Wearable Technology

Teacher questioning is integral to teaching and learning in mathematics classrooms. Research indicates that purposeful questioning in mathematics classrooms engages, motivates, and deepens student understanding and critical thinking during mathematical discussions. This chapter used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the levels of questions and questioning strategies used by elementary teachers while facilitating mathematical tasks. Findings indicate that teachers use more funneling questions than focusing questions while facilitating math tasks. Most teachers hardly arrive at that reflection and justification level of questioning. Teachers found the Pivothead glasses to be effective not only for teacher self-assessment of their questioning techniques but also for gathering data on student thinking. Regression analysis indicates that education, experience, and location are the most important variables influencing the level of questions asked and questioning strategies used by the teachers.

Inspiring Teacher Candidates to Embrace Cultural Diversity

One of the challenges facing teachers in the United States is providing high-quality education for all students met in the classroom, including those who too often are underserved: students of color, low-income students, English-language learners, as well as students in urban and rural settings. Teachers report feeling unprepared and lack confidence in teaching students from culturally different backgrounds from themselves. This chapter suggests that in addition to becoming certified teachers, teacher candidates need to be inspired by teacher educators who are passionate about cultural learning and willing to share their own journey. Through sharing, teacher educators can provide practices that build cultural knowledge and increase cultural experiences of teacher candidates.

Best Practices in Teacher Preparation for Inclusive Education

Research regarding best practice for preparing both special education and general education teachers for inclusion has been sparse in the US. The purpose of this chapter is to systematically review and summarize research regarding teacher preparation for inclusion. A thorough search uncovered 35 relevant studies. Themes that emerged from analysis of this research of best practices for teacher preparation for inclusive education included content for inclusion infused in teacher education courses, attention early and often to attitudes and dispositions toward inclusion, opportunities for collaboration and co-teaching, strong university-school partnerships, and collaboration to teacher education faculty.

Reimagined Higher Ed Classrooms

Institutions of higher learning are facing increasing demands for technology-based programs that would service the needs of the changing 21st century populations. In today's amalgam of differences, education that is independent of cultural biases is more than difficult to author. Virtual and augmented reality (VR) technologies offer a possible solution but come with a host of other challenges. Content made for VR can easily be tailored to demonstrate educational concepts to bring people into the same space, but despite being able to provide this, we are left with another issue: Where do we get this media? This chapter will explore ways for businesses and organizations to build pedagogical VR content to foster more immersive learning that is culturally unbiased. The authors also explore costs and potential revenue and develop a clear picture of what it would take to startup such an enterprise in today's US economy.

Instructors' Professional Learning and Implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education

Contemporary educational reform in North America, as well as other parts of the world, has led to a shift toward conceptualizing assessment, teaching, and learning for the purpose of developing students' competencies (e.g., critical thinking, complex problem-solving, creativity and innovation, collaboration). Both in K−12 schools and higher education, instructors need to adopt innovative pedagogies and assessments to support the fostering of these competencies. In this chapter, the authors report on a mixed-method study where the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) was used in a preservice teachers' assessment course designed in a teacher preparation program at one western Canadian university. The findings acknowledge that facilitating PBL is a pedagogical shift and requires instructors to revisit their pedagogical practices and assumptions in relation to student learning and teaching. The chapter concludes with three directions for future research.

Systematic Selection of Innovative Pedagogies in Teacher Education Courses and Practica

The purpose for teaching is to prepare learners for lives in the 21st century. The availability of new forms of teaching to achieve 21st century learning outcomes across learner differences benefits from tapping a systematic approach for pedagogy selection. For those working in teacher education, the chapter first summarizes issues about new pedagogies, including the perspective of the preservice teacher. A systematic approach to selecting innovative pedagogies uses seven prompts. The first three review student needs including (1) teacher knowledge of student differences, (2) learning outcomes, and (3) the realities of the school setting. A second set of prompts address teaching decisions including (4) assessment of learning outcomes, (5) the mix of teaching models and strategies, (6) the enabling features of the new pedagogies during implementation, and (7) the adjustments of teaching decisions based on the responses to the above prompts. Recommendations for best practices and research directions are provided.

Examining the Possibilities

This chapter examines the efficacy of Gameful Learning, an emerging pedagogy, as a learning and assessment strategy. The theoretical foundation supporting its use is reviewed along with an emerging research base supportive of its use. The chapter also explores lessons learned from the initial integration of Gameful Learning into one junior level teacher preparation course. Recommendations for those interested in implementing Gameful Learning are offered. The chapter concludes by offering a set of concrete recommendations for future research regarding Gameful Learning's efficacy for teacher education programs.

Applying UNESCO ICT Competency Framework to Evaluate Teachers' ICT Competence Levels in Tanzania

This chapter adopted UNESCO ICT‐Competency Framework for Teachers to investigate teachers' competence in applying ICT in the classroom environment. The study was conducted in 20 schools in Morogoro and Pwani (10 schools in each region) with a total of 91 teachers using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The study found that teachers competence levels for using ICT facilities in day-to-day activities was high but had low competence levels in ICT integration in classroom environment as curriculum and assessment, and pedagogy had low mean score compared to other elements of the UNESCO ICT-CFT domains. These findings imply that while several initiatives have been focusing towards equipping schools with ICT facilities, improving Internet access, and developing digital content, the need to ensure teachers have required competence and skills to effectively integrate ICT into classroom should be given enough priority.

Teacher, Mentor, and Teacher Education

Mentorship varies based in one's personal experience, understandings of theory related to the field, and the practice of mentorship in a given context. This chapter reviews mentor and protégé experiences over a 20-year timeframe, beginning in high school and continuing through collegiate, credentialing, teaching, graduate school, and doctoral education. The authors maintained a friendship and mentor/protégé relationship from their initial meeting through their current professional collaboration. They argue that mentorship must move beyond traditional ideas commonly associated with the term and instead include authentic experience and intellectual reflection across human ways of being or understanding within a framework of unimpeachable friendship, trust, and respect.

Experiential Learning Model for Online and F2F Programs in University Continuing Education

Online learning continues to grow throughout the world of post-secondary education. However, the actual learning experience is becoming less and less about human interaction and more and more about the development of applications (“apps”) that rely more on technology than the interaction of instructor and learner. In an effort to enhance the level of student engagement, McMaster University's Centre for Continuing Education has turned to a model of online learning that leverages the benefits of experiential learning enabling students to work on authentic industry projects. The results of this one-year pilot are presented outlining the strengths, challenges, and areas for improvement and further research. While the experiential learning model received favorable reviews from learners, several areas for improvement were noted including, improving the onboarding process for both learners and instructors, redesigning courses to accommodate experiential learning, and improving the communication between corporate partners and those involved in each course.