ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mannathoko, Magdeline C.
2013-01-01
Teacher Education involves the policies and procedures designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills they require to teach effectively. Teaching practice (TP) is an integral part in teacher education because it allows student-teachers to apply the theories into practice. Effective preparation of student-teachers in practical subjects…
Accardo, Amy L; Finnegan, Elizabeth G
2017-11-01
Students with autism spectrum disorder have been found to experience difficulty with reading comprehension despite intact decoding and word recognition. This identified need for targeted reading comprehension remediation results in a need for teachers to utilize research-based practices and to individualize instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder; however, teachers report a lack of access to such practices. This study utilized survey methodology to gather perceptions and experiences of teachers and to compare teacher preparedness to use effective instructional practices emerging from the extant research to teacher-reported effective practices in the classroom. Study findings, based on 112 participants, reveal a discrepancy between teacher-reported effective practices, and the practices identified as effective through research, indicating a research to practice gap. Implications for practice include professional development recommendations, and the need for increased communication between researchers and teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Olson, Heather
2017-01-01
The purpose of the study was to determine what student teachers perceive as an effective practice used by their cooperating teacher and school district to enhance the success of the year-long student teaching experience. In addition, the study intended to determine the differences in what student teachers perceive as effective practice based on…
Hartley, Sarah; Macfarlane, Fraser; Gantley, Madeleine; Murray, Elizabeth
1999-01-01
Objective To examine the perceived effect of teaching clinical skills and associated teacher training programmes on general practitioners' morale and clinical practice. Design Qualitative semistructured interview study. Setting General practices throughout north London. Subjects 30 general practitioners who taught clinical skills were asked about the effect of teaching and teacher training on their morale, confidence in clinical and teaching skills, and clinical practice. Results The main theme was a positive effect on morale. Within teacher training this was attributed to developing peer and professional support; improved teaching skills; and revision of clinical knowledge and skills. Within teaching this was attributed to a broadening of horizons; contact with enthusiastic students; increased time with patients; improved clinical practice; improved teaching skills; and an improved image of the practice. Problems with teaching were due to external factors such as lack of time and space and anxieties about adequacy of clinical cover while teaching. Conclusions Teaching clinical skills can have a positive effect on the morale of general practitioner teachers as a result of contact with students and peers, as long as logistic and funding issues are adequately dealt with. Key messagesThe increase in community based teaching of clinical skills requires an increase in the number of general practitioner teachersLittle evidence is available about the effect of teaching of clinical skills and teacher training on general practitioner teachers and practicesGeneral practitioner teachers reported an increase in morale, improvements in clinical skills, and changes in clinical practice and in practice infrastructure as a result of teaching and trainingGeneral practitioner teachers reported problems because of pressure on time, lack of space, problems recruiting patients, and unsupportive practice partnersPositive effects on morale and clinical practice may be important for sustainable teaching and continuing medical education PMID:10541508
Exploring Gender Roles' Effects of Turkish Women Teachers on Their Teaching Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sari, Mediha
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study is to investigate how gender roles of women teachers affect their practices in the classrooms. Participants in the study were 75 female teachers working in elementary schools in Adana, Turkey. Findings indicated that gender roles of women teachers have important effects on their educational practices. Women teachers…
Role of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation: Perceptions of Elementary Teacher Candidates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Singh, Delar K.
2017-01-01
The Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (CAEP) has established five standards to measure the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs. Clinical partnerships and practice represent "Standard 2." The CAEP requires that teacher education programs design high quality clinical practice that is central to preparation…
The Effect of Teachers' Social Networks on Teaching Practices and Class Composition
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Chong Min
2011-01-01
Central to this dissertation was an examination of the role teachers' social networks play in schools as living organizations through three studies. The first study investigated the impact of teachers' social networks on teaching practices. Recent evidence suggests that teachers' social networks have a significant effect on teachers' norms,…
Effects of Professional Development on Preschool Teachers' Use of Embedded Instruction Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Snyder, Patricia; Hemmeter, Mary Louise; McLean, Mary; Sandall, Susan; McLaughlin, Tara; Algina, James
2018-01-01
We conducted a randomized controlled potential efficacy trial to examine effects of two variants of the Tools for Teachers (TfT) professional development (PD) intervention on preschool teachers' implementation of embedded instruction practices and children's developmental and learning outcomes. Thirty-six preschool teachers recruited from three…
Teaching Practices in Grade 5 Mathematics Classrooms with High-Achieving English Learner Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Merritt, Eileen G.; Palacios, Natalia; Banse, Holland; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.; Leis, Micela
2017-01-01
Teachers need more clarity about effective teaching practices as they strive to help their low-achieving students understand mathematics. Our study describes the instructional practices used by two teachers who, by value-added metrics, would be considered "highly effective teachers" in classrooms with a majority of students who were…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McNeill, Katherine L.; Krajcik, Joseph
2008-01-01
Teacher practices are essential for supporting students in scientific inquiry practices, such as the construction of scientific explanations. In this study, we examine what instructional practices teachers engage in when they introduce scientific explanation and whether these practices influence students' ability to construct scientific…
Description and effects of sequential behavior practice in teacher education.
Sharpe, T; Lounsbery, M; Bahls, V
1997-09-01
This study examined the effects of a sequential behavior feedback protocol on the practice-teaching experiences of undergraduate teacher trainees. The performance competencies of teacher trainees were analyzed using an alternative opportunities for appropriate action measure. Data support the added utility of sequential (Sharpe, 1997a, 1997b) behavior analysis information in systematic observation approaches to teacher education. One field-based undergraduate practicum using sequential behavior (i.e., field systems analysis) principles was monitored. Summarized are the key elements of the (a) classroom instruction provided as a precursor to the practice teaching experience, (b) practice teaching experience, and (c) field systems observation tool used for evaluation and feedback, including multiple-baseline data (N = 4) to support this approach to teacher education. Results point to (a) the strong relationship between sequential behavior feedback and the positive change in four preservice teachers' day-to-day teaching practices in challenging situational contexts, and (b) the relationship between changes in teacher practices and positive changes in the behavioral practices of gymnasium pupils. Sequential behavior feedback was also socially validated by the undergraduate participants and Professional Development School teacher supervisors in the study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skinner, Barbara; Abbott, Lesley
2013-01-01
This study reports the impact of different cultural values on the teacher education of Chinese teacher trainees. By examining their perceptions of the effectiveness of teaching practice feedback, the study uses Hofstede's dimension of "individualism" (IDV) to explore the "culture bumps" which may occur between teacher educators…
Student Teachers' Management Practices in Elementary Classrooms: A Qualitative Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hildenbrand, Susan M.; Arndt, Katrina
2016-01-01
This qualitative study of four student teachers completing certification in elementary and special education investigated the classroom management practices of the student teachers. This is an important area of study because management practices are essential for an effective classroom, and student teachers often lack confidence and skill in the…
Do Career Goals Promote Continuous Learning among Practicing Teachers?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ng, Chi-Hung
2010-01-01
Practicing teachers often engage in continuous professional learning with certain career considerations. Based on achievement goal theory, this study explored the effects of career goals on teacher's learning using a sample of practicing teachers in Hong Kong. Two forms of career goals were assessed using a questionnaire. Professional learning…
Pedagogical Reasoning and Action: Affordances of Practice-Based Teacher Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pella, Shannon
2015-01-01
A common theme has been consistently woven through the literature on teacher professional development: that practice-based designs and collaboration are two components of effective teacher learning models. In addition to collaboration and practice-based designs, inquiry cycles have been long recognized as catalysts for teacher professional…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kyte, Darlene
2016-01-01
This paper examines the effects of mindfulness practice through "pranayama," hatha yoga, and meditation on practicing teachers in an inner city school to determine if practices of this nature could contribute to sustainable sense of self, sustainable happiness, and well-being for practicing teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore,…
Assessing the Pre-Service Clinical Practice Experiences of Practicing Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Meyer, Steve
2016-01-01
Recent emphasis on teacher effectiveness and accountability has led the education policy, research, and practitioner communities to take a closer look at the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs, motivated in large part by concerns about program quality. Several national- and state-level studies have found new teachers to be underprepared…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Desimone, Laura M.; Porter, Andrew C.; Garet, Michael S.; Yoon, Kwang Suk; Birman, Beatrice F.
2002-01-01
Examined the effects of professional development on teachers' instruction using a purposeful sample of about 207 teachers across 5 states for 1996-1999. Professional development focused on specific instructional practices increased teachers' use of those practices in the classroom, and specific features, such as active learning opportunities,…
Walking the Talk in Initial Teacher Education: Making Teacher Educator Modeling Effective
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hogg, Linda; Yates, Anne
2013-01-01
This self-study investigated student teachers' perceptions of teacher educators modeling practices within a large lecture class in an initial teacher education program. It also studied factors that affected student teachers' developing ideas and practice. Phase 1 collected data from student teachers through focus group interviews and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ekici, Didem Inel
2017-01-01
This empirical study attempted to investigate the effect of using online communities of practice in teacher education on pre-service teachers' critical thinking dispositions. California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and the comments posted to the online community of practice were used as the data collection tools. Results showed that…
Cheerleading and Cynicism of Effective Mentoring in Current Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Crutcher, Paul A.; Naseem, Samina
2016-01-01
This article presents the results of a review of current empirical research of effective practices in teacher mentoring. Compiling literature published since 2000 in peer-reviewed journals, we examine arguments for mentoring practices to improve teacher candidate and novice teacher experiences and skills. The emergent "effective"…
Teachers' Perceptions of Their Own Instructional Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Satterwhite, Zarinaha N.
2013-01-01
The focus on measuring student growth based on teacher effectiveness has presented new challenges for an urban school in Massachusetts. The purpose of this general interpretive qualitative study was to examine the instructional practices of a group of middle school teachers, the practices they perceived to be effective for ensuring student…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ogunkola, Babalola J.; Archer-Bradshaw, Ramona E.
2013-02-01
This study investigated the self-reported instructional assessment practices of a selected sample of secondary school science teachers in Barbados. The study sought to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the instructional assessment practices of teachers based on their sex and teacher quality (teaching experience, professional qualification and teacher academic qualification). It also sought to determine the extent to which each of these four selected variables individually and jointly affected the teachers' report of their instructional assessment practices. A sample of 55 science teachers from nine secondary schools in Barbados was randomly selected to participate in this study. Data was collected by means of a survey and was analyzed using the means and standard deviations of the instructional assessment practices scores and linear, multiple and binary logistic regression. The results of the study were such that the majority of the sample reported good overall instructional assessment practices while only a few participants reported moderate assessment practices. The instructional assessment practices in the area of student knowledge were mostly moderate as indicated by the sample. There were no statistically significant differences between or among the mean scores of the teachers' reported instructional assessment practices based on sex ( t = 0.10; df = 53; p = 0.992), teaching experience ( F[4,50] = 1.766; p = 0.150), the level of professional qualification (F[3,45] = 0.2117; p = 0.111) or the level of academic qualification (F[2,52] = 0.504; p = 0.607). The independent variables (teacher sex, teaching experience, teacher professional qualification or teacher academic qualification) were not significant predictors of the instructional assessment practices scores. However, teacher sex was a significant predictor of the teachers' report of good instructional assessment practices. The study also found that the joint effect of the variables teacher sex, teaching experience, teacher professional qualification and teacher academic qualification was not significant in predicting the instructional assessment practices scores of the science teachers. However, the joint effect of these variables was statistically significant ( X 2 = 18.482; df = 10; p = 0.047) in predicting the teachers' reported use of good instructional assessment practices. The best predictor of teachers' report of good instructional assessment practices, though not statistically significant, was the diploma in education professional qualification.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Truong, Vi; Hodgetts, Sandra
2017-01-01
Many occupational therapists work in school-based practice, where collaborative consultation between teachers and therapists is critical for intervention effectiveness. This scoping review explores teacher perceptions toward occupational therapy (OT). Three themes emerged: (1) teachers' confusion over the OT role and scope of practice; (2)…
Fidelity Assessment to Improve Teacher Instruction and School Decision Making
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKenna, John William; Parenti, Melissa
2017-01-01
Teachers must provide high-quality instruction based on evidence-based practices to provide students meaningful opportunities to learn and to improve school outcomes. Although teachers have access to a variety of resources on evidence-based practices, poor implementation may limit the effectiveness of teacher practices, as indicated by low levels…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blazar, David; Kraft, Matthew A.
2015-01-01
Although previous research has shown that teacher coaching can improve teaching practices and student achievement, little is known about specific features of effective coaching programs. We estimate the impact of MATCH Teacher Coaching (MTC) on a range of teacher practices using a blocked randomized trial and explore how changes in the coaching…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schwarz, Christina V.; Gunckel, Kristin L.; Smith, Ed L.; Covitt, Beth A.; Bae, Minjung; Enfield, Mark; Tsurusaki, Blakely K.
2008-01-01
Curriculum analysis, modification, and enactment are core components of teacher practice. Beginning teachers rely heavily on curriculum materials that are often of poor quality to guide their practice. As a result, we argue that preservice teachers need to learn how to use curriculum materials for effective teaching. To address this concern, the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Masters, Jessica; Magidin de Kramer, Raquel; O'Dwyer, Laura; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael
2012-01-01
Improving teacher quality is arguably the most effective way to improve student achievement. Online professional development (OPD) has great potential to improve teacher quality. There is a dearth of scientific research, however, on whether changes in teachers' knowledge and instructional practices resulting from OPD are linked to changes in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Seamster, Christina Lambert
2016-01-01
According to Molnar (2014), full time virtual school education lacks a measurement tool that accurately measures effective virtual teacher practice. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the current study sought to understand the common practices among full time K-8 virtual school teachers, the extent to which teachers believed such…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Abrahams, Ian; Reiss, Michael J.; Sharpe, Rachael
2014-09-01
Background:Despite the widespread use of practical work in school it has been recognised that more needs to be done to improve its effectiveness in developing conceptual understanding. The 'Getting Practical' CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme was designed to contribute towards an improvement in the effectiveness of practical work through initiating changes in teachers' predominantly 'hands-on' approach to practical work to one which manifests a more equitable balance between 'hands-on' and 'minds-on'. Purpose:To evaluate the impact of the Getting Practical: Improving Practical Work in Science CPD programme on teachers' ideas and practice in science practical work in primary and secondary schools in England. Programme description:The CPD programme was designed to improve the effectiveness of science practical work in developing conceptual understanding in primary and secondary schools in England. Sample:Ten teachers of primary science and 20 secondary science teachers. Design and methods:The study employed a condensed fieldwork strategy with data collected using interviews, observational field notes and pre- and post-CPD training observations in practical lessons within 30 schools. Results:Whilst the CPD programme was effective in getting teachers to reflect on the ideas associated with the Getting Practical programme, it was much less effective in bringing about changes in actual teaching practice.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wydo, Daniel A.
2016-01-01
This study examined the effects of the recently implemented North Carolina Educator Evaluator System (NCEES) on teaching practices and teacher leadership in a mostly rural county in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. NCEES is designed to improve teaching practices and teacher leadership through performance-based standards. This…
Arcan, Chrisa; Hannan, Peter J; Himes, John H; Fulkerson, Jayne A; Rock, Bonnie Holy; Smyth, Mary; Story, Mary
2013-08-01
Prevalence of obesity among American Indian children is higher than the general US population. The school environment and teachers play important roles in helping students develop healthy eating habits. The aim of this prospective study was to examine teachers' classroom and school food practices and beliefs and the effect of teacher training on these practices and beliefs. Data were used from the Bright Start study, a group-randomized, school-based trial that took place on the Pine Ridge American Indian reservation (fall 2005 to spring 2008). Kindergarten and first-grade teachers (n=75) from 14 schools completed a survey at the beginning and end of the school year. Thirty-seven survey items were evaluated using mixed-model analysis of variance to examine the intervention effect for each teacher-practice and belief item (adjusting for teacher type and school as random effect). At baseline, some teachers reported classroom and school food practices and beliefs that supported health and some that did not. The intervention was significantly associated with lower classroom use of candy as a treat (P=0.0005) and fast-food rewards (P=0.008); more intervention teachers disagreed that fast food should be offered as school lunch alternatives (P=0.019), that it would be acceptable to sell unhealthy foods as part of school fundraising (P=0.006), and that it would not make sense to limit students' food choices in school (P=0.035). School-based interventions involving teacher training can result in positive changes in teachers' classroom food practices and beliefs about the influence of the school food environment in schools serving American Indian children on reservations. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reddy, Linda A.; Dudek, Christopher M.
2014-01-01
In the era of teacher evaluation and effectiveness, assessment tools that identify and monitor educators' instruction and behavioral management practices are in high demand. The Classroom Strategies Scale (CSS) Observer Form is a multidimensional teacher progress monitoring tool designed to assess teachers' usage of instructional and behavioral…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rushton, Gregory T.; Lotter, Christine; Singer, Jonathan
2011-02-01
This study investigates the beliefs and practices of seven high school chemistry teachers as a result of their participation in a year-long inquiry professional development (PD) project. An analysis of oral interviews, written reflections, and in-class observations were used to determine the extent to which the PD affected the teachers' beliefs and practice. The data indicated that the teachers developed more complete conceptions of classroom inquiry, valued a "phenomena first" approach to scientific investigations, and viewed inquiry approaches as helpful for facilitating improved student thinking. Analysis of classroom observations with the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol indicated that features of the PD were observed in the teachers' practice during the academic year follow-up. Implications for effective science teacher professional development models are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuh, Lisa P.
2016-01-01
Reflective practice has potentially positive effects on an organization's capacity to focus on student learning and teaching practices. In an effort to comply with policy and provide teachers with opportunities to reflect on their practice, districts, schools, and teachers have turned to various models that feature collaborative experiences. One…
Parikh, Divya Sinha; Totañes, Francis I G; Tuliao, Alex H; Ciro, Raezelle N T; Macatangay, Bernard J C; Belizario, Vicente Y
2013-09-01
We determined the attitudes toward and practices regarding soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) control among parents and school teachers to identify reasons behind attitudes and practices that do not promote STH control. Written knowledge, attitudes and practices surveys were distributed to parents (N = 531) and teachers (N = 105) of students at 11 elementary schools in Guimaras Province, the Philippines. The survey addressed attitudes about mass drug administration (MDA), knowledge about STH control, hygienic practices, and acceptability of distributing deworming tablets among teachers. More than 90% of parents and teachers held favorable attitudes towards MDA. Sixty-nine percent of parents and 75.5% of teachers believed stool exams were necessary before MDA. Thirty-seven percent of parents stated they would not allow teachers to administer deworming tablets and 91.5% of parents feared teachers would not detect side effects of the medication. Forty-eight percent of teachers felt they could safely give deworming tablets and 81.4% of teachers were afraid of managing the side effects of deworming tablets. Forty-seven point eight percent of parents and 42.2% of teachers stated defecation in the open occured in their community. Although attitudes toward STH control were largely favorable, misconceptions about the MDA strategy, lack of support for teachers giving deworming tablets, and the practice of open defecation still exist as barriers to STH control efforts. The next step to achieve effective STH control will be to clarify misconceptions in education campaigns, to train teachers about medication administration, campaign to improve sanitation and hygiene and begin targeted mass treatment in Guimaras, the Philippines.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kinghorn, Brian Edward
2013-01-01
Subject-specific content knowledge is crucial for effective science teaching, yet many teachers are entering the field not fully equipped with all the science content knowledge they need to effectively teach the subject. Learning from practice is one approach to bridging the gap between what practicing teachers know and what they need to know.…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mann, Deborah; Hinds, Janet L.
2007-01-01
The purpose of this case study was to determine the effects of Reuven Feuerstein's ten Mediated Learning Strategies on both teacher practice and on students that were at risk of academic failure. Changes in both teacher practice and student learning were analyzed to determine changes during the use of the ten Mediated Learning Strategies: Meaning,…
Effects of Training and Feedback on Teachers' Use of Classroom Preventive Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Artman-Meeker, Kathleen M.; Hemmeter, Mary Louise
2013-01-01
This study examined the effects of in-service training with performance feedback on preschool teachers' use of classroom preventive practices. Three practices designed to prevent challenging behavior were selected: transition preparations, rule reminders, and social-emotional teaching strategies. Following a brief training on each practice,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bourke, Roseanna
2006-01-01
When teachers participate in professional development and learning opportunities it enables them to reconceptualise their assessment and teaching practices with the support of facilitators and researchers. National programmes of professional development and research, such as the three year Enhancing Effective Practice in Special Education (EEPiSE)…
Developing Mentors: An Analysis of Shared Mentoring Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bower-Phipps, Laura; Klecka, Cari Van Senus; Sature, Amanda L.
2016-01-01
Understanding how experienced teachers share and articulate effective mentoring practices can guide efforts to prepare quality mentors. This qualitative study focused on mentoring practices within a teacher-designed student-teaching program conceptualized while the mentor teachers within the program were students in a graduate-level mentoring…
Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pawan, Faridah; Wiechart, Kelly A.; Warren, Amber N.; Park, Jaehan
2016-01-01
Pedagogy--not technology--drives effective online instruction. The authors of "Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education" discuss foundational theories of pedagogy and link those theories with their own practices in online courses for language teacher education and language teaching. This book discusses and…
Desirable Attributes and Practices for Mentees: Mentor Teachers' Expectations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hudson, Peter
2013-01-01
Research indicates attributes and practices for mentor teachers that can be used for effective mentoring. Universities provide guidelines for preservice teacher (mentee) engagement in schools generally from anecdotal evidence, however, what are desirable attributes and practices for mentees? This qualitative study gathers data from 25 mentor…
Using In-Service and Coaching to Increase Teachers' Accurate Use of Research-Based Strategies
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kretlow, Allison G.; Cooke, Nancy L.; Wood, Charles L.
2012-01-01
Increasing the accurate use of research-based practices in classrooms is a critical issue. Professional development is one of the most practical ways to provide practicing teachers with training related to research-based practices. This study examined the effects of in-service plus follow-up coaching on first grade teachers' accurate delivery of…
Beginning Teacher Induction in Secondary Schools: A Best Practice Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kearney, Sean
2017-01-01
Beginning teacher induction is becoming an increasingly popular process in acculturating teachers to their new careers. The problems that teachers face early in their careers are well known, and effective and ongoing induction is one of the foremost practices for alleviating the pressures that teachers face early in their careers. While induction…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sabel, Jaime L.; Forbes, Cory T.; Zangori, Laura
2015-06-01
To support elementary students' learning of core, standards-based life science concepts highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards, prospective elementary teachers should develop an understanding of life science concepts and learn to apply their content knowledge in instructional practice to craft elementary science learning environments grounded in students' thinking. To do so, teachers must learn to use high-leverage instructional practices, such as formative assessment, to engage students in scientific practices and connect instruction to students' ideas. However, teachers may not understand formative assessment or possess sufficient science content knowledge to effectively engage in related instructional practices. To address these needs, we developed and conducted research within an innovative course for preservice elementary teachers built upon two pillars—life science concepts and formative assessment. An embedded mixed methods study was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on preservice teachers' (n = 49) content knowledge and ability to engage in formative assessment practices for science. Findings showed that increased life content knowledge over the semester helped preservice teachers engage more productively in anticipating and evaluating students' ideas, but not in identifying effective instructional strategies to respond to those ideas.
Characteristics of effective professional development for early career science teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Simon, Shirley; Campbell, Sandra; Johnson, Sally; Stylianidou, Fani
2011-04-01
The research reported here set out to investigate the features in schools and science departments that were seen as effective in contributing to the continuing professional development (CPD) of early career science teachers. Ten schools took part in the study, selected on the basis of their reputation for having effective CPD practices. To gain different perspectives from within the organisations we conducted interviews with senior members of staff, heads of science departments and early career teachers. A thematic analysis of the interviews is presented, drawing on findings from across the 10 schools, and exemplified in more detail by a vignette to show specific features of effective CPD practice. The study has revealed a wealth of practice across the 10 schools, which included a focus on broadening experience beyond the classroom, having an open, sharing, non-threatening culture and systemic procedures for mentoring and support that involved ring-fenced budgets. The schools also deployed staff judiciously in critical roles that model practice and motivate early career science teachers. Early career teachers were concerned primarily with their overall development as teachers, though some science specific examples such as observing practical work and sessions to address subject knowledge were seen as important.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Daniels, Lia M.; Radil, Amanda; Wagner, Amanda K.
2016-01-01
During their education, preservice teachers begin to assume professional responsibilities and gain pedagogical knowledge. However, the question remains whether preservice teachers intend to use instructional practices that are effective in meeting their assumed responsibilities. Thus, we examined the concordance between preservice teachers'…
Abry, Tashia; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E; Larsen, Ross A; Brewer, Alexis J
2013-08-01
This study examined the direct and indirect effects between training in the Responsive Classroom® (RC) approach, teachers' uptake of RC practices, and teacher-student interaction quality, using a structural equation modeling framework. A total of 24 schools were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. Third- and fourth-grade teachers in treatment schools (n=132) received training in the RC approach, whereas teachers in control schools (n=107) continued "business as usual." Observers rated teachers' fidelity of implementation (FOI) of RC practices 5 times throughout the year using the Classroom Practices Observation Measure. In addition, teachers completed self-report measures of FOI, the Classroom Practices Teacher Survey and Classroom Practices Frequency Survey, at the end of the school year. Teacher-student interactions were rated during classroom observations using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System. Controlling for teachers' grade level and teacher-student interaction quality at pretest, RC training was expected to predict posttest teacher-student interaction quality directly and indirectly through FOI. Results supported only a significant indirect effect, β=0.85, p=.002. Specifically, RC teachers had higher levels of FOI of RC practices, β=1.62, p<.001, R2=.69. In turn, FOI related to greater improvement in teacher-student interaction quality, β=0.52, p=.001, R2=.32. Discussion highlights factors contributing to variability in FOI and school administrators roles in supporting FOI. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
When Teachers Reflect: Journeys toward Effective, Inclusive Practice.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tertell, Elizabeth A., Ed.; Klein, Susan M., Ed.; Jewett, Janet L., Ed.
On the premise that hearing other preschool teachers talk about their challenges in creating inclusive settings is a powerful impetus to reflect about one's own teaching practice, this book contains personal narratives by 18 teachers about their journeys toward inclusive, developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education. The…
Rosário, Pedro; Núñez, José C.; Vallejo, Guillermo; Cunha, Jennifer; Nunes, Tânia; Suárez, Natalia; Fuentes, Sonia; Moreira, Tânia
2015-01-01
This study analyzed the effects of five types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework completion; answering questions about homework; checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) used in class by 26 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using a randomized-group design. Once a week, for 6 weeks, the EFL teachers used a particular type of homework follow-up practice they had previously been assigned to. At the end of the 6 weeks students completed an EFL exam as an outcome measure. The results showed that three types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) had a positive impact on students' performance, thus highlighting the role of EFL teachers in the homework process. The effect of EFL teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' performance was affected by students' prior knowledge, but not by the number of homework follow-up sessions. PMID:26528204
Rosário, Pedro; Núñez, José C; Vallejo, Guillermo; Cunha, Jennifer; Nunes, Tânia; Suárez, Natalia; Fuentes, Sonia; Moreira, Tânia
2015-01-01
This study analyzed the effects of five types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework completion; answering questions about homework; checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) used in class by 26 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using a randomized-group design. Once a week, for 6 weeks, the EFL teachers used a particular type of homework follow-up practice they had previously been assigned to. At the end of the 6 weeks students completed an EFL exam as an outcome measure. The results showed that three types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) had a positive impact on students' performance, thus highlighting the role of EFL teachers in the homework process. The effect of EFL teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' performance was affected by students' prior knowledge, but not by the number of homework follow-up sessions.
Theoretical, Practical and Personal Domains in the Curriculum of Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ingram, James B.
1974-01-01
This survey of teacher trainers in Rhodesia considers their intentions in teaching with respect to three domains of teacher education -- theoretical, practical, and personal. The study assumes that the effectiveness of a curriculum is ultimately dependent on the intentions of its teachers. (JH)
Analyzing the Online Environment: How Are More Effective Teachers Spending Their Time?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barrentine, Scott Davis
Teaching at an online school is so different from classroom teaching that traditional training includes few of the skills necessary to be a successful online teacher. New teachers to an online environment face a steep learning curve in how they'll use the instructional technology, prioritize their time, and establish relationships with their students. The literature has advice for these teachers about effective online practices, but there has been little research to establish which strategies are most effective in motivating students. This pre-experimental study, conducted at an online 6th-12th grade hybrid school, investigated the practices used more often by the most effective teachers. Teacher effectiveness was measured by the number of assignments their students had not completed on time. Recognizing that the effectiveness of different practices will vary from student to student, the research analysis included two covariates, measured by surveys: the academic identity and motivational resilience of the students, and the students' self-reported preferences for motivational strategies. More effective teachers were found to make videos more frequently, both of the teacher for motivational purposes and recorded by the teacher to help students move through the curriculum. Quick grading turnaround and updating a blog were also more common with all effective teachers. Distinct differences between middle and high school students came out during data analysis, which then became a major point of study: according to the data, more effective middle school teachers emphasized individual contact with students, but the less effective high school teachers spent more time on individualized contact. The surveys used in this study could be modified and implemented at any online school to help teachers discover and then prioritize the most effective strategies for keeping students engaged.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cooper, Paul
2011-01-01
In this paper some key practice and policy implications emerging from a review of literature on effective teacher strategies for social, emotional and behavioural difficulties are set out. Particular attention is given to implications in relation to the development of teachers' skills.
A Brief Review of Effective Teaching Practices That Maximize Student Engagement
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harbour, Kristin E.; Evanovich, Lauren L.; Sweigart, Chris A.; Hughes, Lindsay E.
2015-01-01
What teachers do and how students perform intersect, making teachers a critical factor for determining student success. When teachers use effective practices, they maximize the probability that students will be actively engaged in instruction. Student engagement is one of the most well-established predictors of achievement; when students are more…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skourdoumbis, Andrew
2017-01-01
This paper engages with an overt policy storyline, namely that the effective classroom teaching practice(s) of quality teachers not only corrects for but overcomes post-Fordist capital insecurities. Increasingly considered the sole and only solid foundations needed to enhance student achievement as preparation for twenty-first century economic…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hsu, Pei-Ling
2016-01-01
The high attrition rate of new science teachers demonstrates the urgent need to incorporate effective practices in teacher preparation programs to better equip preservice science teachers. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate a way to enrich preservice science teachers' preparation by incorporating informal science teaching practice into…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Kramer, Raquel Magidin; Masters, Jessica; O'Dwyer, Laura M.; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael
2012-01-01
Online professional development (OPD) has potential to improve teacher quality by improving teachers' knowledge and instructional practices. These changes, in turn, have potential to improve student achievement. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of scientific research on the effects of OPD on teachers and, more importantly, on students. This…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boesdorfer, Sarah B.; Staude, Kristin D.
2016-01-01
Effective professional development that influences teachers' classroom practices starts with what teachers know, understand, and do in their classroom. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) challenge teachers to make changes to their classroom; to help teachers make these changes, it is necessary to know what they are doing in their…
Pedagogical Practices of NetNZ Teachers for Supporting Online Distance Learners
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lai, Kwok-Wing
2017-01-01
A supportive online learning environment entails teachers using effective pedagogical practices to meet the needs of their students and developing a positive teacher-student relationship to foster learner motivation and engagement. This paper reports a study investigating how 32 secondary teachers in New Zealand taught their online distance…
Improving Teacher Practices Using Microteaching: Planful Video Recording and Constructive Feedback
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ostrosky, Michaelene M.; Mouzourou, Chryso; Danner, Natalie; Zaghlawan, Hasan Y.
2013-01-01
When teacher preparation is disconnected from classroom practice, preservice teachers are left to try to make this connection without the guidance and support of skilled mentors. Practicum or field experiences are essential for effective personnel preparation. Practicum experiences can provide situated learning for preservice teachers to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pedder, David; Opfer, V. Darleen
2013-01-01
Through its positive influence on teachers' classroom practices and their students' learning, effective professional learning of teachers is an important condition for school improvement. However, the Teaching and Learning International Survey reports that teachers' professional development in most countries falls short of meeting the needs of…
Supporting students in practice: leadership.
Barry, Debbie; Houghton, Trish; Warburton, Tyler
2016-09-21
This article, the tenth in a series of 11, discusses the importance of effective leadership in nursing and how it can enhance the provision of high quality care. Recent findings regarding suboptimal care practices in nursing have demonstrated the need for effective leadership in healthcare settings. Mentors and practice teachers are required to demonstrate leadership as part of their nursing role and their role in facilitating student learning. In addition, mentors and practice teachers are responsible for developing effective leadership skills in students, who will be expected to demonstrate these skills when they become registered nurses or midwives. Guidance for mentors and practice teachers is provided in relation to the eighth domain and outcomes of the Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on leadership.
What Is "Good" Teaching? Teacher Beliefs and Practices about Their Teaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Devine, Dympna; Fahie, Declan; McGillicuddy, Deirdre
2013-01-01
There has been increasing attention on teacher "quality" and effectiveness internationally. There is, however, little research documenting experienced teachers' classroom practices and their beliefs on why they teach the way they do. Drawing on a mixed methodological study of practices and beliefs across 12 primary and secondary schools,…
Teacher Reflective Practice in Jesuit High Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Klug, Joseph H.
2010-01-01
Teachers who engage in reflective practice are more effective and may encourage higher student achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the methods that teachers use in order to engage in reflective practice. Further, it is essential to gain an understanding of how schools, including Jesuit high schools, promote reflective…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chowdhary, Bhawna; Liu, Xiufeng; Yerrick, Randy; Smith, Erica; Grant, Brooke
2014-01-01
The current literature relates to how teachers develop knowledge and practice of science inquiry, but little has been reported on how teachers develop interdisciplinary science inquiry (ISI) knowledge and practice. This study examines the effect of university research experiences, ongoing professional development, and in-school support on…
Teacher Turnover, Teacher Quality, and Student Achievement in DCPS
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Adnot, Melinda; Dee, Thomas; Katz, Veronica; Wyckoff, James
2017-01-01
In practice, teacher turnover appears to have negative effects on school quality as measured by student performance. However, some simulations suggest that turnover can instead have large positive effects under a policy regime in which low-performing teachers can be accurately identified and replaced with more effective teachers. This study…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mikeska, Jamie N.; Shattuck, Tamara; Holtzman, Steven; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Duchesneau, Nancy; Qi, Yi; Stickler, Leslie
2017-12-01
In order to create conditions for students' meaningful and rigorous intellectual engagement in science classrooms, it is critically important to help science teachers learn which strategies and approaches can be used best to develop students' scientific literacy. Better understanding how science teachers' instructional practices relate to student achievement can provide teachers with beneficial information about how to best engage their students in meaningful science learning. To address this need, this study examined the instructional practices that 99 secondary biology teachers used in their classrooms and employed regression to determine which instructional practices are predictive of students' science achievement. Results revealed that the secondary science teachers who had well-managed classroom environments and who provided opportunities for their students to engage in student-directed investigation-related experiences were more likely to have increased student outcomes, as determined by teachers' value-added measures. These findings suggest that attending to both generic and subject-specific aspects of science teachers' instructional practice is important for understanding the underlying mechanisms that result in more effective science instruction in secondary classrooms. Implications about the use of these observational measures within teacher evaluation systems are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Insook
2016-01-01
This paper describes how improving a teacher's content knowledge changes his teaching practices and its subsequent effects on student learning during a middle school volleyball instructional unit. The study was designed to challenge teacher educators' thinking about the importance of in-depth content knowledge for effective teaching by…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clarke, Barbara; Faragher, Rhonda
2015-01-01
The practices of effective primary school teachers including students with Down syndrome in their mathematics classes are largely unexplored and many teachers feel unprepared to teach students with intellectual disabilities. A study with cohorts in Victoria and the ACT is underway and here we report a subset of findings concerning the support…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Masters, Jessica; de Kramer, Raquel Magidin; O'Dwyer, Laura M.; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael
2010-01-01
Online professional development (OPD) has great potential to improve teacher quality by improving teachers' knowledge and instructional practices, with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement. There is a dearth of scientific research, however, on the effects of OPD. This article presents the results of a randomized control trial…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuyini, Ahmed Bawa; Desai, Ishwar
2007-01-01
Surveys and observations were undertaken in selected primary schools in Ghana to determine whether principals' and teachers' attitudes towards and knowledge of inclusive education, as well as principals' expectations of teachers in implementing inclusion, were predictors of effective teaching practices in their classrooms. The sample of 128…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Erdogan, Ibrahim
The purposes of the study were: (1) to examine the effectiveness of the Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program (ICPDP) in moving elementary science teachers toward the use of more constructive teaching practices and (2) to investigate the effectiveness of different levels of teaching practices, especially in terms of a sample of teachers achieving "expert" state at the end of program compared with some attaining only with "competent" level. The variables considered were their perceptions of their own classroom practices, stated philosophy of teaching and learning, and their actual classroom practices and question asking behaviors observed via videotape recording. Structured questionnaires, focus group interviews, teacher reflections, and examination of lesson modules were used to collect data from thirty-three K-5 in-service teachers who were involved in a one-year ICPDP. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of data revealed that: (1) Teacher perceptions regarding their teaching and learning, and their actual teaching practices in classroom in terms of constructivist approaches were significantly changed after participation in the ICPDP. (2) Teacher perceptions of their classroom practices and stated philosophies of teaching and learning have a great affect on their actual practices that can be observed. (3) Teacher stated philosophies of teaching and learning significantly influence the quantity and quality of their use of questions in their classrooms. (4) The "expert" teachers accept students' alternative answers and deliberately ask high cognitive level questions that enable students to think critically and to guide them based on what the students are thinking. Alternatively, the "competent" teachers do not follow student responses and used questions which do not help students to understand their current level of understanding nor encourage students to reflect on their own thinking. (5) The role of "expert" teacher is more geared toward challenging student ideas stimulated by questions and then allowing students to build their understandings that are affected by the discussion. "Competent" teachers, on the other hand, exhibit a more transmissive approach that lead students to an end that has been previously determined. Such teaching does little to persuade students to use their own thinking.
How Teacher Education Can Make a Difference
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Korthagen, Fred A. J.
2010-01-01
Many studies reveal a huge gap between theory and practice in teacher education, leading to serious doubts concerning the effectiveness of teacher education. In this paper, the causes of the gap between theory and practice are analysed. On this basis, and grounded in a three-level model of teacher learning, the so-called "realistic approach" to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Hye Jeong; Herbert, Bruce
2012-01-01
Different interpretations of scientific inquiry exist between the two different communities of scientists and science teachers. Thus, in order to achieve a successful partnership between science teachers and scientists in establishing effective communities of practice, the framework for instructional practice in teacher professional development…
Integrating Experiential and Academic Learning in Teacher Preparation for Development Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ryan, Anne
2012-01-01
With a view to linking ideals with action in development education, the preparation of teachers for practice in this area merits consideration. Given the theory/practice disconnect associated with initial teacher education, it is appropriate to explore means of effectively initiating beginning teachers into development education. To that end, a…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skourdoumbis, Andrew
2014-01-01
The disproportionate focus on classroom teachers and their instruction--teacher effectiveness--in order to confront and address under-achievement and disadvantage appears as a contemporary education policy theme in Australia. Phrases such as "high performing schooling systems","the best teachers", "high performing…
Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Effective Practices in Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ellerbrock, Cheryl R.; Cruz, Bárbara C.; Vásquez, Anete; Howes, Elaine V.
2016-01-01
Despite the growing diversity in our nation's schools, many teacher educators avoid discussions on diversity issues for myriad reasons. As a result, numerous preservice teachers lack quality learning opportunities to become well versed on issues of diversity in meaningful ways that can translate to P-12 practice. This article elaborates on…
Supporting the Transference of Knowledge about Language within Teacher Education Programs
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fenwick, Lisl; Endicott, Michele; Quinn, Marie; Humphrey, Sally
2014-01-01
Teacher education is effective when pre-service teachers are able to transfer knowledge from content areas to practice. This study investigates the extent to which curriculum and assessment designs, along with teaching practices, supported pre-service teachers to transfer knowledge gained about language from a first-year course into a second-year…
Old Habits Die Hard: Literacy Practices of Pre-Service Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gupta, Renu
2004-01-01
Reading methodology in pre-service teacher training may not be effective because of the literacy beliefs and practices of the trainees. This paper examines the reading practices of a group of pre-service teachers (n=29) in Singapore. Their personal approach to reading revealed that the majority split reading into two domains: leisure reading and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Inel Ekici, Didem
2018-01-01
This explanatory research uses a mixed method design to investigate the effect of using an online community of practice within teaching practices on science and math pre-service teachers' teaching self-efficacy beliefs. 102 science and math pre-service teachers participated in the research. "Teaching Self-Efficacy Belief Scale" and…
Building Future Directions for Teacher Learning in Science Education
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Smith, Kathy; Lindsay, Simon
2016-04-01
In 2013, as part of a process to renew an overall sector vision for science education, Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) undertook a review of its existing teacher in-service professional development programs in science. This review led to some data analysis being conducted in relation to two of these programs where participant teachers were positioned as active learners undertaking critical reflection in relation to their science teaching practice. The conditions in these programs encouraged teachers to notice critical aspects of their teaching practice. The analysis illustrates that as teachers worked in this way, their understandings about effective science pedagogy began to shift, in particular, teachers recognised how their thinking not only influenced their professional practice but also ultimately shaped the quality of their students' learning. The data from these programs delivers compelling evidence of the learning experience from a teacher perspective. This article explores the impact of this experience on teacher thinking about the relationship between pedagogical choices and quality learning in science. The findings highlight that purposeful, teacher-centred in-service professional learning can significantly contribute to enabling teachers to think differently about science teaching and learning and ultimately become confident pedagogical leaders in science. The future of quality school-based science education therefore relies on a new vision for teacher professional learning, where practice explicitly recognises, values and attends to teachers as professionals and supports them to articulate and share the professional knowledge they have about effective science teaching practice.
Arcan, Chrisa; Hannan, Peter J.; Himes, John H.; Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Rock, Bonnie Holy; Smyth, Mary; Story, Mary
2013-01-01
Prevalence of obesity among American Indian (AI) children is higher than the general US population. The school environment and teachers play important roles in helping students develop healthy eating habits. The aim of this prospective study was to examine teachers’ classroom and school food practices and beliefs and the effect of teacher training on these practices and beliefs. Data were used from the Bright Start study, a group-randomized, school-based trial on the Pine Ridge AI reservation (Fall 2005 to Spring 2008). Kindergarten and first grade teachers (n=75) from 14 schools completed a survey at the beginning and end of the school year. Thirty-seven survey items were evaluated using mixed-model analysis of variance to examine the intervention effect for each teacher-practice and belief item (adjusting for teacher type and school as random effect). At baseline, some teachers reported classroom and school food practices and beliefs that supported health and some that did not. The intervention was significantly associated with lower classroom use of candy as a treat (p=0.0005) and fast food rewards (p=0.008); more intervention teachers disagreed that fast food should be offered as school lunch alternatives (p=0.019), that it would be acceptable to sell unhealthy foods as part of school fund-raising (p=0.006), and that it would not make sense to limit students’ food choices in school (p=0.035). School-based interventions involving teacher training can result in positive changes in teachers’ classroom food practices and beliefs about the influence of the school food environment in schools serving AI children on reservations. PMID:23885704
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wei, Bing; Li, Xiaoxiao
2017-09-01
It is commonly recognised that practical work has a distinctive and central role in science teaching and learning. Although a large number of studies have addressed the definitions, typologies, and purposes of practical work, few have consulted practicing science teachers. This study explored science teachers' perceptions of experimentation for the purpose of restructuring school practical work in view of science practice. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 87 science teachers at the secondary school level. In the interviews, science teachers were asked to make a comparison between students' experiments and scientific experiments. Eight dimensions of experimentation were generated from the qualitative data analysis, and the distributions of these eight dimensions between the two types of experiments were compared and analysed. An ideal model of practical work was suggested for restructuring practical work at the secondary school level, and some issues related to the effective enactment of practical work were discussed.
An Investigation of Science Teaching Practices in Indonesian Rural Secondary Schools
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wahyudi; Treagust, David F.
2004-08-01
This study reports on teaching practices in science classrooms of Indonesian lower secondary schools in rural areas. Using six schools from three districts in the province of Kalimantan Selatan as the sample, this study found that most teaching practices in science classrooms in rural schools were teacher-centred with students copying notes. However, the study also found unique teaching practices of an exemplary science teacher whose teaching style can be described as both student-centred and teacher-centred, with students encouraged to be active learners. Four features of exemplary teaching practices were identified: The teacher managed the classroom effectively; used a variety of questioning techniques; employed various teaching approaches instead of traditional methods; and created a favourable learning environment. Data from classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and students responses to a questionnaire were used to compare the exemplary teacher and his colleagues. This study identified internal factors that may affect teaching practices such as a teachers content knowledge and beliefs about teaching. Compared to the other teachers, the exemplary teacher possessed more content knowledge and had a relatively stronger belief in his ability to teach.
Practice teaching and the importance of feedback.
Lally, Sheila
2013-01-01
Practice teachers play a key role in ensuring health visitors, school nurses and occupational health nurses are capable of delivering safe and effective practice to the public. The practice teacher is a significant member of the learning team during the specialist community public health nursing programme. This paper discusses the role of feedback in facilitating students' learning while in practice. Its purpose is to raise awareness for those working as practice teachers to the issues they may experience when giving feedback and discusses the theories of transactional analysis, transference and counter-transference and the impact these may have on the practice teachers' ability to give constructive feedback to specialist community public health nursing students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Borgmeier, Chris; Loman, Sheldon L.; Hara, Motoaki
2016-01-01
The limited implementation of evidence-based classroom practices and ways to provide effective professional development to address this challenge remain enduring concerns in education. Despite these concerns, there exists a well-established research literature on evidence-based practices for effective classroom management and instructional…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chieu, Vu Minh; Herbst, Patricio; Weiss, Michael
2011-01-01
Rich-media representations of teaching using animated cartoons can be effective at stimulating teachers' discussion about practice and hence help them learn productively from one another about their profession. Our research aims to design web-based interactive rich-media virtual settings for teachers to learn to do the practice of teaching. For…
An Analysis of Staff Development and Its Effects on Classroom Practice. The South Bay Project.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKibbin, Michael D.; Joyce, Bruce R.
The effects of training on twenty-one teachers in a Teacher Corps school were examined according to the type of training chosen, the preference exhibited by the teacher for certain types of delivery systems, and the level of transfer to classroom practice which were applicable to the different systems. This four-year study of inservice teacher…
The Instructional Practice of School Principals and Its Effect on Teachers' Job Satisfaction
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kouali, Georgia
2017-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a piece of research concerning the practice of Cypriot school principals' instructional role and its effect on teachers' job satisfaction, and also to investigate whether higher levels of teachers' job satisfaction can be predicted when school principals deal with and accomplish their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ünal, Erhan; Yamaç, Ahmet; Uzun, Ahmet M.
2017-01-01
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the teaching practice course on preservice elementary teachers' TISE level. In this research both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The participants were 43 pre-service elementary teachers from a state university in Turkey. In the quantitative part of the study, these…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kilickaya, Ferit
2016-01-01
The aim of the article is to investigate the effects of the foreign language section of TEOG (Transition Examination from Primary to Secondary Education) on language teacher practices in the classroom. The participants of the study include 30 English language teachers working at lower secondary schools in Turkey. The results of the study indicate…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Töman, Ufuk
2017-01-01
This study aims to investigate the effect of the reflective teaching practice on the development of teaching skills of the pre-service teachers. This study is designed in the form of action research due to the nature of the case examined. The participants were 32 pre-service teachers at Bayburt University Faculty of Education Department of…
Mentors' Views about Developing Effective English Teaching Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hudson, Peter; Millwater, Jan
2008-01-01
Effective mentoring in English is considered paramount to a preservice teacher's development. What are mentors' views about developing effective English teaching practices in their mentees? This study used quantitative data (survey) and qualitative data (questionnaire) on 24 mentors' perceptions of mentoring second-year preservice teachers for…
Research on Effective Models for Teacher Education. Teacher Education Yearbook VIII.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McIntyre, D. John, Ed.; Byrd, David M., Ed.
This yearbook addresses the nation's need to train and retain good teachers, exploring exemplary practices in teacher education. There are four sections divided into 12 chapters. The book begins with a forward, "Research on Effective Models for Teacher Education: Powerful Teacher Education Programs" (E.M. Guyton). Section 1, "Models for Enhancing…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Perry, Gail, Ed.; Henderson, Barbara, Ed.; Meier, Daniel R., Ed.
2012-01-01
Through "teacher research", teachers engage in the systematic study of their own practice to answer questions they have about teaching and learning, and their own effectiveness. This book explores what teacher research in the early childhood setting looks like, why it is important to the field of early childhood education, and how…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kraft, Matthew A.; Blazar, David
2017-01-01
This article analyzes a coaching model focused on classroom management skills and instructional practices across grade levels and subject areas. We describe the design and implementation of MATCH Teacher Coaching among an initial cohort of 59 teachers working in New Orleans charter schools. We evaluate the effect of the program on teachers'…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bloomquist, Debra L.
This embedded-mixed methods study examined if the use of a reflective framework with guiding prompts could support early childhood science teachers in improving their reflective practice and subsequently changing their pedagogy. It further investigated whether type of cognitive coaching group, individual or collaborative, impacted teacher depth of reflection and change in practice. Data included teacher reflections that were rated using the Level of Reflection-On-Action Assessment, reflective codes and inductive themes, as well as videos of participants lessons coded using the SCIIENCE instrument. Findings demonstrated that through guided reflection, teachers developed reflective thinking skills, and through this reflection became more critical and began to improve their pedagogical practice. Further findings supported that collaborative cognitive coaching may not be the most effective professional development for all teachers; as some teachers in the study were found to have difficulty improving their reflectivity and thus their teaching practice. Based on these findings it is recommended that coaches and designers of professional development continue to use reflective frameworks with guiding prompts to support teachers in the reflective process, but take into consideration that coaching may need to be differentiated for the various reflective levels demonstrated by teachers. Future studies will be needed to establish why some teachers have difficulty with the reflective process and how coaches or designers of professional development can further assist these teachers in becoming more critical reflectors.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lopez, Leslie Ann
2013-01-01
Video has been shown to be an effective tool for synthesizing theory and connecting theory to practice in meaningful ways. This design-based research study examined how localized video of a practicing teacher impacted pre-service teachers' ability to learn culturally responsive teaching (CRT) methods and targeted strategies in an online…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhan, Ying; Wan, Zhi Hong
2016-01-01
This study aimed to understand the reflective practice of 23 Chinese student teachers in learning communities (LCs) during their practicum in a Confucian heritage culture. The reflective levels of the student teachers and the factors that mediated the effects of LCs on their reflective practice were explored using journals and post-journal…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kahney, Jon
2017-01-01
Teacher grading practices commonly do not align with the grading practices recommended by leading grading authorities in the field of education. The experts advocate for grades to be determined solely from measures of product criteria that represent a students current level of knowledge and what they can do. Most teachers, however, still use a mix…
Teacher Turnover, Teacher Quality, and Student Achievement in DCPS. CEPA Working Paper No. 16-03
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Adnot, Melinda; Dee, Thomas; Katz, Veronica; Wyckoff, James
2016-01-01
In practice, teacher turnover appears to have negative effects on school quality as measured by student performance. However, some simulations suggest that turnover can instead have large, positive effects under a policy regime in which low-performing teachers can be accurately identified and replaced with more effective teachers. This study…
Challenging Teachers' Pedagogic Practice and Assumptions about Social Media
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cartner, Helen C.; Hallas, Julia L.
2017-01-01
This article describes an innovative approach to professional development designed to challenge teachers' pedagogic practice and assumptions about educational technologies such as social media. Developing effective technology-related professional development for teachers can be a challenge for institutions and facilitators who provide this…
Relating Communication Competence to Teaching Effectiveness: Implication for Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Okoli, Alexander C.
2017-01-01
There is wide practice of attributing students' achievement to teacher effectiveness. Some school authorities take this further by querying teachers over poor performances of their students. Although the teacher is just one factor among many that determine students' performances, the teachers' attributes and qualities are very important in the…
Secondary Teachers' Understanding and Use of Reflection: An Exploratory Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Laverick, Vincent T.
2017-01-01
As teachers are examining methods to improve their practices due to teacher evaluation systems that incorporate student growth, a renewed focus has been placed on teacher effectiveness. Because reflective teachers have been shown to be more effective, this qualitative study examined the understanding of reflection among five secondary school…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Siers, Ron, Jr.; Gong, Tao
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the effect of mentor teachers' leadership practices on student interns' efficacious beliefs in Professional Development Schools (PDSs) during the internship practicum. The study employed the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 2003) to measure the transformational leadership…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chavez, Raymond Anthony
2010-01-01
Previous research conducted on the use of handheld computers in K-12 education has focused on how handheld computer use affects student motivation, engagement, and productivity. These four case studies sought to identify effective teacher practices in the integration of handhelds into the curriculum and the factors that affect those practices. The…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Simmons, Monica L.
2013-01-01
Teachers' Perceptions of their Self-Efficacy and Effects of Principal Leadership Practices on Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Low and High-Performing Elementary Schools in South Carolina (Under the direction of Dr. Vivian Brackett) Across the United States, school districts are challenged with attracting and attaining high quality teachers. Efficacious…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gettinger, Maribeth; Stoiber, Karen C.
2016-01-01
This study examined the effects of coaching with versus without demonstrations of evidence-based book-reading practices on teachers' use of strategies during independent book-reading periods. A total of 22 Head Start teachers were randomly assigned to one of two cohorts. One cohort (n = 12) participated in biweekly coaching sessions that included…
Teacher Evaluation: Archiving Teaching Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nielsen, Lance D.
2014-01-01
Teacher evaluation is a current hot topic within music education. This article offers strategies for K-12 music educators on how to promote their effectiveness as teachers through archival documentation in a teacher portfolio. Using the Danielson evaluation model (based on four domains of effective teaching practices), examples of music teaching…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goodwin, A. Lin; Roegman, Rachel; Reagan, Emilie M.
2016-01-01
This article presents a study of mentor teachers who work with residents in an urban teacher residency program in New York City. Forty-six mentor teachers (i.e., cooperating teachers) were asked to describe moments of effective mentoring, as well as their own strengths, weaknesses, and goals as mentors. Implicit in mentor teachers' descriptions of…
Assessment of school mathematics: Teachers' perceptions and practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pfannkuch, Maxine
2001-12-01
This is the first report of a proposed ten-year interval longitudinal study about teacher assessment practice in Auckland, New Zealand. Interviews with teachers of Year 3, 6, 8, 10, and 13 students are analysed. These interviews indicate that primary teachers are using a variety of assessment strategies in a mastery-based system. Their judgement of mathematical performance is dominated by the belief that all students must feel that they are achieving. The secondary teacher interviews indicate common use of alternative assessment strategies in non-examination classes. Judgement of student performance is benchmarked against national examinations. It is conjectured that an education system effect determines teachers' assessment practices.
Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.
McCutchen, Deborah; Abbott, Robert D; Green, Laura B; Beretvas, S Natasha; Cox, Susanne; Potter, Nina S; Quiroga, Teresa; Gray, Audra L
2002-01-01
Although the importance of phonological awareness has been discussed widely in the research literature, the concept is not well understood by many classroom teachers. In the study described here, we worked with groups of kindergarten and first-grade teachers (the experimental group) during a 2-week summer institute and throughout the school year. We shared with them research about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness. We followed the experimental group and a control group into their classrooms for a year, assessing teachers' classroom practices and their students' (n = 779) learning. The study yielded three major findings: We can deepen teachers' own knowledge of the role of phonological and orthographic information in literacy instruction; teachers can use that knowledge to change classroom practice; and changes in teacher knowledge and classroom practice can improve student learning.
Effects of Targeted Professional Development on Teachers' Specific Praise Rates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Simonsen, Brandi; Freeman, Jennifer; Dooley, Kathryn; Maddock, Eleanor; Kern, Laura; Myers, Diane
2017-01-01
Classroom management continues to be a concern for educators, administrators, and policymakers. Although evidence-based classroom management practices exist, teachers often receive insufficient training and support to implement these practices successfully. Schools need reliable and efficient ways to support teachers' classroom management. This…
Practicing Collaboration in Teacher Preparation: Effects of Learning by Doing Together
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weiss, Margaret P.; Pellegrino, Anthony; Brigham, Frederick J.
2017-01-01
Collaboration among professionals is a vital component for successful inclusion of students with disabilities. In many cases, teacher preparation programs assume that teacher candidates know how to collaborate without explicit instruction or authentic practice and, therefore, omit coursework on collaboration. Alternatively, some programs may…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hong, Eunsook; Hartzell, Stephanie A.; Greene, Mary T.
2009-01-01
The relationships of teachers' epistemological beliefs, motivation, and goal orientation to their instructional practices that foster student creativity were examined. Teachers' perceived instructional practices that facilitate the development of multiple perspectives in problem solving, transfer, task commitment, creative skill use, and…
An Examination of Effective Practice: Moving Toward Elimination of Achievement Gaps in Science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Johnson, Carla C.
2009-06-01
This longitudinal study of middle school science teachers explored the relationship between effective science instruction, as defined by the National Science Education Standards (NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996), and student achievement in science. Eleven teachers participated in a three year study of teacher effectiveness, determined by the LSC Classroom Observation Protocol (Horizon Research, Inc. in Local Systemic Change Classroom Observation Protocol. May 1, 2002) and student achievement, which was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science. Findings in this study revealed the positive impact that effective science teachers have on student learning, eliminating achievement gaps between White and Non-White students. Case studies of three teachers, both effective and ineffective explore the beliefs and experiences that influence teachers to change, or not to change practice. This study provides justification for teaching science effectively to narrow achievement gaps in science and provides insight to stakeholders in science education as to how to support teachers in becoming more effective, through addressing existing teacher beliefs and providing experiences that challenge those beliefs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McNeill, Katherine Lynch
An essential goal of classroom science is to help all students become scientifically literate to encourage greater public understanding in a science infused world. This type of literacy requires that students participate in scientific inquiry practices such as construction of arguments or scientific explanations in which they justify their claims with appropriate evidence and reasoning. Although scientific explanations are an important learning goal, this complex inquiry practice is frequently omitted from k-12 science classrooms and students have difficulty creating them. I investigated how two different curricular scaffolds (context-specific vs. generic), teacher instructional practices, and the interaction between these two types of support influence student learning of scientific explanations. This study focuses on an eight-week middle school chemistry curriculum, How can I make new stuff from old stuff?, which was enacted by six teachers with 578 students during the 2004-2005 school year. Overall, students' written scientific explanations improved during the unit in which they were provided with multiple forms of teacher and curricular support. A growth curve model of student learning showed that there was a significant difference in the effect of the two curricular scaffolds towards the end of the unit and on the posttest. The context-specific scaffolds resulted in greater student learning of how to write scientific explanations, but only for three of the six teachers. The case studies created from the videotapes of classroom enactments revealed that teachers varied in which instructional practices they engaged in and the quality of those practices. Analyses suggested that the curricular scaffolds and teacher instructional practices were synergistic in that the supports interacted and the effect of the written curricular scaffolds depended on the teacher's enactment of the curriculum. The context-specific curricular scaffolds were more successful in supporting students in this complex task only when teachers' enactments provided generic support for scientific explanation through instructional practices. For teachers who did not provide their students with generic support, neither curricular scaffold was more effective. Classrooms are complex systems in which multiple factors and the interactions between those factors influence student learning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bjerken, Kevin S.
2013-01-01
This case study of a single school district aims to identify teachers' perceptions of how their professional practices have been affected after four years of receiving Cognitive Coaching. Cognitive Coaching was used in participants' professional development as a part of an Alternative Teacher Professional Pay System and included three…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Besnard, Thérèse; Letarte, Marie-Josée
2017-01-01
It is believed children stand to benefit from a greater male teacher presence in early childhood education (ECE) where, internationally, the vast majority of ECE teachers are female. This study (N = 180) examines the relationship between children's social adaptation and the educational practices of 53 ECE teachers, 23 (44%) of which were male.…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lipp, Jamie; Helfrich, Sarah
2016-01-01
Illiteracy is on the rise in the United States, and the potential negative impact on today's struggling reader is devastating. Now more than ever, preparing pre-service teachers to be effective teachers of literacy is crucial. This study examined the growth in understandings of best practice literacy of eleven pre-service teachers through paired…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bumen, Nilay T.
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of a professional development (PD) program on teacher self-efficacy and classroom practice. Thirty-eight in-service teachers from a foundation school in Izmir participated in this study. Multiple sets of data for this study came from the Turkish teachers' sense of efficacy scale, classroom…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holmqvist, Mona; Bergentoft, Heléne; Selin, Per
2018-01-01
The aim of this article is to elucidate how teacher researchers use a theoretical framework as mediated tool to create boundaries in communities of research practices (CoRPs) and how this effects student learning. If, and in what way, knowledge developed in one practice can be used to inform the next is also examined. Two teacher researchers…
Gathering Requirements for Teacher Tools: Strategies for Empowering Teachers Through Co-Design
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Matuk, Camillia; Gerard, Libby; Lim-Breitbart, Jonathan; Linn, Marcia
2016-02-01
Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and expectations. Participatory methods, which involve teachers closely in the design process, are widely recommended for establishing accurate design requirements that address users' needs. By collaborating with researchers, teachers can contribute their professional expertise to shape the tools of their practice, and ultimately ensure their sustained use. However, there is little guidance available for maintaining effective teacher-researcher design partnerships. We describe four strategies for engaging teachers in designing tools intended to support and enhance their practice within a web-based science learning environment: discussing physical artifacts, reacting to scenarios, customizing prototypes, and writing user stories. Using design artifacts and documents of teachers' reflections, we illustrate how we applied these techniques over 5 years of annual professional development workshops, and examine their affordances for eliciting teachers' ideas. We reflect on how these approaches have helped inform technology refinements and innovations. We moreover discuss the further benefits these strategies have had in encouraging teachers to reflect on their own practice and on the roles of technology in supporting it; and in allowing researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between technology, teaching, and design.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Conroy, Maureen A.; Sutherland, Kevin S.; Vo, Abigail K.; Carr, Staci; Ogston, Paula L.
2014-01-01
This investigation examined the effects of a classroom-based intervention, Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Training: Competent Learners Achieving School Success (BEST in CLASS), on teacher behaviors and child outcomes in early childhood classrooms. First, we examined the effects of professional development training and practice-based coaching…
"The Lunch Date": A Video for Developing Cultural Self-Awareness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gallavan, Nancy P.; Ramirez, Maria G.
2005-01-01
Effective teacher education should guide preservice and practicing teachers in comprehending and facilitating educational concepts and pedagogical practices that examine and promote equity for all learners. Teachers and young learners benefit from sundry opportunities to recognize their self identities and to celebrate both individual and shared…
Experimental Evaluation of Instructional Consultation Teams on Teacher Beliefs and Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vu, Phuong; Shanahan, Katherine Bruckman; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Gravois, Todd; Koehler, Jessica; Kaiser, Lauren; Berger, Jill; Vaganek, Megan; Gottfredson, Gary D.; Nelson, Deborah
2013-01-01
Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams) are an early intervention service intended to support teachers in working with struggling students. This is a large-scale experimental trial investigating the effects of IC Teams on teacher efficacy, instructional practices, collaboration, and job satisfaction. Public elementary schools (N = 34) were…
Learning to Teach: Practice-Based Preparation in Teacher Education. Special Issues Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Benedict, Amber; Holdheide, Lynn; Brownell, Mary; Foley, Abigail Marshall
2016-01-01
This Special Issues Brief from the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR Center) and the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) outlines essential features for providing high-quality, structured, and sequenced opportunities to practice within teacher preparation programs. This brief is…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stewart, Thomas A.; Houchens, Gary W.
2014-01-01
This study supports the work of Black and Wiliam (1998), who demonstrated that when teachers effectively utilize formative assessment strategies, student learning increases significantly. However, the researchers also found a "poverty of practice" among teachers, in that few fully understood how to implement classroom formative…
Effects of Student Race and Physical Attractiveness on Teachers' Judgments of Transgressions.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marwit, Karen L.; And Others
1978-01-01
Student and practicing teachers rated severity of classroom misbehaviors ascribed to Black or White attractive or unattractive children. Following student teaching, ratings of Black children's transgressions increased in severity, and ratings of White children's transgressions remained the same. Practicing teachers were affected by student…
Practices of Effective Writing Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gadd, Murray; Parr, Judy M.
2017-01-01
This study analyses the practices of nine New Zealand teachers of upper primary and middle-school students (N = 210) whose classes had consistently shown gains in writing far greater than normative expectations. Data from observations of three writing lessons and related interviews with each teacher, plus interviews with three focus students after…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cavedon, Carolina Christmann
With the new goal of K-12 education being to prepare students to be college and career ready at the end of high school, education needs to start changing at the elementary school level. The literature suggests that teachers need reflective professional development (PD) to effectively teach to the new standards and to demonstrate change to their current instructional practices. This mixed-method multiple-case study investigated the impacts of a reflective professional development (PD) in changing elementary school teachers' instructional practices. Teachers Instructional Portfolios (TIPs) were scored with a TIP rubric based on best practices in teaching mathematics problem-solving and science inquiry. The TIPs were also analyzed with a qualitative coding scheme. Case descriptions were written and all the collected data were used to explain the impacts of the reflective PD on changes in teachers' instructional practices. While we found no predictive patterns in relation to teachers changing their classroom practices based on the reflective PD, we claim that teachers' desire to change might contribute to improvements in instruction. We also observed that teachers' self-assessment scores tend to be higher than the actual TIP scores corroborating with the literature on the usage of self-assessment to evaluate teachers' instructional practices.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ünlü, Melihan
2018-01-01
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of micro-teaching practices with concrete models on the pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about using concrete models and to determine the opinions of the pre-service teachers about this issue. In the current study, one of the mixed methods, the convergent design (embedded)…
Effective Practices for Mentoring Beginning Middle School Teachers: Mentor's Perspectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sowell, Marsha
2017-01-01
In order to improve student achievement, school systems must provide new teachers with support to become effective teachers more quickly. Educators frequently use mentoring to support new teachers and reach the goals of improved classroom performance as well as teacher retention. The intention in this study was to provide insights into the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Memduhoglu, Hasan Basri; Kotluk, Nihat; Yayla, Ahmet
2017-01-01
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of providing feedback to preservice teachers' (PSTs) through focus group discussion on PSTs' self-efficacy perception about teaching experiences and practices, to determine problems encountered during teaching practice by means of focus group discussion and to develop suggestions about solving…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mashava, Rumbidzai; Chingombe, Agrippa
2013-01-01
Teaching Practice is presumed to be key to professionalization of teachers, although very little research has been done on its effectiveness. This article seeks to show the views of stakeholders on the effectiveness of Teaching Practice in Zimbabwean primary schools. A case study which is largely qualitative was found appropriate. A sample of 84…
Goodyear, Victoria A
2017-03-01
It has been argued, extensively and internationally, that sustained school-based continuous professional development (CPD) has the potential to overcome some of the shortcomings of traditional one-off CPD programs. Yet, the evidence base on more effective or less effective forms of CPD is contradictory. The mechanisms by which sustained support should be offered are unclear, and the impacts on teachers' and students' learning are complex and difficult to track. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a sustained school-based, tailored, and supported CPD program on teachers' practices and students' learning. Data are reported from 6 case studies of individual teachers engaged in a yearlong CPD program focused on cooperative learning. The CPD program involved participatory action research and frequent interaction/support from a boundary spanner (researcher/facilitator). Data were gathered from 29 video-recorded lessons, 108 interviews, and 35 field journal entries. (a) Individualized (external) support, (b) departmental (internal) support, and (c) sustained support impacted teachers' practices of cooperative learning. The teachers adapted their practices of cooperative learning in response to their students' learning needs. Teachers began to develop a level of pedagogical fluency, and in doing so, teachers advanced students' learning. Because this study demonstrates impact, it contributes to international literature on effective CPD. The key contribution is the detailed evidence about how and why CPD supported 6 individual teachers to learn-differently-and the complexity of the learning support required to engage in ongoing curriculum development to positively impact student learning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Santagata, Rossella; Taylor, Karen
2018-01-01
This study examines whether preservice teachers' experiences with video analyses during teacher preparation have long-lasting effects on their practices once they enter the profession. Specifically, the authors examined whether teachers who had opportunities to analyze student thinking and learning during teacher preparation continued to do so…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Geiger, Vince; Anderson, Judy; Hurrell, Derek
2017-02-01
The characteristics that typify an effective teacher of mathematics and the environments that support effective teaching practices have been a long-term focus of educational research. In this article we report on an aspect of a larger study that investigated `best practice' in mathematics teaching and learning across all Australian states and territories. A case study from one Australian state was developed from data collected via classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with school leaders and teachers and analysed using Valsiner's zone theory. A finding of the study is that `successful' practice is strongly tied to school context and the cultural practices that have been developed by school leaders and teachers to optimise student learning opportunities. We illustrate such an alignment of school culture and practice through a vignette based on a case of one `successful' school.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ortaçtepe, DenIz; Akyel, Ayse S.
2015-01-01
The purpose of the present study is twofold: (1) to investigate the relationship between the efficacy of teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and their self-reported practice of communicative language teaching (CLT) and (2) to examine the impact of an in-service teacher education program on teachers' efficacy and self-reported and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cheung, Rebecca Hun Ping
2016-01-01
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how teachers deal with a pedagogical framework developed in the West which aimed at supporting Chinese teachers' creativity-fostering pedagogy and the impacts of the framework in regard to teachers' pedagogical practice. Three Chinese preschool teachers were followed for six months. Interviews,…
Measuring Fidelity to Improve Intervention Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKenna, John W.; Flower, Andrea; Ciullo, Stephen
2014-01-01
Teachers are responsible for using evidence-based practices to improve students' academic and behavioral outcomes. Although teachers have access to a variety of resources on evidence-based practices, poor implementation can adversely affect their effectiveness. However, an inadequate student response to intervention may also be the result of…
Using critical race theory to analyze science teachers culturally responsive practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wallace, Tamara; Brand, Brenda R.
2012-06-01
Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will this shift in focus influence teachers' capacity to accommodate students' needs resulting from racial inequities in this society, particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator on the basis of classroom observations, students' responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers' classrooms consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers' beliefs and practices in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the students' racial identities on the teachers' beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers' beliefs and practices were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students' identities. These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers' instruction, as well as their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ross, Danielle Kristina
Teachers face many challenges as we move forward into the age of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve, Inc., 2013). The NGSS aim to develop a population of scientifically literate and talented students who can participate in the "innovation-driven economy" (p. 1). In order to meet these goals, teachers must provide students with opportunities to engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) and learn core ideas of these disciplines. This study followed pre-service secondary science teachers as they participated in a secondary science teacher preparation program intended to support the development of their pedagogical design capacity (Brown, 2009) related to planning and supporting whole-class taskbased discussions. Teacher educators in this program designed an intervention that aimed in supporting this development. This study examined a particular dimension of PDC -- specifically, PSTs effective use of resources to plan science lessons in which students engage in a high demand task, participate in SEPs, and discuss their work in a whole-class setting. In order to examine the effectiveness of the intervention, I had to define PDC a priori. I measured PDC by documenting how/whether PSTs engaged in the following instructional planning practices: developing Learning Goals, selecting and/or designing challenging tasks, anticipating student thinking, planning for monitoring student thinking, imagining the discussion storyline, planning questions, and planning marking strategies. Analyses showed a significant difference between baseline lesson plan scores and Instructional Performance scores. These findings suggest these patterns and changes were directly linked to the teacher preparation program. The mean increase in Instructional Performance scores during the course of the teacher preparation year further supports the effect of the teacher preparation coursework. Pre-service teachers with high pedagogical design capacity continually integrated the ambitious planning practices they learned in their coursework. In contrast, pre-service teachers with low pedagogical design capacity appeared to appropriate the vocabulary and language they learned in coursework, but did not integrate these practices at a high level. This study suggests that pre-service teachers who receive intensive instruction on ambitious planning practices for task-based discussion effectively develop the pedagogical design capacity to plan for task-based discussion lessons.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivero Arias, Ana Margarita
Metacognition, identified generally as "thinking about thinking", plays a fundamental role in science education. It enhances the understanding of science as a way to generate new knowledge using scientific concepts and practices. Moreover, metacognition supports the development of students' life-long problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. When teachers use metacognition with intention, it can promote students' agency and responsibility for their own learning. However, despite all of its benefits, metacognition is rarely seen in secondary science classrooms. Thus, it is important to understand what beginning teachers know and how they use metacognition during their first years in order to find ways to prepare and support them in incorporating metacognitive practices into their science teaching. The purpose of this multimethod study was to describe the metacognitive knowledge and experiences of beginning science teachers. For the quantitative research strand, I surveyed 36 secondary science teachers about their awareness of metacognition and used classroom observations coded from a larger research study to identify how often teachers were using metacognition to teach science. For the qualitative strand, I interviewed 15 participants about their knowledge and experiences of metacognition (including reflective practices) and spent two weeks observing two of the teachers who described exemplary metacognitive teaching practices. I found that participants had a solid awareness of metacognition, but considered the term complicated to enact, difficult for students, and less important to focus on during their first years of teaching than other elements such as content. Additionally, teaching experience seemed to have an effect on teachers' knowledge and experiences of metacognition. However, participants who were using metacognitive practices had recognized their importance since the beginning of their teaching. Reflective practices can help improve teaching, but what seems more effective is for teachers to have an experience using metacognition embedded in science content. The results of this study include a description of metacognitive teaching practices that could be helpful for secondary science teachers. The study also provides recommendations for future research, especially for teacher education programs, to promote a better understanding of metacognition while preparing secondary science teachers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Minuskin, Sondra
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of professional development on the knowledge and classroom practices of teachers of science in kindergarten through Grade 5. These teachers, trained to be generalists in the content areas, were strongly prepared in pedagogical practices, reading skills, basic language arts, and mathematics content areas. Science reform has led to more content-specific science standards that were difficult for these unprepared teachers to address without professional development. The researcher implemented a professional development program that used a collaborative model involving 8 teachers in Grade 4. The researcher conducted the professional development, assisted at times by personnel from the New Jersey State Department of Education. The new standards were learned, reinforced, and adopted. The data that were analyzed to determine the effects of the professional development came from a comparison of student achievement of the classes of 2 sets of teachers in Grade 4, one of which was the control set ( n = 8). The other was the experimental set (n = 8). The researcher administered pre- and postintervention content tests to both groups to measure teacher knowledge. In addition, the researcher reviewed lesson plans, conducted observations, and administered surveys to determine whether professional development in science impacted teacher practices in the classroom. This limited study suggested that teacher instruction did not significantly differ after professional development intervention. It also suggested that teacher content knowledge did not significantly increase due to the intervention. The researcher believes that local factors influenced the outcome and recommends a more systemic program that includes the involvement of all stakeholders.
Enhancing the Impact of Evidence-Based Publications on K-12 ESL Teacher Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Abbott, Marilyn L.; Lee, Kent; Rossiter, Marian J.
2017-01-01
The reading of current research-informed publications is an essential component of teacher professional development that has the potential to lead to or reinforce the implementation of effective instructional practices. To our knowledge, no studies have examined kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) ESL teacher engagement in professional reading related…
Professional Learning Communities: Teachers Working Collaboratively for Continuous Improvement
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Griffith, Louise Ann
2009-01-01
Current research indicates that a professional learning community (PLC) is an effective means for helping teachers to bridge the gap between research and practice. A PLC is a team of educators systematically working together to improve teaching practice and student learning. This study evaluated the PLC formed by teachers at a public elementary…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Heredia, Sara C.; Furtak, Erin Marie; Morrison, Deb; Renga, Ian Parker
2016-01-01
Formative assessment has been recognized as an essential element of effective classroom practice; as a result, teachers are increasingly required to create formative assessments for their classrooms. This study examines data drawn from a long-term, site-based professional development program that supported a department of biology teachers in the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
He, Ye; Journell, Wayne; Faircloth, Josh
2018-01-01
In this article we highlight elements of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy that prepare teachers to work with English Learners (ELs) from a variety of backgrounds. Specifically, we focus on the learning experiences and practices of one secondary social studies teacher to explore promising practices with ELs and effective teacher…
Integrating Theory and Practice in the Pre-Service Teacher Education Practicum
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allen, Jeanne Maree; Wright, Suzie Elizabeth
2014-01-01
This article reports on a study into student teachers' perceptions about their professional development during practicum. Framed within a symbolic interactionist perspective, the study examined to what extent, and how effectively, one group of student teachers was able to integrate theory and practice during a three-week practicum in the first…
Current Practice of Extensive Reading in Asia: Teachers' Perceptions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chang, Anna C.-S.; Renandya, Willy A.
2017-01-01
This study investigated teachers' perceptions of the practice of extensive reading (ER) in the Asian context. One hundred and nineteen L2 teachers in Asia responded to an online questionnaire that probed into their reasons for implementing ER, the difficulties they encountered, and their perception about the effectiveness of different ways of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hambacher, Elyse
2018-01-01
Drawing on the literature related to classroom management, and culturally relevant critical teacher care, and effective teaching for students of color, this paper uses interview and observation data to explore the perspectives and practices of two exemplary fifth-grade teachers who refuse to rely on punitive discipline with their students of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Song, Ji Hoon; Bae, Sang Hoon; Park, Sunyoung; Kim, Hye Kyoung
2013-01-01
This study examined the structural relationships among perceived school support, transformational leadership, teachers' work engagement, and teachers' knowledge creation practices. It also investigated the mediating effects of transformational leadership and work engagement in explaining the association between perceived school support…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Proffitt-White, Rob
2017-01-01
The Teachers First initiative is a grass-roots cluster-model approach for bringing together primary and secondary teachers and school principals: to analyse student performance data; design and practice activities and assessment tools; and promote teaching practices that address students' learning difficulties in mathematics. The balance of both…
Scaling a Technology-Based Innovation: Windows on the Evolution of Mathematics Teachers' Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clark-Wilson, A.; Hoyles, C.; Noss, R.; Vahey, P.; Roschelle, J.
2015-01-01
This paper reports research on effects on teachers' classroom practices resulting from their engagement in sustained professional development and classroom teaching of a resource that embeds carefully designed dynamic technology within middle school mathematics (11-14 years). The research investigated the self-reported evolution of teachers'…
Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Education Endowment Foundation, 2016
2016-01-01
The Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme (TEEP) is a CPD programme that aims to improve teachers' classroom practice. TEEP training is offered as a whole-school approach by the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT). All staff in a school received three days of training over a period of two terms. A smaller cohort of teachers, chosen…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Farrell, Michael
2011-01-01
In this welcome second edition of "The Effective Teacher's Guide to Autism and Communication Difficulties", best-selling author Michael Farrell addresses how teachers and others can develop provision for students with autism and students that have difficulties with speech, grammar, meaning, use of language and comprehension. Updated and expanded,…
Human Resource Management: Accountability, Reciprocity and the Nexus between Employer and Employee
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Charlton, Donna; Kritsonis, William Allan
2009-01-01
The article addresses teacher retention challenges employers are experiencing in the quest to effectively meet standard human resource management practices. The quality of the employer-employee relationship forms the foundation upon which effective management practices thrive. Teachers who remain in education value students and their personal…
Beginning Teachers' Challenges in Their Pursuit of Effective Teaching Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Confait, Steve
2015-01-01
This article explores the context and experiences of three beginning teachers in their effort to improve their teaching and to implement and align themselves with their schools' expectations of effective teaching practices. Research findings emerging from a sociocultural-ethnographic framework revealed that participants challenged their own…
The Effect of Practicing Mental Calculation Strategies on Teacher Candidates' Numeracy Proficiency
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al Mutawah, Masooma Ali
2016-01-01
This study was conducted on year 4 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program for Cycle one teacher candidates. The effect of practicing mental calculation strategies in improving students' numeracy proficiency was put under some tests to measure its effect in a scientific way. A Pre-quiz was conducted before with no prior practice…
Improving Teacher Feedback during Active Learning: Effects of a Professional Development Program
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van den Bergh, Linda; Ros, Anje; Beijaard, Douwe
2014-01-01
This study focuses on improving teacher feedback during active learning. Changing teachers' behavior sustainably, however, is very difficult. Several conditions should be taken into account, and programs should build on teachers' cognitions and practices. Effects of a specifically designed professional development program on 16 elementary…
Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Effective and Ineffective Teaching Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sandholtz, Judith Haymore
2011-01-01
Given the focus on developing highly-qualified teachers to improve education, teacher education programs face increasing responsibility to prepare new teachers who can effectively enhance learning in all students. Standards and assessment criteria developed by national organizations in the United States address the qualifications of beginning as…
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of School Teachers toward Oral Health in Davangere, India.
Maganur, Prabhadevi C; Satish, V; Marwah, Nikhil; Vishwas, T D; Dayanand, M C
2017-01-01
The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of school teachers toward oral health. Descriptive study. School teachers (n = 150) of Davangere city were recruited into this study. The subjects completed a questionnaire that aimed to evaluate teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on oral health. The results were statistically analyzed and percentage was calculated. The participants' oral hygiene habits were found to be regular. The majority of teachers showed good knowledge on oral health. Most of the teachers in this study recognized the importance of oral health. The majority of teachers did incorporate the importance of oral health in teaching and educating children in the school. But, not all teachers are involved effectively. So, the teachers should be trained comprehensively regarding importance of oral health and creating awareness on oral health promotion for their students in combination with health care personnel. Maganur PC, Satish V, Marwah N, Vishwas TD, Dayanand MC. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of School Teachers toward Oral Health in Davangere, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):89-95.
Effective Middle Level Teaching: Perceptions on the Preparedness of Newly Hired Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Howell, Penny B.; Cook, Chris; Faulkner, Shawn A.
2013-01-01
This interpretive, exploratory study utilized survey methodology to document middle level principals' perceptions of effective teaching practices and the preparedness of newly hired middle level teachers. The findings suggest that principals' descriptions of effective teaching differ from their descriptions of effective teachers. Additionally,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gomez, Mary Louise; Tabachnick, B. Robert
1992-01-01
Telling teaching stories assists prospective teachers in becoming effective teachers of elementary school children. It offers preservice teachers and teacher educators the challenge of seeing themselves and the opportunity to reflect on their goals and practices. (IAH)
Most Effective Practices in Lesson Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Womack, Sid T.; Pepper, Stephanie; Hanna, Shellie L.; Bell, Columbus David
2015-01-01
In a previous study with 130 undergraduate teacher candidates from all licensure levels, data on candidate effectiveness were examined using factor analysis. Four factors were found in effective teaching, those being lesson planning, teacher and student reflection, safe school environment, and teacher professionalism. The present study followed…
Assessing the Impact of Lesson Study on the Teaching Practice of Middle School Science Teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Grove, Michael C.
Despite wave after wave of educational reform in the United States our students continue to lag behind their peers in other industrialized countries on virtually all measures of academic achievement. Effective professional development (PD) is seen as a key to improving instructional practice and therefore student learning, but traditional forms of PD have been wholly unsuccessful in changing teaching practice. Over the last two decades an emerging body of research has identified some key features of effective PD that seem to create meaningful change and improvement in instructional practice. Some of this research highlights the promise of adapting Japanese lesson study (LS) to the American context as a means of incrementally improving instruction. Much of the existing research around LS is descriptive in nature and offers little insight into if and how participation in LS impacts subsequent instructional practice. This study utilized case study methodology to examine the instructional practice of one group of four middle school science teachers before, during, and after participation in LS. The study attempted to identify specific learning outcomes of a LS process, to identify influences on teacher learning during LS, and to identify subsequent changes in the instructional practice of participants resulting from participation in LS. Key findings from the study include significant teacher learning derived from the LS process, the identification of influences that enhanced or inhibited teacher learning, and clear evidence that participants successfully integrated learning from the LS into subsequent instructional practice. Learning outcomes included deepening of subject matter knowledge, increased understanding of student thinking and abilities, clarity of expectations for student performance, recognition of the ineffectiveness of past instructional practice, specific instructional strategies, shared student learning goals, and an increased commitment to future development of student learning. Influences supporting teacher learning were trust and honest dialogue among participants, focused collaboration, examination of student work, and the opportunity to watch other teachers deliver instruction. Influences inhibiting teacher learning related to failure to adhere to key features of the LS protocol. The study offers initial evidence confirming the promise of LS as a model of effective PD.
Teacher perceptions and practices regarding school bullying prevention.
Dake, Joseph A; Price, James H; Telljohann, Susan K; Funk, Jeanne B
2003-11-01
This study examined a national random sample of teachers regarding their perceptions and practices concerning school bullying prevention activities. A total of 359 of 700 (52.4%) teachers responded. Most (86.3%) teachers had serious talks with both the bully and victim. Less than one-third set aside classroom time to discuss bullying (31.7%) or involved students in creating classroom rules against bullying (31.2%). Most perceived no barriers to implementing these activities. Teachers perceived post-bullying activities as the most effective means of reducing bullying problems, followed by improved student supervision, and by environmental bullying prevention activities. The findings suggest that preprofessional and continuing education are needed to improve teacher knowledge about effective classroom-based bullying prevention activities.
Outstanding Teachers and Learner-Centered Teaching Practices at a Private Liberal Arts Institution
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Verst, Amy L.
2010-01-01
Using a combined quantitative, qualitative approach, this study explores the teaching practices of outstanding faculty at a private, liberal arts institutions by posing questions that revolve around learner-centered teaching practices, characteristics of outstanding teachers, effective teaching, and pressures on the professoriate related to the…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gonzalez, Yvonne Lynne
This qualitative, descriptive multiple case study took place in a Southwest Texas city bordering Mexico. The study examined specific resources and practices used in four different exemplary-rated elementary school campuses, with standardized test data reflecting 93% or more of their 5th-grade Hispanic student population passing the state mandated standardized science test. The sample for this study included one principal, one assistant principal, and three 5th-grade teachers from each campus. In total, the sample participants consisted of four principals, four assistant principals, and 12 5th-grade teachers. Data collection involved conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews guided by five literature-based, researcher-generated questions. Fifth grade teachers and administrators reflected and reported upon their pedagogy for best practices in helping Hispanic students achieve success. Analysis of the data revealed eight themes: (a) successful schools have committed teachers, an environment conducive to learning, and incorporate best practices that work for all students; (b) curriculum alignment is very important; (c) teachers have access to a variety of resources; (d) teacher collaboration and planning is very important; (e) science camps, science reviews, and hands-on centers are effective in preparing students for the standardized test; (f) the most effective instructional practices include high emphasis on vocabulary, hands-on and differentiated instruction, and the 5E Model; (g) teachers see value in self-contained, dual-language classes; and (h) professional development and performance feedback are important to educators. The results of this study provide educational leaders with specific science instructional resources, practices, and interventions proven effective for the 5 th-grade Hispanic student population in passing the science state standardized test.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liao, Yin-Chan; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Anne; Karlin, Michael; Glazewski, Krista; Brush, Thomas
2017-01-01
Studies have shown that when K-12 school districts implement a new technology initiative, it is not always accompanied by effective teacher professional development (PD). Many teachers have indicated that effective technology PD experiences should incorporate their individual PD needs. The authors surveyed technology-using K-12 teachers at two…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hester, Nichole North
2017-01-01
Teachers report five identified groupings of work related stressors cause their jobs to be stressful. Teacher stress has negative effects on teachers personally, professionally, and on the students they teach. Research has shown participation in yoga classes may reduce the negative effects of stress in many populations. This mixed methods study…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weisberg, Daniel; Sexton, Susan; Mulhern, Jennifer; Keeling, David; Schunck, Joan; Palcisco, Ann; Morgan, Kelli
2009-01-01
This report examines the pervasive and longstanding failure to recognize and respond to variations in the effectiveness of teachers. At the heart of the matter are teacher evaluation systems, which in theory should serve as the primary mechanism for assessing such variations, but in practice tell everyone little about how one teacher differs from…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rivard, Léonard P.; Gueye, Ndeye R.
2016-01-01
'Literacy in the Science Classroom Project" was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers' use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted…
Slow Transformation: Teacher Research and Shifting Teacher Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Patterson, Thomas H.; Crumpler, Thomas P.
2009-01-01
As a teacher with more than 30 years experience at the middle school, secondary, and college level, primarily in English studies, Patterson (the first author) decided a few years ago to reexamine his practices and instructional methods. He wondered what would be the effects on him and his students when he would begin to utilize ideas emanating…
Guiding Educators to Praxis: Moving Teachers beyond Theory to Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Castillo, Melissa J.
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study was to explore and report on the impact of coaching as an embedded part of professional development has on teacher learning and practice in the context of educating English Language Learners (ELLs). A close examination was made of what teachers, coaches and principals believe to be effective professional development and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bishop, Anne G.; Brownell, Mary T.; Klingner, Janette K.; Leko, Melinda M.; Galman, Sally A. C.
2010-01-01
Little research exists to help us understand why some beginning special education teachers of reading engage in more effective classroom practices than others. Factors that may influence these differences include personal attributes, preparation, and school environment. This mixed-methods study examined beginning special education teachers (N =…
Research Linking Teacher Preparation and Student Performance: Teacher Education Yearbook XII
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Guyton, Edith M., Ed.; Dangel, Julie Rainer, Ed.
2004-01-01
The case studies, research, and projects presented here strike at the very heart of effective teaching. The specific practices to improve student performance will spark classroom discussion and improve teacher practice. After a foreword by Frances van Tassell and an introduction by Edith M. Guyton and Julie Rainer Dangel, this book is divided into…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Evans, Carol
2017-01-01
This article reviews the effectiveness of two projects: "NQT and Beyond; Developing Resilience in Learning and Teaching," and the underpinning conceptual framework (PLSP) in supporting early career teachers' (ECTs') development of their research literacy. Evidence of effective integration of research into practice is illustrated through…
It's All about Baxter: Task Orientation in the Effective Teaching of Writing
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gadd, Murray; Parr, Judy M.
2016-01-01
This New Zealand-based study of the classroom practice of nine exemplary teachers of writing to upper primary-age students explored the significance of task orientation as a component of effective teacher instruction and the instructional strategies or actions that effective teachers utilise to promote such. Effectiveness pertains to teachers…
Effective Teaching: A Review of Research and Evidence
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ko, James; Sammons, Pamela
2013-01-01
Teachers are one of the key elements in any school and effective teaching is one of the key propellers for school improvement. This review is concerned with how to define a teacher's effectiveness and what makes an effective teacher. It draws out implications for policymakers in education and for improving classroom practice. Teacher…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sezen, Asli
The emphasis on socio-cultural theories of learning has required the understanding of multi-dimensional, dynamic and social nature of acquiring the scientific knowledge and practices. Recent policy documents suggest a focus on formative and dynamic assessment practices that will help understand and improve the complex nature of scientific learning in classrooms. This study focuses on teachers' use of "Informal Formative Assessments (IFA)" aimed at improving students' learning and teachers' frequent recognition of students' learning process. The study was designed as an ethnographic case study of four middle school teachers and their students at a local charter school. The data of the study included (a) teachers' responses to history of teaching questionnaire (b) video and audio records of teachers' assessment practices during two different scientific projects (c) video and audio records of ethnographic interviews with teachers during their reflections on their practices, and (d) field notes taken by the researcher to understand the assessment culture of the school. The analytical tools from sociolinguistics (e.g., transcripts and event maps) were prepared and discourse analysis based in an ethnographic perspective was used to analyze the data. Moreover, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was also introduced as an alternative data analysis framework for understanding the role of division of labor among the elements of the community on the challenges and the outcomes of IFA practices. The findings from the analysis of the classroom discourse showed three different types of IFA cycles: connected, non-connected, and repeating. The analysis of the teachers' reflections showed that the effectiveness of these cycles did not only depend on whether the cycles were connected, but also on other variables such as the phase of the lessons and student's identities and abilities. Teachers' reflections during researcher-teacher meetings on the concept and the aims of IFA improved through the use of academic literature on IFA and video-cases of their own practice. Teachers also reflected on the challenges for effective implementations of IFA and they emphasized challenges due to the division of labor among the classroom participants and the open nature of scientific knowledge. Through participation in the study, the teachers helped develop an IFA model for middle school science classrooms designed to capture the complex nature of teacher-student interaction. This model can be used for further analysis of IFA activity and professional development activities focused on assessment practices.
Place-based education: An impetus for teacher efficacy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Coleman, Tamara Chase
This research investigated professional development in place-based (PB) methodology on the efficacy of science teachers. While teachers are expected to use best practices they do not always implement them due to a lack of efficacy in implementation. A professional development program (PD) was designed to increase confidence among teachers planning to incorporate PB methods. Place-based education (PBE) is recognized as a best-practice among professional educators. PBE includes the selection, design and engagement with science using the geographic place as the content. The literature reports that student learning and teacher efficacy will improve when teachers are prepared effectively in PB practices. This dissertation research examined the effects of PD in PB methodology and its influence on the efficacy of seven science teachers who participated in this research. An exploratory, qualitative research approach was used to study the characteristics of change among teachers. Qualitative information was collected about the teachers' confidence with PBE methodology and practices through interviews, in reflective journals and through observations of them working with students in PB settings. Changes in teacher efficacy were accompanied by their becoming more intentional with PBE, networking with experts and expressing a commitment to connect content with the community. The consistency of changes in efficacy among the seven teachers in the study was mixed. Three of the teachers became more confident in their approach to teaching using PB methods and reported the gain in confidence was influenced by the PBE professional development. Three teachers reported that the PD had little effect on their efficacy as teachers to implement PBE. These teachers cited complications from more critical issues in their careers such as time to prepare PBE lessons and meaningful participation in the PD. Those difficulties proved to be hindrances in developing efficacy in implementing PBE. Themes emerging from this research are: PBE is accepted by teachers as a positive methodology to improve efficacy; PBE was recognized as connecting students with and engaging them in learning about their local community and environment; longevity in teaching does not equate with efficacy, and the level of efficacy improves when teachers meaningfully engage in PBE.
Validating an Observation Protocol to Measure Special Education Teacher Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Evelyn S.; Semmelroth, Carrie L.
2015-01-01
This study used Kane's (2013) Interpretation/Use Argument (IUA) to measure validity on the Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET) observation tool. The RESET observation tool is designed to evaluate special education teacher effectiveness using evidence-based instructional practices as the basis for evaluation. In alignment with…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivard, Léonard P.; Gueye, Ndeye R.
2016-05-01
Literacy in the Science Classroom Project was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers' use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted in different classrooms. We also wanted to identify the challenges and enablers to implementing these literacy strategies and practices at the classroom, school, and district levels. Data collection involved both qualitative and quantitative methodologies: student questionnaires; interviews with teachers, principals, and mentor; and focus groups with students. The findings suggest that the program had an impact on beliefs and practices commensurate with the workshop participation of individual teachers. These language-enhanced teacher practices also had a positive impact on the use of talking, reading and writing by students in the science classroom. Finally, continuing PD support may be needed in certain jurisdictions for strengthening minority-language programs given the high teacher mobility in content-area classrooms evident in this study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fitzgerald, Angela; Dawson, Vaille; Hackling, Mark
2009-01-01
Effective science teaching is vital for improved student learning outcomes in primary school science. Therefore, there is a need to tease out the components of effective science teaching to better understand what effective primary teachers do in their classrooms and why they do it. Four primary teachers, each nominated as effective science…
Reddy, Linda A; Fabiano, Gregory A; Jimerson, Shane R
2013-12-01
Progress monitoring is a type of formative assessment. Most work on progress monitoring in elementary school settings has been focused on students. However, teachers also can benefit from frequent evaluations. Research addressing teacher progress monitoring is critically important given the recent national focus on teacher evaluation and effectiveness. This special topic section of School Psychology Quarterly is the first to showcase the current research on measuring Tier 1 instructional and behavioral management practices used by prekindergarten and elementary school teachers in general education settings. The three studies included in the special section describe the development and validation efforts of several teacher observational and self-report measures of instruction and/or behavioral management. These studies provide evidence for the utility of such assessments for documenting the use of classroom practices, and these assessment results may be leveraged in innovative coaching models to promote best practice. These articles also offer insight and ideas for the next generation of teacher practice assessment for the field. Finally, the special topic is capped by a commentary synthesizing the current work and offers "big ideas" for future measurement development, policy, and professional development initiatives. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.
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Hockenberry, James E.
2010-01-01
School principal's practices are affected by many factors on a daily basis. Various factors affecting their practice are invisible to the eye and silent by the spoken word. However, the problem exists that there is a lack of research identifying the experiences of practicing principals regarding teacher self-efficacy. Furthermore, there is not…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Robinson, Jack; Myran, Steve; Strauss, Richard; Reed, William
2014-01-01
Among contemporary means of enhancing student learning, formative assessment is perhaps one of the most important and effective. While formative assessment ideas and practices have been shown to have a proven record enhancing student learning, these practices are slow to be fully integrated into teachers' day-to-day classroom practices. This study…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Deglau, Dena A.; O'Sullivan, Mary
2006-01-01
In order to understand teachers' responses to professional development (PD) opportunities at the level of practice, and how such practice is situated within communities of learners, changes that occur as a result of participation and the mediational influences of the community of practice itself must be considered. The primary purpose of this…
Vocational Teacher Professional Development. Practice Application Brief No. 11.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Bettina Lankard
Teacher shortages, new technologies, and vocational certification demands are directing attention to the need for professional development of vocational education (VE) teachers. VE teachers can use various strategies to enhance their performance and effectiveness through professional development. Worksite experiences give VE teachers opportunities…
Effects of the learning assistant experience on in-service teachers' practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gray, Kara E.; Webb, David C.; Otero, Valerie K.
2012-02-01
The Colorado Learning Assistant (LA) Program serves as a content-specific supplement to standard teacher preparation programs. In addition to transforming undergraduate STEM courses, it recruits and prepares math and science majors for teaching careers by involving university STEM faculty. The research reported here compares the teaching practices of in-service teachers who participated in the LA experience as undergraduates to a comparison group of teachers who did not participate in the LA program as undergraduates but were certified to teach through the same program. We report on teachers' views of assessments and differences in their teaching practices. This analysis is based on interviews with approximately 30 teachers and observations of their classrooms throughout their induction years of teaching. This work considers how the LA program may help improve current teacher preparation models.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nam, Jeonghee; Seung, Eulsun; Go, MunSuk
2013-03-01
This study investigated how a collaborative mentoring program influenced beginning science teachers' inquiry-based teaching and their reflection on practice. The one-year program consisted of five one-on-one mentoring meetings, weekly science education seminars, weekly mentoring group discussions, and self-evaluation activities. The participants were three beginning science teachers and three mentors at the middle school level (7-9th grades) in an urban area of South Korea. For each beginning teacher, five lessons were evaluated in terms of lesson design/implementation, procedural knowledge, and classroom culture by using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol. Five aspects of the beginning teachers' reflections were identified. This study showed that a collaborative mentoring program focusing on inquiry-based science teaching encouraged the beginning teachers to reflect on their own perceptions and teaching practice in terms of inquiry-based science teaching, which led to changes in their teaching practice. This study also highlighted the importance of collaborative interactions between the mentors and the beginning teachers during the mentoring process.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zorn, Daniel Roy
2010-01-01
The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between principal and teacher values congruence and perceived principal leadership practices. Additionally, this study considered the relationship between values congruence, leadership practices, and student achievement. The perceptions teachers hold regarding their principal's…
Formative Observation of Teaching: Focusing Peer Assistance on Teachers' Developmental Goals
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Drew, Steve; Phelan, Liam; Lindsay, Katherine; Carbone, Angela; Ross, Bella; Wood, Kayleen; Stoney, Susan; Cottman, Caroline
2017-01-01
Peer observation of teaching can provide valuable insights into effective educational practices. By adopting a developmental focus, peer observation can also provide insights into how practices might be enhanced and, importantly, how enhancements in practices might be aligned to teachers' development goals. However, a review of peer observation of…
Perceptions of Secondary Mathematics Teachers Concerning Influences on Pedagogical Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wirth, Jamie
2014-01-01
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Secondary Math Teachers (SMTs) concerning the influences that affect teaching practices and also investigate the possible existence of pluralistic ignorance concerning the way SMTs perceive the effects of influences on their own teaching practices versus the way they perceive the effects…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wilcox, Jesse Lee
This year-long study explored how ten teachers--five first year, five second year--acclimated to their new school environment after leaving a master's level university science teacher preparation program known for being highly effective. Furthermore, this study sought to explore if a relationship existed between teachers' understanding and implementation of research-based science teaching practices, the barriers to enacting these practices--known as institutional constraints, and the constructive-developmental theory which explores meaning-making systems known as orders of consciousness. As a naturalistic inquiry mixed methods study, data were collected using both qualitative (e.g., semi-structured interviews, field notes) as well as quantitative methods (e.g., observation protocols, subject/object protocol). These data sources were used to construct participant summaries and a cross-case analysis. The findings from provide evidence that teachers' orders of consciousness might help to explain why understanding research-based science teaching practices are maintained by some new teachers and not others. Additionally, this study found the orders of consciousness of teachers relates to the perceptions of institutional constraints as well as how a teacher chooses to navigate those constraints. Finally, the extent to which teachers implement research-based science teaching practices is related to orders of consciousness. While many studies have focused on what meaning teachers make, this study highlights the importance of considering how teachers make meaning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weisberg, Daniel; Sexton, Susan; Mulhern, Jennifer; Keeling, David
2009-01-01
This report examines the pervasive and longstanding failure to recognize and respond to variations in the effectiveness of teachers. At the heart of the matter are teacher evaluation systems, which in theory should serve as the primary mechanism for assessing such variations, but in practice tell everyone little about how one teacher differs from…
What matters in the classroom: A structural model of standards-based scientific literacy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shive, Louise E.
For over two decades educators and policy makers have been particularly concerned with student achievement in the wake of A Nation at Risk. A majority of studies indicates that students' family background has the strongest influence on achievement, although characteristics of their teachers and schools have significant impact as well. This study considered achievement in science in particular, investigating the influence of alterable factors within the classroom on students' gains in scientific literacy. Scientific literacy included three elements: content knowledge, scientific process skills, and attitude towards science. Based on a review of the literature on student achievement, a structural equation model was constructed with five latent variables: teacher's education, instructional practices, teacher's attitudes, school's context, and students' scientific literacy. The model was tested using data from the five-month implementation of a standards-based integrated text/technology/laboratory program, Biology: Exploring Life. The sixteen biology teachers completed two pre-implementation surveys, and 664 of their students completed the three pretests and the corresponding posttests. The initial model did not fit well (chi2(80) = 2784.16; chi 2/df = 34.80; GFI = .70; IFI = .49; CFI = .49) and was inadmissible due to the presence of negative variances. After revision of the model, fit improved somewhat (chi2(53) = 1623.97; chi 2/df = 30.64; GFI = .77; IFI = .65; CFI = .65), although a negative variance migrated and persisted. The total effects were greatest for the teacher's attitudes (largely indirect, mediated through instructional practices), followed by school's context, and instructional practices. Teacher's education had the lowest total effects due to almost equal but opposite direct effects (positive) and indirect effects (mediated through instructional practices and teacher's attitudes). The investigator concluded that alterable factors such as teachers' attitudes, instructional practices, and classroom context can influence students' gains in scientific literacy within a standards-based integrated text/technology/laboratory program.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bianchini, Julie A.; Dwyer, Hilary A.; Brenner, Mary E.; Wearly, Alayna J.
2015-01-01
We investigated a 2.5-year professional development effort designed to support practicing science and mathematics teachers in understanding equity and enacting equitable practices. Our purpose was to inform the research base on effective equity professional development, toward the goal of better supporting science and mathematics teachers in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rushton, Gregory T.; Lotter, Christine; Singer, Jonathan
2011-01-01
This study investigates the beliefs and practices of seven high school chemistry teachers as a result of their participation in a year-long inquiry professional development (PD) project. An analysis of oral interviews, written reflections, and in-class observations were used to determine the extent to which the PD affected the teachers' beliefs…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pat-El, Ron Jonathan; Tillema, Harm; Segers, Mien; Vedder, Paul
2015-01-01
Assessment for Learning (AfL), as a way to promote learning, requires a "match" or a shared focus between student and teacher to be effective. But students and teachers may differ in their perceptions of the purpose and process of classroom assessment meant to promote learning. Perceptions regarding AfL practices in their classroom were…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kean, Teoh Hong; Kannan, Sathiamoorthy; Piaw, Chua Yan
2017-01-01
The main aim of this research paper was to ascertain the relationship between principal leadership practices and teacher commitment. The study was conducted using quantitative survey questionnaire to 384 secondary school teachers, ranging from band 1 to band 6 in Malaysia using multi stage stratified cluster random sampling. This study was using…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mandinach, Ellen B.; Gummer, Edith S.
2016-01-01
Data literacy has become an essential skill set for teachers as education becomes more of an evidence-based profession. Teachers in all stages of professional growth need to learn how to use data effectively and responsibly to inform their teaching practices. This groundbreaking resource describes data literacy for teaching, emphasizing the…
Instructional Supervision and the Pedagogical Practices of Secondary School Teachers in Uganda
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Malunda, Paul; Onen, David; Musaazi, John C. S.; Oonyu, Joseph
2016-01-01
This paper looks at the effect of instructional supervision by school authorities on the pedagogical practices of teachers in public secondary schools in Uganda. To date, research into this field in the country has focused more on the technicalities of supervision rather than on how the teachers have been responding to it. The study employed a…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tonnis, Dorothy Ann
The goals of this interpretive study were to examine selected Wisconsin science teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning science, to describe the scope of classroom performance assessment practices, and to gain an understanding of teachers' personal and professional experiences that influenced their belief systems of teaching, learning and assessment. The study was designed to answer the research questions: (1) How does the integration of performance assessment relate to the teachers' views of teaching and learning? (2) How are the selected teachers integrating performance assessment in their teaching? (3) What past personal and professional experiences have influenced teachers' attitudes and beliefs related to their classroom performance assessment practices? Purposeful sampling was used to select seven Wisconsin elementary, middle and high school science teachers who participated in the WPADP initiative from 1993-1995. Data collection methods included a Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI), semi-structured interviews, teacher developed portfolios, portfolio conferences, and classroom observations. Four themes and multiple categories emerged through data analysis to answer the research questions and to describe the results. Several conclusions were drawn from this research. First, science teachers who appeared to effectively integrate performance assessment, demonstrated transformational thinking in their attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning science. In addition, these teachers viewed assessment and instructional practices as interdependent. Third, transformational teachers generally used well defined criteria to judge student work and made it public to the students. Transformational teachers provided students with real-world performance assessment tasks that were also learning events. Furthermore, student task responses informed the transformational teachers about effectiveness of instruction, students' complex thinking skills, quality of assessment instruments, students' creativity, and students' self-assessment skills. Finally, transformational teachers maintained integration of performance assessment practices through sustaining teacher support networks, engaging in professional development programs, and reflecting upon past personal and professional experiences related to teaching, learning and assessment. Salient conflicts overcome or minimized by transformational teachers include the conflict between assessment scoring and grading issues, validity and reliability concerns about the performance assessment tasks used, and the difficulty for teachers to consistently provide public criteria to students before task administration.
Are You Ready to be a Mentor? Preparing Teachers for Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ambrosetti, Angelina
2014-01-01
The use of mentoring has nowadays become a predominant practice for the professional placement component of pre-service teacher education programs. Research however has identified that being an effective teacher does not make you an effective mentor. The present research investigated the role of professional development in the preparation of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McGair, Charles D.
2012-01-01
Many theories, methods, and practices are utilized to evaluate teachers with the intention of determining teacher effectiveness to better inform decisions about retention, tenure, certification and performance-based pay. In the 21st century there has been a renewed emphasis on teacher evaluation in public schools, largely due to federal "Race…
The Possible Effects of Mentoring on Second Career Teacher Perceptions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lopez, Carol A.
2017-01-01
The primary goal of this study was to examine the effects of mentoring during the first teaching year of high school Second Career Teachers. The teachers' perception of this aspect of their professional career was studied. The practice has been that school district administration assigns new teachers a mentor to support them in their success. They…
The Tip of the Iceberg: The Preparation of Special Education Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuehn, Jill
2013-01-01
This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand how beginning special education teachers experience the relationship between their teacher training and their actual teaching practice. Effective and insufficient aspects of the teacher training programs of special education teachers were explored. Thirteen special education teachers…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schuch, Linda, Ed.
2004-01-01
"Viewpoints" is a multimedia package containing two audio CDs and a short, informative booklet. This volume of "Viewpoints" focuses on using scientifically based practices to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness. The audio CDs provide the voices, or viewpoints, of various leaders from the education field who have worked closely…
Teachers and School Research Practices: The Gaps between the Values and Practices of Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Procter, Richard
2015-01-01
Recent research has shown that improving education processes has become a priority for all governments. There have also been recent calls for the knowledge that is already in existence to be used more effectively to improve these education systems both internationally and nationally. For research evidence to be used more effectively, it is…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Labone, Elizabeth; Long, Janette
2016-01-01
The impact of quality teaching on student learning has led to an increased focus on professional learning to support and improve teacher practice. Review of the literature on effective professional learning suggests six elements that support sustained change in teacher practice; namely, focus, learning components, feedback, collaborative…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dervent, Fatih
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of reflective thinking on the professional teaching practices of preservice physical education teachers and to explore their reflective levels. Within the qualitative research paradigm, action research was used to gain a deeper understanding of the reflective experiences of preservice physical…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hall, Dara M.; Hughes, Michelle A.; Thelk, Amy D.
2017-01-01
Effective mentoring programs help to recruit new teachers and improve teacher retention rates (e.g. Ingersoll & Strong, 2011, Rideout & Windle, 2010). Many school districts require mentoring programs for new teachers; however, they do not always have the resources to prepare their teachers to mentor beginning teachers. Clinical faculty…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Vries, Siebrich; van de Grift, Wim J. C. M.; Jansen, Ellen P. W. A.
2014-01-01
Teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) can improve teacher quality and teaching practice, yet teachers differ greatly in the extent to which they engage in CPD. In extensive research into which factors affect teachers' participation in CPD, the effects of teachers' beliefs have received limited attention, despite their strong…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hastürk, Gamze; Dogan, Alev
2016-01-01
Effective use of educational technologies by teachers in classrooms has come into prominence as the integration of technology into educational settings in todays world is considered as an inseparable part of an effective teaching. Besides, recent teacher training curriculums too emphasize the use of teaching strategies including technology to…
A Course on Effective Teacher-Child Interactions. Research Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hamre, Bridget K.; Pianta, Robert C.; Burchinal, Margaret; Field, Samuel; LoCasale-Crouch, Jennifer; Downer, Jason T.; Howes, Carollee; LaParo, Karen; Scott-Little, Catherine
2012-01-01
This study found that teachers who were randomly assigned to take a 14-week course on effective teacher-child interactions demonstrated significant changes in beliefs and knowledge about effective practices and provided more stimulating and engaging interactions in the classroom. [This research brief is based on: Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C.,…
Teacher and School Leader Effectiveness: Lessons Learned from High-Performing Systems. Issue Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011
2011-01-01
In an effort to find best practices in enhancing teacher effectiveness, the Alliance for Excellent Education (Alliance) and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) looked abroad at education systems that appear to have well-developed and effective systems for recruiting, preparing, developing, and retaining teachers and…
The ABCs of Teacher-Parent Communication
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Banach, William J.
2007-01-01
This book fills a void in teacher education and training. It helps teachers understand and deal with the real-world challenges of effectively communicating with parents. With the utmost regard for limited teacher time and demanding workloads, the book presents a practical, no-nonsense approach any teacher can use to improve communication and…
Supporting Teachers and Technicians in the Delivery of High-Quality, Effective Practical Science
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Langley, Mark
2014-01-01
Science is at heart a practical subject, but the perception of what makes good teaching and learning through practical science is often misunderstood. Through working with teachers on professional development courses at the UK's National Science Learning Centre, and drawing on work carried out by other organisations, we present some thoughts and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thompson, Jerome; Soyibo, Kola
2002-01-01
Investigates whether the use of the combination of lecture, teacher demonstrations, class discussion, and student practical work in small groups significantly improved experimental subjects' attitudes to chemistry and understanding of electrolysis more than their control group counterparts who were not exposed to practical work. Examines whether…
Learning to Teach in Urban Schools: The Transition from Preparation to Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hollins, Etta R.
2011-01-01
This book is about the transition from teacher "preparation" to teaching "practice" in urban school settings. It provides a clear presentation of the challenges, resources, and opportunities for learning to teach in urban schools; examples of the experiences, perceptions, and practices of teachers who are effective in urban schools and those who…
Best Practice in Motivation and Management in the Classroom. Second Edition
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wiseman, Dennis G.; Hunt, Gilbert H.
2008-01-01
This text offers practical information and vicarious practice for both beginning as well as veteran teachers to become more knowledgeable, skilled, and effective in their work. Through study, application of what has been studied, and the analysis and evaluation of the end result of this application, teachers who care to improve can improve. And,…
Engler, Karen S; MacGregor, Cynthia J
2018-01-01
At a time when deaf education teacher preparation programs are declining in number, little is known about their actual effectiveness. A phenomenological case study of a graduate-level comprehensive deaf education teacher preparation program at a midwestern university explored empowered and enabled learning of teacher candidates using the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education educator pillars: (a) commitment to the profession, (b) proficiency in practice, and (c) learning impact, all deemed critical to developing quality teachers. A strong connection was found between the program's comprehensive philosophy and its practice. Embracing diversity of d/Deafness and differentiated instruction were the most prevalent themes expressed by participants. Teacher candidates displayed outstanding commitment to the profession and high proficiency in practice. The findings suggest that additional consideration should be given to classroom and behavior management, teacher candidate workload, teaching beyond academics, and preparation for navigating the public school system.
Science Teachers' Pedagogical Discontentment: Its Sources and Potential for Change
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Southerland, Sherry A.; Sowell, Scott; Enderle, Patrick
2011-08-01
This research explored science teachers' pedagogical discontentment and described its role in teachers' consideration of new teaching practices. Pedagogical discontentment is an expression of the degree to which one is discontented because one's teaching practices do not achieve one's teaching goals. Through a series of structured interviews conducted with 18 practicing science teachers of various grade levels, content areas, routes of preparation, and amount of experience, areas of commonality in the teachers' pedagogical discontentment were identified. The common areas of pedagogical discontentment include the ability to teach all students science, science content knowledge, balancing depth versus breath of instruction, implementing inquiry instruction, and assessing science learning. We draw implications for using this construct to craft more effective professional development.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lambe, Jackie; Bones, Robert
2007-01-01
This study seeks to discover the attitudes to inclusion of those about to embark on initial teacher education in Northern Ireland and the extent to which an extended teaching practice in a non-selective placement school can influence attitude change. A cohort of 125 student teachers responded to a survey that explored their attitudes towards a…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alles, Martina; Seidel, Tina; Gröschner, Alexander
2018-01-01
Goal clarity is an essential element of classroom dialogue and a component of effective instruction. Until now, teachers have been struggling to implement goal clarity in the classroom dialogue. In the present study, we investigated the classroom practice of teachers in a video-based intervention called the Dialogic Video Cycle (DVC) and compared…
Teacher Leadership and Behaviour Management.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rogers, Bill, Ed.
These 10 papers address current approaches to teacher leadership and behavior management. Each paper demonstrates a commitment to support classroom teachers with practical action research in such areas as discipline and behavior management, effective teaching, teacher leadership, working with students who show behavioral-emotional disorders, and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Adamson, David M.
2012-01-01
Researchers examined whether rewarding teams of teachers for student performance had an effect on student achievement or teacher practices or attitudes in a demonstration project in Round Rock, Texas. They found that the intervention had no effect in any of these areas. Students taught by teacher teams who were offered incentives scored slightly…
The Productivity Costs of Inefficient Hiring Practices: Evidence from Late Teacher Hiring
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Papay, John P.; Kraft, Matthew A.
2016-01-01
We use matched employee-employer records from the teacher labor market to explore the effects of late teacher hiring on student achievement. Hiring teachers after the school year starts reduces student achievement by 0.042 SD in mathematics and 0.026 SD in reading. This reflects, in part, a temporary disruption effect in the first year. In…
Enacting Teacher Leadership: The Role of Teachers in Bringing about Change
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lai, Edith; Cheung, Derek
2015-01-01
This paper attempts to identify leadership practices and qualities of school teachers as they engaged in effecting change initiated by a curriculum reform in Hong Kong. Based on interview data of teachers from nine schools, this paper shows how teacher leadership manifested itself in schools. Three approaches to teacher leadership were identified,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Campbell, Thomas F.
2013-01-01
This case study will investigate teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the relationship between mini observations and teacher performance to understand what effect, if any, a system of mini observations has on teacher performance, and if mini observations influences a teacher's pedagogical practice differently than a…
Teacher Empowerment and Institutional Effectiveness in Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jha, Avdhesh S.
2011-01-01
Teacher Empowerment means to equip a teacher for conceptual and practical teaching which focuses on the relevant syllabus topics. It means the power of the teacher to exercise his judgement of what, why, how, when and why to teach. It also insists on developing a harmonious relationship with the environment along with the right of the teacher to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gichobi, Mary N.
2013-01-01
The need to design teacher preparation programs to ensure that pre-service teachers (PSTs) are prepared and equipped with knowledge, skills and practices to increase the chances that they will become effective novice mathematics teachers is of prime importance. Teacher educators are facing lingering challenges, since teacher education is…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dad, Hukam; Ali, Riasat; Janjua, Muhammad Zaigham Qadeer; Shahzad, Saqib; Khan, Muhammad Saeed
2010-01-01
The major purpose of the study was to compare the frequency and effectiveness of positive and negative reinforcement practices deployed by teachers in boys' and girls' secondary schools in urban and rural areas. It was hypothesized that there would be no difference in use of reward and punishment by teachers in secondary schools in urban and rural…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baratta, Donna Geidel
2012-01-01
This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of online professional development in technology with Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) on teachers' attitudes and content integration. This research study took place completely online. Over a period of nine months three cohorts of educators from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations…
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Chatoupis, Constantine C.; Vagenas, George
2017-01-01
We investigated the effectiveness of two teaching formats that fall under the canopy of Mosston and Ashworth's (2008) practice style, on fifth grade students' motor skill performance and task engagement. Both formats are also known as station teaching or learning centers. In the teacher-rotated format (TR), the teacher decides the amount of time…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Voerman, Lia; Meijer, Paulien C.; Korthagen, Fred; Simons, Robert Jan
2015-01-01
This study describes an evaluation of a theory-based trajectory for professional development called FeTiP (Feedback-Theory into Practice) that aims to have an observable effect on teacher classroom behavior. FeTiP is a multicomponent trajectory for professional development and combines several types of interventions. Its goal is to help teachers…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mikami, Amori Yee; Gregory, Anne; Allen, Joseph P.; Pianta, Robert C.; Lun, Janetta
2011-01-01
We investigated the effects of My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S), a teacher professional development intervention, on students' peer relationships in middle and high school classrooms. MTP-S targets increasing teachers' positive interactions with students and sensitive instructional practices and has demonstrated improvements in students'…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clough, Michael P.; Berg, Craig A.; Olson, Joanne K.
2009-01-01
Learning and effective teaching are both complicated acts. However, many administrators, teachers, parents, and policymakers appear not to recognize those complexities and their significance for practice. Fueling this perception, recommendations from "isolated" research findings often neglect the complexities in learning and teaching, and when…
Effectiveness of an Online Simulation for Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Badiee, Farnaz; Kaufman, David
2014-01-01
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the "simSchool" (v.1) simulation as a tool for preparing student teachers for actual classroom teaching. Twenty-two student teachers used the simulation for a practice session and two test sessions; data included objective performance statistics generated by the simulation program, self-rated…
Methods That Matter in Addressing Cultural Diversity with Teacher Candidates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Acquah, Emmanuel O.; Commins, Nancy L.
2017-01-01
Drawing on a combination of prior experience, theoretical stance, and intuition, along with pedagogical practices identified to be effective in addressing diversity with teacher candidates, a model for teaching multicultural education to teacher candidates was designed. This study examined how particular elements of this model were effective in…
Jimerson, Shane R; Haddock, Aaron D
2015-12-01
Teacher quality has a vital influence on student success or failure. Thus, further research regarding teacher effectiveness, teacher evaluation, teacher well-being, and teacher contributions is essential to inform school psychologists and allied educational professionals who collaborate and consult with teachers to facilitate student success. In this special topic section of School Psychology Quarterly, a series of 6 articles further elucidate teachers' powerful contributions to student outcomes along with concrete, research-based ways for school psychologists to support and collaborate with teachers. The studies included in the special section describe how teacher support facilitates students' positive academic and social-emotional outcomes and how students' attitudes toward learning moderate the association between the classroom environment and students' academic achievement. Studies also report on the development and validation of self-report measures focused on both teacher subjective well-being and teachers' use of evidence-based practices. Finally, the articles included in the special topic section offer insights and ideas for refining teacher evaluation practices, understanding the factors contributing to program implementation fidelity, and improving prevention, early identification, and intervention efforts aimed at fostering school completion and positive youth development. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
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Chaplin, Duncan; Gill, Brian; Thompkins, Allison; Miller, Hannah
2014-01-01
Responding to federal and state prompting, school districts across the country are implementing new teacher evaluation systems that aim to increase the rigor of evaluation ratings, better differentiate effective teaching, and support personnel and staff development initiatives that promote teacher effectiveness and ultimately improve student…
Intentional Mathematics Teaching in Early Childhood Classrooms
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jung, Myoungwhon; Conderman, Gregory
2013-01-01
Studies and discussions around "good teaching practices" have often identified intentionality as the chief characteristic of outstanding teachers. Intentional teachers are identified as maintaining the habit of informed reflection as they plan, teach, reflect on, and revise the effectiveness of their practices. Intentional teaching strategies are…
Sharing Practice through Socratic Seminars
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mangrum, Jennifer R.
2010-01-01
Developing systems and opportunities for effective dialogue is critical if schools wish to help teachers work collectively. One school used Socratic seminars, structured conversations about selected texts. These seminars helped teachers to build relationships, share practice, and change curriculum and policy. The seminars also were critical to…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dakich, Eva
This paper presents perceptions of four primary school teachers from two Victorian government primary schools about the barriers and catalyst for effective practices with ICT. Findings of the semi-structured qualitative interviews confirm results of previous studies indicating that access to reliable infrastructure, adequate technical support, and time pressures are still considered to be some of the most significant barriers to successful ICT integration in public schools. Teacher interviews however also reveal that the challenges of integrating ICT in teaching and learning can be counterbalanced by a number of variables, which include: owning a laptop, having access to ongoing professional learning, sharing effective practices, drawing on student expertise and being supported by a whole-school approach to teaching and learning with ICT.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sahingoz, Selcuk
One of the most important goals of science education is preparing effective science teachers which includes the development of a science pedagogical orientation. Helping in-service science teachers improve their orientations toward science teaching begins with identifying their current orientations. While there are many aspects of an effective science teaching orientation, this study specifically focuses on effective pedagogy. The interest of this study is to clarify pedagogical orientations of middle school science teachers in Turkey toward the teaching of science conceptual knowledge. It focuses on what instructional preferences Turkish middle school science teachers have in theory and practice. The purpose of this study is twofold: 1) to elucidate teacher pedagogical profiles toward direct and inquiry instructional approaches. For this purpose, quantitative profile data, using a Turkish version of the Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT-TR) assessment instrument, was collected from 533 Turkish middle school science teachers; 2) to identify teaching orientations of middle school science teachers and to identify their reasons for preferring specific instructional practices. For this purpose, descriptive qualitative, interview data was collected from 23 teachers attending a middle school science teacher workshop in addition to quantitative data using the POSTT-TR. These teachers sat for interviews structured by items from the POSTT-TR. Thus, the research design is mixed-method. The design provides a background profile on teacher orientations along with insights on reasons for pedagogical choices. The findings indicate that instructional preference distributions for the large group and smaller group are similar; however, the smaller workshop group is more in favor of inquiry instructional approaches. The findings also indicate that Turkish middle school science teachers appear to have variety of teaching orientations and they have varied reasons. Moreover, the research found that several contextual factors contributed to teachers' instructional practices including internal and external issues such as school environment, limited resources, large class sizes, standardized test pressure, and limited accessibility to professional development. The findings provide insight on the readiness of middle school teachers to implement the Turkish Curriculum Framework, specifically, teacher readiness to put science inquiry instructional approaches into actual classroom practice. Given that new Turkish policy calls for greater inquiry instruction, this study can help inform teacher development efforts directed at promoting science inquiry instruction.
Are Zeros Your Ultimate Weapon?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Guskey, Thomas R.
2004-01-01
Grading is one of a teacher's greatest challenges and most important professional responsibilities. However, few teachers have any formal training in grading methods, and most teachers have limited knowledge about the effectiveness of various grading practices. As a consequence, when teachers develop their grading policies, they typically reflect…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Corcoran, Sean P.
2010-01-01
Value-added measures of teacher effectiveness are the centerpiece of a national movement to evaluate, promote, compensate, and dismiss teachers based in part on their students' test results. Federal, state, and local policy-makers have adopted these methods en masse in recent years in an attempt to objectively quantify teaching effectiveness and…
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Oshima, Jun; Horino, Ryosuke; Oshima, Ritsuko; Yamamoto, Tomokazu; Inagaki, Shigenori; Takenaka, Makiko; Yamaguchi, Etsuji; Murayama, Isao; Nakayama, Hayashi
2006-01-01
Lesson study in Japan, the practice in which teachers work collaboratively and reflectively with colleagues on improving their classroom teaching, has recently attracted attention internationally as an effective means of teachers' professional development. Although lesson study is very useful for helping new teachers join the profession and for…
A Proposal for a CA-Integrated English Language Teacher Education Program in Turkey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sert, Olcay
2010-01-01
This study proposes a comprehensive framework for a Conversation Analysis (CA) informed English language teacher education program in Turkey. By reviewing recent studies in CA, Critical Reflective Practice, Teacher Language Awareness and language teacher education in general; the author calls for a more effective language teacher education program…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Busby, Joe R.; Mupinga, Davison M.
2007-01-01
Student teaching experience is important in the professional preparation of teachers. Successful teaching practice hinges on the effectiveness of cooperating teachers (CTs) who spend considerable time supervising and mentoring student teachers. Unfortunately, the welfare of the cooperating teachers is often neglected, and this is detrimental to…
A Synthesis of Research Concerning Creative Teachers in a Canadian Context
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reilly, Rosemary C.; Lilly, Frank; Bramwell, Gillian; Kronish, Neomi
2011-01-01
Effective teachers are often creative ones, yet an examination of creative teaching is largely invisible in the North American creativity literature. Even within education there is little about teachers' own creative practice. Nonetheless, there are benefits to studying creative teachers: in education it can explicate ways of enhancing teachers'…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Geijsel, Femke P.; Sleegers, Peter J. C.; Stoel, Reinoud D.; Kruger, Meta L.
2009-01-01
In this study we examined the relative importance of teachers' psychological states, school organizational conditions (teacher collaboration and participative decision making), and the leadership practices (vision, individual consideration, and intellectual stimulation) of principals at their schools in explaining variation in teachers'…
The Induction Program--Teachers' Experience after Five Years of Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Eisenschmidt, Eve; Oder, Tuuli; Reiska, Epp
2013-01-01
The induction program to provide support for novice teachers was introduced into teacher education in Estonia in 2004. The teachers who participated in the first program have now been working for several years. To evaluate the effectiveness of induction activities, we explored how mentoring and an induction program influence teachers' opinions…
Why Combatting Teachers' Stress Is Everyone's Job
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clement, Mary
2017-01-01
Teacher stressors and the effects of stressors on teachers' decisions to remain in the profession are reviewed in this article. A discussion of what teachers can do to combat their stress and perform their duties for longevity in the classroom includes practical and researched strategies. Teachers cannot be expected to resolve all the issues of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Grossman, Pam; Loeb, Susanna; Cohen, Julie; Wyckoff, James
2013-01-01
attention on issues related to teacher effectiveness. The Obama Administration has made teacher evaluation and teacher quality a central feature of many of its educational policies, including Race to the Top (RTTT), Investing in Innovation (i3), and the Teacher Incentive…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Abas, Maripaz C.
2016-01-01
Field-based observation has long been a central part of pre-service teacher education in many countries and is crucial for implementing effective practicum of pre-service teachers. This paper focused on the perspectives of graduating pre-service teachers regarding their difficulties related to administrative support, cooperating teachers, student…
Modelling the Sociocultural Contexts of Science Education: The Teachers' Perspective
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mansour, Nasser
2013-02-01
A growing body of research argues that teachers' beliefs and practices should be studied within the sociocultural contexts of their work because the relationship between their beliefs and practices is both complex and context-dependent. There is a need for further research in this area in understudied contexts such as developing countries, in order to promote effective education in schools and the professional development of teachers. This paper argues that if this `black box' of sociocultural contexts in which science teachers are embedded is better understood, it may be possible to identify specific aspects of these contexts related to educational organizations that act as either supports or barriers to pedagogical reform or to implementing innovations in science education. Consequently, the main purpose of this study is to explore the sociocultural contexts of ten Egyptian science teachers and to what extent these sociocultural contexts help in understanding teachers' pedagogical beliefs and practices. This paper, by utilizing a multi-grounded theory approach and qualitative methods, reveals a variety of sociocultural contexts that are related to teachers' pedagogical beliefs and practices.
Morgan, Paul L; Farkas, George; Maczuga, Steve
2015-06-01
We used population-based, longitudinal data to investigate the relation between mathematics instructional practices used by 1 st grade teachers in the U.S. and the mathematics achievement of their students. Factor analysis identified four types of instructional activities (i.e., teacher-directed, student-centered, manipulatives/calculators, movement/music) and eight types of specific skills taught (e.g., adding two-digit numbers). First-grade students were then classified into five groups on the basis of their fall and/or spring of kindergarten mathematics achievement-three groups with mathematics difficulties (MD) and two without MD. Regression analysis indicated that a higher percentage of MD students in 1 st grade classrooms was associated with greater use by teachers of manipulatives/calculators and movement/music to teach mathematics. Yet follow-up analysis for each of the MD and non-MD groups indicated that only teacher-directed instruction was significantly associated with the achievement of students with MD (covariate-adjusted ES s = .05-.07). The largest predicted effect for a specific instructional practice was for routine practice and drill. In contrast, for both groups of non-MD students, teacher-directed and student-centered instruction had approximately equal, statistically significant positive predicted effects (covariate-adjusted ES s = .03-.04). First-grade teachers in the U.S. may need to increase their use of teacher-directed instruction if they are to raise the mathematics achievement of students with MD.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hvidsten, Connie J.
Connie J. Hvidsten September 2016 Education Secondary Science Teachers Making Sense of Model-Based Classroom Instruction: Understanding the Learning and Learning Pathways Teachers Describe as Supporting Changes in Teaching Practice This dissertation consists of three papers analyzing writings and interviews of experienced secondary science teachers during and after a two-year professional development (PD) program focused on model-based reasoning (MBR). MBR is an approach to science instruction that provides opportunities for students to use conceptual models to make sense of natural phenomena in ways that are similar to the use of models within the scientific community. The aim of this research is to better understand the learning and learning pathways teachers identified as valuable in supporting changes in their teaching practice. To accomplish this aim, the papers analyze the ways teachers 1) ascribe their learning to various aspects of the program, 2) describe what they learned, and 3) reflect on the impact the PD had on their teaching practice. Twenty-one secondary science teachers completed the Innovations in Science Instruction through Modeling (ISIM) program from 2007 through 2009. Commonalities in the written reflections and interview responses led to a set of generalizable findings related to the impacts and outcomes of the PD. The first of the three papers describes elements of the ISIM program that teachers associated with their own learning. One of the most frequently mentioned PD feature was being in the position of an adult learner. Embedding learning in instructional practice by collaboratively developing and revising lessons, and observing the lessons in one-another's classrooms provided a sense of professional community, accountability, and support teachers reported were necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing new pedagogical practices. Additionally, teachers described that opportunities to reflect on their learning and connect their experiences to a larger literature base and rationale helped them negotiate the dissonance occurring as they tried new practices in their own classroom. Teachers associated these elements with learning about both science content and effective instructional pedagogy and producing a level of dissatisfaction with current understanding that motivated their persistence when met with obstacles or struggles. The second of the three papers analyzes what teachers said they learned in the ISIM program. Teachers' reported learning about scientific models, both how they are used in both the scientific community and how they can support students' classroom learning. Additionally, teachers mentioned learning more about the science they taught through interacting with models during the PD and learned more about effective teaching strategies. Teachers also reported learning about themselves as teachers and learners, as well as about the school and classroom contexts that shape their ability to implement new instructional practices. Finally, the third paper draws from interviews occurring a year or more after the program ended to identify how teachers reported changes in their classroom instruction resulting from their ISIM participation. Four of the teachers reported little or no change in classroom practice. Eight teachers described changes to their teaching to incorporate elements of the professional development, but who fell short of adopting model-based reasoning as a core feature of their classroom instruction. Nine teachers expressed a strong understanding of modeling instruction, and its ongoing influence on their classroom instruction.
Be FAIR to students: four principles that lead to more effective learning.
Harden, Ronald M; Laidlaw, Jennifer M
2013-01-01
A teacher is a professional not a technician. An understanding of some basic principles about learning can inform the teacher or trainer in their day-to-day practice as a teacher or a trainer. The FAIR principles are: provide feedback to the student, engage the student in active learning, individualise the learning to the personal needs of the student and make the learning relevant. Application of the principles can lead to more effective learning - the poor teacher can become a good teacher and the good teacher an excellent teacher.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martin, Tess
2012-01-01
Although there has been substantial research and reform in Vocational Education and Training (VET) over the past 30 years, it is argued that this has ostensibly had limited effectiveness on practices in TAFE colleges. Many policy changes during this period have not resulted in the requisite changed practices by TAFE teachers. This paper reports on…
Language in Science Classrooms: An Analysis of Physics Teachers' Use of and Beliefs about Language
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oyoo, Samuel Ouma
2012-01-01
The world over, secondary school science is viewed mainly as a practical subject. This may be one reason why effectiveness of teaching approaches in science education has often been judged on the kinds of practical activity with which teachers and students engage. In addition to practical work, language--often written (as in science texts) or oral…
A Case Study to Explore Rigorous Teaching and Testing Practices to Narrow the Achievement Gap
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Isler, Tesha
2012-01-01
The problem examined in this study: Does the majority of teachers use rigorous teaching and testing practices? The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the classroom techniques of six effective teachers who use rigorous teaching and testing practices. The hypothesis for this study is that the examination of the…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Uzoff, Phuong Pham
The purpose of this study was to examine how much K-12 science teachers working in a virtual school experience a community of practice and how that experience affects personal science-teaching efficacy and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The study was rooted in theoretical frameworks from Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice and Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy beliefs. The researcher used three surveys to examine schoolteachers' experiences of a community of practice and science-teaching efficacy beliefs. The instrument combined Mangieri's (2008) virtual teacher demographic survey, Riggs and Enochs (1990) Science-teaching efficacy Beliefs Instrument-A (STEBI-A), and Cadiz, Sawyer, and Griffith's (2009) Experienced Community of Practice (eCoP) instrument. The results showed a significant linear statistical relationship between the science teachers' experiences of community of practice and personal science-teaching efficacy. In addition, the study found that there was also a significant linear statistical relationship between teachers' community of practice experiences and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The results from this study were in line with numerous studies that have found teachers who are involved in a community of practice report higher science-teaching efficacy beliefs (Akerson, Cullen, & Hanson, 2009; Fazio, 2009; Lakshmanan, Heath, Perlmutter, & Elder, 2011; Liu, Lee, & Lin, 2010; Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, 2010). The researcher concluded that school leaders, policymakers, and researchers should increase professional learning opportunities that are grounded in social constructivist theoretical frameworks in order to increase teachers' science efficacy.
Examining the Beliefs and Practices of Four Effective Australian Primary Science Teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fitzgerald, Angela; Dawson, Vaille; Hackling, Mark
2013-06-01
With trends across many countries still indicating the decline of student interest in school science and diminishing numbers of students studying science beyond the compulsory years, it seems that the field remains in crisis. To address these unfortunate trends, there needs to be a greater emphasis on science education research that highlights the good news stories. For example, what are science teachers actually doing in their classrooms to increase student interest and understanding in science? This article focuses on the science teaching beliefs and practices of four Western Australian primary school teachers. The teachers were nominated by a professional colleague as effective practitioners. The study involved gathering information from classroom observations and teacher interviews to provide background information to assist in developing understandings of these teachers and their science teaching. This article reports on the initial findings drawn from Deanne A, Kate B, Lisa C and Rebecca D. Their practices were organised into the following six categories: classroom environment; conceptual knowledge and procedural skills; teaching strategies and approaches; student-specific considerations; teacher-specific considerations; and context-specific considerations. In examining the components contributing to these categories, it was evident that the teachers' beliefs, as well as the contextual factors inherent in each classroom environment, influenced how and why they teach science in the ways they do.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mendoza, Cara Ann
2013-01-01
This qualitative study examines the effects of multiple years of layoff notices on first- or second-year, K-12 teachers employed in a Northern California, suburban school district in 2008-2009. During years of budget crisis in California, teachers new to the profession experienced ongoing employment uncertainty. This study endeavored to understand…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kang, Ho Soo
2013-01-01
Teacher professional development has long been of interest since it may affect teachers' learning, the practice of teaching, and student learning. Although empirical research has mainly explored the effect of specific professional development interventions on student achievement, these inventions have been initiated outside the school, and little…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schaaf, Kevin J.
2017-01-01
The quality of teachers is now a central focus of policy and research. In spite of this focus, two key gaps exist, and this dissertation helps to fill them: First, mediation models involving the study of the effects of teaching are rare; instead, most current investigations of teachers focus primarily on the effects of teachers, with less…
Preservice Teachers' Learning to Plan Intellectually Challenging Tasks
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kang, Hosun
2017-01-01
This study explores how and under which conditions preservice secondary science teachers (PSTs) engage in effective planning practices that incorporate intellectually challenging tasks into lessons. Drawing upon a situative perspective on learning, eight PSTs' trajectories of participation in communities of practice are examined with a focus on…
How to Make Guided Discovery Learning Practical for Student Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Janssen, Fred J. J. M.; Westbroek, Hanna B.; van Driel, Jan H.
2014-01-01
Many innovative teaching approaches lack classroom impact because teachers consider the proposals impractical. Making a teaching approach practical requires instrumentality (procedures), congruence (local fit), and affordable cost (limited time and resources).This paper concerns a study on the development and effects of a participatory design…
(Lack of) Support for Prescriptive Statements in Teacher Education Textbooks
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sylvester Dacy, Breana J.; Nihalani, Priya K.; Cestone, Christina M.; Robinson, Daniel H.
2011-01-01
The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandates determining what educational practices are demonstrated to be effective through rigorous scientific research. What types of evidence are recommended practices based on? The authors analyzed 304 citations accompanying prescriptive statements in 6 recent teacher education textbooks. Prescriptive…
NCATE, NCLB, and PDS: A Formula for Measuring Success.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rutledge, Valerie Copeland; Smith, Linda B.; Watson, Sandy W.; Davis, Margha
This paper explains that today's teacher preparation programs must meet the needs of tomorrow's teachers. They must be practical, experiential, and effective, and must produce educators who practice personal reflection, ongoing professional development, and lifelong learning. The Professional Development School (PDS) model addresses these needs.…
Theory and Practice on Teacher Performance Evaluation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yonghong, Cai; Chongde, Lin
2006-01-01
Teacher performance evaluation plays a key role in educational personnel reform, so it has been an important yet difficult issue in educational reform. Previous evaluations on teachers failed to make strict distinction among the three dominant types of evaluation, namely, capability, achievement, and effectiveness. Moreover, teacher performance…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sule, Mary Anike; Eyiene, Ameh; Egbai, Mercy E.
2015-01-01
The study investigated the relationship between instructional supervisory practices and teachers' role effectiveness in public secondary schools in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State. Two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study…
The Learning Effects of a Multidisciplinary Professional Development Programme
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Visser, Talitha Christine; Coenders, Fer G. M.; Pieters, Jules M.; Terlouw, Cees
2013-01-01
Professional development becomes relevant and effective when teachers are actively involved, collaborate, and when it is linked to teachers' daily school practice (Hunzicker in "Prof Dev Educ" 37:177-179, 2011). Preparation of teachers for a curriculum implementation such as the new subject Nature, Life, and Technology can be done…
The Implications of Summer Learning Loss for Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gershenson, Seth; Hayes, Michael S.
2018-01-01
School districts across the United States increasingly use value-added models (VAMs) to evaluate teachers. In practice, VAMs typically rely on lagged test scores from the previous academic year, which necessarily conflate summer with school-year learning and potentially bias estimates of teacher effectiveness. We investigate the practical…
Teachers' Perceived Needs To Become More Effective Inclusion Practitioners: A Single School Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Edmunds, Alan
2000-01-01
Sixty-one junior and senior high school teachers responded to measures of perceptions of inclusion, needs for effective inclusion practice, and knowledge of inclusion. Teachers felt inadequately prepared for inclusion and indicated their primary need was for more specific inclusion training. They also believed that reducing workloads would be of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Le, Ha; Janssen, Jeroen; Wubbels, Theo
2018-01-01
While the educational literature mentions several obstacles affecting the effectiveness of collaborative learning (CL), they have often been investigated through the perceptions of only one actor, either teachers or students. Therefore, some sources of obstacles that teachers and students encounter may not have been revealed. In this study, 19…
The State of Teacher Professional Learning: Results from a Nationwide Survey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Learning Forward, 2017
2017-01-01
Effective teacher learning is vital to student success. Teachers who continually improve their practice by using data to inform instructional decisions see improved results for their students. In the tradition of supporting effective professional learning, in 2016 Corwin launched a nationwide survey in partnership with Learning Forward and the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Murray, Desiree W.; Rabiner, David L.; Carrig, Madeline M.
2014-01-01
Professional development for teachers has historically been fairly didactic in nature (Garet et al., 2001; Rose & Church, 1998), which is believed to limit effectiveness and translation to teacher practice change (Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005). One well-established program with a more active, collaborative training…
Effects of Personal and Professional Factors on Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion in Preschool
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dias, Paulo C.; Cadime, Irene
2016-01-01
Attitudes towards inclusive education have a crucial place in the effective implementation of inclusion practices. The aim of this study was to explore teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education in preschool education in Portugal and to identify teachers' personal and professional variables that influence these attitudes. The data were…
Professional development for science teachers.
Wilson, Suzanne M
2013-04-19
The Next Generation Science Standards will require large-scale professional development (PD) for all science teachers. Existing research on effective teacher PD suggests factors that are associated with substantial changes in teacher knowledge and practice, as well as students' science achievement. But the complexity of the U.S. educational system continues to thwart the search for a straightforward answer to the question of how to support teachers. Interventions that take a systemic approach to reform hold promise for improving PD effectiveness.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kempler, Toni M.
The influence of inquiry science instruction on the motivation of 1360 minority inner-city seventh graders was examined. The project-based curriculum incorporates motivating features like real world questions, collaboration, technology, and lesson variety. Students design investigations, collect and analyze data, and create artifacts; challenging tasks require extensive use of learning and metacognitive strategies. Study 1 used Structural Equation Modeling to investigate student perceptions of the prevalence of project-based features, including real world connections, collaboration, academic press, and work norms, and their relation to interest, efficacy, cognitive engagement, and achievement. Perceptions of features related to different motivational outcomes, indicating the importance of using differentiated rather than single measures to study motivation in context. Cognitive engagement was enhanced by interest and efficacy but did not influence achievement, perhaps because students were not proficient strategy users and were new to inquiry. Study 2 examined the relationship between instructional practices and motivation. The 23 teachers in study 1 were observed six times during one unit. Observations focused on curriculum congruence, content accuracy, contextualization, sense making, and management and climate. A majority of teacher enactment was congruent with the curriculum, indicating that students experienced motivating features of project-based science. Hierarchical Linear Modeling showed that contextualization accounted for between-teacher variance in student interest, efficacy, and cognitive engagement; Teachers encouraged motivation through extended real world examples that related material to students' experiences. Cluster analysis was used to determine how patterns of practice affected motivation. Unexpectedly these patterns did not differentially relate to cognitive engagement. Findings showed that interest and efficacy were enhanced when teachers used particular sense making practices. These teachers provided explicit scaffolding for accomplishing complex tasks with questioning and feedback that highlighted key points. Teachers also used effective management practices and maintained a positive classroom climate. In contrast, a pattern of practice where teachers used questioning and feedback to press students to make connections and synthesize concepts without scaffolding support diminished motivation, because students may have needed more help to deal with challenge. Implications from both studies suggest inquiry teachers need to use explicit scaffolding and academic press together, with effective management practices, to support motivation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tuttle, Nicole; Kaderavek, Joan N.; Molitor, Scott; Czerniak, Charlene M.; Johnson-Whitt, Eugenia; Bloomquist, Debra; Namatovu, Winnifred; Wilson, Grant
2016-11-01
This pilot study investigates the impact of a 2-week professional development Summer Institute on PK-3 teachers' knowledge and practices. This Summer Institute is a component of [program], a large-scale early-childhood science project that aims to transform PK-3 science teaching. The mixed-methods study examined concept maps, lesson plans, and classroom observations to measure possible changes in PK-3 teachers' science content knowledge and classroom practice from 11 teachers who attended the 2014 Summer Institute. Analysis of the concept maps demonstrated statistically significant growth in teachers' science content knowledge. Analysis of teachers' lesson plans demonstrated that the teachers could design high quality science inquiry lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards following the professional development. Finally, examination of teachers' pre- and post-Summer Institute videotaped inquiry lessons showed evidence that teachers were incorporating new inquiry practices into their teaching, especially regarding classroom discourse. Our results suggest that an immersive inquiry experience is effective at beginning a shift towards reform-aligned science and engineering instruction but that early elementary educators require additional support for full mastery.
Preservice and Inservice Teachers' Challenges in the Planning of Practical Work in Physics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nivalainen, Ville; Asikainen, Mervi A.; Sormunen, Kari; Hirvonen, Pekka E.
2010-06-01
Practical work in school science plays many essential roles that have been discussed in the literature. However, less attention has been paid to how teachers learn the different roles of practical work and to the kind of challenges they face in their learning during laboratory courses designed for teachers. In the present study we applied the principles of grounded theory to frame a set of factors that seem to set major challenges concerning both successful work in the school physics laboratory and also in the preparation of lessons that exploit practical work. The subject groups of the study were preservice and inservice physics teachers who participated in a school laboratory course. Our results derived from a detailed analysis of tutoring discussions between the instructor and the participants in the course, which revealed that the challenges in practical or laboratory work consisted of the limitations of the laboratory facilities, an insufficient knowledge of physics, problems in understanding instructional approaches, and the general organization of practical work. Based on these findings, we present our recommendations on the preparation of preservice and inservice teachers for the more effective use of practical work in school science and in school physics.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boriack, Anna Christine
The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' perceptions of professional development and changes in classroom practice. A proposed conceptual framework for effective professional development that results in changes in classroom practices was developed. Data from two programs that provided professional development to teachers in the areas of technology, mathematics, and science was used to inform the conceptual framework. These two programs were Target Technology in Texas (T3) and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Teacher Preparation Academies (MSTTPA). This dissertation used a multiple article format to explore each program separately, yet the proposed conceptual framework allowed for comparisons to be made between the two programs. The first study investigated teachers' perceptions of technology-related professional development after their districts had received a T3 grant. An online survey was administrated to all teachers to determine their perceptions of technology-related professional development along with technology self-efficacy. Classroom observations were conducted to determine if teachers were implementing technology. The results indicated that teachers did not perceive professional development as being effective and were not implementing technology in their classrooms. Teachers did have high technology self-efficacy and perceived adequate school support, which implies that effective professional development may be a large factor in whether or not teachers implement technology in their classrooms. The second study evaluated participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of mathematics and science professional development offered through a MSTTP academy. Current and former participants completed an online survey which measured their perceptions of academy activities and school environment. Participants also self-reported classroom implementation of technology. Interviews and open-ended survey questions were used to provide further insight into academy activities. The results indicated that academy participants perceived effective academy activities along with a supportive school environment. Additionally, participants reported sometimes implementing technology in their classrooms. These findings suggest that several factors might influence the successful classroom implementation of professional development. The data which supports the conceptual framework shows that effective professional development may play a key role in successful classroom implementation. Future professional development activities should be designed around characteristics for effective professional development to increase the likelihood that classroom implementation might occur.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jensen, Aaron C.
Efforts to modify and improve science education in the United States have seen minimal success (Crawford, 2000; Borko & Putman, 1996; Puntambekar, Stylianou & Goldstein, 2007; Lustick, 2011). One important reason for this is the professional development that teachers go through in order to learn about and apply these new ideas is generally of poor quality and structured incorrectly for long-term changes in the classroom (Little, 1993; Fullen, 1996; Porter, 2000; Jeanpierre, Oberhauser, & Freeman, 2005). This grounded theory study explores a science community of practice and how the professional development achieved through participation in that community has effected the instruction of the teachers involved, specifically the incorporation of researched based effective science teaching instructional strategies. This study uses personal reflection papers written by the participants, interviews, and classroom observations to understand the influence that the science community of practice has had on the participants. Results indicate that participation in this science community of practice has significant impact on the teachers involved. Participants gained greater understanding of science content knowledge, incorporated effective science instructional strategies into their classroom, and were able to practice both content knowledge and strategies in a non-threatening environment thus gaining a greater understanding of how to apply them in the classrooms. These findings motivate continued research in the role that communities of practice may play in teacher professional develop and the effectiveness of quality professional development in attaining long-term, sustained improvement in science education.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wood, Lynda Charese
The study of teaching and learning during the period of translating ideals of reform into classroom practice enables us to understand student-teacher-researcher symbiotic learning. In line with this assumption, the purpose of this study is threefold:(1) observe effects of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM), a conceptual change inquiry model of teaching and learning, on African American students' conceptual change and achievement; (2) observe the shift in teacher's practical arguments; and (3) narrate the voice of "the Other" about teacher professional learning. This study uses retrospective data from a mixed-method approach consisting of Phenomenography, practical arguments and story-telling. Data sources include audio-recordings of a chemistry teacher's individual interviews of her students' prior- and post-intervention conceptions of acids and bases; results of Acid-Base Achievement Test (ABA-T); video-recordings of a chemistry teacher's enactment of CKCM acid-base lesson sequence; audio-recordings of teacher-researcher reflective discourse using classroom video-clips; teacher interviews; and teacher and researcher personal reflective journals. Students' conceptual changes reflect change in the number of categories of description; shift in language use from everyday talk to chemical talk; and development of a hierarchy of chemical knowledge. ABA-T results indicated 17 students in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores than 22 students in the control group taught by traditional teaching methods. The teacher-researcher reflective discourse about enactment of the CKCM acid-base lesson sequence reveals three major shifts in teacher practical arguments: teacher inadequate preparedness to adequate preparedness; lack of confidence to gain in confidence; and surface learning to deep learning. The developing story uncovers several aspects about teaching and learning of African American students: teacher caring for the uncared; cultivating student and teacher confidence; converting dependence on teacher and self to peer interdependence. The study outlines six implications: caring conceptual change inquiry model for the often unreached mind; developing simple chemical talk into coherent chemical explanation; using CKCM for alternative high school students' conceptual change and achievement; engaging teachers in elicitation and appraisal of practical arguments for reconstruction of beliefs; overcoming challenges in teacher practical argument research; and "storytelling" as a way of unpacking teacher transformation amidst complexities of classroom teaching and learning.
Tale of Two Science Teachers' Formative Assessment Practices in a Similar School Environment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sathasivam, Renuka V.; Daniel, Esther G. S.
2016-01-01
There is an accumulating research base that supports the effectiveness of formative assessment practices in enhancing the quality of educational outcomes, yet research findings seem to indicate sluggish implementation of these formative assessment strategies in the classrooms. Many factors influence teachers' formative assessment practices…
Jordanian Chemistry Teachers' Views on Teaching Practices and Educational Reform
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al-Amoush, Siham A.; Markic, Silvija; Eilks, Ingo
2012-01-01
This study evaluates experienced teachers' views of chemistry teaching and learning and educational reform in Jordan. The main focus is an investigation of applied teaching practices in chemistry education, including educators' perception of the intentions and effects of ongoing educational reforms. The study is based on semi-structured interviews…
"I Learned More at Lunchtime": Guideposts for Reimagining Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Patton, Kevin; Parker, Melissa
2015-01-01
While professional development (PD) initiatives for practicing teachers are not new, an increasing body of research has contributed to a growing understanding of what constitutes effective practice in physical education. Findings indicate an enhanced recognition of the importance of providing teachers with PD opportunities where learning is…
Teaching Disaffected Middle School Students: How Classroom Dynamics Shape Students' Experiences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kennedy, Brianna L.
2011-01-01
This article examines instruction at a school in California for expelled middle school students and illustrates the practices of its most and least effective teachers. Findings show that teachers' implementation of instructional practices, classroom management, and rapport building mutually reinforced each other to either facilitate or hinder…
Beliefs, Classroom Practices, and Professional Development Activities of Teacher Consultants
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kenreich, Todd W.
2004-01-01
After more than a decade of funding from the "National Geographic Society," questions have increasingly been raised about the effectiveness of geographic alliances as vehicles for professional development in geographic education. This study explores the impact of participation in a summer institute on teacher beliefs and practices in…
Workplace-Based Practicum: Enabling Expansive Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pridham, Bruce A.; Deed, Craig; Cox, Peter
2013-01-01
Effective pre-service teacher education integrates theoretical and practical knowledge. One means of integration is practicum in a school workplace. In a time of variable approaches to, and models of, practicum, we outline an innovative model of school immersion as part of a teacher preparation program. We apply Fuller and Unwin's (2004) expansive…
Teacher-Education Students' Views about Knowledge Building Theory and Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hong, Huang-Yao; Chen, Fei-Ching; Chai, Ching Sing; Chan, Wen-Ching
2011-01-01
This study investigated the effects of engaging students to collectively learn and work with knowledge in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment called Knowledge Forum on their views about knowledge building theory and practice. Participants were 24 teacher-education students who took a required course titled "Integrating Theory…
CPR: A Model for Effective Goal Setting.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bey, Theresa M.
The Complete Procedural Record (CPR) method provides an opportunity for the student teacher to: (1) review theories, practices, and experiences he or she encounters in teacher preparation courses; (2) rethink the various responsibilities and tasks one will have to assume during the practice teaching experience; (3) identify the concerns one has…
Putting Writing Research into Practice: Applications for Teacher Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Troia, Gary A., Ed.; Shankland, Rebecca K., Ed.; Heintz, Anne, Ed.
2010-01-01
What are the most effective methods for teaching writing across grade levels and student populations? What kind of training do teachers need to put research-validated methods into practice? This unique volume combines the latest writing research with clear-cut recommendations for designing high-quality professional development efforts. Prominent…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barry, Colleen
2016-01-01
Federal mandates require teachers to implement evidence-based strategies in their classrooms; however, due to gaps between research and practice, these evidence-based practices are inconsistently implemented across educational settings. Although intended to address this, teacher professional developments are most commonly delivered in a…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.
2013-01-01
Effectively designed science learning environments revolve around students' sensemaking through the use of evidence to ground explanations about natural phenomena. However, little research has been conducted to investigate elementary teachers' learning to promote students' sensemaking in elementary (K-5) classrooms. The purpose of this…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Gavin T. L.; Lake, Robert; Matters, Gabrielle
2009-01-01
Teachers' thinking about four conceptions of teaching (i.e., apprenticeship-developmental, nurturing, social reform, and transmission) were captured using the "Teaching Perspectives Inventory" (TPI). New Zealand and Queensland have very similar teaching-related policies and practices but differences around assessment policies and…
An Effective Model of Teacher Appraisal: Evidence from Secondary Schools in Shanghai, China
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhang, Xiao-feng; Ng, Ho-ming
2017-01-01
Teacher appraisal has been widely practised in China for decades. With the introduction, in 2009, of the teacher performance pay system, however, teacher appraisal has undergone certain changes. This study explores the practice of teacher appraisal, using a qualitative approach and taking public schools in Shanghai as its research sites. The…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gaither, Linda
2013-01-01
Sixty percent of America's teachers choose traditional baccalaureate programs while the remaining choose one of several alternative pathways. While certification/training is certainly important to preparing effective teachers, other research indicates that teacher efficacy serves as the foundation of teacher behaviors and classroom practice. The…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Ya-Mei
This study analyzed how Taiwanese kindergarten teachers evaluated events of various classroom management skills used by early childhood student teachers in group activities. The kindergarten teachers evaluated effectiveness, appropriateness, frequency of practicing similar skills themselves, and the need to modify any of the above. A questionnaire…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coffino, Kara Lee
2012-01-01
As US public schools become increasingly diverse and teachers are expected to teach across cultural differences, teacher educators must consider how different professional development models shape teacher learning and practice. This study explores how a cohort of 55 P-12 teachers experienced and perceived long-term professional development focused…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miyajima, Tomomi
2008-01-01
This study explores gender inequality in the occupational culture of Japanese high school teachers with special focus on women teachers' resistance to gender-biased practices. It examines the effectiveness of official and informal teacher training programmes in raising awareness of gender issues. Through an ethnographic case study conducted in…
"Follow" Me: Networked Professional Learning for Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holmes, Kathryn; Preston, Greg; Shaw, Kylie; Buchanan, Rachel
2013-01-01
Effective professional learning for teachers is fundamental for any school system aiming to make transformative and sustainable change to teacher practice. This paper investigates the efficacy of Twitter as a medium for teachers to participate in professional learning by analysing the tweets of 30 influential users of the popular medium. We find…
Sources of Efficacy Information in an Inservice Program for Elementary Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Palmer, David
2011-01-01
Low teacher self-efficacy is an important factor constraining the teaching of science at the elementary level. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of particular sources of efficacy information for enhancing the science teaching self-efficacy of practicing elementary teachers. Twelve teachers participated in an intervention…
The Effect of the Social Organization of Schools on Teachers' Efficacy and Satisfaction.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Valerie E.; And Others
1991-01-01
Finds that teachers' professional efficacy is related to the environment in which they practice. Explains higher levels of efficacy in Catholic schools by organizational differences. Cites principal leadership and communal organization as essential to teacher satisfaction. Suggests fostering cooperative environments and reasonable teacher autonomy…
Practice Teachers' Responses to a Suicidal Student.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davidson, Michael; Range, Lillian M.
1997-01-01
Observes that because of the rate of suicides and attempted suicides among young people, teachers can expect to face suicidal students during their careers. Explores whether teachers can effectively employ no-suicide pacts with children. Finds that teachers took any suicide threat seriously but were uncomfortable using a no-suicide agreement. (DSK)
How Do Primary Education Trainee Teachers Perceive Educational Psychology?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alvarez, Ibis M.; Weise, Crista; Vall, Berta; González, Montserrat; Morodo, Andy
2018-01-01
Educational Psychology makes a significant contribution to the development of skills to research the effectivity of teacher practices in class. However, there is little agreement on what educational psychology concepts are most relevant for teacher training. This paper reports on trainee teachers' self-perceived mastery of, and attributed…
The Impact of Collaboration on Teachers' Individual Data Use
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van Gasse, Roos; Vanlommel, Kristin; Vanhoof, Jan; Van Petegem, Peter
2017-01-01
Research considers collaboration to be a significant factor in terms of how teachers use data to improve their practice. Nevertheless, the effects of teacher collaboration with regard to teachers' individual data use has remained largely underexplored. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the interplay between collaboration and the personal…
Gatekeeper or Lynchpin? The Role of the Principal in School-University Partnerships
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nettleton, Kimberely Fletcher; Barnett, David
2016-01-01
Teacher education programs are always evolving. To provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to combine pedagogy with practical experience, many programs are developing school-university partnerships. The pairing of pre-service teachers with experienced mentor teachers offers enriched field experience opportunities. The effect of the…
The Student Teacher Portfolio as Autobiography: Developing a Professional Identity.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Antonek, Janis L.; And Others
1997-01-01
Argues that student teacher portfolios are a viable, effective, appropriate tool for documenting teacher growth and development and for promoting reflective practice. Traces the unique paths of two pre-service foreign language teachers who constructed a professional identity from the historical and cultural conditions of their classroom…
Preparing Preservice Teachers to Incorporate Geospatial Technologies in Geography Teaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harte, Wendy
2017-01-01
This study evaluated the efficacy of geospatial technology (GT) learning experiences in two geography curriculum courses to determine their effectiveness for developing preservice teacher confidence and preparing preservice teachers to incorporate GT in their teaching practices. Surveys were used to collect data from preservice teachers at three…
Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: The Field Experience. Teacher Education Yearbook IV.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McIntyre, D. John, Ed.; Byrd, David M., Ed.
This yearbook provides educators with current research and practical guidelines for improving the education of teacher candidates and beginning teachers. The book has four sections, each on a particular topic and containing an overview and a response (reflections and implications). The first section focuses on contexts for effective field…
Effects of the Teacher's Background on Teaching and Students' Achievement in Botany and Zoology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tamir, P.
1976-01-01
The relationship of certain teacher background variables to their attitudes priorities, expectations, and instructional practices regarding botany and zoology was investigated. Teachers were grouped into three categories: botanists, zoologists, and neutrals; the academic achievement of the students of the teachers in the three categories was…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Simsekli, Yeter; Özer, Dilek Zeren; Güngör, Sema Nur
2017-01-01
The purpose of this study is to show the views of pre-service teachers about peer-assisted learning method which is a common practice. The peer student group of the research sample (N:40) consisted of 2nd grade pre-service primary teachers attending the Uludag University Faculty of Education during the 2010-2011 academic year and taking the…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Higdon, Robbie L.
The process of teaching, especially inquiry, is complex and requires extended time for developing one's instructional practice (Loucks-Horsley, Stiles, Mundry, Love, & Hewson, 2010). The implementation of a continued cycle of self-reflection can engage teachers in analyzing their prior experiences and understandings about their instructional practice to promote the accommodation of new concepts and transform their practice. However, many teachers have difficulty engaging in the cognitive dissonance needed to identify those problems and promote their own growth without support. As one's professional practice becomes more repetitive and routine, it is difficult for the practitioner to recognize opportunities in which to contemplate one's habitual actions (Schon, 1983). In this multi-case study, two middle school science teachers who were engaged within a sustained professional development initiative participated in a series of one-on-one reflective dialogues regarding the decisions they made about the utilization of inquiry-based instruction. In addition, these teachers were asked to reflect upon the criteria used to determine how and when to implement these inquiry-based practices. These reflective dialogue sessions provided the opportunity to observe teacher conceptions and stimulate teacher cognitive dissonance about instructional practice. Qualitative analysis of data collected from these reflective dialogues along with informal and formal classroom observations of instructional practice uncovered diverse perceptions regarding the implementation of inquiry-based methods into present teaching practice. The use of reflective dialogue within the existing structure of the professional development initiative allowed for the facilitators of the professional development initiative to tailor ongoing support and their effective implementation of inquiry-based instruction. Additional research is needed to investigate the impact of reflective dialogue in achieving accommodation of new concepts leading to lasting conceptual change about inquiry-based instruction.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Capitelli, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Rankin, Lynn; Austin, Marilyn; Caven, Gennifer
2016-04-01
This qualitative case study looks closely at an elementary teacher who participated in professional development experiences that helped her develop a hybrid practice of using inquiry-based science to teach both science content and English language development (ELD) to her students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). This case study examines the teacher's reflections on her teaching and her students' learning as she engaged her students in science learning and supported their developing language skills. It explicates the professional learning experiences that supported the development of this hybrid practice. Closely examining the pedagogical practice and reflections of a teacher who is developing an inquiry-based approach to both science learning and language development can provide insights into how teachers come to integrate their professional development experiences with their classroom expertise in order to create a hybrid inquiry-based science ELD practice. This qualitative case study contributes to the emerging scholarship on the development of teacher practice of inquiry-based science instruction as a vehicle for both science instruction and ELD for ELLs. This study demonstrates how an effective teaching practice that supports both the science and language learning of students can develop from ongoing professional learning experiences that are grounded in current perspectives about language development and that immerse teachers in an inquiry-based approach to learning and instruction. Additionally, this case study also underscores the important role that professional learning opportunities can play in supporting teachers in developing a deeper understanding of the affordances that inquiry-based science can provide for language development.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de los Santos, Xeng
Designing professional development that effectively supports teachers in learning new and often challenging practices remains a dilemma for teacher educators. Within the context of current reform efforts in science education, such as the Next Generation Science Standards, teacher educators are faced with managing the dilemma of how to support a large number of teachers in learning new practices while also considering factors such as time, cost, and effectiveness. Implementation of educative, reform-aligned curricula is one way to reach many teachers at once. However, one question is whether large-scale curriculum implementation can effectively support teachers in learning and sustaining new teaching practices. To address this dilemma, this study used a comparative, multiple case study design to investigate how secondary science teachers engaged in sensemaking about implementation of an innovative science curriculum across the settings of professional development and classroom enactment. In using the concept of sensemaking from organizational theory, I focused specifically on how teachers' roles in social organizations influenced their decisions to implement the curriculum in particular ways, with differing outcomes for their own learning and students' engagement in three-dimensional learning. My research questions explored: (1) patterns in teachers' occasions of sensemaking, including critical noticing of interactions among themselves, the curriculum, and their students; (2) how teachers' social commitments to different communities influenced their sensemaking; and, (3) how sustained sensemaking over time could facilitate teacher learning of rigorous and responsive science teaching practices. In privileging teachers' experiences in the classroom using the curriculum with their students, I used data generated primarily from teacher interviews with their case study coaches about implementation over the course of one school year. Secondary sources of data included artifacts such as teacher-modified curriculum materials, classroom observation notes, and video-recordings of classroom instruction and professional development sessions. Data analysis involved descriptive coding of the interview transcripts and searching for linguistic markers related to components of an occasions of sensemaking. Findings show that teachers engaged in sensemaking about curriculum implementation in multiple and different ways that were either productive or unproductive for their learning of rigorous and responsive science teaching practices. Teachers that had productive outcomes for teacher learning were engaged in sustained sensemaking that involved critical noticing of interactions between the curriculum, themselves, and their students, with the goal of bridging the gap between what the curriculum offered and what their students could do. In contrast, teachers that had unproductive outcomes for teacher learning were engaged in sensemaking that often involved critical noticing of only one aspect and were motivated by local obligations. Four themes emerged: sustained sensemaking over time, the influence of school communities, teacher learning of content, and the influence of teachers' beliefs. Using these findings and themes, I present a model for teacher sensemaking within the context of long-term professional development around implementation of an innovative curriculum, with a mechanism for how teacher learning could occur over time. Implications for science teacher professional development and learning and directions for future research are offered.
Bhat, Nagesh; Asawa, Kailash; Tak, Mridula; Singh, Anukriti; Shinde, Kushal; Gandhi, Neha; Doshi, Astha
2016-01-01
Introduction Provision of oral health knowledge to the children by their teachers at the school level can prove to be more fruitful because it is the time period during which the children begin to learn the basic oral hygiene practices and are most prone to dental caries. Aim This study was carried out to assess the effect of training school teachers on oral hygiene status of 8-10 years old government school children of Udaipur city, India. Materials and Methods A total of nine school teachers and 279, 8-10 year old school children from two government schools were included in the study. The questionnaire on oral health knowledge and practice contained 17 questions to evaluate the knowledge and practice of children towards oral hygiene before and after the teachers training program. Baseline and six months post training data on oral health knowledge and practice was obtained by the questionnaire method. Baseline and six months post training data on oral hygiene status was obtained by OHI-S Index. Statistical analysis was done using software SPSS 22, the test used were McNemar’s test, paired t-test. Results Pre and post training data were compared and it was found that there was a significant improvement in oral health knowledge and practices of school teachers and children. Also oral hygiene status of school children was significantly improved after the program. Conclusion Results of the present study suggest that experiential learning is an effective school based oral health education method for improvement of oral hygiene in primary school children. PMID:27656573
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tanriseven, Isil
2013-01-01
The aim of this study is to research the effect of school practices on teacher candidates' sense of efficacy relating to planning, implementing, evaluating drama activities, and the sense of general efficacy relating to use of drama in education. The study was conducted with 52 students attending the 2nd year of their course of study in Mersin…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Riaz, Muhammad
The purpose of this study was to examine how simulations in physics class, class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and use of simulations predicted the percentage of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher and their academic performance as reported by teachers in secondary school physics classes. The target population consisted of secondary school physics teachers who were members of Science Technology, Engineeering and,Mathematics Teachers of New York City (STEMteachersNYC) and American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA). They used simulations in their physics classes in the 2013 and 2014 school years. Subjects for this study were volunteers. A survey was constructed based on a literature review. Eighty-two physics teachers completed the survey about instructional practice in physics. All respondents were anonymous. Classroom management was the only predictor of the percent of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher in high school physics class. Cooperative learning, use of simulations, and student engagement were predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. All other variables -- class management, laboratory practice, critical thinking, and teacher self-efficacy -- were not predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. The implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations for physics teachers to improve student learning were presented.
Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T
2017-07-01
Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another useful avenue to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills for inter-professional collaboration. Research examining the impact of different approaches to IPE is required to advance our understanding of effective design and evaluation of such initiatives. To understand how student SLTs and student teachers develop competency for collaborative practice when co-working during professional practice placements to support children's speech and literacy development. A case study design was used to monitor the impact of the IPE. Student SLTs (n = 4) were paired with student teachers (n = 4) to participate in shared professional practice placements in junior school classrooms. An inductive thematic analysis of interviews conducted with participants after the IPE was employed to explore the development of competencies in collaborative practice. Change in inter-disciplinary knowledge and perceptions over the IPE was evaluated via survey to further explore the development of collaborative competencies. Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings suggested that participants began to develop four broad areas of collaborative competency: understanding of professional roles and expertise, communication skills to support shared decision-making, inter-dependency in supporting children's learning, and flexibility to implement alternative instructional practices. Interview analysis also revealed factors related to the facilitators and learning contexts that supported and/or limited the collaboration between participants. Shared placement experiences between student SLTs and student teachers may be an effective method for building participants' competencies in multiple aspects of collaborative practice. Active facilitation by both SLT and classroom teacher supervisors alongside careful consideration of learning contexts (e.g., classroom structure) will help to ensure that learning is maximized for prospective professionals. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Handley, Herbert M., Ed.
This module, developed by the Research Applications for Teaching (RAFT) project, introduces the undergraduate student to practices of teachers in effective schools which facilitate the climate for learning in the classroom. Used with Canter's materials on assertive discipline, the preservice teachers should have an opportunity to reflect carefully…
Morgan, Paul L.; Farkas, George; Maczuga, Steve
2015-01-01
We used population-based, longitudinal data to investigate the relation between mathematics instructional practices used by 1st grade teachers in the U.S. and the mathematics achievement of their students. Factor analysis identified four types of instructional activities (i.e., teacher-directed, student-centered, manipulatives/calculators, movement/music) and eight types of specific skills taught (e.g., adding two-digit numbers). First-grade students were then classified into five groups on the basis of their fall and/or spring of kindergarten mathematics achievement—three groups with mathematics difficulties (MD) and two without MD. Regression analysis indicated that a higher percentage of MD students in 1st grade classrooms was associated with greater use by teachers of manipulatives/calculators and movement/music to teach mathematics. Yet follow-up analysis for each of the MD and non-MD groups indicated that only teacher-directed instruction was significantly associated with the achievement of students with MD (covariate-adjusted ESs = .05–.07). The largest predicted effect for a specific instructional practice was for routine practice and drill. In contrast, for both groups of non-MD students, teacher-directed and student-centered instruction had approximately equal, statistically significant positive predicted effects (covariate-adjusted ESs = .03–.04). First-grade teachers in the U.S. may need to increase their use of teacher-directed instruction if they are to raise the mathematics achievement of students with MD. PMID:26180268
Literacy Instruction Orientation and Practices, and Self-Efficacy in Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Domingo, Jelia Roxanne
2010-01-01
The problem investigated by this study was whether teachers of kindergarten through second grade feel themselves to be effective literacy teachers and if they do not feel effective, to find out whether their agreement or disagreement with the literacy methodologies required by the school was a factor. The mixed methods approach to this study…
Preparing Effective Special Education Teachers. What Works for Special-Needs Learners Series
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mamlin, Nancy
2012-01-01
What tools are in the toolkit of an excellent special educator, and how can teacher preparation programs provide these tools in the most efficient, effective way possible? This practical, clearly written book is grounded in current research and policy as well as the author's extensive experience as a teacher educator. It identifies what special…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gallagher, Carole; Rabinowitz, Stanley; Yeagley, Pamela
2011-01-01
Researchers recommend that policymakers use data from multiple sources when making decisions that have high-stakes consequences (Herman, Baker, & Linn, 2004; Linn, 2007; Stone & Lane, 2003). For this reason, a fair but rigorous teacher-effectiveness rating process relies on evidence collected from different sources (Goe, Bell, & Little, 2008;…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bonggat, Penelope Wong; Hall, Laura J.
2010-01-01
This study addresses the call for increased research on common public school practices and progress monitoring by public school teachers. An alternating treatment design was implemented by a preschool teacher to evaluate the effect of sensory-integration based activities compared with an attention control on the on task behavior of three…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gill, Brian; Shoji, Megan; Coen, Thomas; Place, Kate
2016-01-01
School districts and states across the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic Region and the country as a whole have been modifying their teacher evaluation systems to identify more effective and less effective teachers and provide better feedback to improve instructional practice. The new systems typically include components related to…
Video-Mediated Microteaching--A Stimulus for Reflection and Teacher Growth
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kourieos, Stella
2016-01-01
Numerous studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of video as an effective means of reflective practice in pre-service Teacher Education. However, only few studies have explored preservice teachers' own perceptions in this regard in the field of ELT and none of these was related to primary level. To address this gap, multiple forms of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
National Council on Teacher Quality, 2010
2010-01-01
Staffing each classroom with an effective teacher is the most important function of a school district. Doing so requires strategic personnel policies and smart practices. The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), working with its local partner, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, undertook an analysis of the Boston Public…
Surviving the Implementation of a New Science Curriculum
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lowe, Beverly; Appleton, Ken
2015-12-01
Queensland schools are currently teaching with the first National Curriculum for Australia. This new curriculum was one of a number of political responses to address the recurring low scores in literacy, mathematics, and science that continue to hold Australia in poor international rankings. Teachers have spent 2 years getting to know the new science curriculum through meetings, training, and exploring the new Australian curriculum documents. This article examines the support and preparation for implementation provided in two regional schools, with a closer look at six specific teachers and their science teaching practices as they attempted to implement the new science curriculum. The use of a survey, field observations, and interviews revealed the schools' preparation practices and the teachers' practices, including the support provided to implement the new science curriculum. A description and analysis of school support and preparation as well as teachers' views of their experiences implementing the new science curriculum reveal both achievements and shortcomings. Problematic issues for the two schools and teachers include time to read and comprehend the curriculum documents and content expectations as well as time to train and change the current processes effectively. The case teachers' experiences reveal implications for the successful and effective implementation of new curriculum and curriculum reform.
Practicing Teachers' Perceptions of Teacher Trainees: Implications for Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kagoda, Alice Merab; Sentongo, John
2015-01-01
Practicing teachers are partners in preparation of teacher trainees. However, little is known about their perceptions of the teacher trainees they receive every year in their schools. Ninety three practicing teachers from twenty schools participated in this study. The objectives were to find out the practicing teachers' perceptions of teacher…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pringle, Rose M.; Mesa, Jennifer; Hayes, Lynda
2018-03-01
Preparing teachers to teach science consistent with current reforms in science education is a daunting enterprise given a lack of high-quality science professional development (PD) adaptable across various contexts (Wilson 2013). This study examines the impact of a comprehensive professional development program on middle school teachers' disciplinary content knowledge and instructional practices. In this mixed methods investigation, data sources included classroom observations, content knowledge assessments, surveys, and a range of interviews. The teachers in the program showed significant improvements in their disciplinary content knowledge and demonstrated through their enactment of a reform-based curriculum, a range of ability levels to translate their knowledge into instructional practices consistent with the principles espoused in the PD. We conclude that programs that attend to elements of effective PD identified in the literature can positively impact middle school science teachers' enactment of reform-based science teaching. Our findings extend these elements to include the strategic engagement of school and district leadership and the provision of a safe learning space for teachers to collectively engage in reciprocal learning and critical practice. This study has worldwide implications for designing PD for science teachers and for extending our understanding of the impact of each element.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Trytten, Bria Klotz
2017-01-01
As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science…
Fast Start: Training Better Teachers Faster, with Focus, Practice and Feedback
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Menzes, Ana; Maier, Adam
2014-01-01
The field of teacher preparation is falling short of its most important responsibility: ensuring that the teachers we train are ready to do the job. For more than a decade,TNTP preparation programs produced teachers who were no more or less effective than teachers from any other program-- some were great, some were poor, most were about average.…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Case, Rosalind Jane Leamy; Starkey, Nicola J.; Jones, Kelly; Barker-Collo, Suzanne; Feigin, Valery
2017-01-01
This two-phase study investigated New Zealand primary school teachers' knowledge and perceptions of childhood mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), and evaluated the effectiveness of a professional development workshop for enhancing teacher knowledge regarding mTBI. In phase one, 19 teachers from schools in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty engaged in…
Remediation of at-risk medical students: theory in action
2013-01-01
Background Previous work has shown that a programme that draws on a blend of theories makes a positive difference to outcomes for students who fail and repeat their first semester at medical school. Exploration of student and teacher perspectives revealed that remediation of struggling medical students can be achieved through a cognitive apprenticeship within a small community of inquiry. This community needs expert teachers capable of performing a unique combination of roles (facilitator, nurturing mentor, disciplinarian, diagnostician and role model), with high levels of teaching presence and practical wisdom. Yet, despite participants’ convergent opinions on the elements of effective remediation, significant differences were found between outcomes of students working with experienced and inexperienced teachers. The current study explores the actual practice of teachers on this remediation course, aiming to exemplify elements of our theory of remediation and explore differences between teachers. Methods Since it is in the classroom context that the interactions that constitute the complex process of remediation emerge, this practice-based research has focused on direct observation of classroom teaching. Nineteen hours of small group sessions were recorded and transcribed. Drawing on ethnography and sociocultural discourse analysis, selected samples of talk-in-context demonstrate how the various elements of remediation play out in practice, highlighting aspects that are most effective, and identifying differences between experienced and novice teachers. Results Long-term student outcomes are strongly correlated to teacher experience (r, 0.81). Compared to inexperienced teachers, experienced teachers provide more challenging, disruptive facilitation, and take a dialogic stance that encourages more collaborative group dynamics. They are more expert at diagnosing cognitive errors, provide frequent metacognitive time-outs and make explicit links across the curriculum. Conclusions Remediation is effective in small groups where dialogue is used for collaborative knowledge construction and social regulation. This requires facilitation by experienced teachers who attend to details of both content and process, and use timely interventions to foster curiosity and the will to learn. These teachers should actively challenge students’ language use, logical inconsistencies and uncertainties, problematize their assumptions, and provide a metacognitive regulatory voice that can generate attitudinal shifts and nurture the development of independent critical thinkers. PMID:24070196
The Productivity Costs of Inefficient Hiring Practices: Evidence from Late Teacher Hiring
Papay, John P.; Kraft, Matthew A.
2017-01-01
We use matched employee-employer records from the teacher labor market to explore the effects of late teacher hiring on student achievement. Hiring teachers after the school year starts reduces student achievement by 0.042SD in mathematics and 0.026SD in reading. This reflects, in part, a temporary disruption effect in the first year. In mathematics, but not in reading, late-hired teachers remain persistently less effective, evidence of negative selection in the teacher labor market. Late hiring concentrates in schools that disproportionately serve disadvantaged student populations, contributing to challenges in ensuring an equitable distribution of educational resources across students. PMID:28966429
The Productivity Costs of Inefficient Hiring Practices: Evidence from Late Teacher Hiring.
Papay, John P; Kraft, Matthew A
2016-01-01
We use matched employee-employer records from the teacher labor market to explore the effects of late teacher hiring on student achievement. Hiring teachers after the school year starts reduces student achievement by 0.042SD in mathematics and 0.026SD in reading. This reflects, in part, a temporary disruption effect in the first year. In mathematics, but not in reading, late-hired teachers remain persistently less effective, evidence of negative selection in the teacher labor market. Late hiring concentrates in schools that disproportionately serve disadvantaged student populations, contributing to challenges in ensuring an equitable distribution of educational resources across students.
"Managing" Managerialism: The Impact of Educational Auditing on an Academic "Specialist" School
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hardy, Ian
2012-01-01
This article seeks to nuance arguments about the impact of broad policy technologies of auditing processes upon teachers' practices by providing empirical evidence of the effects of such processes, in context. Specifically, the article draws upon a cross section of teachers' accounts of schooling practices in a specialist, academically oriented…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nam, Jeonghee; Seung, Eulsun; Go, MunSuk
2013-01-01
This study investigated how a collaborative mentoring program influenced beginning science teachers' inquiry-based teaching and their reflection on practice. The one-year program consisted of five one-on-one mentoring meetings, weekly science education seminars, weekly mentoring group discussions, and self-evaluation activities. The participants…
Observer Training Manual for the Changing Teacher Practice Study. Revised Manual.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barnes, Susan
This observer training manual was developed as a central component of a research effort, Changing Teacher Practice (CTP), which was designed to increase the frequency of effective teaching behaviors and staff development strategies in an ongoing school system. The observations focused on two major aspects of classroom teaching--instruction and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lowder, Garrett
2017-01-01
Education preparation institutions have long sought the most effective preparation practices for preparing tomorrow's educators. Unfortunately, understanding best practices in teacher preparation is fraught with ambiguity. Key facets of instruction on theory and clinical experience are understood to be necessary elements of preparation, and…
Instructional Supervision: Applying Tools and Concepts. 2nd Edition
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zepeda, Sally J.
2007-01-01
The first edition of this book was highly regarded by both professors and students for its practicality and its: (1) coverage of tools & strategies to help supervisors work effectively with teachers; (2) up-to-date approach to clinical supervision which includes teacher portfolios, action research, peer coaching, and other innovative practices;…
Effective Practices in Teacher Preparation Programs: Reading Action Research Projects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Beal, Jennifer S.
2018-01-01
Data-driven instruction is simply good educational practice. In the deaf education certification program--which confers master's degrees in education at Valdosta State University, Georgia, through a variety of online options--the professors address this issue directly with graduate students, all of whom are teacher candidates. One of the ways they…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Okhee; Llosa, Lorena; Jiang, Feng; Haas, Alison; O'Connor, Corey; Van Booven, Christopher D.
2016-01-01
As part of a three-year curricular and professional development intervention focused on English language learners (ELLs), this study examined the intervention's effect on teachers' science knowledge and instructional practices after one year of implementation. The P-SELL (Promoting Science Among English Language Learners) intervention comprised…
Inquiry-Based Laboratory Practices in a Science Teacher Training Program
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yakar, Zeha; Baykara, Hatice
2014-01-01
In this study, the effects of inquiry-based learning practices on the scientific process skills, creative thinking, and attitudes towards science experiments of preservice science teachers have been analyzed. A non-experimental quantitative analysis method, the single-group pre test posttest design, has been used. In order to observe the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Houston, Don; Hood, Cassandra
2017-01-01
Conceptually, practically and rhetorically teaching is at the core of quality in higher education. University teaching preparation programmes (TPPs) are regularly advocated to foster enhancement of teaching but there remains limited evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness or impact as a quality improvement mechanism. Support for such…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ross, Danielle K.; Cartier, Jennifer L.
2015-01-01
Without the science content knowledge required to effectively teach this discipline, many elementary teachers struggle without the support of curriculum materials. Curriculum materials are often the main means by which these science practices and canonical knowledge are incorporated into lessons. As part of a 5-year longitudinal research and…
Morbidity and Mortality: Building the Culture for Professional Growth and Innovation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Howland, Jonathan
2011-01-01
Like their counterparts in law and medicine, teachers are professionals whose habits and techniques and strategies--whose "practices"--must be derived and customized and refined from a panoply of available prospects. So, while there are surely some pedagogies they might gather under the umbrella of "worst practices," one effective teacher's "best…
Contextualized Views of Practices and Competencies in CALL Teacher Education Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Arnold, Nike; Ducate, Lara
2015-01-01
While teachers play a central role in capitalizing on the potentials of computer assisted language learning (CALL), CALL teacher education overall still appears not to be adequate and effective (Healey et al., 2011; Hubbard, 2008). Furthermore, foreign/second language teachers have expressed a desire for more and better professional development…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Papay, John P.; Bacher-Hicks, Andrew; Page, Lindsay C.; Marinell, William H.
2017-01-01
Substantial teacher turnover poses a challenge to staffing public schools with effective teachers. The scope of the teacher retention challenge across school districts, however, remains poorly defined. Applying consistent data practices and analytical techniques to administrative data sets from 16 urban districts, we document substantial…
Examining the Instructional Design of a Technology Enhanced Course for New Mentor Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schneider, Rebecca M.
2009-01-01
To be effective, teacher education programs need to engage teachers in learning as professionals. This includes learning experiences grounded in classroom practice and guidance to develop as professionals so teachers can take on roles of leaders and mentors in their classrooms and in partnerships with universities. New web-based communication…
Gathering Requirements for Teacher Tools: Strategies for Empowering Teachers through Co-Design
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Matuk, Camillia; Gerard, Libby; Lim-Breitbart, Jonathan; Linn, Marcia
2016-01-01
Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blanchard, Margaret R.; LePrevost, Catherine E.; Tolin, A. Dell; Gutierrez, Kristie S.
2016-01-01
This 3-year, mixed-methods study investigated the effects of teacher technology-enhanced professional development (TPD) on 20 teachers' beliefs and practices. Teachers in two middle schools located in neighboring rural, high-poverty districts in the southeastern United States participated in reform-based lessons and learned how to integrate…
Using Video-Stimulated Recall to Enhance Preservice-Teacher Reflection
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Endacott, Jason L.
2016-01-01
Teacher-education programs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the effectiveness of their graduates at a time in which many states have adopted a new generation of formal teacher-evaluation systems. Despite the current emphasis on the evaluation of teacher proficiency, the opportunity to reflect upon practice remains a vital aspect of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kraft, Matthew A.; Marinell, William H.; Yee, Darrick
2016-01-01
During the last decade, education research and policy have generated considerable momentum behind efforts to remake teacher evaluation systems and place an effective teacher in every classroom. But schools are not simply collections of individual teachers; they are also organizations, with structures, practices, and norms that may impede or…
Affordances of Teacher Professional Learning in Secondary Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Admiraal, Wilfried; Kruiter, Joke; Lockhorst, Ditte; Schenke, Wouter; Sligte, Henk; Smit, Ben; Tigelaar, Dineke; de Wit, Walter
2016-01-01
It is commonly understood that teachers in secondary school should develop throughout their career in order to stay as an essential factor in student learning. Schools can offer opportunities to link teachers' professional learning to their school practice with a positive impact on teachers' motivation to learn and the effectiveness of their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
De Paepe, Liesbeth; Zhu, Chang; Depryck, Koen
2018-01-01
To date, teacher perceptions of online language teaching have attracted very little attention. However, these perceptions may influence decisions regarding instructional design, teaching practices and eventually the learning experience. Furthermore, teacher perceptions can contribute to the design of teacher training programs. This study provides…
The Investigation of Teachers' Metaphoric Perceptions about Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yurtseven, Nihal
2017-01-01
Professional development is an ongoing process in which teachers review their teaching practices and learn how to respond to their students' needs. To make the professional development process more effective, we need to define the identity of a teacher correctly and clarify the perspective about teachers' professional development. The purpose of…
ICT Opportunities and Threats in Implementing Teaching Practice Programmes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Madlela, Benkosi
2015-01-01
Mthwakazi University (MU) established the teacher education department in 2005. The purpose of this department is to empower teachers especially those who did not do education in their first degrees with pedagogical skills and competencies that will make them effective teachers in the classrooms. Students in this teacher education department come…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shaw, Jerome M.; Lyon, Edward G.; Stoddart, Trish; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Menon, Preetha
2014-08-01
This paper present findings from a pre-service teacher development project that prepared novice teachers to promote English language and literacy development with inquiry-based science through a modified elementary science methods course and professional development for cooperating teachers. To study the project's impact on student learning, we administered a pre and post assessment to students (N = 191) of nine first year elementary teachers (grades 3 through 6) who experienced the intervention and who taught a common science unit. Preliminary results indicate that (1) student learning improved across all categories (science concepts, writing, and vocabulary)—although the effect varied by category, and (2) English Language Learner (ELL) learning gains were on par with non-ELLs, with differences across proficiency levels for vocabulary gain scores. These results warrant further analyses to understand the extent to which the intervention improved teacher practice and student learning. This study confirms the findings of previous research that the integration of science language and literacy practices can improve ELL achievement in science concepts, writing and vocabulary. In addition, the study indicates that it is possible to begin to link the practices taught in pre-service teacher preparation to novice teacher practice and student learning outcomes.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Crawford, William J.
2013-01-01
Grammar is a component in all language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Teachers need to know rules of grammar (teacher knowledge) as well as techniques that help students use grammar effectively and effortlessly (teaching knowledge). Using reflective practice to help teachers become comfortable with teaching grammar, this…
Analysis of an inquiry-oriented inservice program in affecting science teaching practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Santamaria Makang, Doris
This study was an examination of how science teachers' teaching abilities---content and pedagogical knowledge and skills---were affected by an inquiry-oriented science education professional development program. The study researched the characteristics of an inservice program, Microcosmos, designed to equip teachers with new perspectives on how to stimulate students' learning and to promote a self-reflective approach for the implementation of instructional practices leading to improving teachers' and students' roles in the science classroom. The Microcosmos Inservice Program, which focused on the use of microorganisms as a vehicle to teach science for middle and high school grades, was funded by the National Science Foundation and developed by the Microcosmos Project based at the School of Education, Boston University. The teacher-training program had as its main objective to show teachers and other educators how the smallest life forms---the microbes---can be a usable and dynamic way to stimulate science interest in students of all ages. It combines and integrates a number of training components that appear to be consistent with the recommendations listed in the major reform initiatives. The goal of the study was to explore weather the program provoked any change(s) in the pedagogical practices of teachers over time, and if these changes fostered inquiry-based practices in the classroom. The exploratory analysis used a qualitative methodology that followed a longitudinal design for the collection of the data gathered from a sample of 31 participants. The data was collected in two phases. Phase One - The Case History group, involved 5 science teachers over a period of seven years. Phase Two - The Expanded Teacher sample, involved 26 teachers---22 new teachers plus four teachers from Phase One---contacted at two different points on time during the study. Multiple data sources allowed for the collection of a varied and rigorous set of data for each individual in the sample. The primary data source was semi-structured interviews. Secondary data sources included pre- and post- on-site visits, classroom observations, teacher's self-report protocols and questionnaires, and documents and examples of teacher-work developed during the inservice training. The data was examined for evidence of change on: teachers' self-reported content-specific gains, teachers'self-reported and observed changes in their teaching methods and approach to curriculum, and the teachers' self-reported and observed changes in classroom practices as a result of the content and the pedagogy acting together and supplementing each other. A major finding of the study confirmed the benefits of inservice activities with an integral focus of science content and pedagogy on enhancing teachers' approach to instruction. The findings give renewed emphasis to the importance that inquiry-based practices for working with teachers, combined with a specific subject-matter focus, have in designing effective professional development. This combined approach, in some instances, contributed to important gains in the pedagogical content knowledge that teachers needed in order to effectively implement the Microcosmos learning experiences.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Trytten, Bria Klotz
As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science education, an important teaching best practice. This study is unique in that it explores pre-service teachers' use of three social media platforms--Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest--and how pre-service teachers plan to apply them to classroom education. Previous studies focused on only one social media platform, usually Twitter or Facebook. This study surveyed 113 pre-service teachers in their 3rd or 4th year of school at one of two teacher colleges. The survey employed multiple choice, open-ended, and Likert-type questions to assess pre-service teachers' use of social media as well as their attitudes surrounding inquiry-based instruction. In order to better explain and analyze survey results, fourteen survey participants were interviewed with follow-up questions to elaborate on both social media use and inquiry attitudes. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers used social media, and overwhelmingly Pinterest, to find lesson plans and classroom organizational ideas. Cited reasons for this practice included convenience, variety of lesson planning, and easily searchable databases. The study found statistical significance in that teachers who aspire to teach lower grade levels will turn to social media to find lesson plans more frequently than those who aspire to teach higher grade levels. The study found social media use had no statistically significant effect on the level of inquiry-based teaching that the participants aimed to achieve in their future classrooms.
Lin, Hui-Chen; Lin, Chi-Yi; Chien, Tsui-Wei; Liu, Kuei-Fen; Chen, Miao-Yen; Lin, Wen-Chuan
2013-02-01
A constellation of factors accounts for teaching efficacy in the fundamental nursing practicum. Teachers play a critical role in terms of designing and executing an appropriate teaching plan, choosing effective methods, and holding appropriate teaching attitudes. It is thus extremely important that clinical teachers master the core characteristics of basic nursing practice. This study aimed to illuminate the core characteristics of basic nursing practice for students for reference by clinical practicum teachers. Qualitative research was used to identify the fundamentals of nursing practice by clinical teacher. Five focus group meetings were convened during the practice period. The researchers presided over group discussions held during the normal weekly teaching schedule and lasting approximately 2-4 hours each. The content analysis was adopted to analyze the data. Three major themes were proposed, including (1) student status: "novices were stymied by problems and thus improved slowly"; (2) teacher awareness: "teachers need to be aware of student capabilities, mood, and discomfort"; and (3) teaching style: "a good choice of methods should support and encourage students. To cultivate professional nursing knowledge and self-confidence for future professional commitment, clinical teachers must first understand the characteristics and motivations of learning of their students and then select the, skills, and attitudes appropriate to provide step-by-step guidance. Communication with staffs and the preparation of atmosphere prior to nursing practice are also essential for students. Results provide insights into the technical college environment with regard to basic-level clinical nursing practice.
Science in the schoolhouse: an uninvited guest.
Landrum, Timothy J; Tankersley, Melody
2004-01-01
Science and scientific thinking have not made a substantial impact on educational practice. In this discussion, we examine the relationship between science and education and delineate four reasons for characterizing science as an uninvited guest in schools: (a) Science is not highly regarded in society; (b) good science and bad science are often mistaken for one another; (c) the amount of current data is overwhelming; and (d) science is not easy for those who practice it (researchers), those who translate it (teacher educators), or those who consume it (teachers). We suggest several strategies to improve this relationship, including promoting standards of educational practice, emphasizing the role of teacher educators as translators of the research base into classroom practice, and linking student outcomes with the use of effective instructional practices.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Purwaningsih, E.; Sutoyo, S.; Wasis; Prahani, B. K.
2018-03-01
This research is aimed to analyse the effectiveness of ComCoReLS (Concept Mapping Content Representation Lesson Study) model towards the improvement skills of Creating Physics Lesson Plan (CPLP) for pre-service physics teacher. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 12 pre-service physics teacher at University of Malang State (Indonesia) in academic year 2016/2017. Data collection was conducted through test and interview. Skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Physics Lesson Plan Evaluation Sheet (PLPES). The data analysis technique was done by using paired t-test and n-gain. The CoMCoReLS model consists of 5 phases, including (1) Preparation, (2) Coaching, (3) Guided Practice, (4) Independent Practice, and (5) Evaluation. In the first, second, third and fifth phases are done at University of Malang State, while the fourth phase (Independent Practice) is done in SMAN 1 Singosari, SMAN 2 Malang, SMA Lab UM, MAN 3 Malang. The results showed that there was a significant increase in skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher at α = 5% and n-gain average of high category. Thus, the ComCoReLS model is effective for improving skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sertich, Sally Krause
2013-01-01
This study used a conceptual framework of professional development theory to identify characteristics of effective learning activities specific to 259 Minnesota K-12 public school physical education and developmental adapted physical education (PE/DAPE) teachers during 2012-2013. Study results confirmed that as PE/DAPE teacher participation in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pae, Tae-Il
2017-01-01
This study presents findings on three research agendas: (1) the difference between native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) in students' attitudes toward and motivation for learning English, (2) the moderating effect of the type of class (i.e., English Conversation vs. Practical English) on the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carrier, Sarah J.
2011-01-01
Teacher preparation programs have been under attack by policy makers in the last decade, and teacher educators are constantly striving to improve their programs. Yet, there are several research-based practices that have been shown to be effective for developing teachers. In this article, the author summarizes a study in one science methods course…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jackson, Sharon M.
2012-01-01
This is a mixed-methods case study designed to examine the perceptions parents, students and teachers have about student-led conferences with the purpose of informing practices at the researcher's school as well as sharing strategies used to host effective student-led conferences. Parents and students were interviewed and surveyed. Teachers were…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
French, Debbie Ann
In this dissertation, the researcher describes authentic scientific inquiry (ASI) within three stages of teacher preparation and development: a1) undergraduate STEM courses, b2) preservice secondary science education methods courses, and c3) inservice teacher professional development (PD). Incorporating (ASI)-- pedagogy closely modeling the research practices of scientists--is at the forefront of national science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In the first of three research articles, 42 students participated in an introductory astronomy course which employed inquiry-based pedagogy. The researcher administered the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) pre/post instruction. In the second article, 56 preservice secondary science teachers completed ideal lesson plan scenarios before and after 80 hours of methods instruction. The researcher scored the scenarios using a rubrirubric developedc according to the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, and analyzed the components from the scenarios. The third article surveyed 63 inservice STEM teachers with prior research and industry experience. The researcher highlights teacher ASI perspectives. Overall, teachers incorporated opportunities for K-20 students to use scientific instrumentation and technology to collect and analyze data, work collaboratively, and develop evidence-based conclusions. Few teachers provided opportunities for students to ask scientific questions or disseminate results, suggesting the need that teachers (at all levels) need scaffolded instruction in these areas. The researcher argues that while ASI and STEM PDs are effective for teachers, developing similar interest, on-going communities of practice may provide support for teacher to implement the ASI practices in their classrooms.
Science-for-Teaching Discourse in Science Teachers' Professional Learning Communities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lohwasser, Karin
Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide an increasingly common structure for teachers' professional development. The effectiveness of PLCs depends on the content and quality of the participants' discourse. This dissertation was conducted to add to an understanding of the science content needed to prepare to teach science, and the discourse characteristics that create learning opportunities in teachers' PLCs. To this end, this study examined how middle school science teachers in three PLCs addressed science-for-teaching, and to what effect. Insight into discourse about content knowledge for teaching in PLCs has implications for the analysis, interpretation, and support of teachers' professional discourse, their collaborative learning, and consequently their improvement of practice. This dissertation looked closely at the hybrid space between teachers' knowledge of students, of teaching, and of science, and how this space was explored in the discourse among teachers, and between teachers and science experts. At the center of the study were observations of three 2-day PLC cycles in which participants worked together to improve the way they taught their curriculum. Two of the PLC cycles were supported, in part, by a science expert who helped the teachers explore the science they needed for teaching. The third PLC worked without such support. The following overarching questions were explored in the three articles of this dissertation: (1) What kind of science knowledge did teachers discuss in preparation for teaching? (2) How did the teachers talk about content knowledge for science teaching, and to what effect for their teaching practice? (3) How did collaborating teachers' discursive accountabilities provide opportunities for furthering the teachers' content knowledge for science teaching? The teachers' discourse during the 2-day collaboration cycles was analyzed and interpreted based on a sociocultural framework that included concepts from the practice-based theory of content knowledge for teaching developed by D. L. Ball, Thames, and Phelps (2008) and the Accountable Talk framework by Michaels, O'Connor, & Resnick (2008). The study's findings could provide justification for and ideas on how to provide targeted support for PLCs to make teachers' work on science knowledge more applicable to lesson planning, teaching, and student learning.
Effective Instructional Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paulsel, Michelle L.
2004-01-01
Prospective teachers often take a course in classroom management to learn how to create an environment conducive to student learning. Typically, prospective teachers learn how to establish routines, develop rules to maintain classroom order, and arrange the classroom to facilitate learning. Many teachers graduate from college, however, with only…
Language and Learning under the Microscope
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davis, Sarah
2012-01-01
In any content area, teachers have opportunities to help their students develop more robust vocabularies; however, many content area teachers "know relatively little about effective instructional practices for vocabulary development" (Fisher & Frey, 2008). This article offers content area teachers three examples of rich opportunities for word…
Professional Learning Networks Designed for Teacher Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Trust, Torrey
2012-01-01
In the information age, students must learn to navigate and evaluate an expanding network of information. Highly effective teachers model this process of information analysis and knowledge acquisition by continually learning through collaboration, professional development, and studying pedagogical techniques and best practices. Many teachers have…
Understanding a High School Physics Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Argumentation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Jianlan; Buck, Gayle A.
2016-08-01
Scientific argumentation is an important learning objective in science education. It is also an effective instructional approach to constructivist science learning. The implementation of argumentation in school settings requires science teachers, who are pivotal agents of transforming classroom practices, to develop sophisticated knowledge of argumentation. However, there is a lack of understanding about science teachers' knowledge of argumentation, especially the dialogic meaning of argumentation. In this case study, we closely examine a high school physics teacher's argumentation-related pedagogic content knowledge (PCK) in the context of dialogic argumentation. We synthesize the teacher's performed PCK from his argumentation practices and narrated PCK from his reflection on the argumentation practices, from which we summarize his PCK of argumentation from the perspectives of orientation, instructional strategies, students, curriculum, and assessment. Finally, we describe the teacher's perception and adaption of argumentation in his class. We also identity the barriers to argumentation implementation in this particular case and suggest solutions to overcome these barriers.
Sources and Nature of Secondary School Teachers' Education in Computer-Related Ergonomics
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dockrell, Sara; Fallon, Enda; Kelly, Martina; Galvin, Rose
2009-01-01
Teachers' knowledge of computer-related ergonomics in education will have an effect on the learning process and the work practices of their students. However little is known about teacher education in this area. The study aimed to investigate the sources and nature of secondary school teachers' education about computer-related ergonomics. It also…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Crain de Galarce, Patricia
2014-01-01
Urban schools are struggling to hire and retain effective literacy teachers. Alternative certification programs throughout the country seek to bridge the achievement gap and to bring qualified teachers to underserved classrooms. This dissertation explores the transformative inquiry of developing "resident" teachers in their journey as…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chiang, Hanley; Wellington, Alison; Hallgren, Kristin; Speroni, Cecilia; Herrmann, Mariesa; Glazerman, Steven; Constantine, Jill
2016-01-01
Recent efforts to attract and retain effective educators and to improve teaching practices have focused on reforming evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals. In 2006, Congress established the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Debra Renee
2017-01-01
How are teacher characteristics related to teaching practices in reading instruction? Melton, Smothers, Anderson, Fulton, Replogue, & Thomas (2004) maintained teachers are the most powerful dynamic in the classroom. African American students often attain lower reading scores than other students. It is important to determine which teacher…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Huber, Richard A.; Smith, Robert W.; Shotsberger, Paul G.
This study examined the effect of a teacher enhancement project combining training on the National Science Education Standards, problem solving and equity education on middle school science teachers' attitudes and practices and, in turn, the attitudes of their students. Participating teachers reported changes in their instructional methods that…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Levine, Thomas H.
2011-01-01
This article explores whether features associated with effective professional communities among K-12 teachers are relevant and sufficient for improving the practice of supervisors in teacher education programs. Interview and observational data from nineteen supervisors in one teacher education program illuminate what supervisors want in order to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paulsen, Thomas H.; Anderson, Ryan G.; Tweeten, Jaclyn F.
2015-01-01
Student teaching is an important capstone experience in which preservice teacher candidates begin to learn the skills they need to become effective teachers. During this experience, candidates develop concerns for themselves as well as for their students. As preservice teachers encounter challenges and obstacles, it is important for them to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Max, Jeffrey; Constantine, Jill; Wellington, Alison; Hallgren, Kristin; Glazerman, Steven; Chiang, Hanley; Speroni, Cecilia
2015-01-01
Recent efforts to attract and retain effective educators and to improve teaching practices have focused on reforming evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals. In 2006, Congress established the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in…
Middle Years Teachers' Past Experiences of the Arts: Implications for Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Garvis, Susie; Pendergast, Donna
2010-01-01
In the middle years of schooling, spanning grades four to nine, it is common practice for generalist teachers to deliver integrated arts education. Research confirms that teacher effectiveness with the arts is influenced by their sense of efficacy, which is derived from a coalition of factors including confidence, competence, subject mastery and…
Dialogue as a Catalyst for Teacher Change: A Conceptual Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Penlington, Clare
2008-01-01
Teacher-teacher dialogue is a central activity within many professional learning programs. Understanding how and why dialogue works as an effective tool for teacher change is a question, however, that needs more careful probing in the extant literature. In this paper, I draw upon the philosophical theory of practical reason in order to show why…
Benefits of a Teacher and Coach Collaboration: A Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Neuberger, Jim
2012-01-01
This paper describes a case study of a math teacher working with a math coach and the effects of their interaction. A guiding question was whether the coaching intervention had affected the teacher's classroom practices and, if so, in what way. The study utilized data from teacher/coach planning sessions, classroom lessons, follow-up debriefing…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ciampa, Katia; Gallagher, Tiffany L.
2016-01-01
This case study research reports on elementary (grade 8) and secondary school (grade 9) teachers' participation in job-embedded, professional learning and engagement in collaborative inquiry. Teachers constructed an inquiry-oriented media literacy unit following the collaborative inquiry model. The current study sought to investigate how…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de los Santos, Xeng
2017-01-01
Designing professional development that effectively supports teachers in learning new and often challenging practices remains a dilemma for teacher educators. Within the context of current reform efforts in science education, such as the "Next Generation Science Standards," teacher educators are faced with managing the dilemma of how to…
Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students' Attitudes and Behaviors.
Blazar, David; Kraft, Matthew A
2017-03-01
Research has focused predominantly on how teachers affect students' achievement on tests despite evidence that a broad range of attitudes and behaviors are equally important to their long-term success. We find that upper-elementary teachers have large effects on self-reported measures of students' self-efficacy in math, and happiness and behavior in class. Students' attitudes and behaviors are predicted by teaching practices most proximal to these measures, including teachers' emotional support and classroom organization. However, teachers who are effective at improving test scores often are not equally effective at improving students' attitudes and behaviors. These findings lend empirical evidence to well-established theory on the multidimensional nature of teaching and the need to identify strategies for improving the full range of teachers' skills.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rizvi, Meher; Nagy, Philip
2016-01-01
This paper presents and evaluates a teacher training approach called the cluster-based mentoring programme (CBMP) for the professional development of government primary school teachers in Pakistan. The study sought to find differences in the teaching practices between districts where the CBMP was used (intervention) and control districts where it…
Working Downstream: A Beginning EL Teacher Negotiating Policy and Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Malsbary, Christine Brigid; Appelgate, Mollie H.
2016-01-01
This case study describes how a beginning teacher struggled to meet her students' needs in an ESL classroom. Her struggle demonstrated the interrelated nature of policy and practice: Policy effects in her school isolated her and made her feel solely responsible for the achievement of her newly arrived English-learning (EL) students. Her case…
The Role of Staff Development in the Improvement of Reading Instruction.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Winn, Deanna D.; Mitchell, Judith P.
More is known about the effective teaching of reading than is reflected in classroom practice. The critical link in the chain from research findings to classroom practices is staff development. A staff development model was designed, based upon the notions that change is a gradual and difficult process for teachers; that teachers vary widely in…
Can You Skype Me Now? Developing Teachers' Classroom Management Practices through Virtual Coaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rock, Marcia L.; Schoenfeld, Naomi; Zigmond, Naomi; Gable, Robert A.; Gregg, Madeleine; Ploessl, Donna M.; Salter, Ashley
2013-01-01
In this article, situated within the context of a larger ongoing study on the efficacy of Web-based virtual coaching, these authors describe a virtual coaching model for maximizing pre- and in-service teachers' effective use of evidence-based classroom management practices. They also provide a brief summary of previous results obtained…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bianchini, Julie A.; Brenner, Mary E.
2010-01-01
We investigated how an induction program supported and constrained beginning teachers' efforts to teach science or mathematics in equitable and effective ways. We focused our investigation on the teaching and learning of equitable instructional practices; we conceived of such practices as attention to students' experiences, instruction for English…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Justine, Nairuba
2011-01-01
The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of provision of fringe benefits and the nature of working conditions under motivational practices on teachers' performance in secondary schools. The study was qualitative and quantitative; and descriptive-correlation research design was used in the study. The researcher used purposive and simple…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bakosh, Laura S.
2013-01-01
Mindfulness practices, used to focus and sustain attention, have been shown to promote school readiness, and to positively impact students' academic success. Yet, incorporating these practices into the normal school day has been difficult due to the curriculum changes and teacher training necessary for implementation and sustainable operation.…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mikeska, Jamie N.; Shattuck, Tamara; Holtzman, Steven; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Duchesneau, Nancy; Qi, Yi; Stickler, Leslie
2017-01-01
In order to create conditions for students' meaningful and rigorous intellectual engagement in science classrooms, it is critically important to help science teachers learn which strategies and approaches can be used best to develop students' scientific literacy. Better understanding how science teachers' instructional practices relate to student…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Woolley, Michael E.; Strutchens, Marilyn E.; Gilbert, Melissa C.; Martin, W. Gary
2010-01-01
Student self-report data from 933 Black middle school students and standardized mathematics test scores (SAT-10) were used to examine the relationship among student perceptions of teacher expectations and reform instructional practices, aspects of student motivation, and three student mathematics performance outcomes--time spent studying, expected…
Acquisition of L[subscript 2] Vocabulary for Effective Reading: Testing Teachers' Classroom Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Llinares, Genoveva; Leiva, Bertha; Cartaya, Noela; St. Louis, Rubena
2008-01-01
Four practical approaches taken by teachers in their attempts to help students acquire the minimum sight vocabulary necessary for reading English for Science and Technology (EST) texts are described. Over a period of 12 weeks, subjects (native Spanish speakers at university level) were divided into 4 intact groups and worked under different…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hunuk, Deniz; Ince, Mustafa Levent; Tannehill, Deborah
2013-01-01
The purposes of this study were twofold: to examine the effects of a community of practice (CoP) on (1) physical educators' and their students' health-related fitness content knowledge and (2) the physical educators' health-related fitness pedagogical content knowledge construction process. Twelve experienced physical education teachers (six in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Haas, Eric; Goldman, Julie; Faltis, Christian
2018-01-01
Improving the writing of middle-school English learners can improve their academic thinking, literacy, and content knowledge. The Writing Reform and Innovation for Teaching Excellence (WRITE) program uses six high-leverage writing practices and develops teacher capacity through professional learning activities anchored in the group grading of…
Teachers' in-flight thinking in inclusive classrooms.
Paterson, David
2007-01-01
This article explores the thinking of five junior high school teachers as they teach students with learning difficulties in inclusive classrooms. Insights into the ways these teachers think about students in these inclusive secondary school contexts were obtained through triangulating data from semistructured interviews, stimulated recall of in-flight thinking, and researcher field notes. Exploration of teachers' in-flight thinking (i.e., the thinking of teachers as they engaged in classroom teaching) revealed a knowledge of individual students that was not related to categorical notions of learning difficulties. This research has implications for the practice of teaching in inclusive settings as well as for teacher preparation. Specifically, it suggests that attention to student differences should be replaced by the development of teachers' knowledge about individual students as a rich source of practical knowledge and the basis for developing effective instructional techniques.
Flower, Andrea; McKenna, John; Muething, Colin S; Bryant, Diane Pedrotty; Bryant, Brian R
2014-01-01
This study investigated the effects of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) on classwide off-task behavior in two ninth-grade basic algebra resource classes. Ten students with a variety of disabilities, in two classrooms, and their special education resource teacher participated in this study. A reversal design was employed, in which the special education teacher implemented GBG compared to typical practice-algebra readiness instruction. Results showed that classwide off-task behavior decreased in the GBG conditions compared to the baseline and reversal conditions. Fidelity measures indicated that the teacher implemented GBG with fidelity. Students and the teacher rated GBG favorably. Overall findings support the use of GBG for reducing classwide off-task behavior. Implications for practice and future research directions are presented.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yang, Yang
2017-01-01
Systematic studies on effectiveness of in-service teacher professional development (PD) are important for science education research and practice. Previous studies mostly focus on one certain aspect of the entire program, for example, effectiveness of PD on improvement of teachers' knowledge or students' learning outcomes. This study, however,…
What Can Teachers Do to Raise Pupil Achievement?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aslam, Monazza; Kingdon, Geeta
2011-01-01
Improving weak teaching may be one of the most effective means of raising pupil achievement. However, teachers' classroom practices and the teaching "process" may matter more to student learning than teachers' observed resume characteristics (such as certification and experience). There may also be important differences in teacher…
Technology Integration Barriers: Urban School Mathematics Teachers Perspectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wachira, Patrick; Keengwe, Jared
2011-01-01
Despite the promise of technology in education, many practicing teachers face several challenges when trying to effectively integrate technology into their classroom instruction. Additionally, while national statistics cite a remarkable improvement in access to computer technology tools in schools, teacher surveys show consistent declines in the…
Practical Strategies for Enhancing Doctoral Students' Preparedness to Teach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richards, K. Andrew R.; Sinelnikov, Oleg A.; Starck, Jenna R.
2018-01-01
Doctoral education programs in physical education teacher education have a responsibility to train aspiring faculty members to be effective researchers and good teachers. Using occupational socialization theory as a framework, this article proposes a progressive approach to helping physical education teacher education doctoral students gain…
Teaching Badminton through Play Practice in Physical Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Insook
2017-01-01
There is a strong belief that teachers' in-depth content knowledge is key for effective teaching. Teachers who possess specialized content knowledge uniquely needed for teaching are capable of appropriately selecting, sequencing, representing and adapting content applicable for students with different learning needs. Beyond teachers' content…
Developing Modelling Lenses among Practicing Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shahbari, Juhaina Awawdeh; Tabach, Michal
2016-01-01
Growing awareness of the importance of modelling activities in mathematics education has raised the question of whether teachers are prepared to facilitate the engagement of students in such activities. The current study investigates the effects of how teachers cope with modelling activities in developing their abilities to identify modelling…
Teacher Research Experiences: What We Have Learned and What We Need to Know
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Scowcroft, G. A.; Knowlton, C. W.
2006-12-01
The immersion of teachers in scientific research is an effective model for science teacher professional development that builds the capacity of teachers to engage students in scientific inquiry. Most science teachers have had little opportunity to "practice" science. Yet national and state science education standards expect teachers to provide these kinds of experiences for their students. Through the renewal and enhancement that a teacher research experience (TRE) offers, teachers become more capable and motivated to challenge their classes through inquiry-based activities. Although TREs are believed to be successful, there is little published research on their impacts to teaching practice and student science competencies. Research shows that teacher expertise can account for approximately 40 percent of the variance in student learning in reading and mathematics achievement more than any other single factor including student background. Other studies show a similar correlation between teacher expertise and student achievement across the subject areas. There is a critical need for empirical research on the impacts of TREs on science education. Future research could guide funding agencies in setting priorities for the professional development of science teachers as it fine tunes the TRE model to achieve the maximum impact. This presentation will review some of the available literature on TREs and accepted best practices. It will also point to future directions that the TRE community can take to optimize these worthwhile opportunities for teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fielding, Antony
2002-01-01
Analyzes subject teaching-group effectiveness in English and Welsh General Certification of Education (GCE) Advanced Level prior to a linking to resources; suggests cross-classified multilevel models with weighted random effects for disentangling student, group, and teacher effects; finds that teacher effects are considerable, but cannot find…
Teachers' Practice a Decade After an Extensive Professional Development Program in Science Education
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Furman Shaharabani, Yael; Tal, Tali
2017-10-01
Science teachers are expected to teach in innovative ways that are different from their long experience as students. Professional development programs are planned to help teachers' development, yet, there is little knowledge of the long-term effects of professional development programs (PDPs), and especially on actual practice. The purpose of this study is to gain a long-term perspective of the ways in which the process and outcomes of a reform-oriented, extended PDP are expressed in science teachers' practice. Data sources included interviews and documents. The study presents four case studies of the practices of junior high school science teachers (grades 7-9) in Israel, with respect to a past PDP in which they took part a decade ago. The cases are presented in pairs of a leader and a follower. Each case details the teacher's work context, sustained implementation, coherence of tools and approaches, and adaptations. All four teachers shared the view that scientific skills are important to their students as learners in a changing world. All four teachers adopted one or two major approaches, which were the PDP's main focus. In addition, the two leaders adopted two more approaches. The teachers were still using many strategies associated with the major foci of the PDP. The level of enactment and modifications of the strategies varied. Usability of innovations is discussed in relation to the teachers' context. We suggest that science teachers' professional development include the ability to adapt the innovation to their teaching context in order to sustain the changes for a long period of time.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bencze, Larry; Hewitt, Jim; Pedretti, Erminia
2009-01-01
Results of various studies suggest that multimedia ‘case methods’ (activities associated with case documentaries) have many benefits in university-based teacher education contexts. They can, for example, help to ‘bridge the gap’ between perspectives and practices held by academic teacher educators and those held by student-teachers - who may adhere to perspectives and practices commonly supported in schools. On the other hand, some studies, along with theoretical arguments, suggest that there are limits to the effectiveness of multimedia case methods - because, for example, they can never fully represent realities of teaching and learning in schools. Furthermore, often missing from multimedia case methods is the student-teacher in the role of teacher. To address these concerns, we modified an existing multimedia case method by associating it with a special practice teaching situation in a school context. Qualitative data analyzed using constant comparative methods suggest that student-teachers engaged in this modified multimedia case method developed relatively deep commitments to encouraging students to conduct technology design projects - a non-traditional practice in school science. Factors that appeared to influence development of this motivation included student-teachers’ pre-instructional perspectives about science and the personalization and contextualization inherent to the modified multimedia case method.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shockley, Robert; Watlington, Eliah; Felsher, Rivka
2011-01-01
This paper summarizes a qualitative meta-analysis of the empirical research on the effectiveness of teacher induction programs over the last decade for the purpose of identifying the essential elements that make them effective in reducing teacher attrition. The study used Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation as the theoretical framework for…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chunrasaksakun, Chunwadee
2015-01-01
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of training teachers to enhance their students' achievements in water resource and disaster course and to compare the effects of using the curriculum framework between training teachers or using curriculum framework in the secondary schools in Khon Kaen Province of Thailand. It was found that the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Abrahams, Ian; Reiss, Michael J.; Sharpe, Rachael
2014-01-01
Background: Despite the widespread use of practical work in school it has been recognised that more needs to be done to improve its effectiveness in developing conceptual understanding. The "Getting Practical" CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme was designed to contribute towards an improvement in the effectiveness of…
Science Teachers' Understanding and Practice of Inquiry-Based Instruction in Uganda
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ssempala, Fredrick
High school students in Uganda perform poorly in science subjects despite the Ugandan government's efforts to train science teachers and build modern science laboratories in many public high schools. The poor performance of students in science subjects has been largely blamed on the inability by many science teachers to teach science through Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) to motivate the students to learn science. However, there have been no empirical studies done to establish the factors that influence science teachers' understanding and practice of IBI in Uganda. Most of the published research on IBI has been conducted in developed countries, where the prevailing contexts are very different from the contexts in developing countries such as Uganda. Additionally, few studies have explored how professional development (PD) training workshops on inquiry and nature of science (NOS) affect chemistry teachers' understanding and practice of IBI. My purpose in this multi-case exploratory qualitative study was to explore the effect of a PD workshop on inquiry and NOS on chemistry teachers' understanding and practice of IBI in Kampala city public schools in Uganda. I also explored the relationship between chemistry teachers' NOS understanding and the nature of IBI implemented in their classrooms and the internal and external factors that influence teachers' understanding and practice of IBI. I used a purposive sampling procedure to identify two schools of similar standards from which I selected eight willing chemistry teachers (four from each school) to participate in the study. Half of the teachers (those from School A) attended the PD workshop on inquiry and NOS for six days, while the control group (those from School B) did not. I collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews, classroom observation, and document analysis. I analyzed these data by structural, conceptual and theoretical coding approach. I established that all the participating chemistry teachers had insufficient understanding of IBI at the beginning of the study. However, teachers from School A improved their understanding and practice of IBI after attending the PD workshop. I also found that the participating chemistry teachers' NOS epistemological views were, to some extent, related to the nature of IBI implemented in their classroom. The main internal factors the participating teachers perceived to influence their understanding and practice of IBI were their attitudes and teaching experience, whereas the external factors were lack of motivation, lack of necessary instructional materials, mode of assessment, class size, the nature of pre-service and in-service training, support from peer teachers and limited time in relation to many lessons and much content to cover Based on the above findings, I conclude that the current science teacher training in Uganda may not be improving science teachers' understanding and practice of IBI, and most of the factors are beyond their control (external). Hence, there is an urgent need for teacher educators and policymakers in Uganda to address the internal and external factors influencing science teachers' understanding and practice of IBI to improve the teaching and learning of science subjects. Additionally, more quantitative and qualitative studies should be done among teachers of different disciplines to establish how the above factors and others affect teachers' understanding and practice of IBI in developing countries like Uganda.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Higgins, Tara Eileen
Professional development is important for improving teacher practice and student learning, particularly in inquiry-oriented and technology-enhanced science instruction. This study examines professional developers' practices and their impact on teachers' classroom instruction and student achievement. It analyzes professional developers designing and implementing a five-year professional development program designed to support middle school science teachers. The professional developers are four university-based researchers who worked with sixteen science teachers over three years, setting program goals, facilitating workshops, providing in-classroom support for teachers, and continually refining the program. The analysis is guided by the knowledge integration perspective, a sociocognitive framework for understanding how teachers and professional developers integrate their ideas about teaching and learning. The study investigates the professional developers' goals and teachers' interpretations of those goals. It documents how professional developers plan teacher learning experiences and explores the connection between professional development activities and teachers' classroom practice. Results are based on two rounds of interviews with professional developers, audio recordings of professional developers' planning meetings and videotaped professional development activities. Data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, teacher reflections during professional development activities, and results from student assessments. The study shows the benefit of a professional development approach that relies on an integrated cycle of setting goals, understanding teachers' interpretations, and refining implementation. The professional developers based their design on making inquiry and technology accessible, situating professional development in teachers' work, supporting collaboration, and sustaining learning. The findings reflect alignment of the design goals with the perspective guiding the curriculum design, and consider multiple goals for student and teacher learning. The study has implications for professional development design, particularly in supporting inquiry-oriented science and technology-enhanced instruction. Effective professional developers formulate coherent conceptions of program goals, use evidence of teacher outcomes to refine their goals and practices, and connect student and teacher learning. This study illustrates the value of research on the individuals who design and lead professional development programs.
Confronting the realities of implementing contextual learning ideas in a biology classroom
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akers, Julia B.
1999-10-01
The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation of contextual learning practices in a biology class. Research contends that contextual learning classrooms are active learning environments where students are involved in "hands-on" team projects and the teacher assumes a facilitator role. In this student-centered classroom, students take ownership and responsibility for their own learning. This study examined these assertions and other factors that emerged as the study developed. The research methods used were qualitative. The subject for this study was a biology teacher with twenty-six years of experience who implemented contextual learning practices in two of her biology classes in the 1997--98 school year. As the teacher confronted contextual learning, we engaged in collaborative research that included fourteen interviews transcribed verbatim for analysis, classroom observations and the teacher's written reports. Throughout the study, factors developed that adversely affected contextual learning practices. These factors were discipline, curriculum, and administrative decisions over which the teacher had no control. These are examined along with their consequences for implementing a contextual classroom. Successful practices that worked in the teacher's classroom were also determined and included the teacher's "failure is not an option" policy, mandatory tutoring, behavior contracts, high expectations and teamed projects. Besides contextual learning, a key component of the study was the collaborative research process and its meaning to the subject, the researcher and future researchers who attempt this collaborative approach. The study's conclusion indicate that scheduling, multiple repeaters, discipline and the state Standards of Learning moved the teacher away from contextual learning practices to a more teacher-directed classroom. Two recommendations of this study are that further research is needed to study how the state Standards of Learning have affected instructional practices and the effect of administrative decisions that influence the level of teacher success in the classroom.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kaya, Ebru
2013-05-01
This study examines the impact of argumentation practices on pre-service teachers' understanding of chemical equilibrium. The sample consisted of 100 pre-service teachers in two classes of a public university. One of these classes was assigned as experimental and the other as control group, randomly. In the experimental group, the subject of chemical equilibrium was taught by using argumentative practices and the participants were encouraged to participate in the lessons actively. However, the instructor taught the same subject by using the lecturing method without engaging argumentative activities in the control group. The Chemical Equilibrium Concept Test and Written Argumentation Survey were administered to all participants to assess their conceptual understanding and the quality of their arguments, respectively. The analysis of covariance results indicate that argumentation practices significantly improved conceptual understanding of the experimental group when compared to the control group. Furthermore, the results show that the pre-service teachers exposed to argumentative practices constructed more quality arguments than those in the control group after the instruction. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the instruction based on argumentative practices is effective in concept teaching in science education. Therefore, argumentation should be explicitly taught in teacher education besides elementary and secondary education.
Hughes, Jan N.
2010-01-01
The shared and unique effects of teacher and student reports of teacher student relationship quality (TSRQ) in second and third grade on academic self views, behavioral engagement, and achievement the following year were investigated in a sample of 714 academically at-risk students. Teacher and student reports of teacher-student support and conflict showed low correspondence. As a block, teacher and student reports of TSRQ predicted all outcomes, above prior performance on that outcome and background variables. Student reports uniquely predicted school belonging, perceived academic competence, and math achievement. Teacher reports uniquely predicted behavioral engagement and child perceived academic competence. Teacher and student reports of the teacher-student relationship assess largely different constructs that predict different outcomes. Implications of findings for practice and research are discussed. PMID:21984843
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Payne, Katherina A.
2018-01-01
Much like preservice teachers, who cite cooperating teachers as influential to the learning-to-teach process, this study and its findings center the work of cooperating teachers as essential to teacher education for democratic education. The mentoring practices of cooperating teachers often reflect their teaching practices with students in their…
Teachers' Use of Research Evidence in Practice: A Pilot Study of Feedback to Enhance Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
See, Beng Huat; Gorard, Stephen; Siddiqui, Nadia
2016-01-01
Background: There is worldwide interest in improving the effectiveness of teachers and teaching. This paper considers two strands of that interest. It revisits the impact of using enhanced feedback from teachers to pupils as a way of improving attainment, and it looks at the feasibility of teachers using research evidence to create their own…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wai, Nu Nu; Hirakawa, Yukiko
2001-01-01
Studied the participation and performance of upper secondary school teachers in Japan through surveys completed by 360 Geography teachers. Findings suggest that the importance of developing problem-solving skills is widely recognized among these teachers. Implementing training in such skills is much more difficult. Developing effective teaching…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Soto, Melissa Marie; Ambrose, Rebecca
2016-01-01
Analyzing students' mathematical explanations can be a powerful tool to enhance teachers' practice, but collecting these explanations can be cumbersome. Here, we describe our quest to find effective tools to make explanations accessible to elementary (K-6th) teachers. First, we describe how digital audio recordings enabled teachers to focus on the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hill, Cher M.; MacDonald, Margaret
2016-01-01
Teacher inquiry, in which teachers study their own professional practice, is currently a popular form of experiential learning that is considered a powerful tool to bring about effective change in teaching and learning. Little empirical evidence, however, exists to explain precisely if and how this pedagogical methodology moves teachers toward…
How to Be a Wise Consumer of Coaching: Strategies Teachers Can Use to Maximize Coaching's Benefits
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yopp, David; Burroughs, Elizabeth A.; Luebeck, Jennifer; Heidema, Clare; Mitchell, Arlene; Sutton, John
2011-01-01
Instructional coaching is gaining popularity as a school-based effort to increase teacher effectiveness and student achievement. A coach can be broadly defined as a person who works collaboratively with a teacher to improve that teacher's practice and content knowledge, with the ultimate goal of affecting student achievement. By its very nature,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chiang, Hanley; Wellington, Alison; Hallgren, Kristin; Speroni, Cecilia; Herrmann, Mariesa; Glazerman, Steven; Constantine, Jill
2015-01-01
Recent efforts to attract and retain effective educators and to improve teaching practices have focused on reforming evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals. In 2006, Congress established the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Drits-Esser, Dina; Gess-Newsome, Julie; Stark, Louisa A.
2017-01-01
This two-year, mixed-methods study explored teacher learning during a year-long professional development programme and during the year following the programme. The study examined patterns of change in primary school teachers' inquiry practices, inquiry beliefs and physical science content knowledge during both years as well as the effects of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Roman, Tiffany A.; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Anne T.
2016-01-01
Within the United States, there has been a call for timely, effective, and targeted communication between home and school environments to increase student achievement and engage parents (Project Tomorrow, 2011a). Although teachers can use websites as a means of communication to connect with parents online (Dunn, 2011; Janicki &…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barrentine, Shelby J., Ed.
This compilation of articles from "The Reading Teacher" contrasts old and new approaches to reading assessment and offers methods that teachers can use in the classroom to build better readers. The articles suggest that in order to effectively assess young readers, one must integrate assessment with instruction, which requires new forms of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whittaker, Catharine; van Garderen, Delinda
2009-01-01
Many teacher educators have enthusiastically embraced case-based instruction in teacher education programs. However, the research base is equivocal on whether preservice and in-service teacher educators' case-based reflections on educational issues are comprehensive and critical. This study explores the use of a metacognitive strategy--the case…
Teachers' Emotion Regulation and Classroom Management
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sutton, Rosemary E.; Mudrey-Camino, Renee; Knight, Catharine C.
2009-01-01
This article describes a series of studies on teachers' attempts to modify the intensity and duration of their emotions, and how their emotions are expressed in the classroom. Among the important findings is that teachers practice emotion regulation because they believe it makes them more effective in management, discipline, and their…
Teacher Collaboration in Curriculum Design Teams: Effects, Mechanisms, and Conditions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Voogt, Joke M.; Pieters, Jules M.; Handelzalts, Adam
2016-01-01
Collaborative design positively affects both professional development and the implementation of curriculum change, because teachers develop competencies and practice and develop ownership of the change. The current study was aimed to explore what empirical evidence is available about processes that take place when teachers co-design and how these…
The Schoolhouse Network: How School Buildings Affect Teacher Collaboration
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Spillane, James P.; Shirrell, Matthew
2018-01-01
In recent years, teacher collaboration has emerged as an important strategy to drive improvement, informed by research showing how on-the-job interactions can boost teacher development and effectiveness. Schools across the United States are adjusting their professional cultures and workplace practices in response, creating formal opportunities for…
How Principals and Peers Influence Teaching and Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Supovitz, Jonathan; Sirinides, Philip; May, Henry
2010-01-01
This paper examines the effects of principal leadership and peer teacher influence on teachers' instructional practice and student learning. Using teacher survey and student achievement data from a mid-sized urban southeastern school district in the United States in 2006-2007, the study employs multilevel structural equation modeling to examine…
Origins of Teachers' Selection of Aversive Interventions.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Steven W.; Weis, Glenna
This study was designed to replicate and improve upon Kaplan's 1992 study of the possible link between teachers' past experiences and use of aversive disciplinary strategies. The current study examines the possible effect of past home and school experience on both preservice and practicing teachers' choices of intervention. The first study…
Using Technology to Enhance Feedback to Student Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gibson, Lenwood; Musti-Rao, Shobana
2016-01-01
The importance of effective and efficient feedback is paramount during the student teaching experience. This experience is a vital component of many teacher preparation programs. During these limited experiences, supervisors deliver performance feedback that is designed to improve the way student teachers implement evidence-based practices and/or…
Rethinking Theatre Teacher Education: A National Think Tank for Change-Makers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lazarus, Joan
2002-01-01
Discusses development of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education's Think Tanks on Theatre Teacher Education. Notes the think tanks were intended to probe important issues, move to a new level of thinking, and hopefully, effect change in individual and collective practice of theatre teacher education. (SG)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schwarz, Christina
2009-01-01
Preservice elementary teachers face many challenges in learning how to teach science effectively, such as engaging students in science, organizing instruction, and developing a productive learning community. This paper reports on several iterative cycles of design-based research aimed at fostering preservice teachers' principled reasoning around…
The SMART Goal Framework: Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learning and Teacher Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yates, Sigrid S.
2014-01-01
Most states require that schools engage in school improvement programs to meet accountability mandates which necessitates that teachers develop the skills necessary to accomplish school improvement efforts. The problem is that classroom practitioners lack the skills necessary to achieve effective school improvement. Limited research exists with…
Creating Dissonance in Pre-Service Teachers' Field Experiences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Eisenhardt, Sara; Besnoy, Kevin; Steele, Emily
2012-01-01
The study is practical in nature and addresses the call for investigating effective aspects of field experiences in teacher preparation. The authors designed a framework of assignments requiring the pre-service teachers to collect data about two diverse elementary students in their assigned elementary classroom during the twelve weeks of their…
IES Teacher Assignment Final Report. CRESST Report 786
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Silk, Yael; Silver, David; Amerian, Stephanie; Nishimura, Claire; Boscardin, Christy
2011-01-01
The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship (RA) professional development program on teacher practices and student learning. The professional development is designed to teach high school teachers how to integrate subject-specific literacy instruction into their regular curricula. The CRESST researchers…
Foreign Language Teachers' Language Proficiency and Their Language Teaching Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richards, Heather; Conway, Clare; Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon
2013-01-01
Teachers' subject knowledge is recognized as an essential component of effective teaching. In the foreign language context, teachers' subject knowledge includes language proficiency. In New Zealand high schools, foreign languages (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) have recently been offered to learners earlier in their schooling,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Tammy H.; Blasey, Christine M.; Dyer-Friedman, Jennifer; Glaser, Bronwyn; Reiss, Allan L.; Eliez, Stephan
2005-01-01
Pediatricians' and teachers' knowledge of physical, cognitive, and behavioral features associated with three genetic syndromes were assessed and the effectiveness of information sources about these syndromes evaluated. The surveyed sample included 53 pediatricians and 69 teachers from Northern and Central California. Respondents demonstrated…
A Document Analysis of Teacher Evaluation Systems Specific to Physical Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Norris, Jason M.; van der Mars, Hans; Kulinna, Pamela; Kwon, Jayoun; Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey
2017-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this document analysis study was to examine current teacher evaluation systems, understand current practices, and determine whether the instrumentation is a valid measure of teaching quality as reflected in teacher behavior and effectiveness specific to physical education (PE). Method: An interpretive document analysis…
Teacher Evaluation and the Problem of Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smylie, Mark A.
2014-01-01
During the past 10 to 15 years, nearly every state and school district across the nation has begun to dramatically overhaul their evaluation systems for teachers. Such evaluation systems are ultimately aimed at improving teachers' instructional practices. However, the evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of these systems is weak and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Windschitl, Mark; Thompson, Jessica; Braaten, Melissa
2011-01-01
Background/Context: The collegial analysis of student work artifacts has been effective in advancing the practice of experienced teachers; however, the use of such strategies as a centerpiece for induction has not been explored, nor has the development of tool systems to support such activity with novices. Purpose/Objective: We tested the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schütze, Birgit; Rakoczy, Katrin; Klieme, Eckhard; Besser, Michael; Leiss, Dominik
2017-01-01
Formative assessment has been identified as a promising intervention to support students' learning. How to successfully implement this means of assessment, however, is still an open issue. This study contributes to the implementation of formative assessment by analyzing the impact of a training measure on teachers' formative feedback practice,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Penton, John
Designed to provide information about reading in New Zealand, this report offers an overview of theory and practice in that area. Among the topics discussed are: the current concern about reading standards; developmental reading; effective methods of reading instruction; research into the nature of the reading process; preparation of teachers of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cook, Clayton R.; Miller, Faith G.; Fiat, Aria; Renshaw, Tyler; Frye, Megan; Joseph, Gail; Decano, Polocarpio
2017-01-01
Teaching is regarded as one of the most challenging yet rewarding professions. Moreover, research has shown that stress and burnout are likely to undermine teacher effectiveness and negatively impact their willingness and intentions to implement evidence-based practices. The present study sought to contribute to a growing body of research…
How to Handle Difficult Parents: Proven Solutions for Teachers. Second Edition
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tingley, Suzanne Capek
2012-01-01
"How to Handle Difficult Parents" is a funny, but practical, guide to working effectively with parents and avoiding unnecessary conflict. Whether you're a teacher (regular or special education) or a coach, this book will give you practical suggestions regarding what to say and how to say it to parents who question your lesson plans, challenge your…
A Study of Dynamic Design Dualities in a Web-Supported Community of Practice for Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baek, Eun-Ok; Barab, Sasha A.
2005-01-01
The concept of a community of practice (CoP) is prevalent in several venues for teachers' professional development, especially in online environments. However, there are few descriptive accounts that effectively represent a CoP in a manner that will be of use to other designers. In order to illuminate potential difficulties which may arise when…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lehman, James D.; Kim, WooRi; Harris, Constance
2014-01-01
The new standards for K-12 science education in the United States call for science teachers to integrate engineering concepts and practices within their science teaching in order to improve student learning. To accomplish this, teachers need appropriate instructional materials as well as the knowledge and skills to effectively use them. This mixed…
The Impact of the Type of Projects on Preservice Teachers' Conceptualization of Service Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Seban, Demet
2013-01-01
This paper discusses the effects of the type of project undertaken for a community practice course on preservice teachers' conceptualization of service learning. The goal of the projects is to enable participants to engage with service practice in a reflective manner. Through the examination of the reflective logs kept by students using Butin's…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Conrath, Melissa Moorhead
The purpose of this study was to compare graduates of the Undergraduate and Post-Degree Programs in secondary school science at the Ohio State University, with respect to their attitudes toward the use of inquiry activities, use of inquiry activities in the classroom and the use of effective classroom management practices. Teacher characteristics…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reardon, Thomas B.
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between specific principal management practices (as defined in this study as: informal visits to the classroom, face-to-face communication, written communication, visibility throughout the school campus, and a presence at extracurricular activities) and teacher morale. The…
High school health-education teachers' perceptions and practices related to teaching HIV prevention.
Herr, Scott W; Telljohann, Susan K; Price, James H; Dake, Joseph A; Stone, Gregory E
2012-11-01
HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States with individuals between the ages of 13 and 19 years being especially vulnerable for infection. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes, perceptions, and instructional practices of high school health teachers toward teaching HIV prevention. A total of 800 surveys were sent to a national random sample of high school health teachers and 50% responded. There was almost complete agreement (99%) among respondents that HIV prevention instruction is needed. The factors that emerged as significantly influencing the attitudes and perceptions of high school health teachers about teaching HIV prevention were related to teacher preparation, training, and years of experience teaching health education. A state mandate requiring HIV prevention instruction was significantly associated with higher teacher efficacy expectations and more perceived benefits, but did not have a significant influence in relation to practices in the classroom. Characteristics of high school health teachers that were significantly related to attitudes, perceptions, and instructional practices included the instructor's age, sex, and race/ethnicity. High school health teachers who reported the least experience teaching health education had the least supportive attitudes, perceived the most barriers, and had the lowest efficacy and outcome expectations related to teaching about HIV prevention. Whereas these findings support the importance of teacher preparation and training, they also suggest that more recent college graduates may not be fully prepared to provide effective instruction in HIV prevention. © 2012, American School Health Association.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Briscoe, Carol; Wells, Elaine
2002-05-01
Calls for reform have suggested that classroom practice can best be changed by teachers who engage in their own research. This interpretive study examines the process of action research and how it contributes to the professional development of a first-grade teacher. The purpose of the study was to explore the research process experienced by the teacher as she examined whether portfolios could be used as an effective means for facilitating and assessing young children's development of science process skills. Data sources included a journal kept by the teacher, documents produced by the teacher and students as part of the portfolio implementation process, hand-written records of teacher's informal interviews with students, and anecdotal records from research team meetings during the study. Data analysis was designed to explore how the teacher's classroom practices and thinking evolved as she engaged in action research and attempted to solve the problems associated with deciding what to assess and how to implement portfolio assessment. We also examined the factors that supported the teacher's learning and change as she progressed through the research process. Data are presented in the form of four assertions that clarify how the action research process was influenced by various personal and contextual factors. Implications address factors that facilitated the teacher as researcher, and how this research project, initiated by the teacher, affected her professional development and professional life.
Talking about history: discussions in a middle school inclusive classroom.
Okolo, Cynthia M; Ferretti, Ralph P; MacArthur, Charles A
2007-01-01
In this study, we examined the nature of whole-class discussion and teachers' instruction during discussion about historical topics in one inclusive, middle-grade classroom. We videotaped and analyzed 4 lessons to determine the nature of discussion sequences, rates of participation, and instructional challenges encountered by the teacher and students. We triangulated our analysis of observational data with teacher interviews. The results showed high rates of student participation, with no differences between students with and without disabilities. The teacher initiated and controlled the discussion, and nearly all student responses were from teacher to student rather than from student to student. The teacher encountered three challenges in developing students' understanding, and we identify specific practices she used to address these challenges. Based on students' response to measures administered by project staff and on their scores on statewide tests, this teacher's practices seemed to be highly effective.
Effects of Distance Coaching on Teachers' Use of Pyramid Model Practices: A Pilot Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Artman-Meeker, Kathleen; Hemmeter, Mary Louise; Snyder, Patricia
2014-01-01
The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the effects of 2 professional development approaches on teachers' implementation of the "Pyramid" model, a classroom-wide approach for fostering social-emotional development and addressing challenging behavior. The study had 2 goals: (a) to examine the differential effects of workshop…
Supporting learner-centered technology integration through situated mentoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenberg, Marian Goode
Situated mentoring was used as a professional development method to help 11 high school science teachers integrate learner-centered technology. The teachers' learner-centered technology beliefs and practices as well as their perception of barriers to learner-centered technology integration were explored before and after participating in the mentoring program. In addition, the participants' thoughts about the effectiveness of various components of the mentoring program were analyzed along with the mentor's observations of their practices. Situated mentoring can be effective for supporting learner-centered technology integration, in particular decreasing the barriers teachers experience. Goal setting, collaborative planning, reflection, and onsite just-in-time support were thought to be the most valuable components of the mentoring program.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chamrat, Suthida; Apichatyotin, Nattaya; Puakanokhirun, Kittaporn
2018-01-01
The quality of lesson design is essential to learning effectiveness. Research shows some characteristics of lessons have strong effect on learning which were grouped into "High Impact Practices or HIPs. This research aims to examine the use of HIPs on chemistry lesson design as a part of Teaching Science Strand in Chemistry Concepts course. At the first round of lesson design and implementing in classroom, 14 chemistry pre-services teachers freely selected topics, designed and implemented on their own ideas. The lessons have been reflected by instructors and their peers. High Impact Practices were overtly used as the conceptual framework along with the After-Action Review and Reflection (AARR). The selected High Impact practice in this study consisted of 6 elements: well-designed lesson, vary cognitive demand/academic challenge, students center approach, opportunity of students to reflect by discussion or writing, the assignment of project based learning or task, and the lesson reflects pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). The second round, pre-service teachers were encouraged to explicitly used 6 High Impact Practices in cooperated with literature review specified on focused concepts for bettering designed and implemented lessons. The data were collected from 28 lesson plans and 28 classroom observations to compare and discuss between the first and second lesson and implementation. The results indicated that High Impact Practices effect on the quality of delivered lesson. However, there are some elements that vary on changes which were detailed and discussed in this research article.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Buxner, Sanlyn
2013-06-01
The Next Generation Science Standards will have a profound impact on the future science education of students and professional development for teachers. The science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas laid out in the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2011) will change the focus and methods of how we prepare teachers to meet these new standards. Extending beyond just the use of inquiry in the classroom, teachers will need support designing and implementing integrated experiences for students that require them to apply knowledge of content and practices. Integrating the three dimensions central to the new standards will pose curricular challenges and create opportunities for innovative space science projects and instruction. The science research and technology community will have an important role in supporting authentic classroom practices as well as training and support of teachers in these new ways of presenting science and technology. These changes will require a new focus for teacher professional development and new ways to research impacts of teacher training and changes in classroom practice. In addition, new and innovative tools will be needed to assess mastery of students’ knowledge of practices and the ways teachers effectively help students achieve these new goals. The astronomy education community has much to offer as K-12 and undergraduate level science educators rethink and redefine what it means to be scientifically literate and figure out how to truly measure the success of these new ways of teaching science.
Teacher Effectiveness and Causal Inference in Observational Studies
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rose, Roderick A.
2013-01-01
An important target of education policy is to improve overall teacher effectiveness using evidence-based policies. Randomized control trials (RCTs), which randomly assign study participants or groups of participants to treatment and control conditions, are not always practical or possible and observational studies using rigorous quasi-experimental…
An Investigation of Literacy Practices in High School Science Classrooms
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wexler, Jade; Mitchell, Marisa A.; Clancy, Erin E.; Silverman, Rebecca D.
2017-01-01
This study reports findings from an exploration of the literacy practices of 10 high school science teachers. Based on observations of teachers' instruction, we report teachers' use of text, evidence-based vocabulary and comprehension practices, and grouping practices. Based on interviews with teachers, we also report teachers' perceptions…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al-Tarawneh, Sabri; Al-Oshaibat, Hussein; Ismail, Hairul Al-Nizam
2016-01-01
This study identifies the efficiency of the teacher performance evaluation methods used by government school principals in South Ghour or the hollows educational department from the perspective of teachers. This study dealt with the approaches used by government school principals in the domains of planning assessment, working with the teacher,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harris, Douglas N.
2012-01-01
In the recent drive to revamp teacher evaluation and accountability, measures of a teacher's value added have played the starring role. But the star of the show is not always the best actor, nor can the star succeed without a strong supporting cast. In assessing teacher performance, observations of classroom practice, portfolios of teachers' work,…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Mijung; Tan, Aik-Ling
2011-03-01
To alleviate teachers' reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of teachers' conflicts in practical work, this study examines teachers' ideas about teaching and learning that influence teachers' decision-making and action on teaching practical work. More important than knowing technical-rational aspects of practical work is to understand the internal contradictions that teachers have to resolve within themselves regarding their capabilities and beliefs about science teaching and practical work. Using stories and experiences of 38 third-year university students in a science method course in Korea, we seek to understand the conflicts and negotiations that they experience as they make decisions regarding practical work throughout their course. Reflective writings and group discussions on their lived experiences and concerns were used to probe participants' ideas on teaching using practical work. From written and verbal data, themes were saturated in terms of the aspects which could (dis)encourage their practice. Results suggest that there are multifactorial challenges in pre-service teachers' understandings and concerns in practical work. Besides time, materials, and curriculum, pedagogical assumptions and values also compositely challenge the minds of teachers. As the pre-service elementary teachers negotiated within themselves the importance of science in classroom and social levels, the question is raised about their identities as pre-service elementary teachers to appreciate the balance between science teaching and practical work.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Smith, Greg
2015-04-01
This study investigates the relationship, if any, between teacher participation in a targeted professional development programme and changes in participants' instructional practice and their pupils' attitudes to learning primary science. The programme took place over a 2-year period in 15 small rural schools in the West of Ireland. Data sources include teacher and pupil questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and informal classroom observations. The findings reveal that as a result of their involvement in the programme, (a) teachers' instructional practice in science lessons became more inquiry-based and they were engaging their pupils in substantially more hands-on activities in science lessons and (b) pupils developed more positive attitudes towards learning science. The findings from this study add to what is known about delivering effective professional development.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coniam, David
2009-01-01
This paper examines the quality of tests that Hong Kong teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) produce for their own EFL students. The paper examines the effects on graduate teachers of a language testing programme where participants produced objective tests, proceeding through the stages of test specification, moderation, and item…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neil-Burke, Merah Bell
The aim of this qualitative study was to determine how professional development might be designed to meet the needs of teachers delivering interdisciplinary STEM instruction in an urban middle school. This study was framed and guided by three bodies of literature: literature in support of the theory of change, adult learning theory, and effective STEM professional development. The study, designed to be collaborative in nature, employed an action research variation of participatory classroom action research, (CAR) to find out how STEM professional development could be designed to meet the needs of teachers delivering interdisciplinary STEM instruction. A sample of five middle school teachers from grades six through eight was interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview technique to identify their perceived needs. Observational techniques were utilized to determine how STEM teachers' instructional practices change as a result of exposure to STEM professional development for interdisciplinary instruction. Data from these interviews were used to design the professional development. Planning and implementation of the professional development were accomplished using the CAR model with data being collected in all phases of the CAR cycle for teaching interdisciplinary STEM. The findings suggest that interdisciplinary STEM professional development that is collaborative, along with a curriculum that supports the process of discipline integration, is an effective approach to meeting teachers' needs for the teaching of interdisciplinary STEM instruction. Lastly, the findings imply that certain barriers such as limited time to collaborate, plan, reflect, and practice could impede teachers' ability to use an interdisciplinary approach to classroom instructional practices. However, these barriers may become diminished when teachers, support each other through communication and collaboration. Thus, the essential elements included in the design and implementations of this interdisciplinary STEM professional development are the following: time to plan, to practice, to reflect, and to collaborate with other teachers. These findings reveal the need for support from school administration and curriculum writers.
Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms
Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M.; Kinsel, John
2017-01-01
Research Findings The current article explores the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers’ executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Practice or Policy Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children’s challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher’s workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers’ executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children’s school readiness skills and teachers’ health. PMID:28596698
Examining Teacher Talk in an Engineering Design-Based Science Curricular Unit
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aranda, Maurina L.; Lie, Richard; Selcen Guzey, S.; Makarsu, Murat; Johnston, Amanda; Moore, Tamara J.
2018-03-01
Recent science education reforms highlight the importance for teachers to implement effective instructional practices that promote student learning of science and engineering content and their practices. Effective classroom discussion has been shown to support the learning of science, but work is needed to examine teachers' enactment of engineering design-based science curricula by focusing on the content, complexity, structure, and orchestration of classroom discussions. In the present study, we explored teacher-student talk with respect to science in a middle school curriculum focused on genetics and genetic engineering. Our study was guided by the following major research question: What are the similarities and differences in teacher talk moves that occurred within an engineering design-based science unit enacted by two teachers? Through qualitative and quantitative approaches, we found that there were clear differences in two teachers' use of questioning strategies and presentation of new knowledge that affected the level of student involvement in classroom discourse and the richness and details of student contributions to the conversations. We also found that the verbal explanations of science content differed between two teachers. Collectively, the findings in this study demonstrate that although the teachers worked together to design an engineering designed-based science curriculum unit, their use of different discussion strategies and patterns, and interactions with students differed to affect classroom discourse.
1979-01-01
language education in recent years can be seen in the movement from a teacher- to a learner -centered approach. The best evidence of a teacher-centered...most dramatic effect on how the learner is viewed. The learner now is recognized as an active participant in the learning process rather than as a... best , is optional. Cognitive psychologists, such as Ausubel, and many foreign language educators (Rivers, 1976; Grittner, 1977) believe that practice
Erlich, Deborah R; Shaughnessy, Allen F
2014-04-01
While most medical schools have students teach other students, few offer formal education in teaching skills, and fewer provide teaching theory together with experiential teaching practice. Furthermore, curriculum evaluation of teaching education is lacking. This study aimed to examine effects of a novel didactic teaching curriculum for students embedded in a practical teaching experience. A longitudinal 12-week curriculum with complementary didactic and practical components for final-year students learning how to teach was developed, implemented and evaluated using a multi-level evaluation based on the Kirkpatrick approach with qualitative and quantitative methods. Thirteen student-teachers acquired measureable knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for teaching excellence. Confidence in teaching increased (p < 0.001), particularly in four key areas: oral feedback, written feedback, mentoring, and the difficult learner. Student-teachers demonstrated teaching competence as determined by self-assessment, student feedback, and faculty observation. Top teachers impacted their first-year students' performance in patient interviewing as measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Reinforcing educational theory with practical teaching experience under direct faculty supervision promotes teaching competency for graduating medical students. The intertwined didactic plus practical model can be applied to various teaching contexts to fulfil the mandate that medical schools train graduates in core teaching knowledge, skills and attitudes in preparation for their future roles as clinical teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chan, Man Ching Esther; Clarke, David J.; Clarke, Doug M.; Roche, Anne; Cao, Yiming; Peter-Koop, Andrea
2018-01-01
The major premise of this project is that teachers learn from the act of teaching a lesson. Rather than asking "What must a teacher already know in order to practice effectively?", this project asks "What might a teacher learn through their activities in the classroom and how might this learning be optimised?" In this project,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chizhik, Estella Williams; Chizhik, Alexander Williams; Close, Catherine; Gallego, Margaret
2017-01-01
Student-teaching field placements play an important role in preparing teacher candidates, many of whom rate the practice as the most authentic and relevant learning experience associated with their teacher-education programs. As a part of these field experiences, teacher candidates have opportunities to learn instructional and class management…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Lee W.
2016-01-01
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require a major shift in instructional practices among teachers. Such changes cause much uncertainty as teachers' roles and identities begin to change. Major school reform creates difficulty for school leaders who must develop teacher support and dedication to 'top-down' reform initiatives in their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jones, Jennie Leigh
2017-01-01
Pre-service teachers (PST) clinical experiences are critical for transfering theory to practice (e.g., Brownell, Ross, Colon, and McCallum, 2005) and these experiences require effective mentoring, coaching, and supervision from university supervisors and cooperating teachers (e.g., Leko, Brownell, Sindelar, & Murphy, 2012). Yet, many special…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McCombs, Barbara L.; Lauer, Patricia A.; Peralez, Audrey
The Learner-Centered Battery (LCB) is a set of short self-assessment tools for teachers and their students that can help teachers identify profiles of effective beliefs, practices, and discrepancies between teacher and student perspectives. Personalized feedback is available for interpreting individual profiles relative to profiles of the most…
Enhancing mathematics teachers' quality through Lesson Study.
Lomibao, Laila S
2016-01-01
The efficiency and effectivity of the learning experience is dependent on the teacher quality, thus, enhancing teacher's quality is vital in improving the students learning outcome. Since, the usual top-down one-shot cascading model practice for teachers' professional development in Philippines has been observed to have much information dilution, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization demanded the need to develop mathematics teachers' quality standards through the Southeast Asia Regional Standards for Mathematics Teachers (SEARS-MT), thus, an intensive, ongoing professional development model should be provided to teachers. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of Lesson Study on Bulua National High School mathematics teachers' quality level in terms of SEARS-MT dimensions. A mixed method of quantitative-qualitative research design was employed. Results of the analysis revealed that Lesson Study effectively enhanced mathematics teachers' quality and promoted teachers professional development. Teachers positively perceived Lesson Study to be beneficial for them to become a better mathematics teacher.
Teachers' and students' work-culture variables associated with positive school outcome.
Goldwater, O D; Nutt, R L
1999-01-01
Little is known about the relationship between teachers' family-of-origin variables, impacting their work attitudes and interpersonal skills, and students' academic outcome. This study investigated whether goodness of fit between teachers' and students' backgrounds is associated with subjective grading and objective achievement at school. One hundred one seventh graders and twenty of their teachers completed the Self-Report Family Inventory. Similarity between teachers' and students' work-culture variables was associated with the subjective grading practices of teachers. The self-report data also revealed effective teacher and successful student profiles.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johns, Kyoko Maeno
2009-01-01
The research supports the contentions that teachers' beliefs influence classroom practice and student achievement. Although research has been done to examine teachers' beliefs and classroom practice, limited research has investigated how one's culture and community affect teacher identity and mathematics classroom practice. The development over…
McKown, Terri; McKeon, Leslie; McKown, Leslie; Webb, Sherry
2011-12-01
Gaps exist in health professional education versus the demands of current practice. Leveraging front-line nurses to teach students exemplary practice in a Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) may narrow this gap. The DEU is an innovative model for experiential learning, capitalizing on the expertise of staff nurses as clinical teachers. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a new academic-practice DEU in facilitating quality and safety competency achievement among students. Six clinical teachers received education in clinical teaching and use of Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies to guide acquisition of essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes for continuous health care improvement. Twelve students assigned to the six teachers completed daily logs for the 10-week practicum. Findings suggest that DEU students achieved QSEN competencies through clinical teacher mentoring in interdisciplinary collaboration, using electronic information for best practice and patient teaching, patient/family decision making, quality improvement, and resolution of safety issues.
An Examination of Effective Practice: Moving toward Elimination of Achievement Gaps in Science
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Carla C.
2009-01-01
This longitudinal study of middle school science teachers explored the relationship between effective science instruction, as defined by the National Science Education Standards (NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996), and student achievement in science. Eleven teachers participated in a three…
Classroom Teachers' Perceptions of the Implementation and Effects of Full Inclusion.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sardo-Brown, Deborah; Hinson, Stephanie
1995-01-01
Describes a survey of 51 graduate students/full-time teachers at schools implementing full inclusion programs. Participants expressed their views concerning implementation methods, effects on instructional practices, community reactions, and advantages and disadvantages. Schools need to do a better job of explaining the rationale for full…
Teacher Classroom Management Practices: Effects on Disruptive or Aggressive Student Behavior
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oliver, Regina M.; Wehby, Joseph H.; Reschly, Daniel J.
2011-01-01
Despite the large research base grounded in behavioral theory for strategies to increase appropriate behavior and prevent or decrease inappropriate behavior in the classroom, a systematic review of multi-component universal classroom management research is necessary to establish the effects of teachers' universal classroom management approaches.…