Exploring Instructional Competencies of Mindanao State University-Sulu Teachers in The Age of COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the instructional competencies of teachers in Mindanao State University-Sulu in the transition to alternative learning delivery methods in the age of COVID-19 pandemic. The descriptive survey method was used in this study. The researcher used two sets of standardized questionnaires to obtain the necessary data including the respondents’ profiles. The profile of the teacher-respondents was determined using frequency count and percentage. Mean was used to analyze research questions. T-test for independent samples and analysis of variance were used to test the stated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The following were the highlights of the study: (1) The common alternative learning delivery methods used by teachers were modules, Facebook and Messenger; (2) The common instructional strategies of teachers were using Messenger for sending additional instructions of the lessons and other activities; entertaining questions from students through phone calls and text messages; and distributing printed module to students; (3) The level of instructional competencies of teachers is satisfactory; (4) There is no significant difference on teachers’ instructional strategies when they are classified according to their profile; (5) There is no significant difference on the level of teachers’ instructional competencies when they are classified according to gender and the college or high school where they teach; and (6) There is a significant difference on the level of teachers’ instructional competencies when they are classified according age. The study recommended that the school administration should conduct intervention programs and policies on improving teachers’ competencies especially in times of pandemic.

Key Competencies in Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Mentoring and Instruction for Clinically-based Grow-Your-Own Teacher Education Programs

Grow-Your-Own (GYO) Teacher Education programs that aim to diversify and strengthen the teacher workforce must provide high-quality learning experiences that support the success and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) teacher candidates and bilingual teacher candidates. Such work requires a holistic and systematic approach to conceptualizing instruction and mentoring that is both linguistically and culturally sustaining. To guide this work in the Master of Arts in Teaching in Clinically Based Elementary program at Oregon State University’s College of Education, we conducted a review of relevant literature and frameworks related to linguistically responsive and/or sustaining teaching or mentoring practices. We developed a set of ten mentoring competencies for school-based cooperating/clinical teachers and university supervisors. They are grouped into the domains of: Facilitating Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Instruction, Engaging with Mentees, Recognizing and Interrupting Inequitable Practices and Policies, and Advocating for Equity. We also developed a set of twelve instructional competencies for teacher candidates as well as the university instructors who teach them. The instructional competencies are grouped into the domains of: Engaging in Self-reflection and Taking Action, Learning About Students and Re-visioning Instruction, Creating Community, and Facilitating Language and Literacy Development in Context. We are currently operationalizing these competencies to develop and conduct surveys and focus groups with various GYO stakeholders for the purposes of ongoing program evaluation and improvement, as well as further refinement of these competencies.

Improving instructional competencies through individualized staff development and teacher collaboration in German schools

PurposeSchool improvement and effectiveness depend substantially on teachers developing their professional competencies on an ongoing basis. Germany's new approach to school governance combines instruments borrowed from different theoretical concepts: teacher collaboration (in a sense of professional self-regulation with high autonomy) and individualized staff development by principals (in a sense of managerial self-regulation with high within-school accountability). The purpose of the study is to examine whether these instruments are applied at schools in Germany, what factors predict the extent of use, and if the use is associated with the improvement of teachers' instructional competencies.Design/methodology/approachIn order to answer our research questions, we conducted a standardized teacher and principal survey at primary and secondary schools in Germany (658 teachers from 51 schools).FindingsThe analyses indicate that the instruments are not being carried out across the board. The results of a multilevel path analysis furthermore show that teacher self-efficacy, principals' leadership behavior, school size and students' SES are important preconditions for the use of the two instruments. However, the instruments have an impact on the improvement of teachers' instructional competencies but through different pathways.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations concern the cross-sectional design of the study and the focus on measures based on retrospective self-reported data.Originality/valueThis study is the first that examines the implementation and impact of two instruments with differing governance theoretical background in German schools.

Teachers' Instructional Competencies for Including Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in General Education Settings

The inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings has increased particularly since 2004 due to the least restrictive environment provisions outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). However, research has shown that general education teachers are ill prepared to teach students with disabilities, especially those with severe or low incidence disabilities. The current study explored the knowledge and skills required of general education teachers seeking to include students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). We interviewed experienced teachers of students with I/DD to gain insight into such competencies. Participants were three educators (two teachers and one school director) in an elementary school for students with special needs. The participants discussed teaching methods and curriculum considerations relevant to including students with I/DD in general education settings. Data were analyzed utilizing pattern coding to generate categories and larger themes. Discussion and implications of these findings are offered.

Instructional Competencies Required by Technical College Teachers for Effective Performance in Technical Drawing

The National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) chief examiners reported that instructors employed to teach the students lack the required competencies in teaching methods in Technical Drawing (TD), which leads to poor performance. Therefore, a study was conducted to identify the instructional competencies required by technical college teachers in teaching TD. To achieve this objective, 3 (three) research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprised 103 technical college teachers in Ondo state, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire of 38 items was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated by 3 (three) experts. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions and the reliability of the instrument was also established using Cronbach’s Alpha, with the reliability coefficient being 0.84. Based on the findings, it was determined that technical college teachers required the identified 15 instructional competencies to teach effectively. It was also found that there are factors that militate against the teachers’ competencies. The study’s findings contributed to identifying these factors and to how the competencies could be enhanced.

The Relationship between the Pre-service Classroom Teachers’ Techno Pedagogical Instructional Competencies and Epistemological Beliefs

The purpose of the current study is to determine the relationship between the pre-service classroom teachers’ epistemological beliefs and techno pedagogical subject-area competencies. While the universe of the study is comprised of a total of 187 senior pre-service teachers attending the Department of Classroom Teacher Education in Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University in 2014-2015 academic year, the sampling consists of 141 pre-service teachers selected through the random sampling method from among the universe. The reason for selecting the senior students for the universe of the study was that they had already taken the subject-area, pedagogical and general culture courses. In the collection of the research data, The Techno Pedagogical Competency Scale and Epistemological Belief Scale and a personal information form were used. The data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS 21.0 program package. During the analysis process, first it was tested whether the data display a normal distribution and after it was determined that the data show a normal distribution, from among the descriptive statistics, t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to reveal the differences and Pearson-product Moment Correlation Coefficient analysis was used to elicit the correlations. The analyses revealed that the pre-service classroom teachers’ level of techno pedagogical competencies is high and their level of epistemological beliefs is medium. Gender and academic grade point average were found to be not leading to significant differences in their techno pedagogical subject-area competencies. Moreover, a negative and significant correlation was found between the pre-service classroom teachers’ techno pedagogical subject-area competencies and epistemological beliefs.