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

Author(s):  
Saif Al-Maamari ◽  

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.

Author(s):  
Brendan Mac Mahon ◽  
Seán Ó Grádaigh ◽  
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir

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.


Author(s):  
Saif N. AlMaamari ◽  
Ian Menter

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Omani student-teachers of social studies major about citizenship and citizenship education. Interviews were used to achieve this purpose. Ten students participated in the study: 5 females and 5 males. Data were analyzed qualitatively using analytic induction and interpretive analytic framework. Qualitative results show a wide range of interesting views on citizenship that highlighted the influence of the social, cultural and political context in shaping the meaning of citizenship and citizenship education. The results from interviews can be classified into five categories: (a) Citizenship is a multi-faceted concept; (b) Citizenship education is a crucial area in the school curriculum; (c) social studies is still the main approach of introducing citizenship education; (d) citizenship education is an area which is missing in teacher preparation programs and (e) Citizenship education is practiced to an extent in practical training programs. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rea Raus ◽  
Thomas Falkenberg

Abstract Transforming our educational systems to support sustainable development is a challenge that involves all levels of education – policy, curriculum and pedagogical practice. One critical dimension to look at is a teacher’s identity as it influences a teacher’s decision-making, behaviour and action. The ecological self is the concept that is used in the context of sustainability. This paper discusses the emerging ecological self of one student teacher during her initial teacher education programme. The concepts of the teacher’s self and the ecological self form a lens through which the story of this student teacher is examined. The paper focuses on one part of a broader, longitudinal study of student teachers and their understanding of pedagogy and connectedness with nature in the context of the need for reorienting teacher education towards sustainability. Sterling’s (2001) conceptual framework of ecological view on education is taken as a tool to analyse the collected data. The results indicate that deep connectedness to nature and empathy are framing the holistic view on learning, teaching and a teacher’s self.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Olalekan Elijah Ojedokun

This paper supports the advocacy for a sustainable future and discusses the strategies that could be adopted in order to make Social Studies, an integrated social science subject in the Nigerian school curricula which is saddled with the responsibility of promoting informed citizenry to educate for sustainability. Issues surrounding the prospect of using Social Studies to teach the rudiments of Education for Sustainability are discussed after having examined the strength, weakness, opportunities and strength of Social Studies, especially at the level of teacher education. The study concluded that the threat to Social Studies which are enormous may need to be quickly addressed so that teacher education institutions may have clear-cut directions on how to mainstream the learning content of Education for Sustainability into the subject and consequently prepare preservice teachers that are critical and holistic in their thinking to handle a more robust holistic Social Studies in the primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.


Author(s):  
Anni Loukomies ◽  
Nadine Petersen ◽  
Jari Lavonen

In this study, we examined student teachers’ learning during their teaching placement period in Finland and South Africa. The setting of the inquiry in both countries was a ‘teaching’ school, affiliated to a university teacher education programme. The teaching school is also referred to as an educational innovation that was transferred from the Finnish context to the South African context. Data were collected through an interview protocol. The findings show that the students, like many of their counterparts in different parts of the world, focused on teaching tools and methods as well as classroom management as a gateway to their teaching career. The extended teaching placement period at both the university teaching schools was expected to yield some findings about the intersection of teaching practice and its supporting theories because of the close collaboration of the schools and the universities. Some of the findings satisfied this expectation while other parts did not, confirming that initial teacher education may be regarded as a platform for learning to be teachers, but it has its own limits even in a pedagogical ‘laboratory’. The transfer of the educational innovation was regarded as successful.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Mac Mahon ◽  
Seán Ó Grádaigh ◽  
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-386
Author(s):  
Lexie Grudnoff ◽  
Helen Dixon ◽  
Jill Murray

Abstract The international problem of differential achievement between groups of students has particular significance for New Zealand given its persistent problem of inequitable outcomes for Māori and Pasifika students, and those from poor communities. This qualitative study investigated how engagement in teacher inquiry supported student teachers’ understandings of, and practice for, equity. The 28 participants were in a one-year, equity-oriented Master’s initial teacher education programme. The data set comprised 84 research-related assignments participants completed for their teacher inquiry course. Thematic data analysis showed that the structured inquiry process supported participants to challenge inequity by problematizing student engagement and to address this by using a range of evidence to enhance their teaching. Overall, the study suggests that inquiry as research process and stance, along with the application of the Facets equity framework in authentic teaching and learning contexts, is a powerful source of student teacher equity-focused professional learning and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Ingrid Agud ◽  
Georgeta Ion

The teaching profession is undergoing significant changes, some of which are imposed by the new paradigm of education. This new context marks the shift from the teachers’ position as ‘knowledge users’ towards the more complex position of ‘knowledge creators’. In this new professional culture adapted to a changing society, teaching as a profession is understood as undergoing a continuous transformation and innovation process, while the professionals in the educational field appear to be research users and research promoters able to think thoroughly about their own professional needs and the new topics arising in their field. There is, therefore, a shift from a passive to an active position, enabling educators to become aware of how complex their field is and to understand that it cannot be acknowledged and managed from outside the social, cultural, historical, philosophical, and psychological contexts shaping it. Taking into consideration the characteristics of the new professional culture, this paper is focused on the development of research skills as one of the teachers’ core skills. The study is framed at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where the Student Perception Research Integration Questionnaire (SPRIQ) of Visser-Wijnveen et al. (2015) was applied to measure students’ perception of research integration in university courses (n=113). Additionally, analysis of the documents on the syllabus of each course of the BA in Primary Education programme was applied to review the research component of initial teacher education curricula. Findings from students’ responses show that they are more consumers than producers of research. We emphasise the importance of student teachers being able to both consume as well as produce research in order to develop professionally.


Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Marcus Bhargava ◽  
Lee Jerome

This article illustrates how one university-based initial teacher education (ITE) course sought to develop links with civil society organisations to develop meaningful active citizenship education. The purpose of the project was to enhance citizenship education for ITE students preparing to become secondary school teachers. The article discusses recent developments in theorising teacher education 3.0 to ensure teachers are empowered to engage with a wide range of social and political challenges affecting young people and their communities. It then describes a small project that involved university staff and students in a local community organising project, bringing together a range of local community groups to work together for social justice. The article explores how student teachers working within that community organising group developed an increasingly politicised view of their role—as public sector workers in a politicised policy landscape; as potential agents for the promotion of democracy; and as political actors in their own right. The article concludes that these insights into practice illustrate the potential for a broader conception of teacher education, involving civil society partners beyond schools and universities.


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