scholarly journals Beyond Practicum: Interplay between Prospective EFL Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Field Experience and Teaching Career

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.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-384
Author(s):  
Lucinda Grace Heimer

Race is a marker hiding more complex narratives. Children identify the social cues that continue to segregate based on race, yet too often teachers fail to provide support for making sense of these worlds. Current critical scholarship highlights the importance of addressing issues of race, culture, and social justice with future teachers. The timing of this work is urgent as health, social and civil unrest due to systemic racism in the U.S. raise critiques and also open possibilities to reimagine early childhood education. Classroom teachers feel pressure to standardize pedagogy and outcomes yet meet myriad student needs and talents in complex settings. This study builds on the current literature as it uses one case study to explore institutional messages and student perceptions in a future teacher education program that centers race, culture, identity, and social justice. Teaching as a caring profession is explored to illuminate the impact authentic, aesthetic, and rhetorical care may have in classrooms. Using key tenets of Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool enhanced the case study process by focusing the inquiry on identity within a racist society. Four themes are highlighted related to institutional values, rigorous coursework, white privilege, and connecting individual racial and cultural understanding with classroom practice. With consideration of ethical relationality, teacher education programs begin to address the impact of racist histories. This work calls for individualized critical inquiry regarding future teacher understanding of “self” in new contexts as well as an investigation of how teacher education programs fit into larger institutional philosophies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Heather Smith-Sherwood

This qualitative multi-case study investigated thre exemplary pre-service teacher education programs in Jamaica and Michigan in order to provide an account of how they are structured in different contexts of tertiary institutions and, to identify how they ensure that their graduates are prepared to function effectively in today’s schools. Five categories of stakeholders across the three institutions were interviewed regarding their perception and expectations of pre-service teacher education in general as well as in the context of their program. The responses from these persons were described in narrative form, then analyzed and compared based on the similarities and differences that existed among them. The analysis led to the emergence of various themes across the three institutions, and these were used to draw conclusions relative to the structure of pre-service teacher education. The findings revealed eight distinguishing features of exemplary/effective pre-service teacher education programs whether university or college-based. (a) coherent program vision (b) cultural competence (c) collaborative partnership (d) contextualization (e) quality standards (f) well-planned and implemented field experiences (g) continuous assessment (h) experienced committed faculty and (i) a harmonious blend of theory and practice. To be effective, pre-service teacher education programs must prepare prospective teachers to adequately meet the challenges of teaching in today’s classrooms. To effect change, quality teachers are needed, and to produce quality teachers, quality preparation is a necessity. 


Author(s):  
Kristen M. Lindahl ◽  
Zuzana Tomas ◽  
Raichle Farrelly ◽  
Anna Krulatz

Service-learning (SL) constitutes a particularly effective vehicle for engaging pre-service teachers with ELs during their university-level coursework, mostly due to the nature of SL that addresses the potential cultural and linguistic mismatch between teachers and learners in today's school systems by encouraging future educators to engage with the communities of their students long before they enter the teaching profession. This chapter describes four cases that demonstrate how second language (L2) teacher education programs utilize service-learning (SL) to engage pre-service teachers in diverse cultural and linguistic contexts through the lens of pedagogy of particularity. Each case presents four consistent key principles of service-learning: course content, community collaboration, integrated assignments that guide student engagement, and reflective practices that culminate the SL experience.


Author(s):  
Geri Salinitri ◽  
Dana L. Pizzo ◽  
Kathleen Furlong

At a critical point in education, teachers are the agents that can positively affect the outcomes of all learners. Preparing teachers to understand youth and the challenges they face through globalization, economic uncertainties, and social inequities must begin in Teacher Education programs. L.E.A.D. (Leadership Experience for Academic Directions) is a service-learning program designed from a need to reach marginalized and vulnerable youth, to aid in closing the achievement gap, and advocating for social justice and inclusion. This chapter highlights the conceptualization of L.E.A.D. based on research, theory, and practice.


Author(s):  
Lorraine Gilpin ◽  
Yasar Bodur ◽  
Kathleen Crawford

Peer assessment holds tremendous potential to positively impact the development of preservice teachers. The purpose of this chapter is to describe our findings on the impact of different forms of peer observation and feedback on preservice teachers’ skills in analyzing classroom teaching and their perceptions of their experience with peer assessment. In addition to reporting our findings, we draw from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning literature to present peer assessment as a medium to overcome structured isolation that is present in the practice of teaching. According to our study, peer observation and feedback is beneficial to preservice teachers’ learning. However, to maximize its effectiveness, a culture of peer assessment should be established in teacher education programs.


Author(s):  
Deborah L. Lowther ◽  
Marshall G. Jones ◽  
Robert T. Plants

The potential impact of the World Wide Web (WWW) on our educational system is limitless. However, if our teachers do not possess the appropriate knowledge and skills to use the Web, the impact could be less than positive. It is evident, then, that our teachers need to be prepared to effectively use these powerful on-line resources to prepare our children to thrive in a digital society. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the impact of Web-based education on teacher education programs by addressing the following questions: • How is the World Wide Web impacting education? • Are teacher education programs meeting the challenge of producing certified teachers who are capable of integrating meaningful use of technology into K-12 classrooms? • What is expected of teacher education programs in regards to technology and Web-based education? • What knowledge and skills do preservice teachers need to effectively use Web-based education? • What instructional approaches should be used to prepare preservice teachers to use Web-based education?


2022 ◽  
pp. 119-135
Author(s):  
Diane LaFrance ◽  
Lori Rakes

This chapter discusses the problem of teacher retention as it relates to handling the unexpected, whether it be meeting the needs of all learners, classroom management, or any other problem teachers may encounter. The authors propose that teacher education programs can support the growth of preservice teachers by helping them to develop teacher identity early in their learning through experiences and autonomy. In addition, preservice teachers should develop a growth mindset to promote agency when encountering learning obstacles and to engage in reflective practice. By identifying as teachers, allowing themselves to grow, and being proactive in searching for ways to improve their practice, preservice teachers can better prepare themselves for the reality of teaching and, hopefully, remain in the teaching profession.


2016 ◽  
pp. 1424-1437
Author(s):  
Nwachukwu Prince Ololube ◽  
Nanighe Baldwin Major ◽  
Peter James Kpolovie

In this chapter we highlighted the impact of the current economic and political dispensation in Nigeria and its impact on teacher education programs and the means of enhancing teacher education in the Niger Delta region. This paper is a conceptual and methodological breakthrough in Nigeria's academic landscape where qualitative and quantitative experiences highlight issues that are pertinent to teacher education program in the Niger Delta. The chapter proposed that the Niger Delta region's and the entire Nigeria's teacher education programs would be advanced if the component parts of the current economic and political disposition are resolved. This chapter contends that the Niger Delta region has the potential to address the challenges currently faced in the region such as social disruption (violence threat), poverty, hunger, disease, conflict, marginalization, and the achievement and improvement for effective teacher education programs. This chapter is of the immense judgment that successfully addressing the challenges currently faced in the Niger Delta region, teacher education programs will greatly improve qualitatively and quantitatively.


Author(s):  
Abdul Karim ◽  
Liza Reshmin ◽  
Muhammad Kabilan ◽  
Faheem Shahed ◽  
Mohammad Rahman ◽  
...  

The construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and their impact on classroom practices has drawn enormous attention in the concurrent literature. Yet in Bangladesh, little is known about the construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and the impact of teacher beliefs on their classroom practices. Pertinently, the current study aimed at answering the questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about teaching before and after the completion of the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programs to identify the changing patterns of their beliefs. In addition, the study explored their classroom practices to examine whether teachers’ beliefs are in line with their classroom practices after the TESOL programs. Undertaking a phenomenological approach, data were collected from four university teachers through the method of semi-structured interviews and semi-structured classroom observations. The participants were TESOL graduates. We adopted a thematic analysis to analyze our findings. The findings suggested that a dramatic change took place, as a result of TESOL programs, concerning teachers’ beliefs about their role in the classroom, their teaching methodologies and teaching material resources, and their understanding of effective teaching, classroom management approaches, and qualities of a good teacher. Additionally, the classroom observation data was a testimony of the reflection of their newly shaped beliefs on their classroom practices.


2011 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 37-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore Michael Christou ◽  
Alan Sears

In faculties of education across North America, the so-called foundations of education are in crisis. Pressure to shorten teacher education programs and to focus on developing the instrumental skills of new teachers has resulted in courses in philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, and psychology being moved from the core of teacher education to the periphery. This paper describes the decline of history in teacher education using the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University as a case study. We contend this decline occurred more by systematic neglect of history’s value in professional education than by overt attack on its position as one of “the foundations” of the field. We go on to argue that history, properly taught, has the potential to provide a powerful nexus to teacher education programs helping new teachers locate themselves and individualize their personal beliefs in relation to the vast body of professional knowledge that is circulated and recycled about policy and practice.


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