Ants as an Experiential Learning Strategy in Preschool Teacher Training

In this chapter, the authors present the results of a project designed for 41 preservice preschool teachers to introduce the concept of living things as an experiential learning strategy in the classroom. The need to approach this concept from a different perspective prompted the design of an education project involving the introduction of insects into classroom as a teaching resource. An informative storyline was used for project launch presentation. The questions they strive to answer in this chapter are related with what concepts of living organisms and what inquiry stages will preservice teachers consider their pupils will carry out during the project. Relevant concepts that are usually not much covered in the preschool curriculum such as the life cycles of animals were considered by 23 participants. Twenty-five of the future teachers claimed that they would be able to work on every inquiry step if they implemented this project in the classroom.

Implementation of Digital Learning Objects as Innovation in the Classroom Activities

Recent and ongoing technological advancement has resulted in omnipresence of technology everywhere. More importantly, the use of technology has become characteristic of today's education. Pedagogy as it is traditionally understood is now changing more swiftly than ever before. Scholars suggest that such shift is natural and needed because Industry 4.0 requires the type of education that anticipates and meets its demands or helps to solve its challenges. Even though technology-enhanced learning (TEL) promises positive changes, the lifetime of the smaller TEL units, namely digital learning objects (DLOs), is not necessarily a long one. In scientific discourse, there is considerable criticism towards unsustainable use of technology and innovative teachers' practices. The main research question focuses on what peculiarities and, especially barriers, occur when teachers implement DLOs and what aspects should be highlighted in teacher training programs for the adaptation to be implemented successfully.

The Use of Storytelling to Promote Literacy Skills in Biology Education

This chapter provides biology teachers with a cell division-based teaching sequence to develop the literacy skills of 10th grade students using the storytelling potential. The objectives are 1) to analyze the design process of this sequence and 2) to examine how it is implemented in two classrooms in terms of a communicative approach. The sequence design is informed by the didactical transposition approach. The authors analyze the transformation of reference knowledge, firstly, into a teaching sequence of four activities organized around authentic issues, such as cancer treatment or reproductive problems, and then, into taught knowledge. The results show that the use of storytelling in design could enhance students' scientific literacy, scientific discourse, and problem-solving competence, as it allows for their greater participation (80-90% of utterances). Interactive approaches (8/10 episodes) predominate in experts-learners discussions, improving students' view of science as a process and not as a closed set of notions.

International Teacher Education Network

This chapter presents an overview of the design and development of a research project aimed at setting the foundation of an international teacher education network to enhance teacher education from a transversal and interdisciplinary perspective. The network partnership explores the impact of applied educational technology, including digital and transmedia storytelling or augmented reality, to upgrade teacher education. This approach provides tailored training to equip lecturers, teacher trainers, pre- and in-service K-12 teachers, and students with specific competencies, skills, and strategies in instruction and assessment. This training also intends to raise their awareness of educational, social, sustainability, and environmental challenges. Within this framework, educational technology, language, and narrative genres become the articulatory axis of teaching and learning within bilingual and intercultural education contexts. This chapter also serves to define the scope and rationale for the edited volume.

Performance Assessment in Teacher Education Programs

Performance assessment has emerged as a useful measure of teacher performance and is a valuable form of assessment. The chapter elaborates on the benefits of performance assessment in pre-service teacher training and will present findings of a study which focuses on two English Language Didactics courses of a Higher Education pre-service teacher training program for potential secondary state school ELT teachers of the Republic of Cyprus. The aim of the research was to investigate the trainees' progress, potential teaching ability, and confidence via the means of their assessment. The study conducted supported a mixed method approach, where there was sequential data gathering. The initial phase involved direct observations of student teachers' performance in combination with an evaluation of the lesson plans they would follow. This process informed the second type of data collection, which was conducted via evaluation forms, where student teachers were given the opportunity to evaluate and reflect upon the assessment process.

An Assessment for Cross-Disciplinary Education Through Landscape Perception

This research aims to investigate the perception of the landscape built by South Korean immigrants in Spain and focuses on the development of landscape images in these two countries. First of all, a framework consisting of the reviewing of the current South Korean curriculum, gray literature, and function of narrative construction in the cultural landscape was carried out. This is followed by the analysis of a semi-structured interview conducted on a pilot group of 11 participants. The results of the interview were featured and categorized in various perspectives, such as categorization by key concepts of questions and by landscape perception. The analysis revealed that the participants' perception is affected by their previous experiences and that the role of traditional compulsory education did not have an impact. Thus, they suggested that the integrated educational approach using landscape would be valuable. This validates the aim of the new South Korean curriculum that introduced integrated education in 2015.

Professional Support Networks in TESOL

This chapter investigates professional development for ESOL teachers and shows the importance of building systems of support for teachers through professional support networks and sociolinguistic perspectives. It aims to raise awareness about existing professional networks for the education of bilingual educators and ESOL teachers in NY. It introduces some initiatives at a NY college that address such challenges and make NYS's various professional networks accessible to candidates. The chapter suggests that it is important for college educators and teacher trainers to get the teacher-in-training more involved in working with professionals. Growing the professional network in multimodal ways would help create a sense of community and belonging in the profession of teaching ESOL students.

The Role of Teacher Dispositions in a Global Teaching Context

Dispositions are a vital aspect to teacher preparation. Dispositions provide the holistic view to teaching future teachers that is often missing in teacher preparation programs. Commonly, the focus of training in teacher preparation programs is on pedagogical and content specific instruction. However, teacher preparation programs have a greater responsibility to further prepare candidates through dispositional development. In the 21st century, it is imperative that teachers are communicatively and culturally competent. Teacher dispositions relate directly to 21st century skills. This chapter focuses on defining dispositions, explaining their significance in teacher preparation programs and establishing how dispositional training can be employed in practical settings. Including teacher dispositions as an integral aspect of teacher preparation globally could help to establish meaningful and clear connections regarding what is truly needed for successful intercultural and international education in the 21st century.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

The structure of American public schools has altered within the past 30 years due to receiving extensive number of linguistically diverse students. The fact that culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students often experience academic failure within the U.S. public schools creates a subgroup of students who cannot achieve their educational goals. The purpose of this study is to explore ideal practices in order to enhance teachers' and policy makers' perceptions and awareness on the unique needs of CALD students. The findings of this study reveal the fact that ineffective methods for teaching CALD students and short-term goal-oriented educational policies fall short of meeting the academic needs of CALD students, and this research offers a conceptual framework that could contribute to CALD students' intellectual growth through effective and constructive language learning practices.

Gamification and Augmented Reality to Upgrade Elementary Bilingual Education Students' Health and Engagement

Sedentary life-style, obesity, and early school leaving have been identified as major causes leading to the biggest health and educational problems in developed countries. This may derive into students showing a not recommended passive role at these ages, which also leads to their lack of interest and motivation in learning and education. This chapter presents an innovation research project which aims to face sedentariness in elementary school by applying an instructional technology-based model with the use of gamification and augmented reality in a bilingual education context. The case study shows several educational advantages, including increase in physical exercise, health awareness, learning engagement, and upgrade in L2 content understanding and linguistic skills.