Initial teacher education

"Trainee teachers following the three-year undergraduate BEd course at the University of Wolverhampton undertake a final-year research study. This project requires each individual to investigate an aspect of teaching and learning within an early years or primary school setting.

Reflections on Research presents, in publication, a selection of these final-year projects completed by trainee teachers in 2008 and 2009.

The students themselves have looked back upon the project to critically evaluate the positive and not so positive elements of their investigation. They also considered how what they did as student teachers remains relevant to what they do now as qualified professionals working in the classroom.

See also ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project’, published by SAGE: http://bit.ly/IrLHvD, and on FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/QsLY2Q"

DIFFERENTIATION IS THE way in which the learning needs
of all pupils in a class are catered for. The National Curriculum
enshrines this when it says:
'Schools have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced
curriculum for all pupils. This statutory inclusion statement sets out three principles for developing an inclusive curriculum which provides all pupils with relevant and challenging learning.

Motivated and well-trained science and mathematics teachers are a requirement for sustaining an industrialised economy. The Australian government has funded several projects to satisfy this requirement designed to improve pre-service teacher (PST) education in regional and rural Australia. One such project uses a collaboration nexus model with lesson feedback and Reflection Module in an iterative process using a repeated sequence comprised of an Enhancement Module, a subsequent Teaching Lesson and a Reflection Module. This paper reports on qualitative investigations of the effectiveness of the collaboration nexus in the Enhancement Module and comments on the value of the iterative process. Results from small-scale trials with PSTs indicate that the module positively engages participants, PSTs, university scientists and specialist educators. The module and its iterations appear to be effective in grounding PST education in targeting regional contexts relevant to the daily lives of bo...

This paper presents the most relevant results from a national study about the availability and use of ICT in 46 Initial Teacher Education institutions in Chile, implemented during 2009 as part of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) international project “ICT in Initial Teacher Training.” Main findings show an overall favorable context for the pedagogical use of ICT in such institutions, in terms of ICT infrastructure, support, policies and teachers’ self-reported ICT related skills. In addition, teachers report a quite frequent use of some ICT resources, giving a high importance to students’ learning of ICT. However, ICT integration is limited to a few specific resources (mainly computers and projectors), mostly applied to perform “traditional” pedagogical activities. Therefore, the expectations about the improvement of teaching and learning in Teacher Education in Chile through the integration of ICT, are not been fulfilled yet. This paper can constitut...

ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results from a recently performed research on the effectiveness of different project-based strategies and practices for learning and teaching implemented in both formal and non-formal educational environment. The research methodology integrates methods and tools for parallel study of both social and educational areas of the project-based teaching-learning interaction: surveys, comparative questionnaire, focus groups, case study and experimental teacher training.

The collected data show that school projects are a welcoming and enjoyable experience for both students and teachers. They appreciate significant advantages of the approach, as compared to traditional methods and strategies. At the same time, they identify specific risks and challenges that can negatively affect their achievements, communication, satisfaction, or academic and social effectiveness. Probably, the most significant conclusion from the research is that the skills and competences for project-based teaching and learning can be effectively developed by both formal teacher training programs and project-based practices (internships).

On the basis of the performed experimental teacher training program (its results have been already implemented in the bachelor program for Pedagogy students at Sofia University), improvements were made to several project-based strategies and techniques. Specific conclusions and recommendations have been formulated regarding the possibilities to improve teacher competences and excellence through participation in school / learning projects’ development and management.

Gran parte de las transformaciones curriculares recientes en materia de formación inicial docente tienden a incrementar el peso relativo de su componente práctico. A pesar de ello, nuestra región cuenta con escasos trabajos empíricos sobre las prácticas docentes en la formación inicial. Este artículo sistematiza las investigaciones anglófonas sobre la tríada de las prácticas (compuesta por el docente en formación, el profesor de prácticas y el docente co-formador u orientador) entre 2000 y 2014. El corpus (84 artículos) se organiza en cuatro ejes temáticos: (1) el proceso de convertirse en formador de prácticas, (2) el papel formativo de los profesores de práctica y docentes orientadores, (3) la retroalimentación en las prácticas docentes y (4) los conflictos entre los miembros de la tríada. El trabajo busca contribuir con evidencia empírica a la discusión regional sobre las prácticas docentes.

Although reflective practice is now a key competency in many teacher training programs, the theoretical grounding remains problematic and the empirical approaches diverse. With the aim of advancing our understanding of the limitations of reflective practice in initial teacher training, this article draws a critical portrait of reflective practice in terms of theory, practice and methodology based on a review of the literature. We conclude by underscoring the need for a shared terminology and definition for reflective practice in initial training ...

"Between 2000-2004, a number of practising teachers in the West Midlands were awarded ‘Best Practice Research Scholarships’ from the DfES. The Scholarships allowed them to carry out practice-based research and to report on their findings.

Presented here are some of the reports which resulted. The collection is designed to exemplify some of the issues which the teacher-researchers faced, the approaches they took, and how they presented their findings. It also disseminates to a wider audience the results of their investigations and their recommendations for professional practice in schools.

See also ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project’, published by SAGE: http://bit.ly/IrLHvD, and on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/QsLY2Q"

Kvalitet u institucionalnom predškolskom vaspitanju se može graditi ako se temeljno preispituju i u skladu sa tim menjaju studijski programi inicijalnog obrazovanja stručnjaka koji neposredno rade sa decom u vrtiću. U radu se diskutuju različite mogućnosti za inicijalno obrazovanje vaspitača u Republici Srbiji kroz prikaz ukupno pedeset studijskih programa različitih po vrsti, nivou, trajanju, nazivu, sadržaju i zvanjima u okvirima koje određuju aktuelna dokumenta nacionalne obrazovne politike. Razmatra se odnos opšteg i stručnog među i unutar studijskih programa kroz dovođenje u vezu sa okvirima zvanične obrazovne politike koji omogućavaju kreiranje obrazovne putanje vaspitača na ,,dva koloseka” − akademskim i strukovnim studijama. Pokrenuto je i pitanje mogućih pravaca reforme visokih strukovnih škola u akademije strukovnih studija i njihovog značenja za dalje promene u inicijalnom obrazovanju vaspitača.

‘A Beginner’s Guide…’ is a step-by-step guide for students new to research. It covers every stage in turn, starting with learning from other research, choosing a topic, designing research questions, writing a literature review, deciding on methodology, designing research instruments, and consideration of validity and reliability; then moving to carrying out the investigation, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data and finally writing up the project. The ethical issues of doing education research are examined throughout.

Included are case studies to illustrate common problems and solutions; 14 ‘Project Sheets’ (available on this Academia page) which allow students to build up their work in stages and prepare draft text for their final written project; also key points, activities, recommended further reading and a glossary of research terms.

The book is written for undergraduate students doing education courses and Masters-level students new to research. It is relevant to students of all phases of education: early years, primary, secondary and further education, and to a range of international settings.

More information: http://bit.ly/IrLHvD
Also on Facebook at: http://on.fb.me/QFobAp (click on Like to get news feed)
More information about the author: http://bit.ly/Hk3L6h

For how many decades has teacher education struggled with the tension between theory and practice? For how many decades have pre-service teachers reported that practicum experiences are more valuable than their learning in education courses? Are these issues being recognized and addressed by teacher educators? Certainly they are challenging. Our most recent research has focused on improving the quality of professional learning in the pre-service practicum and has led us to approach such questions from the perspective of epistemology and reflective practice. The traditional epistemology of the university focuses on propositional knowledge, with little or no attention to the epistemology of learning from experience. As teacher educators, we have struggled with this issue for many years and have concluded that the theory-practice tension will not be resolved until teacher educators recognize and address the need for dual epistemologies that speak not only to the theoretical background for teaching but also to the unique nature of learning from practicum experiences. Teacher candidates need the metacognitive understanding of what it means to be a teacher and how teachers learn from experience. They deserve no less than a significant reframing of the epistemology of teacher education in order to address the unique nature of learning from experience. KEYWORDS: epistemology; reflective practice; learning from experience; metacognition 1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Drawing on a range of writing about teachers' knowledge (

The development of a classroom observation instrument for initial teacher training
This study investigates the use of a classroom observation instrument called Entypo Paratirisis Didaskalias which was developed for  the initial training of Greek prospective teachers. The Entypo Paratirisis Didaskalias is a 43 item Likert-type rating scale, assessing seven different aspects of teaching:  learning objectives, lesson design and implementation, instructional variety, questioning, instructional material and classroom climate. Results from the factor analysis of the 181 field-tested instruments during a 4-week practicum, in fall-winter semester 2006,  indicated that Entypo Paratirisis Didaskalias has sufficient construct validity, ranging from 0,45 to 0,86 and adequate degree of internal reliability, varying from 0,60 to 0,87. Thus, it can be a valuable tool for initial teacher training in the Greek education system. This study will increase our understanding of the needs of novice teachers and contribute to future research on similar topics.

This paper presents the most relevant results from a national study about the availability and use of ICT in 46 Initial Teacher Education institutions in Chile, implemented during 2009 as part of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) international project “ICT in Initial Teacher Training.” Main findings
show an overall favorable context for the pedagogical use of ICT in such institutions, in terms of ICT infrastructure, support, policies and teachers’ self-reported ICT related skills. In addition, teachers report a quite frequent use of some ICT resources, giving a high importance to students’ learning of ICT. However, ICT integration is limited to a few specific resources (mainly computers and projectors), mostly applied to perform “traditional” pedagogical activities. Therefore, the expectations about the improvement of teaching and learning in Teacher Education in Chile through the integration of ICT, are not been fulfilled yet. This paper can
constitute a significant contribution for developing more innovative and better quality pedagogical practices in this education level.

This paper presents the results of a small scale action research project in which a group of seven Year 2 undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) students experienced three interventions which were concerned with feedback on essay assignments—provision of traditional written tutor feedback; completion of a tutor feedback analysis worksheet; and an experience of peer marking, with an opportunity for re-submission of work. After each intervention students were asked to reflect on the effectiveness of the intervention. The paper presents a brief overview of recent research on the topic of assignment feedback, and the results of this project are considered in the context of this.

The purpose of the study/research is to find out the value of teaching practice in learning to teach from the student’s teachers of the University of the Western Cape and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.  It mainly targets those students doing their final year of B Ed. Foundation Phase under the Initial Teacher Education Programme.
Recently, the preparation of teachers in ITE programmes has become a particular priority within the increased global and local emphasis on quality teaching and learning in the 21st century, especially with regard to specialized areas of knowledge and how to organize relations to professional knowledge and practices. The main research question guiding the study focuses on student’s teacher’s experiences of Teaching Practice (TP) in Initial Teacher Education Programmes.
The objectives of the study centers on discovering how students teachers are prepared for their teaching practicum, identifying which teacher training components qualifies student – teachers to teach, exploring how student teachers are supported during their teaching practicum experiences in schools and investigating on which knowledge and skills are student – teachers expected to acquire or develop during their studies to qualify to teach.
The study will apply a Social Constructivism worldview where research will be conducted through a qualitative methodology. Critical Purposive sampling and random sampling procedures will be used to select the research sample, because we are targeting information rich participants and specifics within our critical cases. Data will be collected through in depth interviews and focus group discussions from all the participants. The unit of analysis is the student teachers experiences of teaching practicum and Unit of observation is the pre service program. Content and thematic analysis will be used in analyzing the research data.

Inclusive education is based on the principle that local schools should provide for all children and young people regardless of any perceived social, emotional, cultural intellectual or linguistic difference or disability. This paper identifies key concepts associated with inclusive education and discusses them in relation to issues in the reform of teacher education. It argues that the reform of teacher education for inclusive education is an important activity in improving educational equity. It presents the study design and some early findings of an innovative research and development project, the Inclusive Practice Project, based in the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

El saber docente va más allá de un conocimiento solo técnico y disciplinar, es un saber ligado a la vida y a la propia experiencia, una experiencia reconocida y re-elaborada. El autor propone convertir la formación en oportunidades para facilitar este saber. Explorar en uno mismo ayuda a reelaborar esta experiencia y a compartirla. JOSÉ CONTRERAS DOMINGO Universitat de Barcelona. El de la formación del profesorado es un oficio (como todos los oficios de la educación y, en general, todos los de la relación) que está lleno de paradojas, de contradicciones, de im/posibi-lidades, de azares y misterios, de momentos mágicos y, ¡cómo no!, también de frustraciones. Supongo que como todos los que Libro CP417.indb 60 Libro CP417.indb 60

This article examines NCATE requirements for field experiences in the context of research related to teaching, learning, and teacher education. According to NCATE, field experiences , sometimes referred to as practicum experiences, usually occur while students are taking teacher education coursework.  These occur before clinical practice, which is the final classroom experience that occurs just prior to licensure (student teaching or an internship). Field experiences provide a contextual framework to enhance the understanding of skills and concepts learned in education methods courses.  According to NCATE standards field experiences “may” occur in off-campus settings.  Some types of field experiences such as micro-teaching, videotape analysis, case studies, computer simulations, and the use of video technology can take place in on-campus settings.  While these should not be used to replace in-school field experiences they can enhance or extend them.

The paper discusses the potential of applying repertory grid techniques in response to the introduction of the 'Product and Applications' and 'Quality' programmes of study in the new national curriculum for design and technology. The paper draws upon research carried out as part of a series of pilot studies carried out in initial teacher education workshops during the past year.

This paper examines the teacher education space in Ghana, highlighting the key challenges and the way forward. The paper begins with reforms in the teacher education sector from the late 1980s, identifies the structure of the teacher education sector including quality issues that has bedeviled the field. It argues that improving teacher education and professional learning opportunities for in service and preservice teachers is a crucial step in transforming schools and improving academic achievement. By drawing on the experiences of other contexts, the paper concludes there is the need to improve teacher skills and knowledge to ensure that every teacher is able to teach increasingly diverse learners, knowledgeable about student learning, competent in complex subject matter content, and skillful at the craft of teaching.

Este estudo foi motivado pela inquietação da pesquisadora, que, após seis anos atuando como professora universitária em cursos presenciais, viu-se diante do desafio de exercer a docência também na modalidade a distância (EaD). O cerne dessa inquietação se concentrava nos desafios a serem enfrentados para que as interações estabelecidas com os estudantes por intermédio dos ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem (AVA) pudessem favorecer os processos de ensino e aprendizagem. O estudo teve como objetivo geral “averiguar a percepção de estudantes de Pedagogia na modalidade a distância a respeito do papel da afetividade nas interações estabelecidas no decorrer do curso”, e norteou-se a partir da seguinte questão de pesquisa: Como se dá a afetividade no curso de Pedagogia ministrado a distância, segundo a percepção dos discentes? Participaram da pesquisa estudantes que cursavam Pedagogia na modalidade a distância em uma universidade superior privada, de grande porte, e um professor dessa mesma instituição. Optamos pela abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa e a Psicogenética Walloniana foi a teoria escolhida para subsidiar a análise dos dados. A coleta de dados ocorreu em três etapas: (1) distribuição de questionários para estudantes de Pedagogia na modalidade EaD, resultando em 134 respostas; (2) entrevistas semiestruturadas com oito estudantes oriundos do grupo que respondeu o questionário; (3) entrevista semiestruturada com o professor. Para a análise dos dados coletados por meio do questionário, foram utilizadas técnicas de Estatística Descritiva. Para analisarmos as entrevistas, inspiramo-nos na análise de prosa, proposta por André (1983). A análise nos permitiu constatar que a afetividade esteve presente desde a escolha dos estudantes pela Pedagogia e pela EaD, continuando, no decorrer do curso, a permear os relacionamentos estabelecidos com os professores, os tutores e os colegas, e também em relação ao curso, à Universidade e a si mesmos. Dentre os sentimentos de nuances positivas que emergiram dos relatos, destacam-se: admiração, afeição, apreço, calma, entusiasmo, felicidade, gratidão, satisfação e segurança. Dentre os sentimentos de nuances negativas, que apareceram de maneira mais expressiva em relação à Universidade, destacam-se: angústia, arrependimento, decepção, frustração, insegurança e preocupação. Dentre os principais resultados, evidenciou-se que os sentimentos dos estudantes em relação aos professores guardam relação com o estilo que cada um imprime na gravação das videoaulas, o que, em alguns relatos, apareceu como fator importante para os graus de interesse e motivação pelas disciplinas. Dessa forma, quanto aos professores, podemos dizer que, no caso de nossos entrevistados, a afetividade, que ganha expressão por meio dos sentimentos, deu-se por intermédio das videoaulas. A despeito de algumas críticas, de maneira geral, os estudantes se mostraram otimistas em relação à formação recebida e ao subsídio que esta forneceu para a atuação futura como professores. A esse respeito, foram nomeados sentimentos, como: esperança, felicidade, prazer e orgulho.

Against an international policy backdrop that favours school-led initial
teacher education, this paper presents the results of a study seeking to
explore the role of the teacher mentor in the English context. Using an
online survey (n = 64) and semi-structured interviews (n = 7), the study
examined how mentors conceptualised their roles and related skills, and if perceptions varied depending on whether they supported mentees on
school-led or university-led routes, and, or, other contextual variables. In
light of preliminary findings from the survey, suggesting that views could
be affected by the particular workplace in which mentors were located,
the second (interview) phase of the research was theoretically framed by a situational and sociocultural theory of mentoring. Whilst overall the findings revealed that perceptions and reported practices continued to be influenced by structural factors identified in existent studies, they also
suggested the emergence and impact of new cultural and situational
dynamics, at school level. The authors consider the reasons for situational variations in these dynamics and the implications for future mentor development.