baneck

Teachers serve as gatekeepers to the implementation of curriculum in their classroom (Thornton, 2005). Their beliefs about a topic and the wider political environment can influence what they teach. To this end, our goal was to investigate whom preservice teachers identify as heroes and why, which heroes should be included in the curriculum, and how this might influence instruction of the NCSS theme Individual Development and Identity. This study was an exploratory study using the qualitative methods of an open-ended survey and focus group. We were guided by the research question: How do preservice elementary teachers conceptualize heroes? The participants were elementary preservice teachers in their final semester prior to teacher internship. We surveyed participants to determine their perceptions of heroes. We conducted a follow up focus group with five participants. The participants conceptualized heroes as serving a pedagogical function. We learned that these preservice teachers had a balanced concept of heroes and considered heroes valuable to the school curriculum. They saw heroes as role models for students to imitate. Of interest to the study of heroes in the social studies curriculum, these preservice teachers were able to overcome the barrier of the flawed hero. Rather than shifting away from teaching heroes and focusing on heroic actions as Barton and Levstik (2004) recommend, they were able to keep the curricular gate open (Thornton, 2005) to teaching heroes by developing the concept of the gray hero.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1356336X2110562
Author(s):  
Björn Tolgfors ◽  
Mikael Quennerstedt ◽  
Erik Backman ◽  
Gunn Nyberg

In many countries, assessment for learning (AfL) is recommended in both policy and research as a concept that should be integrated into the teaching of physical education (PE) in schools. AfL is also part of physical education teacher education (PETE) programs in several countries and, consequently, something future PE teachers are expected to practice in their teaching. In a previous study ( Tolgfors et al., 2021 ), we showed how AfL was transmitted and transformed between a university course and a school placement course within Swedish PETE. In the current study, we have more closely followed three of the preservice teachers who took part in our initial study into their first year of PE teaching. The purpose of this follow-up study is thus to explore how AfL is enacted in the induction phase of PE teaching. The more specific research question is: how is AfL enacted in beginning teachers’ PE practices under the contextual conditions provided at the schools where they are employed? The data were generated through Stimulated Recall interviews and follow-up interviews via the online meeting software Zoom. The analysis was based on Braun et al.’s (2011) contextual dimensions of policy enactment and Bernstein’s (1996) pedagogic device. Our findings illustrate how AfL is generally enacted through (1) progression and (2) “rich tasks.” However, the contextual dimensions of each school provide different conditions that either support or hinder the use of AfL in PE. AfL is accordingly enacted in different ways in the induction phase of PE teaching.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumboyono Kumboyono ◽  
Achir Yani S. Hamid ◽  
Junaiti Sahar ◽  
Saptawati Bardosono

Background: Initiation of smoking habit often occurs in early teens due to the interaction of teenagers with the social environment. The community has an important role in protecting teenagers from the habit of smoking. Objective: The research was aimed to explore the experience of the community in protecting the early-teenagers from smoking habit from the perspective of Indonesian people. Materials and Methods: The qualitative study used the descriptive phenomenology approach on 100 participants (early-teenagers, parents, teachers, and school nurses) who were selected through snowball sampling method. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews using open-ended questions. The data were analysed manually using the data source triangulation method. Results: Six research topics were concluded: 1) screening of habits related to health, 2) smoking bans, 3) punishment for smoking habit, 4) smoke-free counseling, 5) evaluation of efforts done, and 6) follow-up of smoking-free programs. Conclusion: The results of the study indicated the importance of consistent efforts to prevent the initiation of smoking habit in early-teenagers both at school and at home. The communities around them at school and home need to have people with healthy non-smoking habit as good role models for the teens.


Author(s):  
Congcong Wang

Wang (2012) suggested that preservice teachers perceived that their initial experiences as online language learners increased their linguistic, cultural and technological awareness, which would further benefit them when working with diverse students. However, that study was unclear about whether teachers perceived that they could transfer their awareness into teaching practice. Therefore, extending the pilot study, this follow-up study explored inservice teachers' perceptions of linguistic, cultural and technological awareness transfer in teaching English Language Learners by asking them to engage with an online language course and reflect on their experience. This study proposes a model for language teacher linguistic, cultural and technological awareness development and transfer, as well as discusses issues related to language teacher awareness transfer.


Author(s):  
Congcong Wang

Wang (2012) suggested that preservice teachers perceived that their initial experiences as online language learners increased their linguistic, cultural and technological awareness, which would further benefit them when working with diverse students. However, that study was unclear about whether teachers perceived that they could transfer their awareness into teaching practice. Therefore, extending the pilot study, this follow-up study explored inservice teachers' perceptions of linguistic, cultural and technological awareness transfer in teaching English Language Learners by asking them to engage with an online language course and reflect on their experience. This study proposes a model for language teacher linguistic, cultural and technological awareness development and transfer, as well as discusses issues related to language teacher awareness transfer.


ELT Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-48
Author(s):  
Rui Yuan ◽  
Paul Stapleton

Abstract Although the importance of critical thinking (CT) has been stressed in English language education, little attention has been paid to language teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding CT during the pre-service stage of their careers. Drawing on data from a focus group and follow-up email interviews with pre-service language teachers, this study shows that the participants had a limited understanding of CT, and lacked preparation and support in their programmes regarding how to implement CT-oriented teaching practices. The findings also revealed a range of individual and contextual challenges faced by the participants when they tried to integrate CT into their language teaching. The study concludes with recommendations on how to cultivate a critical mindset among language teachers while developing CT-oriented pedagogies.


Author(s):  
Tuğba Selanik Ay ◽  
Abdullah Gokdemir

This research was carried out to determine pre-service teachers' perceptions of “peace”. This was a qualitative research based on case studies scenarios and document analysis. The sample of the study consists of 180 teacher-candidates studies in the social sciences and primary education at a state university in the Aegean Region of Turkey. These Preservice teachers were given scenarios and asked to retain the five scenarios given to them. In this context, in the study, of the document types personal documents and peace-related sample case scenarios retained by teacher candidates themselves were used. The scenarios gathered are examined as a document and subjected to content analysis, and the data obtained are presented in tables and supported with direct quotations. As a result of the findings obtained from sample case study scenarios, themes of peace were obtained in the context of the teaching profession, in daily life, in the national and universal context. In the context of teacher behaviors and methods and techniques that can be used to bring peace value, teacher candidates’ state creating a democratic classroom climate, enabling free discussion of ideas and encouraging children to empathize. In addition,pre-service teachers stressed the importance of being a role-model and encouraging students to empathize under the theme of teacher behaviors supporting the value of peace.


1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas James Smith

This paper shares nine Saskatchewan rural school division directors' and 11 rural preservice teachers' perceptions about teaching portfolios during, and ajier a I6-week internship. Data were gathered ji-om surveys and a focus group interview. Although olle director found portfolios too time consllming, the remaining eight supported portfolio construction and stated that they positively influenced directors' hiring decisions. The interns felt prepared to create portfolios, and offered suggestions for program improvements, but were less certain about budgeting time and using the documents for personal reflection. Positive prospects, reflection issues, and jilfllre improvements are shared.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Natalia F. Vallejos Silva

This article shows the conceptual framework of a school curriculum prescribed on citizenship education from an analysis of the documentary content of the curricular guidelines of Ministerial Programs in History and Social Sciences in 2012 from first to sixth grade in Chilean primary school, along with the History Program and Social Sciences in 2011 for sixth grade. The analysis allowed free knots and categorical structure trees up three matrices: Curriculum Guidelines, Citizenship Education Content, and Deficiencies and Omissions. They demonstrate a curricular speech that combines extensive presence of concepts of civil society and coexistence with inaccuracies, contradictions, lack of content, and discursive strands in the social dimension which appear to be dependent on the individual development of the subject.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Selma Güleç

Problem solving skills are mentioned among the skills which need to be acquired in the Social Studies course. In this study, how the social studies teachers perceived problem solving skills was examined by emphasizing the importance of having individuals acquire problem solving skills through social studies teaching. The sample of the study was composed of social studies teachers. In order to evaluate the preservice teachers' perceptions in relation to problem solving skills, the "Problem Solving Inventory" developed by Heppner and Petersen (1982) and adapted by Şahin, Şahin and Heppner (1993) into Turkish was used. In the analysis of the data, firstly if the obtained data distributed normally was tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Since the data obtained from the problem solving inventory showed normal distribution, the Independent Samples T test was used for paired comparisons and One-Way ANOVA was used for multiple comparisons. It was found that the teachers' problem solving skills did not differ significantly according to the variables of gender, age, marital status, length of service and educational status, satisfaction from school of service, frequency of experiencing problems at their schools and the teachers' problem solving skills were at sufficient level.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document