Authors:Gregory Hine et al. Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests developing the attention of preservice, secondary mathematics (PSMTs) teachers towards professional noticing of student thinking should feature in teacher education programs. There were two aims for this qualitative study: first, to explore the extent to which an Interview Module (IM) supported the development of PSMTs’ ability to notice and make pedagogical decisions based on student thinking evidenced in video- and paper-based work samples. A secondary aim was to establish the viability of the IM in an Australian context. Overall, PSMTs regarded their involvement in the IM as beneficial to their development as teachers. Specifically, participants outlined that the IM helped to shift their beliefs about teaching and learning, and helped promote productive teacher dispositions. Furthermore, these shifts were enabled through opportunities to engage with authentic student work, and the access they were given to new forms of responding. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:54 PDT
Authors:Jennifer L. Jolly et al. Abstract: Education policy signals the level of support or importance for high-performing or gifted and talented students to school leaders, educators, parents, and other stakeholders. These policies communicate the value or goals of departments of education. Given the importance of education policy, there remains a void in the analysis of gifted and talented education policy, which accounts for less than 1% of the empirical literature. We sought to understand how publicly available individual state and territory departments of education’s gifted and talented education policies and guidance documents coalesce with the NAGC (2019) Pre-K–Grade 12 Gifted Education Programming Standards. Although not developed for the Australian context, they provide a common index from which to gauge alignment. Results indicated an uneven approach in both policy and guidance and this imbalance exposes opportunity gaps to address the specific learning needs of this student population. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:44 PDT
Authors:Helen Adam et al. Abstract: This paper reports on a study of the children’s book preferences of 82 Preservice teachers (PSTs) at one Western Australian University. The study found PSTs preferred older books published during their own childhood or earlier. Further, representation of people of colour was limited to only 8 of 177 titles listed by PSTs. Key influences on their preferences were their personal favourite books and those used by mentor teachers during practicum experience. The outcomes of this study have implications for curriculum development and implementation of Initial Teacher Education courses, and in turn, for equitable outcomes of the future students of PSTs. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:35 PDT
Authors:Hawa Mohamed Mpate et al. Abstract: This study explores the role of the triad relationship in shaping pre-service teachers’ experience during teaching practice. The study is descriptive in nature employing a qualitative approach and data from a sample of five pre-service teachers, five college supervisors, five mentor teachers and three Heads of school. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that limited triad relationship, limited social and instructional support from mentor teachers and supervisors’ limited assessment and feedback provision, negatively impacted pre-service teachers’ learning during teaching practice. To achieve a functioning triad the paper suggests that it is important to equally engage supervisors, mentor teachers and Heads of school in formulating appropriate support practices for pre-service teachers. Such practice may include implementing a feedback process where all members of the triad come together. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:26 PDT
Authors:Sandra Herbert Abstract: Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post- lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated teachers’ collaborative efforts to assess their students’ reasoning from students’ work samples. The data included transcripts of all the reflective sessions; written work samples; and associated completed rubrics. Analysis of these data enabled identification of seven challenges teachers experienced in assessing reasoning: Limited guidance provided by curriculum documents; Teachers’ knowledge of reasoning; Teacher noticing and interpretation of student reasoning; Students’ difficulties in articulating their reasoning; Assessing progress in reasoning; Inadequacy of work samples; and Challenges in tracking and reporting student progress in reasoning. The discussion presents strategies to overcome these challenges. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:18 PDT
Authors:Jessica Premier Abstract: Many schools in Victoria, Australia, are multicultural, with students coming from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Content area teachers often educate EAL students in their classrooms, even though they may not have specialised EAL teaching qualifications. This paper presents the experiences of primary and secondary teachers working in multicultural schools in Victoria. It explores the way in which teachers meet the needs of EAL students in their classrooms, and the support that is available to assist them to do so. This paper reports that teaching practice, school leadership, professional learning, and identity, influence the way in which teachers educate EAL students. However, this paper reveals that teachers require more support to assist them with educating EAL students. The most beneficial forms of support are professional learning, collaboration between staff, and understanding different cultures. This paper also argues that experienced teachers require relevant ongoing professional learning throughout their careers. PubDate: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:40:11 PDT
Authors:Kathryn Gibbs et al. Abstract: Circumstances in today’s schools are requiring a rethinking of pedagogical approaches so that equitable learning opportunities are provided to all students. This small-scale, qualitative Australian study reports how some teachers and school leaders viewed differentiated instruction (DI) being applied in their secondary campus to address diverse abilities and needs. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted using Zoom. The analysis of data identified three themes related to DI: understandings, practices, and concerns. Findings showed that all participants understood many of the important elements of DI. Teachers reported using several well-known DI strategies, with experienced teachers applying a more considered approach. Teachers raised concerns about limited time for planning and instruction while school leaders expressed concerns about the adjustment of assessment tasks and feedback on progress to individual students. These findings provide starting points for more in-depth investigations at secondary schools. Implications linked to teacher preparation and administrative support in schools are presented. PubDate: Wed, 25 Aug 2021 21:15:47 PDT
Authors:Louise E. Jenkins et al. Abstract: The significant increase in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has created a heightened need for educators to implement teaching methods which do not rely solely on “face-to-face” learning within the same physical space. Blended Learning (BL) is one such approach, allowing for flexibility in the delivery of a class and constant access to unit materials. This paper reports on an investigation, by two Australian Pre-service Teacher (PST) educators, of their students’ understanding of BL at the beginning and end of a BL music method unit. Data were collected for three consecutive years with three separate cohorts. Findings indicated that the majority of the participants began the unit with little to no understanding of BL. This improved considerably through direct BL experience, with some exceptions. The implications for the development of flexible and responsive PST education in the current and post pandemic education environment are considered. PubDate: Wed, 25 Aug 2021 21:15:39 PDT
Authors:Melissa Cain et al. Abstract: Throughout their initial teacher education training in Australia, students are informed about the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and the necessity of gathering evidence to achieve these for teacher registration. Whilst the use of digital technologies as tools for reflection has become increasingly popular, there remains a paucity of research around the types of digital technologies that students use to document their ability to achieve accreditation requirements. This study presents details of how PebblePad, a specialised ePortfolio platform, can assist teacher education students to gain increased awareness about the 37 APST descriptors through the use of tagging. Results demonstrate that students found tagging an invaluable practice and that they recognised the importance of using this ePortfolio platform after graduation to build on their growth as educators in alignment with the APST. In this way, the study addresses a significant gap in teacher education literature in this era of accountability.
Authors:Hongming Ma et al. Abstract: Although teaching science outdoors is well established in global circles, its pedagogical value in Australia is less understood. This paper addresses this gap through its investigation of outdoor science teaching in a science method course in a teacher education program at an Australian regional university. As part of their coursework, pre-service teachers designed and delivered science lessons to primary school-aged children in small teaching groups in a wetland setting and wrote reflective essays about the experience. Data collection methods included document analysis of the essays as well as follow-up semi-structured interviews with pre-service teachers. Findings suggest that the outdoor science teaching experience improved pre-service teachers’ general science teaching skills, and significantly contributed to their capacity to teach science outdoors. Considerations regarding how teacher education curriculum and pedagogy can be reconfigured to better equip graduating teachers with the relevant science skills, knowledge and confidence are discussed.
Authors:EBRU GÜLER Abstract: The present research investigates the experiences of pre-service visual arts teachers in the planning and application phase of a course focusing on visual culture in the special teaching methods course. This course in Turkey provides information about how and with what type of methodologies arts-related topics should be taught in visual arts education. During the first semester, the course was conducted theoretically, and in the second semester the researcher focused on the application of these theories. In this research, visual culture is discussed as one of the special teaching methods of visual arts education. A total of five visual arts pre-service teachers were selected as participants using criterion sampling. The research used practitioner inquiry as a method and conducted during the 2017–2018 spring and 2018–2019 fall semesters, lasting 8 weeks in total. During the application process, the pre-service teachers taught their samples of course plans on visual culture that they created during their pre-service practice to the primary and secondary school students in 2 weeks of classes. The research data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, document review, and reflective notes and analyzed with descriptive methods. As a result of this research, the visual arts pre-service teachers saw the students gain a critical perspective, become more aware of issues in their daily lives, express themselves in a better way, and improve their inquiring skills with the application of a visual culture course plan. With the visual culture course plan, the pre-service teachers also gained several professional experiences and skills.
Authors:Hem Chand Dayal Abstract: Using lesson observations, the study reported in this article explores how two practising secondary mathematics teachers implemented formative assessment actions in their classroom teaching. The study also investigated whether teachers’ beliefs about teaching and assessment could be mapped onto their classroom practices. In particular, while the two teachers were implementing student portfolio assessment in their own Year 9 mathematics lessons, the classroom observations focused on how they utilised formative assessment actions such as clarifying and sharing learning criteria intentions and criteria for success; activating students as instructional resources; and, providing feedback that moves learners forward. The findings suggest that one of the teachers made better use of formative assessment or assessment for learning actions while the other showed an emerging understanding of such ideas. A holistic analysis of teachers’ actions point to possible links to their beliefs about teaching and assessment. These findings imply that some teachers may hold productive beliefs about teaching and assessment that support the use formative assessment actions more readily. Such productive beliefs provide a useful platform for enacting better assessments inside secondary classrooms, given that there is paucity of research that deals with how secondary teachers make use of formative assessments. The findings implicitly confirm that better use of formative assessment strategies tend to result in more interactive lessons. PubDate: Wed, 25 Aug 2021 21:15:07 PDT
Authors:Kairen Call et al. Abstract: Professional standards for teachers are being used around the globe to educate, certify, promote and regulate the ongoing professional practice and learning of teachers. In Australia, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), in part, aim to support the professional learning of teachers from the Graduate to Lead Teacher career stages. Preservice teachers have been identified as being positive about the APST, and their uptake with the standards at the Graduate level appears to be increasing over time. However, our research shows that preservice teachers are not making the connection between the APST and their professional learning. This paper will present seminal research detailing trends in preservice teacher use of the APST aligned to their professional learning within the theoretical and practical components of their study. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:54 PDT
Authors:James Deehan Abstract: Australian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has long been marred by instability, scrutiny and high academic workloads. University wide workforce changes and the proliferation of online education require ongoing consideration as these factors have the potential to both enrich ITE and exacerbate existing issues. As subsect of ITE, preservice primary science education faces unique hurdles as establish student-centred, authentic practices have historically been delivered by tenured staff in traditional face-to-face settings. This paper aims to explore online teaching practices and teaching team composition in Australian preservice primary science education via interview and survey data collected from 17 academics in a Type II case study. Results showed varied, often asynchronous approaches to online education; punctuated by elements of academic resistance. Teaching teams were increasingly dependent on sessional staff, which has resulted in complex benefits and detriments. Researchers and administrators need to work proactively to determine how both online practices should be utilised and teaching teams should be structured to deliver high quality ITE. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:47 PDT
Authors:Kasım Karataş et al. Abstract: In this study, the mediating role of readiness for self-directed learning in the relationship between pre-service teachers’ teaching-learning approach and lifelong learning skills was examined. The study group consisted of 800 pre-service teachers studying in different universities in Turkey. Data were collected with three different scales. The analysis of the data was carried out using structural equation modelling. According to the findings obtained and the results of the mediation analysis, it is clear that the readiness of self-directed learning in the relationship between constructivist teaching-learning, which is one of the learning teaching approaches, and lifelong learning tendencies has a full mediating role. However, there was no significant relationship between traditional teaching-learning approach and lifelong learning tendencies and readiness for self-directed learning. As a result, the type of learning-teaching approach affects readiness for self-directed learning and therefore lifelong learning tendencies. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:37 PDT
Authors:Maya Gunawardena et al. Abstract: Stories are used for diverse pedagogical purposes. Storytelling is a culturally inclusive and widely used pedagogical technique. However, the success of storytelling interventions in education can be dependent upon how teachers engage students to analyse experiences, and events to gain deeper insights to influence change in their thinking and behaviour. This paper firstly provides a literature review which synthesises Australian Curriculum content and outcome-based approaches used in values education in primary schools including storytelling. Secondly, it offers a novel taxonomy supported by a pedagogical model for storytelling. The proposed pedagogical model contains a constructivist process that can enable teachers to catalyse students’ thinking to reflect on their own ethical behaviour, values, and actions. Metaphorically, stories and the process of storytelling enable them to understand themselves through mirrors and others through windows. The pedagogical model explains how wisdom is obtained to influence students’ behaviour as opposed to only developing students’ understanding. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:29 PDT
Authors:Govinda I. Lingam et al. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teachers perceive their principal to be effectively exhibiting an instructional leadership role. Data for the study were collected from teachers (N=24) in a rural secondary school in Fiji using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) developed and advocated by Hallinger (1990). In addition to Likert scale items, the questionnaire included open-ended questions to gain deeper insights into teachers’ ratings of each item. Analyses of the data revealed that ratings for the principal were the highest for communicating school goals to students and protecting instructional time while supervision and evaluation of instruction were the lowest-rated items. The lack of professional preparation for an instructional leadership role and the dual role of the rural principal as school leader and teacher, which appears to compromise both roles, may together explain the scant attention paid to the instructional leadership role. These findings have implications for principals’ workload and in turn instructional leadership practices, which the Fiji Ministry of Education could re-visit to avoid compromising either the leadership or teaching role. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:19 PDT
Authors:Anne T. Galvin et al. Abstract: School-university partnerships have been developed to invigorate initial teacher education (ITE). Such partnerships potentially offer rich educational opportunities to pre-service teachers. This paper examines integrated and school-embedded approaches to ITE in the Australian context, drawing on a case study analysis of a three-year, ITE school-university-system partnership named inSITE. inSITE is explored from the perspective of the school educators directly involved in its design and delivery. Complexity science provided the theoretical framework for inSITE and signalled its principles of holism, integration and reflective practice. The factors that contributed to and inhibited school-based initial teacher education from a school’s perspective are identified. The paper concludes that, given conducive conditions, an integrated, embedded and reflective approach can address the prevailing theory-practice dualism of ITE and may offer an important third way to prepare new teachers. The challenges and opportunities for school-embedded ITE in Australia are highlighted. PubDate: Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:08 PDT
Authors:Tom Brunzell et al. Abstract: For the last 15 years, teacher wellbeing has been a priority area of exploration within education and positive psychology literatures. However, increasing teacher wellbeing for those who educate students impacted by trauma has yet to be comprehensively explored despite repeated exposure of teachers to child trauma and their experiences of associated negative effects such as secondary traumatic stress, vicarious traumatisation, compassion fatigue and burnout. This study follows teachers’ understandings and reflections upon their own wellbeing after learning the literatures supporting trauma-informed positive education. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the methodological approach to represent teachers (N = 18) in order to privilege the language, voices and experiences of participants. Results yielded a new set of domains of trauma-informed teacher wellbeing to assist teachers to increase their own wellbeing when working with students. The likely upsurge in students and teachers across the world experiencing trauma symptoms (primary and vicarious) arising from the COVID-19 global pandemic makes this research timely and relevant.
Authors:Shosh Leshem et al. Abstract: Teachers’ shortage has become a critical issue in most countries in the world. One of the solutions has been the initiation of short-term teacher education programmes which attract adult career changers who enter the programme with prior working experiences and world knowledge. However, the process of transferring previous knowledge is challenging and teachers need to navigate new horizons. The aim of the study is to identify shifts in students’ perceptions regarding the teaching profession, and what experiences prompted the shifts. The research was conducted among 15 students in a teacher education college in Israel. The analysis of interviews exposed five main themes where students displayed shifts of perceptions. The themes relate directly to the two interrelated key concepts of second career teachers and transformative learning. The synergy between the two concepts created tension, dilemmas and dissonances which generated spaces for learning and fertile ground for shifting in frame of reference. PubDate: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 19:40:42 PDT
Open Access journal
[6 journals]
