Teachers' Beliefs and Implementation of Competitive Activities for Multicultural Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Eve; Lysniak, Ulana

2017-01-01

Physical education teachers' (N = 9) beliefs and implementation of competitive activities for middle school multicultural student populations (Grades 6-8) in physical education class in the Greater New York area were examined. Data were collected by nonparticipant observation and field notes, two semistructured interviews, and postobservation…

Pressing for Elaboration in Student Talk about Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McElhone, D.

2013-01-01

This article explores the practice of one accomplished teacher who uses follow-up probes to press her fourth- and fifth-grade students to clarify and articulate their ideas more fully. Qualitative analysis of field notes, teacher and student interviews, and video recordings of instruction, and discourse analysis of reading conferences revealed…

Professional Identity of an Early Childhood Black Teacher in a Predominantly White School: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Khatib, Amal J.; Lash, Martha J.

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study investigated the role of race, school context, and personal and professional experiences in the formation of an early childhood minority teacher's professional identity. Data sources included interviews, observations, conversations, field notes and school artefacts. Member checking, triangulation and extended…

Creating Your Own Case Studies: A Guide for Early Field Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florio-Ruane, Susan

1990-01-01

A guide for creating case studies is provided for teacher educators to share with students. Suggestions are offered for becoming a participant observer in a classroom. The appendix contains sample appropriate and inappropriate field notes. (SM)

Finnish Eyes on Border Schools: Teacher Educators Compare Notes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kralovec, Etta; Dervin, Fred; Riitaoja, Anna-Leena

2017-01-01

This article offers readers the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between teacher educators from Finland and the United States at the conclusion of a field research project conducted in border schools in Arizona. The conversation ranges across topics central to schooling in both countries and exposes educational practices that are not…

Looking Inward to 21st Century Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doerksen, Rose

2016-01-01

Through the lens of a student, this Note from the Field responds to a historical research project which engages pre-service teachers in critical citizenship and social imagination. Looking inward facilitates a personal learning experience of identity that is applied to learning in the 21st century. When 21st century pre-service teacher education…

Middle Years Science Teachers Voice Their First Experiences with Interactive Whiteboard Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadbois, Shannon A.; Haverstock, Nicole

2012-01-01

Among new technologies, interactive whiteboards (IWBs) particularly seem to engage students and offer entertainment value that may make them highly beneficial for learning. This study examined 10 Grade 6 teachers' initial experiences and uses of IWBs for teaching science. Through interviews, classroom visits, and field notes, the outcomes…

Discipline and Rules in Four Hong Kong Kindergarten Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Joyce; Grieshaber, Susan Jane; Walsh, Kerryann

2017-01-01

Classroom discipline is a topic of international interest and teachers are bombarded with advice regarding how to and why they should manage children's behaviour in their classrooms. This paper draws on data related to classroom discipline gathered from a detailed classroom observation schedule, teacher interviews, and field notes with four…

Getting out of Their Comfort Zone: Examining Teacher Candidates' Reactions to Service-Learning Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regalla, Michele

2016-01-01

This study presents data gathered from a service-learning trip to Costa Rica designed for teacher candidates. Data include participant responses to writing prompts, field notes, and follow-up questionnaires. Results show that participants' experience with the language barrier raised their empathy toward English learners. However, participants…

Using Mobile Devices to Connect Teachers and Museum Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delen, Ibrahim; Krajcik, Joseph

2017-06-01

The use of mobile devices is increasing rapidly as a potential tool for science teaching. In this study, five educators (three middle school teachers and two museum educators) used a mobile application that supported the development of a driving question. Previous studies have noted that teachers make little effort to connect learning experiences between classrooms and museums, and few studies have focused on creating connections between teachers and museum educators. In this study, teachers and museum educators created an investigation together by designing a driving question in conjunction with the research group before field trips. During field trips, students collected their own data using iPods or iPads to take pictures or record videos of the exhibits. When students returned to the school, they used the museum data with their peers as they tried to answer the driving question. After completing the field trips, five educators were interviewed to investigate their experiences with designing driving questions and using mobile devices. Besides supporting students in data collection during the field trip, using mobile devices helped teachers to get the museum back to the classroom. Designing the driving question supported museum educators and teachers to plan the field trip collaboratively.

Growing the Good Stuff: One Literacy Coach's Approach to Support Teachers with High-Stakes Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zoch, Melody

2015-01-01

This ethnographic study reports on one elementary literacy coach's response to high-stakes testing and her approach to support third- through fifth-grade teachers in a Title I school in Texas. Sources of data included field notes and observations of classes and meetings, audio/video recordings, and transcribed interviews. The findings illustrate…

Rights in the Workplace: A Guide for Child Care Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Christine; Stoken, Amy; Fritts, Jonathan; Magar, Michele; Bellm, Dan; Shukla, Renu; Vardell, Rosemarie; Wayne, Claudia; Whitebook, Marcy

Research on child care quality and experience in the field shows that the quality of working conditions are linked to a caregiver's ability to provide quality care. Noting that legal rights that generally apply to most child care teachers are not upheld in every workplace, this guide provides information on federal legal rights of child care…

What Can You Learn about Writing in School?: A Case Study in an Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florio, Susan; And Others

A two-year study investigated writing in the elementary school. Data collected included field notes from observation of a second/third grade classroom, videotapes of selected classroom activities, weekly journals kept by the teacher reflecting her thoughts on teaching in general and on writing in particular, interviews with the teacher about the…

Water, Water Everywhere, But....Notes for the Teacher, Report Writing Directions and Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Cliff

Provided in this teaching package are materials that clearly and simply unveil the mysteries of water pollution. Materials, written on an approximate seventh-grade level, include: (1) a student reading unit; (2) water quality factors pamphlet; (3) experiments; and (4) teacher's guide to field testing a local waterway. The student reading unit is…

Using a Field Trip Inventory to Determine If Listening to Elementary School Students' Conversations, While on a Zoo Field Trip, Enhances Preservice Teachers' Abilities to Plan Zoo Field Trips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patrick, Patricia; Mathews, Cathy; Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale

2013-10-01

This study investigated whether listening to spontaneous conversations of elementary students and their teachers/chaperones, while they were visiting a zoo, affected preservice elementary teachers' conceptions about planning a field trip to the zoo. One hundred five preservice elementary teachers designed field trips prior to and after listening to students' conversations during a field trip to the zoo. In order to analyze the preservice teachers' field trip designs, we conducted a review of the literature on field trips to develop the field trip inventory (FTI). The FTI focussed on three major components of field trips: cognitive, procedural, and social. Cognitive components were subdivided into pre-visit, during-visit, and post-visit activities and problem-solving. Procedural components included information about the informal science education facility (the zoo) and the zoo staff and included advanced organizers. Social components on student groups, fun, control during the zoo visit, and control of student learning. The results of the investigation showed that (a) the dominant topic in conversations among elementary school groups at the zoo was management, (b) procedural components were mentioned least often, (c) preservice teachers described during-visit activities more often than any other characteristic central to field trip design, (d) seven of the nine characteristics listed in the FTI were noted more frequently in the preservice teachers' field trip designs after they listened to students' conversations at the zoo, and (e) preservice teachers thought that students were not learning and that planning was important.

From TPACK-in-Action Workshops to English Classrooms: CALL Competencies Developed and Adopted into Classroom Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tai, Shu-Ju

2013-01-01

As researchers in the CALL teacher education field noted, teachers play the pivotal role in the language learning classrooms because they are the gate keepers who decide whether technology or CALL has a place in their teaching, and they select technology to support their teaching, which determines what CALL activities language learners are exposed…

The Possibilities of Longitudinal Research: Lessons from a Teacher and a Researcher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton-Lilly, Catherine

2016-01-01

In this article, the author first presents an analysis based on field notes from when she was a first-grade teacher, with particular focus on one student, Christy. She then offers a longitudinal account of Christy from the author's current position as a university researcher. She argues that these two analyses reveal the power of longitudinal…

"Big Loud Voice. You Have Important Things to Say": The Nature of Student Initiations during One Teacher's Interactive Read-Alouds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloch, Beth; Beutel, Denise Duncan

2010-01-01

This qualitative study explored the nature of student initiations during interactive read alouds of fiction and non-fiction texts in a second grade, urban classroom. Data sources--including expanded field notes, video/audiotape records and transcripts, and teacher interviews--were analyzed inductively, utilizing the constant comparative method and…

The role of proletarianization in physical education teacher attrition.

PubMed

Macdonald, D

1995-06-01

As the quality of education provisions continues to come under scrutiny, so too have the conditions for teachers' work. The purpose of this study was to ascertain what were the dissatisfactions for beginning physical education teachers in Australian schools. Qualitative data were collected using interviews, journals, photographs, and field notes. Data yielded five main categories underpinning teacher dissatisfaction: (a) lack of status, (b) repetitive nature of physical education work, (c) limited decision making, (d) personal and professional surveillance, and (e) unprofessional staffroom culture. The construct of proletarianization was employed to explain the patterns that shape teachers' occupational socialization and underpin teachers' decisions to leave the profession.

Student-Teachers' Teaching Techniques: Actors in Pupils' Extrinsic Motivation as They Speak (Técnicas de enseñanza de los docentes practicantes: actores en la motivación extrínseca de los estudiantes a la hora de hablar)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Báez Dueñas, Leidy Tatiana; Chacón Vargas, Leidy Marcela

2013-01-01

This article describes a research project we carried out in order to study the role of student-teachers' teaching techniques as regards their pupils' extrinsic motivation as they partake in communicative speaking activities at a public school in Tunja, Colombia. Data were gathered by means of field notes, focus groups and student-teachers'…

Inside and outside the Integrated Bilingual Palestinian-Jewish Schools in Israel: Teachers' Perceptions of Personal, Professional and Political Positioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajuan, Maureen; Bekerman, Zvi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers of the integrated bilingual Palestinian-Jewish schools in Israel construct their school culture in relation to various outside pressures in their attempt to achieve educational change. Field notes from an in-service training workshop were analyzed according to three levels of the teaching…

Using the Lens of Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching the Nature of Science to Portray Novice Chemistry Teachers' Transforming NOS in Early Years of Teaching Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supprakob, Surayot; Faikhamta, Chatree; Suwanruji, Potjanart

2016-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the nature of science (PCK for NOS) has attracted interest in recent decades. This study investigated the PCK for NOS of six novice chemistry teachers with various educational backgrounds. An interpretive case study was performed. Multiple data sources including classroom observations, field notes,…

The Practice of Scaling down Practical Assessment Components of Agriculture in Junior Secondary Schools Curriculum: A Synthesis of Teachers Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulela, Keba

2017-01-01

This ethnographic research study aimed at investigating factors that contributed to the decline in the number of practical assessed projects in junior secondary agricultural education assessment in Botswana. Participant-observation technique was used to gather data in the form of field notes from in-service teachers at BCA and in-school teachers…

Enhancing elementary-school mathematics teachers' efficacy beliefs: a qualitative action research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Sara; Stupel, Moshe

2016-04-01

Individuals and societies that can use mathematics effectively in this period of rapid changes will have a voice on increasing the opportunities and potentials which can shape their future. This has brought affective characteristics, such as self-efficacy, that affect mathematics achievement into focus of the research. Teacher efficacy refers to the extent to which a teacher feels capable to help students learn, influence students' performance and commitment, and thus plays a crucial role in developing the student in all aspects. In this study, we used two sources of efficacy beliefs, mastery experiences and physiological and emotional states, in an interesting and challenging seven month workshop, as tools to foster teacher efficacy for six elementary-school teachers who were frustrated and wanted to leave their job. Our aim was to study the nature of these teachers' efficacy in order to change it. In this qualitative action research, we used open interviews, non-participant observations and field notes. Results show that these teachers became efficacious, their students' achievements and motivation were enhanced, and the school climate was changed. Qualitative inquiry of this construct sheds light on efficacy beliefs of mathematics teachers. Nurturing teacher efficacy has borne much fruit in the field of mathematics in school.

The National Institute for Special Education. 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. for Special Education, Yokosuka (Japan).

Treated are the purpose, activities, organizational structure, and facilities of the Japanese institute for special education (SE). Activities noted concern SE research (in fields of medicine, psychology, education, and technology), information processing services, inservice teacher training, a child guidance center, and a school for handicapped…

Teachers' in-flight thinking in inclusive classrooms.

PubMed

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.

Implementing Children's Rights in Early Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Te One, Sarah

2011-01-01

Recent research (Te One, 2009) investigated perceptions of children's rights in a New Zealand early childhood care and education service (the Creche) for under-two-year-olds. Focus group interviews, interviews with teachers, observational field notes, photographs and a researcher's journal were used to generate data. Findings revealed that…

Videodisc Instruction in Fractions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnine, Douglas; And Others

1987-01-01

How laser videodisc technology can be used to improve mathematics instruction is described, with note of the development of a videodisc curriculum on mastering fractions. Relevant research is reviewed, as well as how teachers can use the technology. The instructional design is described, and field-testing and revision reported. (MNS)

Constructing and Communicating Knowledge: A Personal Journey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Kathryn P.

This paper offers reflections on personal beliefs and practices used to construct and communicate knowledge about social studies teaching and learning with preservice elementary teachers. The paper draws upon one person's personal experiences, student journals, student interviews, course documents, field notes, and audio tapes of an instructor.…

Novice Teachers' Knowledge of Reading-Related Disabilities and Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, Erin K.; Mulcahy, Candance A.; Musante, Gail; Joshi, R. Malatesha

2017-01-01

Current understandings about the nature of persistent reading problems have been influenced by researchers in numerous fields. Researchers have noted that a current and accurate understanding of reading disabilities, such as dyslexia, can be helpful in assessing, teaching and supporting individuals with persistent reading problems. The purpose of…

Directing and Facilitating Distributed Pedagogical Leadership: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bøe, Marit; Hognestad, Karin

2017-01-01

This paper uses a hybrid leadership framework to examine how formal teacher leaders at the middle management level direct and facilitate staff resources for distributed pedagogical leadership. By conducting qualitative shadowing, involving video observation, field notes and stimulated recall interviews, and abductive analysis, this study…

General Educators' Perceptions and Attributions about Asian American Students: Implications for Special Education Referral

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hui-Michael, Ying; Garcia, Shernaz B.

2009-01-01

This qualitative study investigated five elementary classroom teachers' perceptions of, and attributions about the school performance of Asian American students. Using naturalistic inquiry, data were obtained through interviews, classroom observations, document reviews and field notes; and were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The…

Successful AP Music Theory Instruction: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buonviri, Nathan O.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to examine the instructional approach of a highly successful Advanced Placement Music Theory teacher. I visited the participant's class twice a week for 14 weeks, taking field notes, conducting interviews, and collecting instructional artifacts. Analysis of qualitative data revealed three main themes: classroom…

Learning Disabilities: A Practitioner's Scriptal Accommodation of More Recent Trends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majsterek, David J.

Intended for teachers of students with learning disabilities, the paper reviews recent trends in research. The importance and the difficulty of keeping up with new developments in the field are noted. Research and theoretical considerations are presented for the following topic areas: definition and identification difficulties (including,…

"Escola Familia": A Proposal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carani, George; Carani, José; Strong-Wilson, Teresa

2014-01-01

"Alphabetização" (literacy) of young children involves a school exclusively devoted to the early years, parental participation, and teachers specialized in early literacy. This is the basis of José Carani's proposal for an "escola familia" in the municipality of Cambé (Brazil). This "Note from the Field," based on our…

Delegating Mathematical Authority as a Means to Strive toward Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunleavy, Teresa K.

2015-01-01

In this article, the author provides insight into the pedagogical processes for delegating mathematical authority to students, through the use of specific classroom structures, as a means to strive toward equity. Employing qualitative methods, the author analyzes transcripts of classroom video, along with field notes and teacher and student…

Lewis and Clark as Naturalists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. National Museum of Natural History.

Intended for use in elementary and high school education, this Web site includes a teacher's guide and three lesson plans. The site contains images of museum specimens, scientific drawings, and field photos of the plant and animal species observed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, along with journal excerpts, historical notes, and references…

Lived-Positive Emotionality in Elementary Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuhr, Paul T.; Sutherland, Sue; Ward, Phillip

2012-01-01

Teaching is an occupation that requires a considerable amount of emotional energy when interacting with students. Through in-depth interviews, field notes and journal entries the investigators examined the phenomenon of lived-positive emotionality (LPE) involving two physical education (PE) teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine the…

Distancing Students from Nature: Science Camp and the Representation of the Human-Nature Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terrill, Laura Anne

2015-01-01

This study investigated the curricular representations of the environment and the human-environment relationship at one residential school sponsored science camp. Data gathered included field notes from observational time at the camp, interviews with staff and classroom teachers, and documents from the site's website, guides, manuals, and…

Strategic Sense: The Key to Reflective Leadership in School Principals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Gene E.

The use of reflective leadership among school principals is examined in this paper to develop a framework for the process of reflective decision making, with a focus on administrators'"strategic sense." Field notes and interviews with principals and their teachers were used to identify leadership roles and principals' perceptions of those roles.…

A Case Study of Middle Grades Leadership in a Conversion Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Dana L.; Dowell, Margaret-Mary Sulentic

2015-01-01

This 3-year case study examined middle grades principal leadership in a takeover charter school. The researcher analyzed principal and teacher interviews, field notes, and documents in relationship to a middle grades model of principal leadership. Results suggest the principals' limited experience, organizational factors unique to takeover charter…

"But Aren't Cults Bad?": Active Learning, Productive Chaos, and Teaching New Religious Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeller, Benjamin E.

2015-01-01

This article considers the challenges inherent when teaching about new religious movements ("cults"), how successful instructors have surmounted them, and how teacher-scholars in other fields of religious studies can benefit from a discussion of the successful teaching of new religions. I note that student-centered pedagogies are crucial…

Finding the Hook: Computer Science Education in Elementary Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozturk, Zehra; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn; Welch, Meghan

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary teachers with little knowledge of computer science (CS) and project-based learning (PBL) experienced integrating CS through PBL as a part of a standards-based elementary curriculum in Grades 3-5. The researchers used qualitative constant comparison methods on field notes and reflections…

Assessing Graduate Education Students' Propensity toward Academic Misconduct.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrell, Charlotte M.; Ferguson, William F.

Researchers have often noted the desirability of investigating the incidence of academic misconduct of college students who will be in employment fields requiring a high level of competence and/or a high level of personal integrity, such as elementary school and secondary school teachers. The Academic Misconduct Survey (AMS) developed by Charlotte…

Authenticity in Teaching: A Constant Process of Becoming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramezanzadeh, Akram; Zareian, Gholamreza; Adel, Seyyed Mohammad Reza; Ramezanzadeh, Ramin

2017-01-01

This study probed the conceptualization of (in)authenticity in teaching and the way it could be enacted in pedagogical practices. The participants were a purposive sample of 20 Iranian university teachers. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, field notes, and observation. The collected data were analyzed through the lens of hermeneutic…

Aquatic Habitats, Level 4-9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigel, Margaret

Designed to acquaint students in grades 4-9 with aquatic plants and animals, this guide provides materials which can be used in preparation for field trips or laboratory work, for individual projects, as supplemental activities for a unit, or for learning center projects. Teacher background notes and an answer key for the student activites are…

Challenges to Early Childhood Education in Rural China: Lessons from the Hebei Province

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Bi Ying; Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth; Leng Ieong, Sylvia Sao; Guo, Haiying

2016-01-01

This research study examined the challenges faced by early childhood education (ECE) in rural China based on a qualitative study of 217 kindergarten classrooms in a large agricultural, rural province. This study utilised onsite teacher surveys, interviews, and observational field notes. This investigation's findings revealed important information…

Implementing Reflective Portfolios for Promoting Autonomous Learning among EFL College Students in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Ya-Fen

2010-01-01

This article depicts challenges for students and teachers involved in developing a reflective portfolio to promote autonomous learning in Taiwan. One hundred and one students in a Taiwan university completed their individual portfolio projects. A pre-course questionnaire, post-course self-evaluation, and the instructor's field notes were the data…

The Ecology of Cooperative Learning in Elementary Physical Education Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Ben P.; Linehan, Nicole Rhodes; Hastie, Peter A.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret the instructional ecology of Cooperative Learning in elementary physical education classes. Data collection included a modified version of the task structure system (Siedentop, 1994), interviews, field notes, and a teacher's journal. T-tests of the quantitative data revealed that instruction…

The Ideal "Native Speaker" Teacher: Negotiating Authenticity and Legitimacy in the Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creese, Angela; Blackledge, Adrian; Takhi, Jaspreet Kaur

2014-01-01

This article presents a linguistic ethnographic study of a Panjabi complementary school in Birmingham, UK. Researchers observed classes for one academic year, writing field notes, conducting interviews, and making digital audio recordings of linguistic interactions. Sets of beliefs about the production and deployment of certain linguistic signs…

Notes on the Redesign of Teacher Education. Teachers for the Future: What Do We Want?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Willis D.

These notes offer an overview of the elements that must be considered in designing an effective teacher education program. Each of the following is discussed: (1) the characteristics of an effective career teacher; (2) professional knowledge capabilities and skills often identified as topics that should be included in the teacher education…

Challenge: Reframing, communicating, and finding relevance. Solution: Teachers on the research team

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartholow, S.; Warburton, J.

2013-12-01

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which K-12 teachers spend 2-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together. Program data has illuminated a crucial dynamic that increases the potential for a successful climate change science campaign. We contend that the inclusion of a teacher into the field research campaign can tackle challenges such as reframing climate change science to better address the need for a particular campaign, as well as garnering the science project the necessary support through effective, authentic, and tangible communication efforts to policymakers, funders, students, and the public. The program evaluation queried researchers on a.) the teachers' primary roles in the field b.) the impact teachers on the team's field research, and c.) the teachers' role conducting outreach. Additionally, researchers identified the importance of the facilitator, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), as an integral component to the challenge of providing a meaningful broader impact statement to the science proposal. Researchers reported the value of explaining their science, in-situ, allowed them to reframe and rework the objectives of the science project to attain meaningful outcomes. More than half of the researchers specifically noted that one of the strengths of the PolarTREC project is its benefit to the scientific process. The researchers also viewed PolarTREC as an essential outreach activity for their research project. Other researchers said that the outreach provided by their teacher also improved the research project's public image and articulated complex ideas to the public at large. This presentation will speak to the practices within the PolarTREC program and how researchers can meet outreach expectations, impact the public, and refine their science with teachers in the field.

From the teacher's eyes: facilitating teachers noticings on informal formative assessments (IFAs) and exploring the challenges to effective implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sezen-Barrie, Asli; Kelly, Gregory J.

2017-01-01

This study focuses on teachers' use of informal formative assessments (IFAs) aimed at improving students' learning and teachers' recognition of students' learning processes. The study was designed as an explorative case study of four middle school teachers and their students at a charter school in the northeastern U.S.A. The data collected for the study included a history of teaching questionnaire, video records of the teachers' IFA practices, ethnographic interviews with teachers, and field notes from classroom observations. These data were analysed from a sociolinguistic perspective focusing on the ways that classroom discourse and reflective interview conversations constructed ways of viewing assessment. The findings from the analysis of the classroom discourse showed that teachers use three different types of IFA cycles, labelled as connected, non-connected, and repeating. Teachers' reflections on video cases show that teachers can learn to view in-the-moment interactions in new ways that can guide IFAs. We concluded that teachers' perspectives on the effectiveness of IFAs are an important, but often neglected, part of building a robust, interactive classroom assessment portfolio.

School Leadership for Dual Language Education: A Social Justice Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMatthews, David; Izquierdo, Elena

2016-01-01

This article examines how a dual language program can be developed within the framework of social justice leadership. The authors analyzed principal, teacher, and parent interview transcripts as well as field notes and key documents to understand the role of school leadership in creating inclusive dual language programs to close the Latina/o-White…

Validated Competency Task Lists for Apparel and Accessories Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selke-Kern, Barbara E.

Developed by a project that validated task lists by a variety of teachers and apparel marketing business persons, this guide contains task lists for occupations in the field of apparel and accessories marketing. The guide is organized in three sections. Section 1 includes the following: (1) notes on using the information in the guide; (2) a…

Using Graphic Organizers as a Tool for the Development of Scientific Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercuri, Sandra P.

2010-01-01

This observational study examines the effectiveness of graphic organizers two elementary teachers in California, United States use to teach the content and the academic language of science. The study was done during the 2006-2007 school year. The data was collected through field-notes and the audio recording of instructional activities, and they…

Matters of Size: Obesity as a Diversity Issue in the Field of Early Childhood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jalongo, Mary Renck

1999-01-01

Notes that obesity is the primary reason for peer rejection in America; examines effects of obesity on wellness, self-esteem, peer relationships, and social status of children/families and early childhood teachers. Suggests that early childhood educators: (1) educate all stakeholders about nutrition and body size issues; (2) speak out against…

Using the Harp as a Communication Channel with Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kissinger, Lori; Worley, David W.

2008-01-01

This study focused on the feasibility of using the concert harp as a communication channel for children with autism. Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period resulting in field notes both from the primary researcher and the teacher who regularly worked with the two children in…

Integrating Technology into the Classroom: How Does It Impact Student Achievement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey-Woodall, Antionette

2009-01-01

As an educator during the 21st century, it is important to note that technology is becoming more and more dominant in society. Many teachers have become very knowledgeable of how technologically-savvy students have become. In the field of technology, everyday upgrades are being made and new innovations are being discovered. As a result, the…

The role of interpreters in inclusive classrooms.

PubMed

Antia, S D; Kreimeyer, K H

2001-10-01

The roles of interpreters in an inclusive classroom were examined through a qualitative, 3-year case study of three interpreters in an inclusive school. Interviews were conducted with interpreters, classroom teachers, special education teachers, and administrators. The interview data were supplemented with observations and field notes. Results indicate that in addition to sign interpreting between American Sign Language and speech, the interpreters clarified teacher directions, facilitated peer interaction, tutored the deaf children, and kept the teachers and special educators informed of the deaf children's progress. The interpreter/aides and the classroom teachers preferred this full-participant interpreter role, while the special educators and administrators preferred a translator role. Classroom teachers were more comfortable with full-time interpreters who knew the classroom routine, while the special educators and administrators feared that full-time interpreters fostered child and teacher dependence. These issues are discussed in terms of congruence with the Registry of Interpreters code of ethics and how integration of young children might be best facilitated.

THE CHALLENGING ROLE OF A READING COACH, A CAUTIONARY TALE.

PubMed

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Hosp, John L; Smartt, Susan; Dole, Janice A

2008-04-01

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to improve reading achievement for struggling readers. Data sources included initial reading scores for kindergarten and first-graders, pretest and posttest scores of teachers' knowledge, a teacher survey, focus group interviews, project documents, and field notes. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Findings revealed several challenges that have important implications for research and practice: that teachers encountered new information about teaching early reading that conflicted with their current knowledge, this new information conflicted with their core reading program, teachers had differing perceptions of the role of the reading coach that affected their feelings about the project, and reform efforts are time-intensive.

Diary Time: The Life History of an Occasion for Writing. Research Series No. 106.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Christopher M.; Florio, Susan

Opportunities for and limits upon diary writing in one second/third-grade classroom are examined with the purpose of stimulating critical thinking about two issues: (1) the diary's potential within the school writing curriculum, and (2) the classroom as an environment for the teaching and learning of writing. Field notes, teacher journal entries,…

Me and My Environment, Unit V: Air and Water in My Environment, Experimental Edition 1973-74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Boulder, CO.

The experimental 1973-74 edition of Unit V consists of 35 life science curriculum activities intended for 13- to 16-year-old educable mentally handicapped adolescents. The role of the teacher in continuing field trials is noted and environmental themes and elements, inquiry skills, problem solving skills, and applicational behaviors and attitudes…

Residential Interior Design as Complex Composition: A Case Study of a High School Senior's Composing Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smagorinsky, Peter; Zoss, Michelle; Reed, Patty M.

2006-01-01

This research analyzed the composing processes of one high school student as she designed the interiors of homes for a course in interior design. Data included field notes, an interview with the teacher, artifacts from the class, and the focal student's concurrent and retrospective protocols in relation to her design of home interiors. The…

Notes from the (Battle)field for Equity in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murtadha, Khaula

2009-01-01

There is a growing public awareness of the national drop-out crisis, but it does not, in the author's view, tell the whole story. It does not call attention to the fact that the most glaring need for new teachers and principals is in high-poverty areas where teaching conditions are the most challenging and where official public support has often…

Learning to Fail and Learning from Failure--Ideology at Work in a Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straehler-Pohl, Hauke; Pais, Alexandre

2014-01-01

When actualised in a concrete school, the official discourse of inclusion and equity often encounters a series of obstacles that research strives to identify and address under the imperative to eliminate them. Through the exploration of classroom episodes, teacher interviews and field notes from a German secondary school, we take failure not as a…

Coordinated Translanguaging Pedagogy as Distributed Cognition: A Case Study of Two Dual Language Bilingual Education Preschool Coteachers' Languaging Practices during Shared Book Readings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pontier, Ryan; Gort, Mileidis

2016-01-01

This study examined how a pair of Spanish/English dual language bilingual education (DLBE) preschool teachers enacted their bilingualism while working cohesively and simultaneously toward common instructional goals. We drew on classroom video data, field notes, and other relevant artifacts collected weekly during shared readings of English- and…

Me and My Environment, Unit IV: Transfer and Cycling of Materials in My Environment, Experimental Edition 1973-74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Boulder, CO.

The experimental 1973-74 edition of Unit IV consists of 28 life science curriculum activities for 13- to 16-year-old educable mentally handicapped children. The role of the teacher in continuing field trials is noted and environmental themes and elements, inquiry skills, problem solving skills, and applicational behaviors and attitudes are…

STEM contents in pre-service teacher curriculum: Case study at physics faculty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linh, Nguyen Quang; Suong, Huynh Thi Hong; Khoa, Cao Tien

2018-01-01

STEM education; the encompassment of the four fields including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; is introduced to provide students with chances to confront and solve real world problems and situations. Literature has evidence that this approach has positive impacts on students' learning motivation, learning engagement, learning achievements, and participation in STEM subjects and careers. This further lead to assurance of enough qualified STEM staffs for cross economic and mixed cultural working environment of the 21st century world. Our paper explores STEM factors underneath what is considered as traditional ways of teaching in a specific subject in pre-service teacher curriculum at Physics Faculty, Thai Nguyen University of Education, Vietnam. Data of the research were collected from a variety of sources including field notes, observation notes, analyzing of the course syllabus and students' final products. Data were analyzed based on the STS approach and SWOT analysis. The research reveals different kinds of STEM factors and manifestations that has been organized and introduced to the students. The research implications propose further research and directions to take the available advantages to benefit and ease the integration of STEM programs into specific educational context in Vietnam.

Coteaching in physical education: a strategy for inclusive practice.

PubMed

Grenier, Michelle A

2011-04-01

Qualitative research methods were used to explore the factors that informed general and adapted physical education teachers' coteaching practices within an inclusive high school physical education program. Two physical education teachers and one adapted physical education teacher were observed over a 16-week period. Interviews, field notes, and documents were collected and a constant comparative approach was used in the analysis that adopted a social model framework. Primary themes included community as the cornerstone for student learning, core values of trust and respect, and creating a natural support structure. Coteaching practices existed because of the shared values of teaching, learning, and the belief that all students should be included. Recommendations include shifting orientations within professional preparation programs to account for the social model of disability.

Caring Enough to Teach Science. Helping Pre-service Teachers View Science Instruction as an Ethical Responsibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinell, Smith; Rabin, Colette

2017-11-01

The goal of this project was to motivate pre-service elementary teachers to commit to spending significant instructional time on science in their future classrooms despite their self-assessed lack of confidence about teaching science and other impediments (e.g., high-stakes testing practices that value other subjects over science). Pre-service teachers in science methods courses explored connections between science and ethics, specifically around issues of ecological sustainability, and grappled with their ethical responsibilities as teachers to provide science instruction. Survey responses, student "quick-writes," interview transcripts, and field notes were analyzed. Findings suggest that helping pre-service teachers see these connections may shape their beliefs and dispositions in ways that may motivate them to embark on the long road toward improving their science pedagogical content knowledge and ultimately to teach science to their students more often and better than they otherwise might. The approach may also offer a way for teachers to attend to the moral work of teaching.

Digital Science Notebooks: Perspectives from an Elementary Classroom Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Seungoh; Fulton, Lori A.

2017-01-01

This study investigates how tablet-based note-taking applications can be integrated into elementary science classes as digital science notebooks. A teacher with 20 students in Grades 4-5 from a public charter school in Hawaii participated in the study. The participating science teacher introduced a tablet-based note taking application (TNA) to her…

Traditional and scientific conceptions of snakes in Kenya: Alternative perspectives for teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojnowski, David

A 3-month qualitative study was conducted mid-September through mid-December 2005 to investigate rural southeast Kenyan teachers' conceptions of snakes. Teachers from five villages near Mt. Kasigau were interviewed to obtain an overall sense of what they thought about snakes (n = 60). Of those 60 teachers, 28 attended a 6-hour seminar on reptiles and amphibians. From these 28 teachers, 8 teachers from three villages were afforded additional educational opportunities about snakes, and 2 teachers from this group of 8 were teamed with 2 herpetologists as mentors during the last 2 months of the study. In turn, seven of these eight teachers presented lessons about snakes using live specimens to their fellow teachers and students. Observations of teacher participants during workshops and field outings were documented as well as teacher classroom pedagogy involving snakes before, during, and after the institute. Semi-structured and open-ended interviews were conducted with the eight core teacher participants and field notes were used to document participant observations during serendipitous live snake encounters, of which, there were many. In addition, village elders, including medicine men, one education administrator and one minister were interviewed to obtain a historical cultural backdrop, which teachers expressed as being an important influence while formulating their own conceptions about snakes. Findings suggest that teachers' conceptions of snakes, within a culture where all snakes are feared and killed onsite, can change toward a more favorable orientation when given the opportunity to learn about snakes, witness positive modeling of snake handling through mentoring by herpetologists, and experience direct contact with live harmless nonaggressive snakes (e.g., the Brown House Snake [Lamprohis fuliginosus] and Kenyan Sand Boa [ Eryx colubrinus]).

Student Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Biological Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgerding, Lisa A.; Klein, Vanessa A.; Ghosh, Rajlakshmi; Eibel, Albert

2015-06-01

Evolution is fundamental to biology and scientific literacy, but teaching high school evolution is often difficult. Evolution teachers face several challenges including limited content knowledge, personal conflicts with evolution, expectations of resistance, concerns about students' conflicts with religion, and curricular constraints. Evolution teaching can be particularly challenging for student teachers who are just beginning to gain pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge related to evolution teaching and who seek approval from university supervisors and cooperating teachers. Science teacher educators need to know how to best support student teachers as they broach the sometimes daunting task of teaching evolution within student teaching placements. This multiple case study report documents how three student teachers approached evolution instruction and what influenced their approaches. Data sources included student teacher interviews, field note observations for 4-5 days of evolution instruction, and evolution instructional artifacts. Data were analyzed using grounded theory approaches to develop individual cases and a cross-case analysis. Seven influences (state exams and standards, cooperating teacher, ideas about teaching and learning, concerns about evolution controversy, personal commitment to evolution, knowledge and preparation for teaching evolution, and own evolution learning experiences) were identified and compared across cases. Implications for science teacher preparation and future research are provided.

How Do Multiple Text Resources Influence Learning To Read American History in Fifth Grade?: NRRC Ongoing Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanSledright, Bruce A.

1995-01-01

A naturalistic study explored a classroom in which multiple history text resources were present and actively used by fifth-grade students. The teacher used the textbook and supplemented it with a wide assortment of trade books. Students worked in small groups of 3 to 5 students. Data included field notes of classroom observations and in-depth…

Inserting Child-Initiated Play into an American Urban School District after a Decade of Scripted Curricula: Complexities and Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, ?Julie; Bauer, Anne; Woolley, Ristyn

2016-01-01

The authors discuss an urban public school district's efforts to reinsert play after its mandated disappearance for fourteen years under a scripted curriculum imposed to meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind law. The authors analyze field notes, teacher and administrator interviews, coaching records, and surveys to chart the impact on…

Policy Implications for Continuous Employment Decisions of High School Principals: An Alternative Methodological Approach for Using High-Stakes Testing Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, I. Phillip; Fawcett, Paul

2013-01-01

Several teacher models exist for using high-stakes testing outcomes to make continuous employment decisions for principals. These models are reviewed, and specific flaws are noted if these models are retrofitted for principals. To address these flaws, a different methodology is proposed on the basis of actual field data. Specially addressed are…

Recommendations on the Mathematical Preparation of Teachers. CUPM Panel on Teacher Training. MAA Notes, Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathematical Association of America, Berkeley, CA. Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics.

This document presents the latest set of recommendations on the mathematical preparation of elementary and secondary school teachers developed by the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The introduction notes the background for the recommendations, and states that they are…

Teaming and Teaching in ECE: Neoliberal Reforms, Teacher Metaphors, and Identity in Head Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullough, Robert V., Jr.

2015-01-01

Noting that surprisingly little researcher attention has been directed toward teaming in early childhood education (ECE), the author conducted parallel case studies of two Head Start teacher teams in a single center. Drawing on interviews, extensive observational notes taken over the course of a school year, and teacher-generated metaphors, the…

Has Teacher Education Missed out on the "Ethics Boom"? A Comparative Study of Ethics Requirements and Courses in Professional Majors of Christian Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glanzer, Perry L.; Ream, Todd C.

2007-01-01

Scholars of higher education have noted an increased attention to ethics within professional disciplines such as business and journalism. This paper explores the hypothesis that the field of education has not followed that pattern. To test this hypothesis, we review our findings from a study of curricula for professional majors in 156 Christian…

`Risky fun' or `Authentic science'? How teachers' beliefs influence their practice during a professional development programme on outdoor learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glackin, Melissa

2016-02-01

Teaching outdoors has been established as an important pedagogical strategy; however, science classes rarely take place outside. Previous research has identified characteristics of teachers who have integrated out-of-classroom opportunities into their teaching repertoire; yet little is understood as to why teachers make these different pedagogical decisions. This paper explores the relationship between secondary science teachers' beliefs and their pedagogical practice during a two-year professional development programme associated with the 'Thinking Beyond the Classroom' project. Using data from lesson observations, interviews, session questionnaires and field notes, six teacher case studies were developed from participants completing the programme. Data analysis reveals that teachers who successfully taught outside generally held social constructivist beliefs about learning and valued 'authentic' science opportunities. Conversely, teachers who were less successful in teaching outside generally held traditional learning beliefs and simply valued the outdoors for the novelty and potential for fun. All the case study teachers were concerned about managing student learning outside, and for the majority, their concerns influenced their subsequent pedagogical practice. The findings are discussed in detail, as are the implications for pre-service and in-service professional development programmes related to outdoor science learning.

Biology, literacy, and the African American voice: A case study of meaningful learning in the biology classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reese, Keturah

Under the direction of Sharon Murphy Augustine, Ph.D./Ph.D Curriculum and Instruction There was a substantial performance gap among African Americans and other ethnic groups. Additionally, African American students in a Title I school were at a significantly high risk of not meeting or exceeding on performance tests in science. Past reports have shown average gains in some subject areas, and declines in others (NCES, 2011; GADOE, 2012). Current instructional strategies and the lack of literacy within the biology classroom created a problem for African American high school students on national and state assessments. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of African American students and teachers in the context of literacy and biology through the incorporation of an interactive notebook and other literacy strategies. The data was collected three ways: field notes for a two week observation period within the biology classroom, student and teacher interviews, and student work samples. During the observations, student work collection, and interviews, I looked for the following codes: active learning, constructive learning, collaborative learning, authentic learning, and intentional learning. In the process of coding for the pre-determined codes, three more codes emerged. The three codes that emerged were organization, studying/student ownership, and student teacher relationships. Students and teachers both solidified the notion that literacy and biology worked well together. The implemented literacy strategies were something that both teachers and students appreciated in their learning of biology. Overall students and teachers perceived that the interactive notebook along Cornell notes, Thinking maps, close reads, writing, lab experiments, and group work created meaningful learning experiences within the biology classroom.

Assisting TMR Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnquist, Antoinette E.

1988-01-01

High-school art teachers and student volunteers from advanced studio classes worked with trainable mentally retarded students on art projects such as abstract design paintings and note cards and potato-printed placemats. The impact of the experience on the handicapped students, the student aides, and the teachers is noted. (JDD)

Differentiating Science Instruction: Secondary science teachers' practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeng, Jennifer L.; Bell, Randy L.

2015-09-01

This descriptive study investigated the implementation practices of secondary science teachers who differentiate instruction. Participants included seven high school science teachers purposefully selected from four different schools located in a mid-Atlantic state. Purposeful selection ensured participants included differentiated instruction (DI) in their lesson implementation. Data included semi-structured interviews and field notes from a minimum of four classroom observations, selected to capture the variety of differentiation strategies employed. These data were analyzed using a constant-comparative approach. Each classroom observation was scored using the validated Differentiated Instruction Implementation Matrix-Modified, which captured both the extent to which critical indicators of DI were present in teachers' instruction and the performance levels at which they engaged in these components of DI. Results indicated participants implemented a variety of differentiation strategies in their classrooms with varying proficiency. Evidence suggested all participants used instructional modifications that required little advance preparation to accommodate differences in students' interests and learning profile. Four of the seven participants implemented more complex instructional strategies that required substantial advance preparation by the teacher. Most significantly, this study provides practical strategies for in-service science teachers beginning to differentiate instruction and recommendations for professional development and preservice science teacher education.

Exploring the development of novice unqualified graduate teachers' topic-specific PCK in teaching the particulate nature of matter in South Africa's classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitjeng-Mosabala, Phihlo; Rollnick, Marissa

2018-05-01

This study investigates the development of Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) of 14 novice uncertified graduate science teachers during a Professional Development Intervention (PDI) on teaching particulate nature of matter. TSPCK was defined in terms of five knowledge components: learner prior knowledge, curricular saliency, representations, what is difficult to teach and conceptual teaching strategies. Data sources consisted of validated pre- and post-TSPCK and content knowledge (CK) tests, teacher-constructed Content Representations (CoRes) before and after teaching and, for four teachers, video-recorded lessons, and field notes together with teacher interviews. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the teachers develop TSPCK through the process. The results provide an insight into how initial construction of CoRes enabled the entire group to start thinking about how to teach the topic. For the four case-study teachers, evidence of TSPCK development was observed in their teaching. These teachers showed greater improvement in TSPCK and CK than those who taught only the prerequisite concepts of the topic. The findings show that it is possible for uncertified teachers to develop PCK in the practice context with appropriate PDI. Some improvement in PCK was also observed for the larger group who taught only prerequisite concepts.

Investigating inquiry teaching and learning: The story of two teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, George Michael

Current national and state science standards emphasize inquiry as the central strategy to teaching science. Yet, these standards do not give specific prescriptions for how to conduct inquiry in within the context of a K--12 classroom. Fortunately, many teachers are creative and intelligent decision makers who have their own perspectives on and definitions of inquiry and will no doubt attempt to implement inquiry in ways that they feel best benefits their students given the constraints of their context. This study balanced "insider" and "outsider" perspectives to examine how two teachers' conceptions of inquiry changed over time, how those changes evolved, and how these teachers overcame the difficulties inherent with inquiry-based teaching. A naturalistic and interpretive research approach was used to collect and analyze the data. This approached entailed classroom observations, interviews, field notes, and analysis of teachers' journals. Findings indicate that inquiry-based teaching practices are inherently a local phenomenon that emerges within and through the interplay among a teacher's beliefs, student questions and goals, the teacher's goals, and the social context of the teacher's classroom. Results also indicate that teachers' conceptions of inquiry change gradually over time and not as of the result of single critical events or stages and are intimately tied to their teaching context.

A Tale of 2 Teachers: A Preschool Physical Activity Intervention Case Study.

PubMed

Howie, Erin K; Brewer, Alisa E; Dowda, Marsha; McIver, Kerry L; Saunders, Ruth P; Pate, Russell R

2016-01-01

Preschool settings vary greatly, and research has shown that interventions are more successful when they can be adapted to individual settings. This is a descriptive case study of how 2 teachers successfully adapted and implemented a preschool physical activity intervention. The Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) was a 3-year physical activity intervention. A detailed case study of 2 high-implementing teachers was conducted. Multiple data sources included accelerometry, direct observation, teacher surveys, and intervention staff field notes. Teacher A focused on integrating physical activity into a wide range of activities, including parent and community events. Teacher B focused on high-intensity, structured activities. Both teachers supported the intervention, worked closely with intervention staff, and operated their classroom as an autonomous unit with support from their directors. Teacher A provided an average of 31.5, 78.0, and 67.5 min of physical activity opportunity per day of observation during years 1, 2, and 3. Teacher B provided an average of 2.7, 33.5, and 73.3 minutes of physical activity opportunity per day of observation. Successful implementation of physical activity interventions may look different in different contexts; thus, interventions should allow for flexible implementation. © 2015, American School Health Association.

A Tale of Two Teachers: A Preschool Physical Activity Intervention Case Study

PubMed Central

Howie, Erin K.; Brewer, Alisa E.; Dowda, Marsha; McIver, Kerry L.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Pate, Russell R.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Preschool settings vary greatly, and research has shown that interventions are more successful when they can be adapted to individual settings. This is a descriptive case study of how two teachers successfully adapted and implemented a preschool physical activity intervention. METHODS The Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) was a three-year physical activity intervention. A detailed case study of two high-implementing teachers was conducted. Multiple data sources included accelerometry, direct observation, teacher surveys and intervention staff field notes. RESULTS Teacher A focused on integrating physical activity into a wide range of activities, including parent and community events. Teacher B focused on high-intensity, structured activities. Both teachers supported the intervention, worked closely with intervention staff, and operated their classroom as an autonomous unit with support from their directors. Teacher A provided an average of 31.5, 78.0 and 67.5 minutes of physical activity opportunity per day of observation during Years 1, 2, and 3. Teacher B provided an average of 2.7, 33.5, and 73.3 minutes of physical activity opportunity per day of observation. CONCLUSION Successful implementation of physical activity interventions may look different in different contexts; thus, interventions should allow for flexible implementation. PMID:26645417

Moments of Meeting: Difficulties and Developments in Shared Attention, Interaction, and Communication with Children with Autism during Two Years of Music Therapy in a Public Preschool Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Geoffrey Prescott

2010-01-01

Drawing upon video recordings over two years, teacher interviews, school reports, and field notes, this practitioner research study described and analyzed 16 video excerpts from a music therapy group in a public preschool class serving 14 children with autism, for durations ranging from two to sixteen months. The research centered on three of the…

Exploring the Relationship between Beginning Science Teachers' Practices, Institutional Constraints, and Adult Development

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.

Democracy and Teacher Education: Setting Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Jesse H.

2009-01-01

As John Dewey noted in his last book, each generation, in its turn, must assume responsibility as caretaker of democracy. He noted that one should never take democracy for granted. Everyone lives in an imperfect democracy, and teacher educators should play their part in protecting, nurturing, and advancing democratic ideals, rituals, values, and…

Science teachers and docents as mentors to science and mathematics undergraduates in formal and information settings. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koran, J.J. Jr.

Twenty-four undergraduate science and mathematics majors who were juniors and seniors in the colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Engineering were recruited, and paid, to participate in an orientation seminar and act as teacher aides in regional schools and the Florida Museum of Natural History. Aides worked with teachers in the schools one semester and as docents in the natural history museum a second semester. Mentoring took place by the principal investigator and participating teachers and docents throughout the program. Success of the program was measured by a specially prepared attitude instrument which was administered to participants before themore » mentoring started and when it ended each semester. Written logs (field notes) were also prepared and submitted by participants at the end of each semester. Further, a tally was kept of the number of participants who decided to go into science or mathematics teaching as a result of the experience.« less

THE CHALLENGING ROLE OF A READING COACH, A CAUTIONARY TALE

PubMed Central

AL OTAIBA, STEPHANIE; HOSP, JOHN L.; SMARTT, SUSAN; DOLE, JANICE A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to improve reading achievement for struggling readers. Data sources included initial reading scores for kindergarten and first-graders, pretest and posttest scores of teachers’ knowledge, a teacher survey, focus group interviews, project documents, and field notes. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Findings revealed several challenges that have important implications for research and practice: that teachers encountered new information about teaching early reading that conflicted with their current knowledge, this new information conflicted with their core reading program, teachers had differing perceptions of the role of the reading coach that affected their feelings about the project, and reform efforts are time-intensive. PMID:23794791

DNA Microarray Wet Lab Simulation Brings Genomics into the High School Curriculum

PubMed Central

Zanta, Carolyn A.; Heyer, Laurie J.; Kittinger, Ben; Gabric, Kathleen M.; Adler, Leslie

2006-01-01

We have developed a wet lab DNA microarray simulation as part of a complete DNA microarray module for high school students. The wet lab simulation has been field tested with high school students in Illinois and Maryland as well as in workshops with high school teachers from across the nation. Instead of using DNA, our simulation is based on pH indicators, which offer many ideal teaching characteristics. The simulation requires no specialized equipment, is very inexpensive, is very reliable, and takes very little preparation time. Student and teacher assessment data indicate the simulation is popular with both groups, and students show significant learning gains. We include many resources with this publication, including all prelab introductory materials (e.g., a paper microarray activity), the student handouts, teachers notes, and pre- and postassessment tools. We did not test the simulation on other student populations, but based on teacher feedback, the simulation also may fit well in community college and in introductory and nonmajors' college biology curricula. PMID:17146040

Teaching for Scientific Literacy? An Examination of Instructional Practices in Secondary Schools in Barbados

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archer-Bradshaw, Ramona E.

2017-02-01

This study examined the extent to which the instructional practices of science teachers in Barbados are congruent with best practices for teaching for scientific literacy. Additionally, through observation of practice, it sought to determine the teachers' demonstrated role in the classroom, their demonstration of learning through discourse, learning goals and the nature of classroom activities. Five hundred nineteen students from 12 of the 23 secondary schools on the island and 15 teachers across 8 schools participated in the study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire, an observational schedule and field notes. It was found that while problem-solving and questioning were mainly used in the classroom, the use of experiments was among the least popular teaching strategies. Additionally, results showed that teachers' display of the knowledge of the characteristics of scientific literacy was unsatisfactory. Generally, the findings indicate a gap between teaching for scientific literacy as expressed in the literature and current instructional practices in secondary science classrooms in Barbados.

DNA microarray wet lab simulation brings genomics into the high school curriculum.

PubMed

Campbell, A Malcolm; Zanta, Carolyn A; Heyer, Laurie J; Kittinger, Ben; Gabric, Kathleen M; Adler, Leslie; Schulz, Barbara

2006-01-01

We have developed a wet lab DNA microarray simulation as part of a complete DNA microarray module for high school students. The wet lab simulation has been field tested with high school students in Illinois and Maryland as well as in workshops with high school teachers from across the nation. Instead of using DNA, our simulation is based on pH indicators, which offer many ideal teaching characteristics. The simulation requires no specialized equipment, is very inexpensive, is very reliable, and takes very little preparation time. Student and teacher assessment data indicate the simulation is popular with both groups, and students show significant learning gains. We include many resources with this publication, including all prelab introductory materials (e.g., a paper microarray activity), the student handouts, teachers notes, and pre- and postassessment tools. We did not test the simulation on other student populations, but based on teacher feedback, the simulation also may fit well in community college and in introductory and nonmajors' college biology curricula.

Scientist-teacher interactions: Catalysts for developing transformational classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarty, Robbie Von

Professional development leading to standards-based teaching practices in U.S. schools is a remarkably subtle and lengthy process. Research indicates that there are many effective tools for teaching through inquiry available to teachers (Lawson, Abraham, & Renner, 1989), but also that teachers continue to present traditional positivistic views of science (Hashweh, 1985; Maor & Taylor, 1995; Zucker, Young, & Luczak, 1996) and appear to view constructivism as a "method" of teaching rather than a way of thinking about learning (Tobin, Tippins, & Gallard, 1984). Teachers are expected to create enriched environments where students can develop the thinking skills of scientists (Roth & Roychoudhury, 1993) but the majority of teachers have never experienced such environments; the involvement of scientists in science education is encouraged by the NRC, AAAS, and NSTA. Teachers and students are expected to act as coresearchers, where negotiation, debate, consensus, and reflection are key. It is believed that scientist and teachers interacting as co-researchers could assist teachers in developing attitudes of freedom in exploration: the essence of science and a mindset that constructivism is a referent, or tool for critical reflection (Tobin, Tippins & Gallard, 1994). This study seeks to identify aspects of scientist-teacher interactions in the field that could serve as catalysts for developing transformational classrooms. Multiple data sources were collected for this study: audiotapes and transcripts of laboratory interactions and informal interviews, written narratives from applications and funding documents, field notes, and personal communications. Data were simultaneously collected, analyzed and coded as a perpetual review of the literature was conducted as in the grounded theory methodology defined by Glaser (1967) and later by Strauss & Corbin (1990). Findings indicate all four teachers valued field experiences in personal ways, developed new understandings of scientific practice and content, and anticipated using their new knowledge upon returning to their classrooms with excitement. However, the degree of implementation in classrooms varied according to common aspects of laboratory and classroom contexts. Theoretical literature, notably the Personal Construct Theory of George Kelly, coupled with these findings contributed to emergent theory regarding a hypothetical model for a professional development program of research.

[Survey on public health nursing education-in the comparison of nursing education courses, universities, advanced courses for public health nurse with junior nursing colleges, and public health nursing school].

PubMed

Hirano, Kayoko; Ikeda, Nobuko; Kanagawa, Katuko; Shiomi, Sigeki; Suzuki, Akira; Hirayama, Tomoko; Furuya, Akie; Ymazaki, Kyoko; Yasumura, Seiji

2005-08-01

Changes in public health nursing education have been consideration. Theses changes include a dramatic increase in the number of public health nurses (PHNs) who have enrolled for nursing courses at university. This study was conducted to assess the current status and future of public health nursing education as perceived by teachers and students at three types of schools: universities offering nursing courses, advanced courses for PHNs with junior nursing colleges, and public health nursing schools. Questionnaires were distributed to teachers and students by mail. The questions that were sent to teachers asked which subjects were required to become a certified PHN, which lecture methods were employed to teach public health-particularly community health assessment methods, and what was the level of awareness of the activities of PHNs. Students were asked about their motivation to be a PHN, their understanding of public health, their views of public health activities and their images of PHNs. Responses were analyzed and differences between questionnaires from different schools were noted. These included the number of subjects and the total number of hours spent doing practical training and field experience in universities and the other types of schools, and the number of teachers. Differences also were noted among students at three types of schools about their age, methods of public health activities, knowledge about activities undertaken by PHNs, and their images of PHNs. No differences were observed among the schools with respect to the students' conceptual understanding of public health. Student age, practical training and field experience were found to contribute to their level of understanding of public health and public health nursing. It is thus necessary to consider the teaching methods employed by universities that administer nursing courses and the effectiveness of courses offered by graduate schools.

Understanding teacher responses to constructivist learning environments: Challenges and resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenfeld, Melodie; Rosenfeld, Sherman

2006-05-01

The research literature is just beginning to uncover factors involved in sustaining constructivist learning environments, such as Project-Based Learning (PBL). Our case study investigates teacher responses to the challenges of constructivist environments, since teachers can play strong roles in supporting or undermining even the best constructivist environments or materials. We were invited to work as mediators with a middle-school science staff that was experiencing conflicts regarding two learning environments, PBL (which was the school's politically correc learning environment) and traditional. With mediated group workshops, teachers were sensitized to their own and colleagues' individual learning differences (ILDs), as measured by two styles inventories (the LSI - Kolb, 1976; and the LCI - Johnston & Dainton, 1997). Using these inventories, a learning-environment questionnaire, field notes, and delayed interviews a year later, we found that there was a relationship between teachers' preferred styles, epistemological beliefs, and their preferred teaching environment. Moreover, when the participating teachers, including early-adopters and nonvolunteers to PBL, became more sensitive to their colleagues' preferences, many staff conflicts were resolved and some mismatched teachers expressed more openness to PBL. We argue that having teachers understand their own ILDs and related responses to constructivist learning environments can contribute to resolving staff conflicts and sustaining such environments. We present a cognitive model and a strategy which illustrate this argument.

Mathematization of experience in a grade 8 open-inquiry environment: An introduction to the representational practices of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Bowen, G. Michael

The purpose of this classroom study was to investigate the use of mathematical representations in three Grade 8 general science classes that engaged in a 10-week open inquiry about the correlations between biological and physical variables in the environment. A constructivist perspective was used to design the study and to assemble the data sources. These data sources included videotapes of students in their work, audiotapes of teacher-student interactions and teacher interviews, the transcripts of these tapes, the students' field notebooks, field reports, special problem assignments, examinations, and the teachers' curriculum guides, field notes, and reflective journal. An interpretive method was used to construct assertions and the supporting data. In the setting provided, students increasingly used mathematical representations such as graphs and data tables to support their claims in a convincing manner; the use of abstract equations and percent calculations did not change over the course of the study. Representations such as graphs, maps, averages, and equations were not only useful as inscriptions (representations in some permanent medium, usually paper), but also as conscription devices in the construction of, and through which, students engaged each other to collaboratively construct meaning. This study demonstrates the use of representations as conscription devices, and illustrates how the use and understanding of inscriptions changes over time. Understanding representations as inscription and conscription devices focuses on the social aspects of knowing, which has important implications for teachers' conceptualization of learning and their organization of science classrooms.

Teacher change and professional development: A case study of teachers engaged in an innovative constructivist science curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akura, Okong'o. Gabriel

This study examined both the changes that elementary school teachers experienced when they implemented a reform-based science curriculum and the impact of professional development on this transformation. The research involved a case study of three purposefully selected teachers implementing the Linking Food and the Environment (LIFE) program during the 2002--2003 school year. The LIFE program is a curriculum designed to enhance science literacy among learners from high poverty urban environments. While the study was grounded in the tradition of critical theory (Carspecken, 1996), the theoretical perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, 1990) guided data collection and analysis. Extensive observations of the teachers were made in order to capture and record the teacher change phenomenon. Data were recorded by means of field notes, audio and videotapes, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and video Stimulated Recall (SR) interviews. Emerging themes relating to teacher change, knowledge interests, constructivist pedagogy, and professional development illustrated how teachers grapple with various aspects of implementing a reform-based science curriculum. The teachers in this study were similar to those in earlier investigations, which found that sustained professional development programs involving mentoring and constant reflection enable elementary science teachers to change their instructional strategies from the technical-realist orientation towards the practical-hermeneutic and emancipatory-liberatory orientations. The study has implications for science curriculum developers and designers of professional development programs.

These Strategies Soothe the Sting of Teacher Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkire, Phil

1990-01-01

When conducting teacher evaluations, the wise principal acts within union contracts and board policies, asks teachers for self-evaluations, carefully plans classroom visits, observes correctly, takes accurate notes, considers videotaping teachers, deemphasizes ratings, makes postevaluation conferences meaningful, and offers teachers a chance for…

[Role adaptation process of elementary school health teachers: establishing their own positions].

PubMed

Lee, Jeong Hee; Lee, Byoung Sook

2014-06-01

The purpose of this study was to explore and identify patterns from the phenomenon of the role adaptation process in elementary school health teachers and finally, suggest a model to describe the process. Grounded theory methodology and focus group interviews were used. Data were collected from 24 participants of four focus groups. The questions used were about their experience of role adaptation including situational contexts and interactional coping strategies. Transcribed data and field notes were analyzed with continuous comparative analysis. The core category was 'establishing their own positions', an interactional coping strategy. The phenomenon identified by participants was confusion and wandering in their role performance. Influencing contexts were unclear beliefs for their role as health teachers and non-supportive job environments. The result of the adaptation process was consolidation of their positions. Pride as health teachers and social recognition and supports intervened to produce that result. The process had three stages; entry, growth, and maturity. The role adaptation process of elementary school health teachers can be explained as establishing, strengthening and consolidating their own positions. Results of this study can be used as fundamental information for developing programs to support the role adaptation of health teachers.

Teachers' tendencies to promote student-led science projects: Associations with their views about science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael; Alsop, Steve

2006-05-01

School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about science. To explore possible relationships between teachers' conceptions about science and the types of inquiry activities in which they engage students, instrumental case studies of five secondary science teachers were developed, using field notes, repertory grids, samples of lesson plans and student activities, and semistructured interviews. Based on constructivist grounded theory analysis, participating teachers' tendencies to promote student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects seemed to correspond with positions about the nature of science to which they indicated adherence. A tendency to encourage and enable students to carry out student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects appeared to be associated with adherence to social constructivist views about science. Teachers who opposed social constructivist views tended to prefer tight control of student knowledge building procedures and conclusions. We suggest that these results can be explained with reference to human psychological factors, including those associated with teachers' self-esteem and their relationships with knowledge-building processes in the discipline of their teaching.

Apparatus Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Bruce G., Ed.

1980-01-01

Presents four notes that report new equipment and techniques of interest to physics teachers. These notes deal with collosions of atoms in solids, determining the viscosity of a liquid, measuring the speed of sound and demonstrating Doppler effect. (HM)

Thinking Strategically to Record Notes in Content Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.

2011-01-01

Although teachers today use a variety of teaching methods in content-area classrooms, lecture learning and note-taking still comprise a considerable portion of time in these classes. Unfortunately, most students are poor note-takers, typically recording only about one quarter of lecture notes. Strategic note-taking was developed to assist students…

Austin, Texas: An Educator/Business Collaboration in Support of Teacher Compensation Reform. Teacher Compensation and Teacher Quality: Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Committee for Economic Development, 2013

2013-01-01

In its 2009 report "Teacher Compensation and Teacher Quality," the Committee for Economic Development urged business leaders to be active participants in school district deliberations about teacher compensation policies. The Committee for Economic Development (CED) noted that "business leaders can make the case to the public that…

"Oh! Who Is Me"? Conceiving of the Writer in the English Teacher Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frawley, Emily

2015-01-01

This paper considers the identity of the English teacher, paying particular attention to the English teacher who is also a writer, or, "teacher-writer". Applying a degree of self-study, the author examines her own pathway into becoming an English teacher, noting that entry requirements to become an English teacher in Australia show a…

Progress Report on Reactivity Analyses (October-December Test Data). Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. Technical Note Series. Technical Note III-5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filby, Nikola N.

The development and refinement of the measures of student achievement in reading and mathematics for the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study are described. The concept of reactivity to instruction is introduced: the tests used to evaluate instructional processes must be sensitive indicators of classroom learning overtime. Data collection activities…

Investigating How Nontraditional Elementary Pre-service Teachers Negotiate the Teaching of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelton, Mythianne

This qualitative study was designed to investigate the influences on nontraditional preservice teachers as they negotiated the teaching of science in elementary school. Based upon a sociocultural theoretical framework with an identity-in-practice lens, these influences included beliefs about science teaching, life experiences, and the impact of the teacher preparation program. The study sample consisted of two nontraditional preservice teachers who were student teaching in an elementary classroom. Data, collected over a five-month period, included in-depth individual interviews, classroom observations, audio recordings, and reviews of documentations. Interviews focused on the participants' beliefs relating to the teaching of science, prior experiences, and their teacher preparation program experiences relating to the teaching of science. Classroom observations provided additional insights into the classroom setting, participants' teaching strategies, and participants' interactions with the students and cooperating teacher. A whole-text analysis of the interview transcripts, observational field notes, audio recordings and documents generated eight major categories: beliefs about science teaching, role of family, teaching science in the classroom, teacher identity, non-teacher identity, relationships with others, discourses of classroom teaching, and discourses of teachers. The following significant findings emerged from the data: (a) the identity of nontraditional student teachers as science teachers related to early life experiences in science classes; (b) the identity of nontraditional student teachers as science teachers was influenced by their role as parents; (c) nontraditional student teachers learned strategies that supported their beliefs about inquiry learning; and (d) nontraditional student teachers valued the teacher preparation program support system. The results from this qualitative study suggest that sociocultural theory with an identity-in-practice lens provides a theoretical framework for understanding the influences that affect why nontraditional preservice teachers select strategies to teach science in the elementary classroom.

Teaching students ideas-about-science: Five dimensions of effective practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartholomew, Hannah; Osborne, Jonathan; Ratcliffe, Mary

2004-09-01

In this paper, we report work undertaken with a group of 11 UK teachers over a period of a year to teach aspects of the nature of science, its process, and its practices. The teachers, who taught science in a mix of elementary, junior high, and high schools, were asked to teach a set of ideas-about-scienc for which consensual support had been established using a Delphi study in the first phase of the project. Data were collected through field notes, videos of the teachers' lessons, teachers' reflective diaries, and instruments that measured their understanding of the nature of science and their views on the role and value of discussion in the classroom. In this paper, drawing on a sample of the data we explore the factors that afforded or inhibited the teachers' pedagogic performance in this domain. Using these data, we argue that there are five critical dimensions that distinguish and determine a teacher's ability to teach effectively about science. Whilst these dimensions are neither mutually independent nor equally important, they serve as a valuable analytical tool for evaluating and explaining the success, or otherwise, that individual teachers of science have when confronted with teaching aspects about science. In addition, we argue that they are an important means of identifying salient aspects of pedagogy for initial and in-service training of science teachers for curricula that incorporate elements of ideas-about-science

Primary Teachers' Reflections on Inquiry- and Context-Based Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walan, Susanne; Mc Ewen, Birgitta

2017-04-01

Inquiry- and context-based teaching strategies have been proven to stimulate and motivate students' interests in learning science. In this study, 12 teachers reflected on these strategies after using them in primary schools. The teachers participated in a continuous professional development (CPD) programme. During the programme, they were also introduced to a teaching model from a European project, where inquiry- and context-based education (IC-BaSE) strategies were fused. The research question related to teachers' reflections on these teaching strategies, and whether they found the model to be useful in primary schools after testing it with their students. Data collection was performed during the CPD programme and consisted of audio-recorded group discussions, individual portfolios and field notes collected by researchers. Results showed that compared with using only one instructional strategy, teachers found the new teaching model to be a useful complement. However, their discussions also showed that they did not reflect on choices of strategies or purposes and aims relating to students' understanding, or the content to be taught. Before the CPD programme, teachers discussed the use of inquiry mainly from the aspect that students enjoy practical work. After the programme, they identified additional reasons for using inquiry and discussed the importance of knowing why inquiry is performed. However, to develop teachers' knowledge of instructional strategies as well as purposes for using certain strategies, there is need for further investigations among primary school teachers.

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Topic: More Than Teaching Experience and Subject Matter Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Kennedy Kam Ho; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2017-03-01

Teaching experience has been identified as an important factor in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. However, little is known about how experienced teachers may draw on their previous experience to facilitate their PCK development. This study examined how two experienced high school biology teachers approached the teaching of a newly introduced topic in the curriculum, polymerase chain reaction and their PCK development from the pre-lesson planning phase through the interactive phase to the post-lesson reflection phase. Multiple data sources included classroom observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews and classroom artefacts. It was found that the teachers' previous experience informed their planning for teaching the new topic, but in qualitatively different ways. This, in turn, had a bearing on their new PCK development. Subject matter knowledge (SMK) can not only facilitate but may also hinder this development. Our findings identify two types of experienced teachers: those who can capitalise on their previous teaching experiences and SMK to develop new PCK and those who do not. The critical difference is whether in the lesson planning stage, the teacher shows the disposition to draw on a generalised mental framework that enables the teacher to capitalise on his existing SMK to develop new PCK. Helping teachers to acquire this disposition should be a focus for teacher training in light of continuous curriculum changes.

Early-Years Teachers' Professional Upgrading in Science: a Long-Term Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallery, Maria

2017-04-01

In this paper, we present a professional development/upgrading programme in science for early-years teachers and investigate its impact on the teachers' competencies in relation to their knowledge and teaching of science. The basic idea of the programme was to motivate the teachers by making them members of an action research group aimed at developing and implementing curriculum activities to which they would contribute and thus meaningfully engaging them in their own learning. The programme used a `collaborative partnership' model for the development of the activities. In this model, the collaborative notion is defined as an act of `shared creation': partners share a goal and members bring their expertise to the partnership. Within this context, the partners were a researcher in science education with a background in physics, who also served as a facilitator, and six in-service early-years teachers with a background in early-years pedagogy and developmental sciences, who had many years of experience (classroom experts). These teachers participated in the programme as co-designers, but were involved to a significantly lesser degree than the researcher. The programme procedures comprised group work and individual teachers' class work. Data sources included teachers' essays, field-notes, lesson recordings and group-work records. Data were qualitatively analysed. The main results indicate improvement of teachers' `transformed' knowledge of the subject matter, development/improvement of knowledge of instructional strategies, including factors related to quality of implementation of the activities, knowledge of the pupils and improvement of the teachers' efficacy.

Coping with Teacher Resistance: Insights from INSET Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saraswathi, V.

Inservice education for teachers of English as a Second Language in India is discussed, focusing on the problem of teacher resistance to change in teaching practice. First, the need for inservice teacher education in the Indian context is examined, noting that standards of both student and teacher English language proficiency have been declining.…

What Can I Do About Teacher Apathy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richey, Amanda; Petretti, Dante

2002-01-01

Details a preservice teacher's first experience tutoring in an inner-city high school, during which she found apathetic teachers and discouraged students. Notes that she does not want her upcoming student teaching experience to turn out the same way. Provides a response from another teacher, who suggests that apathy can be avoided if teachers are…

Who (Else) Is the Teacher? Cautionary Notes on Teacher Accountability Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valli, Linda; Croninger, Robert G.; Walters, Kirk

2007-01-01

This article examines a premise underlying teacher accountability policies, namely, that annual student learning gains can be attributed to individual teachers. After analyzing data collected in fourth- and fifth-grade reading and mathematics classes in 18 schools, the authors identify forms of instructional design that rely on multiple teachers.…

Teachers at War: Norwegian Teachers during the German Occupation of Norway 1940-45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunseath, Tessa

2002-01-01

States Norwegian Nazi leader, Vidkun Quisling, attempted to control dissenting Norwegian teachers by developing a compulsory union. Reports Nazi beliefs centered on controlling teachers, curriculum, and textbooks as a key to success. Notes Norwegian teachers' refusal to comply with the union scheme stymied Norwegian Nazi leaders' plans for…

Reflection after teaching a lesson: Experiences of secondary school science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halstead, Melissa A.

Secondary science teachers spend most of their time planning, collaborating, and teaching, but spend little time reflecting after teaching a single lesson. The theoretical framework of the adult learning theory and the transformative learning theory was the basis of this study. This qualitative research study was conducted to understand the reflective experiences of secondary science educators after teaching a single or several lessons. The collection of data consisted of interviews from a group of purposefully selected secondary science teachers who met the criteria set forth by the researcher. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews and field notes, the researcher determined that the secondary science teachers in this study shared similar as well as different experiences regarding collaborative and individual reflection after teaching a single or several lessons. The findings from this study also suggested that secondary science educators prefer to collaboratively reflect and then reflect alone to allow for further thought. Additionally, a supportive school culture increases the secondary science teacher’s desire to engage in collaborative as well as individual reflection. The information from this study could be used to close the gaps that exist in the teacher professional development programs.

Scientist-Teacher Partnerships as Professional Development: An Action Research Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willcuts, Meredith H.

The overall purpose of this action research study was to explore the experiences of ten middle school science teachers involved in a three-year partnership program between scientists and teachers at a Department of Energy national laboratory, including the impact of the program on their professional development, and to improve the partnership program by developing a set of recommendations based on the study’s findings. This action research study relied on qualitative data including field notes recorded at the summer academies and data from two focus groups with teachers and scientists. Additionally, the participating teachers submitted written reflections in science notebooks, participatedmore » in open-ended telephone interviews that were transcribed verbatim, and wrote journal summaries to the Department of Energy at the end of the summer academy. The analysis of the data, collaboratively examined by the teachers, the scientists, and the science education specialist acting as co-researchers on the project, revealed five elements critical to the success of the professional development of science teachers. First, scientist-teacher partnerships are a unique contribution to the professional development of teachers of science that is not replicated in other forms of teacher training. Second, the role of the science education specialist as a bridge between the scientists and teachers is a unique and vital one, impacting all aspects of the professional development. Third, there is a paradox for classroom teachers as they view the professional development experience from two different lenses – that of learner and that of teacher. Fourth, learning for science teachers must be designed to be constructivist in nature. Fifth, the principles of the nature of science must be explicitly showcased to be seen and understood by the classroom teacher.« less

Prospective Teachers' Representations for Teaching Note Values: An Analysis in the Context of Mathematics and Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özgül, Ilhan; Incikabi, Lütfi

2017-01-01

In this study, the representations preferred by prospective teachers in the teaching of note values were determined and the accuracy of these representations was analyzed in the context of mathematics and music. The case study, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. Study group of the research consisted of 113 pre-school…

The Face We Put On: Carl Jung for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Robert P.

1994-01-01

Examines Carl Jung's concept of the "persona" (his term for the masks people wear). Notes how teachers use personae and suggests ways to restore the energy that teachers lose when hiding inside their personae. (SR)

Factors Influencing Beginning Teacher Retention in the Diocese of St. Augustine Catholic Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bronsard, Patricia

2012-01-01

Researchers explored the problem of teacher retention, especially among beginning teachers, and noted a lack of consensus on why teachers leave teaching and how to retain the teachers. Private school studies include Catholic school data, but few researchers isolated the data or used data-gathering instruments to examine Catholic school issues,…

Addressing the Teaching of English Language Learners in the United States: A Case Study of Teacher Educators' Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallman, Heidi L.; Meineke, Hannah R.

2016-01-01

This article discusses teacher educators' response to how teacher education programs should prepare prospective teachers to be teachers of English language learners. In the case study presented, the authors note that discussions have ensued about whether teaching English language learners (ELLs) should be addressed through separate coursework or…

The Note of Discord: Examining Educational Perspectives between Teachers and Korean Parents in the U. S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Kyee Yum; Suh, Younjung; Bang, Yoo-Seon; Jung, Jeesun; Moon, Seungho

2010-01-01

This study examined and compared the educational perspectives of Korean parents of elementary school students and their teachers. 430 parents and 143 teachers in the New York metropolitan area participated in the survey and 16 teachers, administrators, and parents were interviewed. The findings indicated that the teachers not only misunderstood…

Getting Started with Literature Circles. The Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noe, Katherine L. Schlick; Johnson, Nancy J.

Designed to help teachers get started using literature circles in their classrooms, this book gives teachers a boost to begin, offers some insights from other teachers, and helps teachers clarify where to go next. It notes that literature circles (or literature study groups, book clubs, or discussion circles) take many forms and engage students in…

My Beloved Blackboard: Teacher Empowerment for Students' Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caplan-Carbin, Elizabeth

This paper describes a university German teacher's experience using the file transfer capabilities of the Blackboard Internet tool. The introduction highlights some of the features and advantages of Blackboard. The first section discusses teacher empowerment, noting that the Internet empowers the teacher by providing the wealth of the worlds…

Emergency Health Preparedness: Expectations for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkelman, Jack L.

Specific issues relevant to the emergency health preparedness of schools and the key roles and expectations applicable to teachers are outlined. It is noted that, while issues of legal liability relevant to teachers are complex, teachers are expected to: (1) anticipate possible risk or harm involved in activities; (2) give adequate warning of…

Intensive Summer Institute: Program Evaluation. 1991. NFLRC Research Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Steven

This report evaluates a 6-week intensive summer program for language teachers at the University of Hawaii. Thirty-two high school or college teachers and teacher trainees of Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, and Spanish participated. Participants were led by master teachers who provided exemplary teaching, organized language-specific activities,…

Problems of Change: Bounded Rationality--What do Teachers Really Do?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatcher, Catherine W.

Through an integration of teacher effectiveness and reading research, this paper proposes ways for improving classroom reading instruction. The first part of the paper reviews teacher effectiveness research, noting the shifts that have occurred in that area from the early efforts, which focused on identifying and describing teacher characteristics…

Exploring the "New" Unionism: Perceptions of Recently Tenured Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Christine E.

A study analyzed recently tenured teachers' perceptions about union reform, examining factors shaping their beliefs and noting efforts of Rochester, New York's Rochester Teachers' Association (RTA) to promote reform and foster new leadership. Newly tenured teachers completed interviews on: the RTA's role; a description of the RTA; what influenced…

Infusing Plasma into the High School Curriculum through Teacher Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merali, Aliya; Guilbert, Nicholas; Ortiz, Myrna; Zwicker, Andrew

2013-10-01

A 2004 report submitted by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee noted a critical need for action to prevent a shortage of fusion researchers, specifically highlighting the need for more students to enter the field. In an effort to expose students to plasma physics early on, PPPL created a professional development program for teachers, which provides the resources for infusing plasma into high school curricula. Over the last 15 years, teachers from across the country have participated in a one-week Plasma Camp course including lectures, labs, tours, curriculum planning, and classroom equipment funding opportunities. A 2005 survey indicated that at least 75% of program alumni used material from the workshop annually, primarily in the form of demonstrations. In a 2013 survey, participants were asked to detail how they use the workshop information in their classrooms, how the program has altered their teaching methods, and what factors, if any, have hindered the implementation of a plasma curriculum. Results of the 2013 survey will be presented.

Literacy events during science instruction in a fifth-grade classroom: Listening to teacher and student voices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deal, Debby

Concern with science literacy and how to achieve it has a long history in our education system. The goals and definitions established by the National Science Education Standards (1996) suggest that if we are to successfully prepare students for the information age, science education must blend the natural and social sciences. However, research indicates that connections between hands-on science and literacy, as a tool for processing information, do not regularly occur during school science instruction. This case study explored the use of literacy by a second year teacher in a fifth grade class during consecutive science units on chemistry and liquids. The research questions focused on how and why the teacher and students used literacy during science and how and why the teacher and selected focus students believed literacy influenced their learning in science. Data was collected through classroom observations and multiple interviews with the teacher and selected focus students. Interview data was analyzed and coded using an iterative process. Field notes and student artifacts were used to triangulate the data. The study found that the teacher and students used reading and writing to record and acquire content knowledge, learn to be organized, and to facilitate assessment. Although the teacher had learned content literacy strategies in her pre-service program, she did not implement them in the classroom and her practice seemed to reflect her limited science content knowledge and understanding of the nature of science. The focus students believed that recording and studying notes, reading books, drawing, and reading study guides helped them learn science. The findings suggest the following implications: (1) More data is needed on the relationship between teaching approach, science content knowledge, and beliefs about science. (2) Elementary student voices make a valuable contribution to our understanding of science learning. (3) Pre-service candidates should have multiple opportunities to explicitly reflect on their beliefs about literacy, the nature of science, and learning in general. (4) Science methods classes should balance content, beliefs and attitudes related to science, and content literacy strategies.

Teaching science in museums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Lynn Uyen

Museums are free-choice, non-threatening, non-evaluative learning and teaching environments. They enable learners to revisit contents, authentic objects, and experiences at their own leisure as they continually build an understanding and appreciation of the concepts. Schools in America have used museums as resources to supplement their curriculum since the 19 th century. Field trip research is predominantly from the teachers' and students' perspectives, and draws attention to the importance for classroom teachers and students to prepare prior to field trips, have tasks, goals, and objectives during their time at the museum, and follow up afterwards. Meanwhile, museum educators' contributions to field trip experiences have been scantily addressed. These educators develop and implement programs intended to help students' explore science concepts and make sense of their experiences, and despite their limited time with students, studies show they can be memorable. First, field trips are a break in the usual routine, and thus have curiosity and attention attracting power. Second, classroom science teaching literature suggests teachers' teaching knowledge and goals can affect their behaviors, and in turn influence student learning. Third, classroom teachers are novices at planning and implementing field trip planners, and museum educators can share this responsibility. But little is reported on how the educators teach, what guides their instruction, how classroom teachers use these lessons, and what is gained from these lessons. This study investigates two of these inquiries. The following research questions guided this investigation. (1) How do educators teaching one-hour, one-time lessons in museums adapt their instruction to the students that they teach? (2) How do time limitations affect instruction? (3) How does perceived variability in entering student knowledge affect instruction? Four educators from two museums took part in this participant observation study to examine one aspect of the teaching culture in museums, that is instruction during one-time science lessons. The researcher remained a passive participant in all 23 lessons observed. Data included observations, interviews, and researcher field notes. An inductive analysis model incorporating constant comparison and domain analysis methods was adopted to analyze the data. Five major findings emerged from this analysis. (1) Repeating lessons develop comfort and insight to compensate one-time nature of lessons. (2) Details within science lessons can vary according to the students. (3) A lifelong learning perspective forms the foundation for educators' choices. (4) Refine teaching to use time efficiently. (5) Educators designate roles to teachers and chaperones to maximize time. These findings had implications for museum educators, classroom teachers, and all those involved in school field trips. Recommendations for action and future research emerging from this study were listed and discussed.

Introductory geology for elementary education majors utilizing a constructivist approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, L.M.; Kelso, P.R.; Rexroad, C.B.

2001-01-01

"Field Excursions in Earth Science" is designed as a non-prerequisite field-based course for elementary education majors. Classic Canadian Shield and Michigan Basin outcrops and Quaternary features are used to teach those Earth science objectives considered most important for K-8 teachers by the Michigan State Board of Education and by others. We integrated these objectives into five conceptual pathways rather than presenting them as discrete pieces of information. A variety of teaching techniques based on constructivist educational theory are employed, so that pre-service teachers experience active-learning strategies in the context of how science is practiced. Our learning strategies address the cognitive and affective domains and utilize personal experiences in conjunction with pre- and post-experience organizers to allow students to develop individual meanings. We place emphasis on observations and concepts and we encourage students to explain their understanding of concepts verbally and in a variety of written formats. Activities address spatial concepts and map reading; mineral, rock, and fossil identification; formation of rocks; surficial processes and landform development; structural deformation and plate tectonics; and environmental issues. Students keep field notes and have daily projects. They address the pedagogical structure of the course in a daily diary.

The Quest for a Queer Inclusive Cultural Ethics: Setting Directions for Teachers' Preservice and Continuing Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grace, Andre P.; Wells, Kristopher

2006-01-01

This chapter examines changes in preservice and continuing teacher professional development that are aimed at addressing sexual minority issues in schools as students' learning places and teachers' workplaces. (Contains 1 note.)

Teaching Mathematics with a Holistic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varghese, Thomas

2009-01-01

Many mathematics teachers opt for a strictly teacher-centred curriculum and/or instructional strategy. Given the well-documented evidence noting the benefits of student-centred instruction, it is easy to see that teacher-centred learning on its own cannot best meet the needs of students. On the other hand, some teachers, aware of the importance of…

Teacher Philosophy and Program Implementation and the Impact on Sex Education Outcomes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Gaston, Jacqueline F.; And Others

1994-01-01

Reports a study that evaluated teacher influence and impact in a middle school abstinence sex education program, noting pre-post change, teacher differences, and student differences. Surveys indicated abstinence sex education programs can produce positive outcomes that are significantly influenced by the teacher's own philosophy and commitment to…

The Process of Note Taking: Implications for Students with Mild Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.

2007-01-01

Students with mild disabilities have a difficult time recording notes from lectures. Accurate note taking is important because it helps students understand the content from lectures and notes serve as a document for later review. In this article, the author describes what teachers can do before, during, and after the lecture to help students…

Strategic Note-Taking for Middle-School Students with Learning Disabilities in Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.

2010-01-01

While today's teachers use a variety of teaching methods in middle-school science classes, lectures and note-taking still comprise a major portion of students' class time. To be successful in these classes, middle-school students need effective listening and note-taking skills. Students with learning disabilities (LD) are poor note-takers, which…

Investigating the role of educative curriculum materials in supporting teacher enactment of a field-based urban ecology investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houle, Meredith

2008-10-01

This multiple case study examined how three urban science teachers used curriculum materials designed educatively. Educative curriculum materials have been suggested as one way to support science teacher learning, particularly around new innovations and new pedagogies and to support teachers in evaluating and modifying materials to meet the needs of their students (Davis & Krajcik, 2005). While not a substitute for professional development, educative curriculum materials may provide an opportunity to support teachers' enactment and learning in the classroom context (Davis & Krajcik, 2005; Remillard, 2005; Schneider & Krajcik, 2002). However, little work has examined how science teachers interact with written curriculum materials to design classroom instruction. Grounded in sociocultural analysis, this study takes the theoretical stance that teachers and curriculum materials are engaged in a dynamic and participatory relationship from which the planned and enacted curriculum emerges (Remillard, 2005). Teaching is therefore a design activity where teachers rely on their personal resources and the curricular resources to construct and shape their students' learning experiences (Brown, 2002). Specifically this study examines how teacher beliefs influence their reading and use of curriculum and how educative features in the written curriculum inform teachers' pedagogical decisions. Data sources included classroom observation and video, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts. To make sense how teachers' make curricular decisions, video were analyzed using Brown's (2002) Pedagogical Design for Enactment Framework. These coded units were examined in light of the teacher interviews, classroom notes and artifacts to examine how teachers' beliefs influenced these decisions. Data sources were then reexamined for evidence of teachers' use of specific educative features. My analyses revealed that teachers' beliefs about curriculum influenced the degree to which teachers relied on their own personal resources or the curricular resources in designing the taught curriculum. Teacher experience was also found to influence the degree to which teachers relied on their personal resources. Implications for teacher learning, professional development and curriculum development are discussed.

Walk the Talk: Teachers as Leaders in Climate Change Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warburton, J.; Bartholow, S.; Larson, A.

2014-12-01

The notion of teachers as leaders and communicators is not new but rather it has been limited in scope. Teachers have long served as team leaders, department chairs, and curriculum developers. But what happens when you go beyond these typical roles in professional development? Can teachers become lead communicators beyond the classroom? Can they become leaders of change on important topics like the climate? For nearly a decade, PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating), funded by the National Science Foundation, has been teaming teachers with research projects in all fields of polar science. Teachers participate in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions which focus heavily on climate change and climate science. Administrated by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, the goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together. The program fosters a teacher and researcher network, which accelerates the cross-pollination of knowledge in science practices, findings, and classroom implementation throughout disciplines. Evaluation data exposes a crucial dynamic that increases the potential for a successful climate change science campaign. Data indicates that teachers can tackle challenges such as reframing climate change science to better address the need for a particular campaign, as well as garnering the science project the necessary support through effective, authentic, and tangible communication efforts to policymakers, funders, students, and the public. Researchers reported the value of explaining their science, in-situ, allowed them to reframe and rework the objectives of the science project to attain meaningful outcomes. More than half of the researchers specifically noted that one of the strengths of the PolarTREC project is its benefit to the scientific process. The researchers also viewed PolarTREC as an essential outreach activity and improved the public perception of their scientific endeavors. This presentation will speak to the PolarTREC program's best practice and findings on improved polar science communications as well as how the teachers have become the lead communicators in this time of rapid global change across all disciplines.

Forty Years Tomorrow: A Teacher Looks Back.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Adele

1980-01-01

Reviews experiences during the author's 40 years as a teacher. Indicates changes that have occurred over the years but notes one constant: special teachers who are proud of what they do know how important they are and accept their mission with stamina and enthusiasm. (TJ)

At Risk Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammond, Ormond W.; Onikama, Denise L.

This paper examines research on risk factors affecting teachers, noting that teachers encounter daily challenges and stresses in working with today's students. Risk is difficult to define. Consequences of risk can include stress and burnout, absenteeism, and attrition. Research shows that everyday events, even positive ones, cause stress, and…

Description of Success: A Four-Teacher Instructional Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Dianne

This study described a four-teacher instructional model in operation at an elementary school, noting the perceptions of fourth grade students, parents, and teachers regarding the model. The model encompassed teaming, block scheduling, departmentalization of subjects, integrated/interdisciplinary instruction, and in-depth instruction in each…

Teaching Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyman, Wendy

2001-01-01

This issue is the last in a three-part series on teaching quality. The first examined the effectiveness of various approaches to recruiting, educating, and inducting teachers. This report discusses the school environment and role of teachers' working conditions in attracting and retaining good teachers, noting several disparate factors that…

Between the Academic Mathematics and the Mathematics Education Worlds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreira, Candida Queiroz

1997-01-01

Investigated stresses confronted by Portuguese secondary mathematics teachers during the first semester in a master's course, Perspectives on Mathematics Education, noting how they negatively affected teachers' self-confidence and morale and discussing fundamental issues teachers addressed in bridging the academic mathematics and mathematics…

Focus on Teacher Education in Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, David R.

Teachers and administrators often note that preservice programs do not prepare future teachers adequately to teach reading. Several Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have addressed this problem. In 1997, the Georgia Professional Standards Review Commission began examining reading certification requirements and found that most teacher…

A Climate for Self-Efficacy: The Relationship between School Climate and Teacher Efficacy for Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosford, Susan; O'Sullivan, Siobhán

2016-01-01

Teacher efficacy represents a key construct in exploring successful implementation of inclusive policy. Teachers' impression of school climate is shown to relate to teacher efficacy; however, few studies pay due deference to its context/specific conceptualisation, with a particular lacuna in research noted in an Irish mainstream primary school…

Where Are All the Black Teachers? Discrimination in the Teacher Labor Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'amico, Diana; Pawlewicz, Robert J.; Earley, Penelope M.; McGeehan, Adam P.

2017-01-01

In this article, Diana D'Amico, Robert J. Pawlewicz, Penelope M. Earley, and Adam P. McGeehan examine the racial composition of one public school district's teacher labor market through teacher application data and subsequent hiring decisions. Researchers and policy makers have long noted the lack of racial diversity among the nation's public…

How Preservice Teachers' Study Abroad Experiences Lead to Changes in Their Perceptions of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina, Adriana L.; Hathaway, Jennifer I.; Pilonieta, Paola

2015-01-01

Teacher attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs) can affect what these students will learn. It has been noted that teachers with personal multicultural experiences are likelier to have a more positive attitude towards teaching ELLs (Youngs and Youngs, 2001). Thus, preparing future teachers is vital. This cannot be solely accomplished…

Teachers' Beliefs, Perceived Practice and Actual Classroom Practice in Relation to Traditional (Teacher-Centered) and Constructivist (Learner-Centered) Teaching (Note 1)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaymakamoglu, Sibel Ersel

2018-01-01

This study explored the EFL teachers' beliefs, perceived practice and actual classroom practice in relation to Traditional (teacher-centered) and Constructivist (learner-centered) teaching in Cyprus Turkish State Secondary Schools context. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews and structured observations were employed with purposively…

The Influence of Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits on Academic Development Among Youth.

PubMed

Horan, Jacqueline M; Brown, Joshua L; Jones, Stephanie M; Aber, J Lawrence

2016-06-01

The present study attempted to address developmental differences within the large group of youth with conduct problems through an examination of the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and academic outcomes in an effort to expand the field's understanding of heterogeneity in outcomes associated with behavior problems. Data were collected from a cohort of 3rd grade students (N = 942; 51 % female; 45.6 % Hispanic/Latino, 41.1 % Black/African American, 4.7 % Non-Hispanic White; mean age = 8.07 years) in eighteen public elementary schools, as well as their parents and teachers. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that callous-unemotional traits were associated with lower quality student-teacher relationships and worse performance on standardized math and reading exams over and above the effects of conduct problems. These findings suggest that school-based interventions may be particularly effective in ameliorating some of the deficits noted within this subset of youth exhibiting conduct problems. This finding has important policy implications as the field of developmental science attempts to design and enrich programs that focus on improving social-emotional learning.

Impact of Adaptive Materials on Teachers and their Students with Visual Impairments in Secondary Science and Mathematics Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rule, Audrey C.; Stefanich, Greg P.; Boody, Robert M.; Peiffer, Belinda

2011-04-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, important in today's world, are underrepresented by students with disabilities. Students with visual impairments, although cognitively similar to sighted peers, face challenges as STEM subjects are often taught using visuals. They need alternative forms of access such as enlarged or audio-converted text, tactile graphics, and involvement in hands-on science. This project focused on increasing teacher awareness of and providing funds for the purchase of supplemental adaptive resources, supplies, and equipment. We examined attitude and instructional changes across the year of the programme in 15 science and mathematics teachers educating students with visual impairments. Positive changes were noted from pretest to posttest in student and teacher perspectives, and in teacher attitudes towards students with disabilities in STEM classes. Teachers also provided insights into their challenges and successes through a reflective narrative. Several adolescent students resisted accommodations to avoid appearing conspicuous to peers. Teachers implemented three strategies to address this: providing the adaptations to all students in the class; convincing the student of the need for adaptation; and involving the class in understanding and accepting the student's impairment. A variety of teacher-created adaptations for various science and mathematics labs are reported. Another finding was many adaptations provided for the student with visual impairment benefitted the entire class. This study supports the claim that given knowledgeable, supportive teachers, and with appropriate accommodations such as tactile or auditory materials, students with visual impairments can be as successful and engaged as other students in science and mathematics.

Teaching Strategies for Developing Students' Argumentation Skills About Socioscientific Issues in High School Genetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Vaille Maree; Venville, Grady

2010-03-01

An outcome of science education is that young people have the understandings and skills to participate in public debate and make informed decisions about science issues that influence their lives. Toulmin’s argumentation skills are emerging as an effective strategy to enhance the quality of evidence based decision making in science classrooms. In this case study, an Australian science teacher participated in a one-on-one professional learning session on argumentation before explicitly teaching argumentation skills to two year 10 classes studying genetics. Over two lessons, the teacher used whole class discussion and writing frames of two socioscientific issues to teach students about argumentation. An analysis of classroom observation field notes, audiotaped lesson transcripts, writing frames and student interviews indicate that four factors promoted student argumentation. The factors are: the role of the teacher in facilitating whole class discussion; the use of writing frames; the context of the socioscientific issue; and the role of the students. It is recommended that professional learning to promote student argumentation may need to be tailored to individual teachers and that extensive classroom based research is required to determine the impact of classroom factors on students’ argumentation.

Inservice Teacher Education in Nigeria: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esu, Akon E. O.

1991-01-01

Examines the current status of in-service teacher education in Nigeria, indicating three approaches: the central office approach; the long vacation program; and the Associateship Certificate in Education distance learning approach. Recommendations for planning and implementing in-service teacher education programs in Nigeria are noted. (SM)

Promising New Teacher Support Strategies and Their Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dianda, Marcella R.; Quartz, Karen Hunter

1995-01-01

Describes several promising new teacher support strategies implemented by California universities and their district partners as part of the California New Teacher Project, noting resources expended to implement each strategy. The strategies are framed according to their programmatic and economic dimensions. Strategies that make the most sense…

Teacher Leaders: Advancing Mathematics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinzer, Cathy J.; Rincón, Mari; Ward, Jana; Rincón, Ricardo; Gomez, Lesli

2014-01-01

Four elementary school instructors offer insights into their classrooms, their unique professional roles, and their leadership approaches as they reflect on their journey to advance teacher and student mathematics learning. They note a "teacher leader" serves as an example to other educators and strives to impact student learning;…

Teacher Training and the Educational System in Poland. Some Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hult, Hakan, Ed.

This volume contains 12 papers on teacher training in Poland. Many reflect a special collaborative relationship between the Departments of Education at universities in Gdansk and Linkoping. The papers are: "Teacher Training-Between Atomism and Holism" (Joanna Rutkowiak); "Following-Applying-Seeking Inspiration as Possible Varieties…

Culture and Compliance Gaining in the Classroom: A Preliminary Investigation of Chinese College Teachers' Use of Behavior Alteration Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Shuming

1997-01-01

Examines use of behavior alteration techniques (BATs) to gain student compliance in the Chinese context. Finds that Chinese college teachers use most the BATs that United States college teachers use; use many BATs even more frequently; but communicate behavior alteration messages that differ from those used by United States teachers. Notes that…

Teacher Education Models in Geography: An International Comparison. Papers Prepared in Conjunction with the International Geographical Union Congress (25th, 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsden, Wm., Ed.

Thirteen essays discussing how teachers are trained to teach geography in various countries are presented. The papers are: "Teacher Education in Geography: The Comparative View" (W. E. Marsden); "The Training of Geography Teachers in the People's Republic of Bulgaria" (Paulina Vekilska and Dimitar Kantchev); "Note Sur la…

Terror/Enjoyment: Performativity, Resistance and the Teacher's Psyche

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Matthew

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on Stephen Ball's article, "The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity", since it is here that he analyses the issue of how neoliberal education policies shape teacher identities that I also wish to explore. I begin by providing a summary of the 2003 piece, noting how it locates teachers and their…

A Comparison of I.H.E. Faculty, L.E.A. Faculty, and I.H.E. Student Perceptions of Select Teacher Competencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staszkiewicz, Mark J.; Gabrys, Robert E.

Noting that a major problem confronting competency based teacher education (CBTE) programs was the development of mutually acceptable perceptions of teacher education among college faculty, school personnel, and prospective teachers, a cluster of competencies developed by the State University College at Oneonta (SUCO), New York, was critiqued by…

The Use of Portfolios for Teacher Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lengeling, M. Martha

A discussion of the use of portfolios for teacher evaluation reviews common uses of portfolios in higher education and offers suggestions for portfolio construction. It is noted that portfolios are frequently used for evaluation of both learner and teacher performance, as a means of documenting an individual's capabilities and skills. Some…

Teacher Unionization in School Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacoby, Dan

2011-01-01

The role of unions in school governance is reviewed to note that labor operates in a larger context of principal-agent relationships. As agents for teachers, unions articulate the concerns that must be addressed if teachers are to be successfully enlisted in the struggle to reduce achievement gaps among at-risk students. Transcending industrial…

Food Marketing: Cashier-Checker. Teacher's Guide. Competency Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froelich, Larry; And Others

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the Competency Based Cashier-Checker Curriculum student materials--see note. Contents include a listing of reference materials, tool and equipment lists, copy of the table of contents for student competency sheets, teacher's suggestions, and answer keys for information sheets and exercises.…

Are We Preparing or Training Teachers? Developing Professional Judgment in and beyond Teacher Preparation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scales, Roya Q.; Wolsey, Thomas DeVere; Lenski, Susan; Smetana, Linda; Yoder, Karen K.; Dobler, Elizabeth; Grisham, Dana L.; Young, Janet R.

2018-01-01

This three phase longitudinal multiple-case study, framed by positioning theory, investigated how four novice teachers learned to use professional judgment in their literacy instruction. Data sources from coursework, student teaching, and novice teaching were included. Interviews, observations, researchers' observational notes, and school and…

The Qualifications of Teachers in American High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascal, Anthony

This monograph describes the formal qualifications of the teachers currently teaching in public high schools and notes the variations of qualifications among schools with different characteristics. A survey of an average of 30 randomly selected teachers in each of 340 comprehensive high schools obtained information on: (1) the number of college…

Reading Discussion Groups for Teachers: Connecting Theory to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenton-Smith, Ben; Stillwell, Christopher

2011-01-01

This article explores how teachers can engage with ideas (research findings, theory, and professional knowledge) through participation in a reading discussion group. Focusing on one group formed by English language teachers at a Japanese university, the study employs survey data, attendance statistics, and observational notes regarding the group's…

"Let's Do This!": Black Women Teachers' Politics and Pedagogy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixson, Adrienne D.

2003-01-01

Examined how contemporary African American women teachers continued the tradition of political involvement, noting the extent to which issues of race, class, and gender identity informed their pedagogy and situating their activities in a black feminist activist tradition. Interviews with two elementary teachers indicated that while they did not…

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)

Some Notes on "Hunting for Mushrooms in the Slough of Despond."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Robert F.

In this series of aphoristic remarks about the situation of English teachers in the junior college, the following topics are discussed: administrative structure and accountability; teacher load; part time instructors and professionalism; Proposition 13; literacy and junior college students; evaluation of student papers; careerism in teachers and…

Unequal Opportunities: The Recruitment, Selection and Promotion Prospects for Black Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brar, Harbhajan Singh

1991-01-01

The 1988 Education Reform Act greatly impacted equal opportunities in recruitment and selection of black teachers in the United Kingdom. A case study examines recruitment and selection in London, noting that ad hoc practices (encouraged by the 1988 Act) perpetuates the poor position of black teachers. (SM)

Considering the Future of University-Based Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, James W.

2014-01-01

In this commentary, James W. Fraser, a noted historian of education, cites examples from several teacher education programs at more than 30 universities partnering with the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships in various ways. Additionally, Fraser reviews decades of challenges to traditional teacher preparation, looks at some current reforms, and…

How Do New Teachers Choose New Labs?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMeo, Stephen

2007-01-01

Forty-eight new secondary science teachers participated in a study that required a listing, discussion, and application of criteria to rank three chemistry laboratory procedures. The three similar lab procedures involved synthesis of a compound from its elements. The top criteria noted by teachers focused on procedural issues (i.e., timeliness,…

A Note from the Other Side.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Paul S.

This paper describes two types of teacher educators, discusses "in" and "out"phrases of educational jargon, and concludes with six proposals. The author criticizes teachers who teach six months in a ghetto school and then write a book about the terrible teaching of their colleagues; and he criticizes teacher educators in large…

Revolutionizing Multicultural Education Staff Development: Factor Structure of a Teacher Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Kimberly A.; Pinto, Anthony

2001-01-01

Investigated African American and white elementary teachers' beliefs about and knowledge of multicultural education and their interest in staff development, noting differences by race. Survey data indicated that teachers considered multicultural education beneficial to students, but they were not very motivated to participate in training sessions.…

A Partnership between English Language Learners and a Team of Rocket Scientists: EPO for the NASA SDO Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Eparvier, F.; Murillo, M.

2008-05-01

Recent immigrant high school students were successfully engaged in learning about Sun-Earth connections through a partnership with the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) project. The students were enrolled in a pilot course as part of the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program. The English Language Learner (ELL) students doubled their achievement on a pre- and post- assessment on the content of the course. Students learned scientific content and vocabulary in English with support in Spanish, attended field trips, hosted scientist speakers, built antenna and deployed space weather monitors as part of the Stanford SOLAR project, and gave final presentations in English, showcasing their new computer skills. Teachers who taught the students in other courses noted gains in the students' willingness to use English in class and noted gains in math skills. The course has been broken into modules for use in shorter after-school environments, or for use by EVE scientists who are outside of the Boulder area. Video footage of "The Making of a Satellite", and "All About EVE" is completed for use in the kits. Other EVE EPO includes upcoming professional development for teachers and content workshops for journalists.

"I'll Always Remember Your Class." Powerful Encouragement through Personal Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiodo, Beverly A.

1994-01-01

A business teacher teachers students to write letters of praise and appreciation to develop leadership skills, strengthen relationships, and envision personal and professional success for their peers. (SK)

A Collaborative Diagonal Learning Network: The role of formal and informal professional development in elementary science reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooke-Nieves, Natasha Anika

Science education research has consistently shown that elementary teachers have a low self-efficacy and background knowledge to teach science. When they teach science, there is a lack of field experiences and inquiry-based instruction at the elementary level due to limited resources, both material and pedagogical. This study focused on an analysis of a professional development (PD) model designed by the author known as the Collaborative Diagonal Learning Network (CDLN). The purpose of this study was to examine elementary school teacher participants pedagogical content knowledge related to their experiences in a CDLN model. The CDLN model taught formal and informal instruction using a science coach and an informal educational institution. Another purpose for this research included a theoretical analysis of the CDLN model to see if its design enabled teachers to expand their resource knowledge of available science education materials. The four-month-long study used qualitative data obtained during an in-service professional development program facilitated by a science coach and educators from a large natural history museum. Using case study as the research design, four elementary school teachers were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their science coach and museum educator workshop sessions. During the duration of this study, semi-structured individual/group interviews and open-ended pre/post PD questionnaires were used. Other data sources included researcher field notes from lesson observations, museum field trips, audio-recorded workshop sessions, email correspondence, and teacher-created artifacts. The data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Themes that emerged included increased self-efficacy; increased pedagogical content knowledge; increased knowledge of museum education resources and access; creation of a professional learning community; and increased knowledge of science notebooking. Implications for formal and informal professional development in elementary science reform are offered. It is suggested that researchers investigate collaborative coaching through the lenses of organizational learning network theory, and develop professional learning communities with formal and informal educators; and that professional developers in city school systems and informal science institutions work in concert to produce more effective elementary teachers who not only love science but love teaching it.

Learning from the best: Overcoming barriers to reforms-based elementary science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banchi, Heather May

This study explored the characteristics of elementary science teachers who employ reforms-based practices. Particular attention was paid to the consistency of teachers' practices and their beliefs, the impact of professional development experiences on practices, and how teachers mitigated barriers to reforms-based instruction. Understanding how successful elementary science teachers develop fills a gap in the science reforms literature. Participants included 7 upper elementary science teachers from six different schools. All schools were located within two suburban school districts in the south-Atlantic United States and data was collected during the spring of 2008. Data collection included use of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to evaluate the level of reforms-based instruction, as well as 35 hours of classroom observation field notes and 21 hours of audio-taped teacher interviews. The variety of data sources allowed for triangulation of evidence. The RTOP was analyzed using descriptive statistics and classroom observations and interview data were analyzed using Erickson's (1986) guidelines for analytic induction. Findings indicated (a) reforms-based elementary science teaching was attainable, (b) beliefs and practices were consistent and both reflected reforms-based philosophies and practices, (c) formal professional development experiences were limited and did not foster reforms-based practices, (d) informal professional development pursued by teachers had a positive impact on practices, (e) barriers to reforms-based instruction were present but mitigated by strong beliefs and practical strategies like curriculum integration. These findings suggest that there are common, salient characteristics of reforms-based teachers' beliefs, practices, and professional development experiences. These commonalities contribute to an understanding of how reforms-based teachers develop, and inform efforts to move all elementary teachers in the direction of reforms-based science teaching.

Using Videoconferencing for Teacher Professional Development and Ensemble Clinics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrack, Frederick

2012-01-01

Videoconferencing technology can create opportunities to offer music teachers specific feedback that is crucial to satisfying their developmental needs by providing direct impact on instruction through online ensemble clinics. (Contains 3 notes.)

Establishing Credibility in the Multicultural Classroom: When the Instructor Speaks with an Accent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Chikako Akamatsu

2007-01-01

Applying theories of cultural dimensions, teacher credibility, and nonverbal immediacy, this chapter explores classroom management techniques used by Asian female teachers to establish credibility. (Contains 1 note.)

Idea Bank: Duct Tape Note Twister

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHenry, Molly

2008-01-01

In this article, the author relates how she observed a middle school math teacher deliver a miserable class. She realized that she did the same thing to her music students. To engage her students, she developed "Note Twister," a music reading game using duct tape to form musical notes and the basic premise behind the game,…

The Messenger Matters: Teacher Research Experiences and Effective, Long-term Science Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timm, K.; Warburton, J.; Larson, A. M.

2010-12-01

PolarTREC - Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating, an NSF-Funded program of the Arctic Research Consortium of the US, matches K-12 teachers with researchers for 2-6 week hands on research experiences in the polar regions. During their teacher research experience, teachers and researchers in the field communicate widely with students and members of the public online through teacher journals, photo galleries, interactive discussion forums, multimedia resources, and real-time live events that connect the science of the Arctic or Antarctic to students and the public around the world. Due to the exciting nature of field-based polar science and the novelty of teacher participation, PolarTREC creates a natural pathway for information—from scientists to students and the general public. Initial data from the PolarTREC evaluation indicates that researchers viewed the dissemination activities of PolarTREC as an essential outreach activity allowing them to meet broader impact objectives of their project. Many researchers noted that conducting outreach through PolarTREC was “easy,” and that it “really increased our public image and bridged the separation between science and the public at large.” Although the immediate outreach activities related to the field experience are valuable, the lasting impacts of PolarTREC are related to the professional development received by the teachers through their participation. Many K-12 teachers, in both undergraduate and graduate education, have little opportunity to actually conduct inquiry-based science. The curriculum at this level consists of primarily memorizing facts and conducting contrived experiments (Michaels et al, 2008). After being embedded in an actual research project with professional scientists, participating teachers reported significant increases in their knowledge of the polar regions and improvements in their ability to teach pertinent science concepts. In particular, teachers had a better understanding of the actual research process, scientific concepts, and types of science being carried out at the poles. Additionally, participating teachers used more inquiry-based teaching in their lesson plans and classroom, more closely replicating the actual scientific process of asking questions, designing experiments, and testing hypothesis. Initial data from students of PolarTREC teachers shows that students spent more time exploring science research activities and better understood the importance of the polar regions for their future work and as a person living in today’s world. PolarTREC has not only demonstrated that it is an effective model for widespread science communication, but it is also an effective means to give teachers a better understanding of the scientific process. This helps teachers become better prepared to foster an awareness of the polar regions, scientific literacy, and an understanding of the scientific process in our future citizens. Michaels, S., Shouse, A.W., and Schweingruber, H.A. (2008). Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms. Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Division of Behavior and Social Sciences and Education. Washington D.C: The National Academies Press.

Roles, intents, and actions: First-year teachers' uses of discourse during elementary science instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, William J., Jr.

In this study, I examined how three first-year elementary teachers constructed and used classroom discourse during science instruction. The three participants, though graduates from different universities, learned to teach science through similar science methods courses, which stressed the importance of inquiry-based science instruction. The participants taught different grade levels, and two of them taught at the same school. Data sources included field notes, videotapes, audiotapes, and semi-structured teacher interviews. While monologic and dialogic discourse existed in all three classrooms, monologic discourse was more prominent, especially when the discourse was teacher controlled. Dialogic discourse occurred most often during student-centered activities. The teachers constructed discourse with authoritative function to present science content and determine student comprehension. Generative function was most likely during student-based small group discussions. Monologic character often aligned with authoritative function, and dialogic character often aligned with generative function. However, monologic/generative and dialogic/authoritative discourse events did occur, contributing to the development of a discourse theory model. The teacher explanations for discourse included classroom control, inadequate planning, time constraints, life experiences, science education standards, and assessment. The teachers relied on their texts, kits, and state science standards to determine the content and methods for science instruction. They rarely reported that their science methods courses influenced how they taught science. The observed lessons rarely aligned with science education reform descriptions of appropriate science instruction. Implications include the need for in-service programs for beginning science teachers, curricular reform for science texts and kits, and explicit instruction of discourse strategies in science methods courses and in-service programs.

Using Guided Notes to Increase the Understanding of Anatomy and Physiology in 11th Grade Science Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariano, Jay

A survey of over 500 science teachers reported that two thirds of their science classes were lecture based lessons where students were required to listen and take notes (Boyle, 2010). In addition to taking notes from lectures, note taking is a necessary skill to possess to record scientific observations and procedures and record information during class. Guided notes is a pedagogical method in which the instructor prepares and provides students with a modified form of lecture information to guide students (Neef, McCord, & Ferreri, 2006). This study examined the extent to which the use of guided notes in a unit of study of the muscular system of anatomy and physiology positively affected the mastery on content-based assessments for 11 th grade students. The data collection methods included quiz and test scores, a 4-point Likert scale survey, and an open-ended questionnaire. Results of the data revealed that guided notes was one factor that led to mastery in learning content. Additionally, students in this study preferred this method as it helped them to distinguish relevant information allowing more time to listen and focus on the teacher.

The Effects of Incorporating Classroom Pets into the Fourth Grade Science Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Admire, Maegan

The purpose of this study was to identify and promote successful teaching strategies that incorporate classroom pets in order to influence student engagement, achievement, and perceptions of animals. This was a small action research study conducted in a fourth grade science classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained including, pre- and post-assessments, student interviews, researcher field notes, researcher journal, and student work. The results of this study revealed an increased academic achievement from the pre- to post-assessment, increased student observations and descriptions when discussing the animals, and increased student empathy toward the animals. The results also revealed that the teacher's incorporation of the animals within the science curriculum grew in ease over time, and that the animals provided the educator with opportunities to teach non-content related lessons and also a concrete experience for the teacher to apply and extend the science content.

Learning and teaching science as inquiry: A case study of elementary school teachers' investigations of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zee, Emily H.; Hammer, David; Bell, Mary; Roy, Patricia; Peter, Jennifer

2005-11-01

This case study documents an example of inquiry learning and teaching during a summer institute for elementary and middle school teachers. A small group constructed an explanatory model for an intriguing optical phenomenon that they were observing. Research questions included: What physics thinking did the learners express? What aspects of scientific inquiry were evident in what the learners said and did? What questions did the learners ask one another as they worked? How did these learners collaborate in constructing understanding? How did the instructor foster their learning? Data sources included video- and audio- tapes of instruction, copies of the participants' writings and drawings, field notes, interviews, and staff reflections. An interpretative narrative of what three group members said and did presents a detailed account of their learning process. Analyses of their utterances provide evidence of physics thinking, scientific inquiry, questioning, collaborative sense making, and insight into ways to foster inquiry learning.

Charting Directions for Preservice Teacher Education. A Position Paper Prepared for the National Commission on Excellence in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howey, Kenneth R.

This paper on the future of preservice teacher education examines the question of whether a crisis exists today in schools and in teacher education. It is noted that judgments vary, given different perspectives and vantage points for observation, and that a reliable assessment of the current health of schooling and teacher education is difficult.…

Technology Integration in Elementary Classrooms: Teaching Practices of Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ping

2016-01-01

This study examines how and why student teachers integrated technology to enhance instruction in elementary classrooms. The participants were 31 student teachers who completed an assignment of eight weeks. Multiple data sets including observation notes of 347 lessons were obtained from three key groups for data triangulation. Results reveal that…

A Note to Teacher: Improving Student Behavior through Goal Setting and Feedback.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martens, Brian K.; Hiralall, Andrea S.; Bradley, Tracy A.

1997-01-01

Examines the effects of goal setting and feedback applied to teacher behavior as a means of producing desired changes in students' behavior during consultation. Results indicate that the intervention was effective at increasing appropriate student behavior and was judged by the teacher to be acceptable. Implications of results are discussed. (RJM)

Culturally Responsive Teaching Efficacy Beliefs of In-Service Special Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Szu-Yin; Garcia, Shernaz

2014-01-01

Although teaching efficacy has been noted as an attribute of successful teachers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds, special educators have not been represented in this research, nor have the influence of personal and professional factors on teacher efficacy been examined for this population. This descriptive,…

Challenging the Paradigm: Notes on Developing an Indigenized Teacher Education Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gopinathan, S.

2006-01-01

While considerable attention is being paid to reforming education systems to prepare students for the challenges of globalization and a knowledge-based economy, teacher education models in the Asia Pacific remain insufficiently critiqued. There is an urgent need to rethink teacher education as, in spite of decades of investment and development,…

A Research Note: A Regional Response to National Concerns in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Anne-Marie

2011-01-01

How can tertiary education in regions respond innovatively and collaboratively to issues regarding teacher supply and quality, especially in regions of teacher shortages? This research report focuses on one response. The Rotorua regional primary teaching flexible learning option was established by the Christchurch College of Education (CCE) in…

Why Do They Teach? A Study of Job Satisfaction among Long-Term High School Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunetti, Gerald J.

2001-01-01

Examined the extent to which experienced high school teachers were satisfied with their work, noting principal motivators to remaining in the classroom. Survey and interview data indicated that teachers had a high level of satisfaction, despite difficult working conditions. After working with students, other important motivators included passion…

Preservice Teachers' Instructional Actions To Support Meaningful Interaction with Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dugan, JoAnn

This study investigated the nature of preservice teachers' instructional actions during Directed Reading-Teaching Activities (DR-TA) to involve students in reading and enhance their understanding of text, noting scaffolding processes used to engage children in making sense of text. Twenty-eight preservice teachers who were first-semester K-8…

The Role of Teachers in a Cross-cultural Drama.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenzlaff, Terri L.; Throd, Mary A.

1995-01-01

Examines why there are so few Native American teachers in this country, specifically in the upper Midwest. Describes how one institution has increased the number of native teachers and notes student reactions to assimilation at a traditional, largely white university. Proposes an eight-hour workshop on diversity training for faculty. (SM)

Preparing Global Educators: New Challenges for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emihovich, Catherine

2008-01-01

With few exceptions, global and international education issues have not dominated the discourse or research on teacher education until recently. Merryfield (1995) notes that in the 1980s the National Governors Association called for teachers to be better prepared in global education and international studies, and in 1994 the National Council for…

Making Invisible Intersectionality Visible through Theater of the Oppressed in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Beth; Duffy, Peter B.

2016-01-01

The arts generally and theater specifically offer effective strategies to help educators recognize and make visible the multiple student and teacher identities within classrooms. Without student and teacher agency in schools, there cannot be equitable and liberatory learning environments. Noted Brazilian theater artist and activist Augusto Boal's…

Research Note: Unmet Needs for Education of Primary School Children in Nigeria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abidoye, Rotimi O.

1999-01-01

Surveyed 300 children and 300 teachers in Lagos, Nigeria to determine unmet needs for education. Reasons given for poor-quality education included poor teacher morale, poor parent cooperation, and poor child interest, the latter attributed to chronic malnutrition and illness. Suggestions were made for proper teacher training, adequate…

Using Mobile Devices to Connect Teachers and Museum Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delen, Ibrahim; Krajcik, Joseph

2017-01-01

The use of mobile devices is increasing rapidly as a potential tool for science teaching. In this study, five educators (three middle school teachers and two museum educators) used a mobile application that supported the development of a driving question. Previous studies have noted that teachers make little effort to connect learning experiences…

Forming Future Teachers' Aesthetic Culture in Foreign Educational Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sotska, Galyna

2016-01-01

The article deals with a theoretical analysis of foreign educational experience in solving scientific problems of forming future teachers' aesthetic culture. Given the current socio-cultural situation, it has been noted that a teacher who developed his/her aesthetic culture can make a direct contribution to the social and cultural challenges of a…

Euclid Assesses the California BTSA and Finds the Whole Greater than the Sum. Pathwise(TM)-the Educational Testing Service Component.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Retter, Jane S.

This report describes the Educational Testing Service professional development/assessment system for student and beginning teachers, "Pathwise," a classroom observation instrument, as used in the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA) for teacher education. Three themes were noted by "Pathwise" users…

What Does An Effective Year 12 English Teacher Look Like?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, Wayne; Ayers, Paul; Dinham, Steve

2001-01-01

Investigates techniques of highly effective teachers of Year 12 English in New South Wales, Australia. Concludes that successful teachers saw themselves as operating in positive school environments and overwhelmingly saw themselves as functioning as part of a team. Notes they used a range of teaching strategies, but emphasized having students…

The Stories of Pre-Service Theatre Teachers Who "Resist."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Lorenzo

2003-01-01

Notes that the data for this study come from a focused inquiry into the hopes and fears of seven university theatre students who anticipated becoming teachers. Concludes that as they explored their past and present experiences, and their future positions as teachers, self-reclamation was at the heart of their stories. (SG)

Stretching Your Budget: Notes on Working with Sporting Goods Dealers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, William C.

2009-01-01

Pre-service teachers take many courses in college training programs in order to become teachers and coaches. Teachers have in-service training programs, varied across many school divisions or districts, which help keep them abreast of current methods in teaching and serve as professional development opportunities. However, budgetary planning and…

Materials and Techniques for Teaching the Esperanto Language in the Elementary Grades [and] 1996 Packet for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Kent

Materials presented here include a variety of resources for teachers of Esperanto: a brief guide to Esperanto teaching, including suggested teacher qualifications, a listing of instructional materials and resources, including serials, with details of publication, activities in preparation for teaching, grade-level class activities, notes on…

Kindergarten Transitions: How Pre-K Teachers Can Help. Program Services Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amwake, Lynn

Noting that the transition to Kindergarten is a process rather than a one-time event, this guide will help early childhood educators--home caregivers, center providers and public preschool teachers--understand the transitions to school and consider steps teachers can take to improve children's transition and adjustment. Specific ideas and…

The Use of Teacher-Judgment Measures in the Identification of Gifted Pupils.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoge, Robert D.; Cudmore, Laurinda

The paper intends to assess the psychometric properties of teacher-judgment measures for identifying gifted students in terms of the available empirical data. Problems of definition are cited, and the neglect and disparagement of teacher judgments as an alternative identification strategy are noted. The major conclusion from the review is that…

Groping My Way through the Group Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinnick, B. Jo

1995-01-01

Reprints an article originally published in 1951. Argues that the group method should not be foisted on young teachers as the only way to teach. Notes that the group method requires a great deal of preparation and much teacher direction. Suggests that smart teachers will continue to use a variety of teaching methods. (RS)

A case study of a mathematics teacher's and science teacher's use of teacher wisdom in integrating middle school mathematics and science content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saam, Julie Reinhardt

The National Science Education Standards, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Standards, the Interdisciplinary Team Organization structure and the Middle School movement collectively suggest to teachers to make connections between their subject areas. This case study of a middle school mathematics teacher and science teacher utilizes the framework of teacher wisdom to bring a unique perspective to the process of developing and implementing integrated curriculum. Data collection consisted of interviews with the teachers, students, and their principal; documents such lesson plans, team meeting minutes and teacher journal entries; and field notes acquired within team meetings and classroom instruction. The interpretations of this study reveal that teacher development of integrated curriculum occurs in two ways: naturally and intentionally. The natural label used to describe when teachers comfortably share information that could serve as connections between subjects. The intentional label used to describe when the teachers purposely plan integrated lessons and units. These findings also provide an image of middle school integration. This image exhibits more than connections between subject area content; it also shows connections with away-from-school skills and events, lifeskills, and lifelong guidelines. Although these teachers found it frustrating and overwhelming to meet the many views of integration, they assembled integration curriculum that followed their philosophy of education, coincided with their personal characteristics and met the needs of their students. The interpretations of this study reveal a new model of middle school integration. Teachers can use this model as a collection of integration examples. Integration researchers can use this model as a conceptual framework to analyze the integration efforts of middle level teachers. Additional research needs to focus on: developing new modeling and evaluation tools for teachers, evaluating middle school professional development programs, investigating middle school teachers' characteristics, and continuing the study of integration's worth. The results of this study and additional research may help: (a) administrators to target specific teachers for middle school positions, (b) educators to plan and implement new programs for inservice and preservice middle school teachers, and (c) teachers to experiment with new and innovative strategies for middle school integration.

Perspectives on enhancing international practical training of students in health and social care study programs - A qualitative descriptive case study.

PubMed

Hvalič-Touzery, Simona; Hopia, Hanna; Sihvonen, Sanna; Diwan, Sadhna; Sen, Soma; Skela-Savič, Brigita

2017-01-01

Internationalization of practical training in health and social care study programs is an important aspect of higher education. However, field mentors' and classroom teachers' competence in guiding culturally diverse students varies widely in European countries, and the majority does not have enough training in guiding foreign students. This study aimed to examine which factors enhance the efficacy of international practical placement experiences in health and social care study programs. A qualitative descriptive case study design was used. The study was conducted at six higher education institutions-two in Finland and one in Croatia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Slovenia. A convenience sample of 14 mentors, 15 teachers and 14 students with international experiences from six higher education institutions which are part of the Bologna Process was recruited. The data were collected from six focus groups using a semi-structured questionnaire based on a literature review. Each higher education institution conducted one group interview that was tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes. Participants made several recommendations for enhancing the practical placement experience of students, teachers, and mentors. Most recommendations dealt with practical supervision of students. Three major themes noted were: 'Attitudes towards internationalization of practical placements', 'Factors impacting the international placement experience', and 'Pedagogical methods used and structural support available for internationalization.' The study highlights the need for strengthening the multicultural knowledge and skills of mentors and teachers. The findings provide practical guidelines for improving the international placement experience across health and social care fields. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facilitating Children's Adjustment to Orthotic and Prosthetic Appliances.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredrick, Jeff; Fletcher, Donna

1985-01-01

Guidelines are offered to help teachers understand the nature and use of orthotic and prosthetic appliances for disabled students. Classroom behavior observations are noted so that teachers can help monitor the child's adjustment to the appliance. (CL)

78 FR 41386 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; A Study of Feedback in Teacher...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this...) how teacher responsiveness to feedback relates to their performance in the classroom. The study will...

More STELLA Narratives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doecke, Brenton

2001-01-01

Presents six brief (about one page) narratives by primary and secondary teachers arising from STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) workshops and interpretive discussions. Notes that each narrative describes a moment of "good" English/literacy teaching. (SG)

Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith-Davis, Judy

This literature review examines alternative routes to teacher certification and presents alternative certification regulations and policies for 19 states. Three categories of nontraditional personnel preparation programs are noted: nontraditional recruitment programs, retraining programs, and alternative certification programs. A definition of…

Bullying among Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullock, Janis R.

2002-01-01

Notes that teachers have differing views toward children who bully. Addresses characteristics of bullies and their victims, incidences of bullying among children, the effects of bullying on children, and recommendations for teachers' support, including school-wide, classroom, and individual interventions. (DLH)

Teachers as Secondary Players: Involvement in Field Trips to Natural Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alon, Nirit Lavie; Tal, Tali

2017-01-01

This study focused on field trips to natural environments where the teacher plays a secondary role alongside a professional guide. We investigated teachers' and field trip guides' views of the teacher's role, the teacher's actual function on the field trip, and the relationship between them. We observed field trips, interviewed teachers and…

The influences of implementing state-mandated science assessment on teacher practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katzmann, Jason Matthew

Four high school Biology teachers, two novice and two experienced, participated in a year and a half case study. By utilizing a naturalistic paradigm, the four individuals were studied in their natural environment, their classrooms. Data sources included: three semi-structured interviews, classroom observation field notes, and classroom artifacts. Through cross-case analysis and a constant comparative methodology, coding nodes where combined and refined resulting in the final themes for discussion. The following research question was investigated: what is the impact of high-stakes testing on high school Biology teacher's instructional planning, instructional practices and classroom assessments? Seven final themes were realized: Assessment, CSAP, Planning, Pressure, Standards, Teaching and Time. Each theme was developed and discussed utilizing each participant's voice. Trustworthiness of this study was established via five avenues: triangulation of data sources, credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. A model of the influences of high-stakes testing on teacher practice was developed to describe the seven themes (Figure 5). This model serves as an illustration of the complex nature of teacher practice and the influences upon it. The four participants in this study were influenced by high-stakes assessment. It influenced their instructional decisions, assessment practices, use of time, planning decisions and decreased the amount of inquiry that occurred in the classroom. Implications of this research and future research directions are described.

How a science methods course may influence the curriculum decisions of preservice teachers in the Bahamas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisdom, Sonya L.

The purpose of this study was to examine how a science methods course in primary education might influence the curriculum decisions of preservice teachers in The Bahamas related to unit plan development on environmental science topics. Grounded in a social constructivist theoretical framework for teaching and learning science, this study explored the development of the confidence and competence of six preservice teachers to teach environmental science topics at the primary school level. A qualitative case study using action research methodologies was conducted. The perspectives of preservice teachers about the relevancy of methods used in a science methods course were examined as I became more reflective about my practice. Using constant comparative analysis, data from student-written documents and interviews as well as my field notes from class observations and reflective journaling were analyzed for emerging patterns and themes. Findings of the study indicated that while preservice teachers showed a slight increase in interest regarding learning and teaching environmental science, their primary focus during the course was learning effective teaching strategies in science on topics with which they already had familiarity. Simultaneously, I gained a deeper understanding of the usefulness of reflection in my practice. As a contribution to the complexity of learning to teach science at the primary school level, this study suggests some issues for consideration as preservice teachers are supported to utilize more of the national primary science curriculum in The Bahamas.

Making the informal formal: An examination of why and how teachers and students leverage experiences in informal learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Barbara P.

This study was an effort to understand the impact of informal learning environments (museums, aquaria, nature centers, and outdoor education programs) on school groups by developing a picture of why and how teachers and their students leverage experiences in these settings. This work relied on the self-reported visions for science education of formal and informal teachers as a means of creating a portrait or profile of the teacher visitor thus providing a new way to assess the quality of informal visits based on vision elements. Multi-level, year long case studies at six school sites and their partnering informal centers that included multiple interviews, observations (250 hours) of both school based and field trip activities, as well as focus group interviews with students two months past their field trip experience comprised the bulk of data collection activities. In addition to this more intensive work with case study teachers data was gathered from a broader group of participants through surveys (n = 396) and one-time classroom teacher interviews (n = 36) in an effort to validate or confirm case study findings. I discovered that central to informal and formal teachers' visions was a view of education as empowerment. I explored such goals as empowering students to conceive of themselves and their worlds differently, empowering students by sharing responsibility for what and how they learn, and empowering students by creating environments where everyone can contribute meaningfully. Much of what classroom teachers did to leverage the informal experience in supporting their visions of education related to these goals. For example teachers used shared experiences in informal settings as a way for their students to gain better access to and understanding of the classroom curriculum thereby increasing student participation and allowing more students to be successful. They also changed their approach to content by basing the classroom curriculum on students' interests and questions raised during visits to informal settings. Consequently teachers noted their students were better able to connect to traditional elements of school as a result of their informal experiences. Personal growth of students was also a major area of change. Increases in self-esteem, fieldtrip and classroom participation, as well as improved classroom behavior were reported and observed and improved the way the classroom functioned.

Teachers' Roles in Infants' Play and Its Changing Nature in a Dynamic Group Care Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Jeesun

2013-01-01

Using a qualitative research approach, this article explores teachers' roles in infants' play and its changing nature in an infant group care setting. Three infant teachers in a child care center were followed over three months. Observations, interviews, ongoing conversations, emails, and reflective notes were used as data sources. Findings…

Implementing Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom: Four Teachers' Accounts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalik, Cindy; Kuo, Chia-Ling; Cummins, Megan; Dipzinski, Erin; Joseph, Paula; Laskey, Stephanie

2014-01-01

In this paper, four teachers shared their experiences using the following free Web 2.0 tools with their students: Jing, Wix, Google Sites, and Blogger. The teachers found that students reacted positively to lessons in which these tools were used, and also noted improvements they could make when using them in the future.

The Crisis Manual for Early Childhood Teachers: How To Handle the Really Difficult Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Karen

More and more teachers report the increasing incidence of crises in children's lives, crises that interfere with the child's ability to learn. Noting that developmentally appropriate curricula must respond to the issues of immediate concern and interest to children, this source book assists teachers in facing difficult issues in the classroom and…

Preparing the EFL Teacher: A Projection for the '70's.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugton, Robert C., Ed.

Following a Foreword and Introduction by the editor, papers in this compilation of studies in the training of teachers for English as a second language are: (1) "Linguistics and the EFL Teacher," by Bruce Fraser; (2) "From Linguistics to Pedagogy: Some Tentative Applications," by William E. Rutherford; (3) "Notes Toward an Applied Rhetoric," by…

Reflective Teaching via a Problem Exploration--Teaching Adaptations--Resolution Cycle: A Mixed Methods Study of Preservice Teachers' Reflective Notes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayden, H. Emily; Chiu, Ming Ming

2015-01-01

We explore development of elementary preservice teachers' reflective practices as they solved problems encountered while teaching in a reading clinic. Written reflections (N = 175) were collected across 8 weeks from 23 preservice teachers and analyzed to investigate relationships among problem exploration, teaching adaptations, and problem…

Disrupting Whitestream Measures of Quality Teaching: The Community Cultural Wealth of Teachers of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burciaga, Rebeca; Kohli, Rita

2018-01-01

Discussions of teacher preparation, qualifications, and effectiveness are at the heart of increasing attacks on public education. In this article, we contribute to the growing body of literature that works to challenge the narrowing parameters of what is considered effective teacher pedagogy, particularly as it relates to the noted value of…

Managing Performance Evaluation Uncertainties in Schools: When Teachers Become Struggling Performers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Englund, Hans; Frostenson, Magnus

2017-01-01

Performative technologies are increasingly relied upon as a means of controlling the work of teachers. As noted in the literature, one possible outcome of this trend is the performer, a teacher identity that presupposes the internalization of, and adaptation to, a performative logic. Based on the findings from an empirical study of a Swedish upper…

Linking Literacy, Technology, and the Environment: An Interview with Joan Goble and Rene de Vries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strangman, Nicole

2003-01-01

Interviews Joan Goble, a third-grade teacher in Indiana, and Rene de Vries, a sixth-grade teacher in The Netherlands. Explains that the two teachers created and managed three Internet projects discussing endangered species and the environment. Notes that through these projects, students can experience the double satisfaction of educating others…

Becoming Teacher Researchers One Moment at a Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Brenda; Hubbard, Ruth

1999-01-01

Presents, in their own words, teachers in the process of becoming researchers. Shows how research is not just neatly laid out end-products of new knowledge but is also the ticks of discomfort arising from new awareness. Notes that all of the teachers featured were going about their normal daily tasks when they experience major changes as…

Laughing Lessons: 149 2/3 Ways To Make Teaching and Learning Fun.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Ron

This book presents classroom-tested ideas to help teachers make teaching and learning more enjoyable, noting that humor can be a positive force in teaching, learning, and health. The book is designed to: help teachers see the importance of a pleasant, good-humored environment; convince teachers that laughter can be an essential element in…

Mixed-Methods Analysis of Rural Special Educators' Role Stressors, Behavior Management, and Burnout

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garwood, Justin D.; Werts, Margaret G.; Varghese, Cheryl; Gosey, Leanne

2018-01-01

The researchers of this study used a mixed-methods approach to understand issues of rural special education teacher burnout. Results of survey responses (n = 64) and follow-up focus group interviews (n = 12) from rural special education teachers indicated several factors contributing to stress and burnout. Teachers noted that lack of clarity in…

Curbing Early-Career Teacher Attrition: A Pan-Canadian Document Analysis of Teacher Induction and Mentorship Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutsyuruba, Benjamin; Tregunna, Leigha

2014-01-01

Over the past two decades, the phenomenon of teachers abandoning the profession has been noted internationally, and has increasingly caught the attention of policy makers and educational leaders. Despite this awareness, no pan-Canadian statistics or comprehensive reviews are available. This paper reports on the exploratory, pan-Canadian document…

The Trouble with Moral Citizens: A Response to "Moral-Character Development for Teacher Education" by Daniel Lapsley and Ryan Woodbury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westheimer, Joel

2016-01-01

In "Moral-Character Development for Teacher Education," Daniel Lapsley and Ryan Woodbury argue that teacher education licensure and accreditation standards largely ignore matters of values, character, and morality. "The moral-character formation of children," they note, "is the instructional objective that dare not speak…

Annotations on a Scandal: Desire, Transgression, and the Filmic Fantasy of Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stillwaggon, James; Jelinek, David

2015-01-01

From Socrates to Jean Brodie, we have become accustomed to teachers serving as placeholders for transgressive and powerful desires in our cultural imaginary. Evidenced by recent scholarship on teachers in film, however, as well as by the 2006 film "Notes on a Scandal", the way we ought to feel about teachers acting on their transgressive…

Meeting the Need for Special Education Teachers for Culturally Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Patricia; Showalter, Stephen

2010-01-01

Significant personnel shortages in special education have been noted in the 23rd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA Act (USDE, 2002). With predictions of even more serious teacher shortages, there is an especially critical need for additional special education teachers for students with disabilities from culturally and…

Perceptions of Experienced Music Teachers regarding Their Work as Music Mentors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Colleen; Holcomb, Al

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of experienced music teachers regarding their preparation for and experience of mentoring in a 2-year mentor project focusing on the support of teachers in Title I schools in Orlando, Florida. Data included the following: initial expectations of mentoring from Year 1 (note cards), biggest…

Does Performance Related Pay for Teachers Improve Student Performance? Some Evidence from India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingdon, Geeta; Teal, Francis

This study examined whether teacher pay was responsive to measures of student performance, noting whether higher pay actually raised student learning outcomes. Data came from a survey of students and schools in India, where public and private school sectors have developed in parallel. The survey collected data on 902 students, 172 teachers, and…

Teacher Supply & Demand in Michigan and the United States 1994-95.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheetz, L. Patrick; Gratz, Becky

This publication provides analysis of current data on the supply and demand for teachers nationally and in Michigan in 1994-95 along with tips for new teachers who are still seeking jobs. The text covers areas of education where demand is highest including special education and science education, notes the persistent demand for minority teachers…

Learning English in Mexico: Perspectives from Mexican Teachers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borjian, Ali

2015-01-01

ESL and Language Arts teachers have noted a growing population of transnational students who--because of family migration patterns--have complex educational histories that straddle both Mexico and the US. Yet US teachers know little about the English-language training that such students receive in Mexico. This study attempts to bridge that gap,…

Engaging in science inquiry: Prospective elementary teachers' learning in an innovative life science course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haefner, Leigh Boardman

2001-10-01

This study examined prospective elementary teachers' learning about science inquiry in the context of an innovative life science course that engaged them in an original science investigation. Eleven elementary education majors participated in the study. A multiple case study approach that was descriptive, interpretive, and framed by grounded theory was employed. Primary data sources included transcripts of semi-structured interviews, text associated with online threaded discussions, and course project documents, such as lesson plans and written reflections. Secondary data sources included videotaped class sessions and field notes. Data were analyzed using analytical induction techniques, and trustworthiness was developed through the use of multiple data sources, triangulation of data, and the use of counterexamples to the assertions. Three major findings emerged from the cross-case analysis. First, engaging in an original science investigation assisted prospective teachers in becoming more attentive to the processes of science and developing more elaborated and data-driven explanations of how science is practiced. Second, when prospective teachers struggled with particular aspects of their investigations, those aspects became foci of change in their thinking about science and doing science. Third, as prospective teachers came to place a greater emphasis on questions, observations, and experimentation as fundamental aspects of doing science, they became more accepting of approaches to teaching science that encourage children's questions about science phenomena. Implications include the need to re-conceptualize teacher preparation programs to include multiple opportunities to engage prospective teachers in learning science as inquiry, and attend to connections among subject matter knowledge, subject-specific pedagogy and experiences with children.

Exploring the use of lesson study with six Canadian middle-school science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridges, Terry James

This qualitative case study explores the use of lesson study over a ten-week period with six Ontario middle school science teachers. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) How does participation in science-based lesson study influence these teachers': (a) science subject matter knowledge (science SMK), (b) science pedagogical content knowledge (science PCK), and (c) confidence in teaching science?, and (2) What benefits and challenges do they associate with lesson study? Data sources for this study were: teacher questionnaires, surveys, reflections, pre- and post- interviews, and follow-up emails; researcher field notes and reflections; pre- and post- administration of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument; and audio recordings of group meetings. The teachers demonstrated limited gains in science SMK. There was evidence for an overall improvement in teacher knowledge of forces and simple machines, and two teachers demonstrated improvement in over half of the five scenarios assessing teacher science SMK. Modest gains in teacher science PCK were found. One teacher expressed more accurate understanding of students' knowledge of forces and a better knowledge of effective science teaching strategies. The majority of teachers reported that they would be using three-part lessons and hands-on activities more in their science teaching. Gains in teacher pedagogical knowledge (PK) were found in four areas: greater emphasis on anticipation of student thinking and responses, recognition of the importance of observing students, more intentional teaching, and anticipated future use of student video data. Most teachers reported feeling more confident in teaching structures and mechanisms, and attributed this increase in confidence to collaboration and seeing evidence of student learning and engagement during the lesson teachings. Teacher benefits included: learning how to increase student engagement and collaboration, observing students, including video data, observing colleagues teach, time to collaborate, plan, and reflect, teaching the same lesson to two classes, more intentional teaching, and increasing social interactions. Teacher challenges included: teacher unfamiliarity with the students being taught, time spent taking part in lesson study, teachers in the role of observers, and impact of observers and videotaping on students and teachers during lesson enactments.

No One Told Me about May.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauly, Emily

2003-01-01

Traces an eighth-grade teacher's first year of teaching. Notes times of enthusiasm and fatigue: the "October Slump" and the "May Circus." Suggests that though teachers may be warned about certain slump times, only experience will help them through it. (PM)

78 FR 66344 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-05

... respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received... classroom. The study will examine data from a teacher survey and data from evaluations of teacher...

Notes on Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Physics Education, 1980

1980-01-01

Describes briefly three experiments, which are presented by three physics teachers to share their ideas with other teachers and readers. These experiments are: (1) a simple hazemeter for window pollution assessment; (2) the speed of light; and (3) the ball-bearing electric motor. (HM)

The Effects of Praise Notes on the Disruptive Behaviors of Elementary Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in a Residential Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Christina

2010-01-01

In this study, the effects of two secondary tier positive behavioral support strategies, teacher praise notes (TPNs) and peer praise notes (PPNs), were investigated using an alternating treatments single-subject design in residential classroom settings with eight elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) in grades one…

Assimilation or transformation? An analysis of change in ten secondary science teachers following an inquiry-based research experience for teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanchard, Margaret R.

2006-12-01

It is argued that teachers must experience inquiry in order to be able to translate it to their classrooms. The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs) offer promising programs, yet scant empirical support documents the effectiveness of these programs. In this study, ten experienced, secondary science teachers were followed back to the classroom after a five-week, marine ecology RET, addressing the questions: How do teachers' conceptions and enactment of classroom inquiry change after the program?; What are the program's goals?; What accounts for these differences?; and What do these findings imply for future RETs? Data collected includes pre and post program questionnaires, audiotapes and videotapes of pre and post program teaching, post program STIR instrument responses, interviews, and field notes. The study found that an extensive, reflective program model, conducted by scientists who are teacher-centered, successfully conveyed the program model of inquiry. Post program, teachers' conceptions of inquiry were more student centered, focused less on assessment and classroom management and more on authentic content, questions, and presentations, and incorporated program language. Question patterns during enactment shifted to fewer teacher questions, more student questions, and increased higher order questions by students and teachers. More procedural questions indicated role shifts. The STIR instrument fostered understanding of enactment and, with critical incidents analyses, highlighted underlying teacher value structures. Teachers with more theoretical sophistication and who had Rationalistic and Egalitarian value structures applied inquiry throughout their teaching and moved beyond contextual constraints. Implications suggest that those who develop and implement RETs need to be masterful "bridge builders" to help transition teachers and their learning back to the classroom. Reflection holds promise for illuminating teachers' underlying values and goals and in gaining an understanding of teachers' enactment. Curriculum materials and theoretical readings can assist teacher change. Assimilation of new knowledge does not necessarily lead to transformation of practices. Rather, this study found that teachers with values and goals that were compatible to the RET, as well as an accompanying high level of theoretical sophistication, moved toward transformational change.

Occupational Investigation. Teacher's Handbook. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

East Texas State Univ., Commerce. Occupational Curriculum Lab.

This teacher's handbook provides suggestions for organization and presentation of resource and instructional materials found in four occupational investigation guides available separately (see Note). Chapter 1 explains Texas Education Agency operations and the Occupational Investigation program and policies. Chapter 2 discusses public relations…

A Partnership between English Language Learners and a Team of Rocket Scientists: EPO for the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; Eparvier, F.; McCaffrey, M.; Murillo, M.

2007-12-01

Recent immigrant high school students were successfully engaged in learning about Sun-Earth connections through a partnership with the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) project. The students were enrolled in a pilot course as part of the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement MESA) program. For many of the students, this was the only science option available to them due to language limitations. The English Language Learner (ELL) students doubled their achievement on a pre- and post-assessment on the content of the course. Students learned scientific content and vocabulary in English with support in Spanish, attended field trips, hosted scientist speakers, built and deployed space weather monitors as part of the Stanford SOLAR project, and gave final presentations in English, showcasing their new computer skills. Teachers who taught the students in other courses noted gains in the students' willingness to use English in class and noted gains in math skills. The MESA-EVE course won recognition as a Colorado MESA Program of Excellence and is being offered again in 2007-08. The course has been broken into modules for use in shorter after-school environments, or for use by EVE scientists who are outside of the Boulder area. Other EVE EPO includes professional development for teachers and content workshops for journalists.

From Teacher-at-Sea to Authentic Science in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzer, M. A.; Laj, C.

2007-12-01

Research has shown that most teachers will teach the way they have been taught, unless a sustainable intervention has taken place. This has the greatest implications for teachers of science, where those who have been taught with inquiry approaches will employ inquiry approaches in their classrooms, and those who have been taught with lecture and note taking will teach primarily using lectures and note taking. If our children are to learn about the nature of science, they need to be taught using constructivist and inquiry methods. A teacher who only uses textbooks and lectures will not create students who can employ critical thinking skills indicative of the nature of science. There is a way to change the way our teachers teach science, and that is by exposing teachers to authentic inquiry. The Teacher at Sea Program sponsored by Institut Polaire Francais (IPEV) created such an opportunity for 4 teachers, who participated in the PACHIDERME deep sea sediment cruise on the R/V Marion Dufresne off the coast of Chile for 3 weeks in February, 2007. While onboard the teachers assisted research scientists from France, Germany, Norway, and Chile in their quest to gather and analyze sediment cores for clues to past climates. The teachers were immersed in the research projects right from the start. They all participated in a "watch" and assisted those on the watch with the processing of the cores, which included properly labeling and packaging each of the core segments. Prior to the packaging, preliminary analysis was done to identify the physical and biological attributes of the core. The scientists gave of their time to coach the teachers not only on the techniques they were using, but also on the process of science. Whether it's working on an unstable platform, coring into the unknown, or adjusting to the weather that Mother Nature brings, the nature and process of science out at sea is complicated. The teachers came to realize this as they sailed in and out of the fjord region and into the open ocean off the coast of Chile, and shared these experiences with colleagues and students from around the world. They sent daily logs via email, sent pictures, and answered questions sent by teachers and students from Europe, the United States, and Chile. Students kept journals as they followed the daily events of the teachers at sea. A powerpoint presentation documenting the scientific endeavors of the cruise was created and is being used by many teachers as a tool to show how scientific research is done at sea. Was this cruise effective in changing the teaching styles of those teachers on board? The teachers observed how scientists generate questions, propose study plans, and employ creative methods to answer those questions. Having witnessed the nature and process first hand, these teachers reassessed their teaching styles for scientific validity. They are employing a greater number of open/full inquiry projects where the students are constructing and seeking to answer their own questions. These students will leave their classes knowing about the challenges of doing science, and the excitement in doing science. Whether it's out at sea, in the field, or in a lab, the participation of teachers in authentic inquiry is the best way to ensure our students are participating in authentic inquiry.

Pascal's Triangle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Patricia Shea

2003-01-01

Notes that Montessori classrooms provide children with the opportunity to explore and discover mathematics. Describes the introduction to Pascal's Triangle as a suggested opportunity to connect young children to deep mathematical truths. Provides teachers with materials requirements, and notes ideas on what can be acquired from the problem, the…

Analysis of Design and Delivery of Critical Incident Workshops for Elementary School English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chien, Chin-Wen

2018-01-01

Language teachers can uncover new understanding of the teaching and learning process through reflecting on critical incidents [Richard, J.C., and T.S.C. Farrell. 2005. "Professional Development for Language Teachers." New York, NY: Cambridge University Press]. Based on the data analysis of workshop handouts, observation notes, and…

Learning What To Say and When To Say It in the First Days in Preschool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martini, Mary

Noting that many instructional routines discourage complex thought and language, a study examined how teachers and children used language in the first 3 weeks in 3 preschools. Specifically it explored how teachers talk to children, what teachers ask children to do with language, and what children say in school. The language features of…

Using Systematic Classroom Observation to Explore Student Engagement as a Function of Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Instructional Practices (DAIP) in Ethnically Diverse Pre-Kindergarten through Second-Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alford, Beverly L.; Rollins, Kayla B.; Padrón, Yolanda N.; Waxman, Hersh C.

2016-01-01

Researchers observed pre-kindergarten through second-grade public school classrooms, specifically noting child-centered and teacher-directed pedagogical approaches, by simultaneously examining: (a) student behavior and activities, (b) teacher instructional orientation and rationale, and (c) overall classroom environment. Dissimilar to previous…

Transforming Teachers, Transforming Schools: Turning "Sages" into "Guides on the Side"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCrea, Steve

2012-01-01

Many teachers teach the way they were taught. If asked to explain why they lecture to their students, the response is often, "My teachers wrote on the board and I took notes. It worked for me." Brain research indicates that other techniques increase blood flow to parts of the brain associated with cognition. This presentation provides anecdotal…

Teachers Walking and Talking with Students: The Lost Social Capital of the Nineteenth Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smilie, Kipton D.; Smilie, Ethan K.

2014-01-01

As has been noted in previous studies, the great social significance of the schoolhouse in a community, the fact that it served often both as the literal center of a community as well as its social center, afforded teachers greater opportunity to interact with students outside school doors. Compared to today, teachers were considerably more likely…

Quit It! A Teacher's Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use with Students in Grades K-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froschl, Merle; Sprung, Barbara; Mullin-Rindler, Nancy

Noting that in elementary schools teasing and bullying are daily occurrences that negatively affect instruction and that students want adults to become more involved in resolving teasing and bullying, this guide was written to address teachers' concerns and to provide teachers in grades kindergarten through third grade with a proactive,…

Reading "Daddy's Roommate": Preservice Teachers Respond to a Controversial Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Shawyn

2002-01-01

Explores the responses of the author's 31 pre-service teachers to a controversial picture book. Begins by searching for a short text geared to elementary age children and suited for read-alouds. Notes that she believes that the majority of pre-service teachers at this stage in the program are still very impressionable and must be given multiple…

Male Teachers in Early Childhood Education: Self & Social Perceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaham, Dan

Noting that men make up only a small percentage of early childhood and day care educators, a study was conducted to assess male teachers' points of view and attitudes. The self- and social-perceptions of 5 male preschool teachers between the ages of 22 and 50 were determined through ethnographic interviews. It was found that, as a group, the male…

Constructing the Modern and Moral Teacher: A Genealogy of the Nineteenth Century Elementary School Teacher in England and Upper Canada.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsen, Marianne

This paper asserts that early teacher identity reflected wider contradictions and tensions within 19th century society, noting that Victorian society in England and Canada struggled to embrace modernity, and while committed to the Enlightenment project of science and progress and the principles of rationality and reason, much traditionalism still…

Teacher-Child Dyadic Interaction: A Manual for Coding Classroom Behavior. Report Series No. 27.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, Jere E.; Good, Thomas L.

This manual presents the rationale and coding system for the study of dyadic interaction between teachers and children in classrooms. The introduction notes major differences between this system and others in common use: 1) it is not a universal system that attempts to code all classroom behavior, and 2) the teacher's interactions in his class are…

Students' Note-Taking Challenges in the Twenty-First Century: Considerations for Teachers and Academic Staff Developers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Meer, Jacques

2012-01-01

Note-taking in lectures is often taken to be the distinguishing characteristic of learning at university. It is typically assumed that this is a commonsensical skill that students either have or will learn through trial and error. The data from a research project in one New Zealand university suggest that taking good notes is not a skill that…

A Student Teacher Checklist: Professional Preparation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosshans, Onie R.

1978-01-01

A checklist of communication skills and techniques for student teachers includes items in the following categories: knowledge of content; knows students' names; blackboard use; use of notes; distracting mannerisms; eye contact; use of voice; facial expressions; use of humor; seating arrangement; classroom control. (JMF)

It's in the Box.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurtz, Kevin

1996-01-01

Describes a California elementary school's plan to help teachers develop portfolios for year-end assessments. Teachers toss notes from parents, student work samples, photographs of class activities, lesson materials, and other "artifacts" into cardboard boxes. They help each other sort by four subject categories and develop final…

A Guide to Field Notes for Qualitative Research: Context and Conversation.

PubMed

Phillippi, Julia; Lauderdale, Jana

2018-02-01

Field notes are widely recommended in qualitative research as a means of documenting needed contextual information. With growing use of data sharing, secondary analysis, and metasynthesis, field notes ensure rich context persists beyond the original research team. However, while widely regarded as essential, there is not a guide to field note collection within the literature to guide researchers. Using the qualitative literature and previous research experience, we provide a concise guide to collection, incorporation, and dissemination of field notes. We provide a description of field note content for contextualization of an entire study as well as individual interviews and focus groups. In addition, we provide two "sketch note" guides, one for study context and one for individual interviews or focus groups for use in the field. Our guides are congruent with many qualitative and mixed methodologies and ensure contextual information is collected, stored, and disseminated as an essential component of ethical, rigorous qualitative research.

25 CFR 169.7 - Field notes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER RIGHTS-OF-WAY OVER INDIAN LANDS § 169.7 Field notes. Field notes of the survey shall appear along the line indicating the right-of-way on the maps, unless the maps would be too crowded thereby to be easily legible, in which event the field notes may be...

I Can Hardly Wait Till Monday: Women Teachers Talk about What Works for Them and for Boys.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartman, Deborah

Noting that the majority of teachers of boys are women, this book provides a series of case studies in which experienced women teachers talk about enjoying and using boys' energy in the classroom, tuning in to the ways that boys communicate, and varying lessons to suit all learning styles. Case studies from various schools in Australia illustrate…

A Teacher's Perspective of Geography: A School Subject for Today, Tomorrow, and for All Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLeod, Douglas G.

2014-01-01

In this article, a retired long-time geography teacher offers his perspective on what a geography teacher needs to keep in mind when teaching geography. The author notes that geography is a useful school subject because it helps young people make their way in the world by giving them some tools to become lifelong learners. The author encourages…

Probing the Natural World, Level III, Record Book, Teacher's Guide: What's Up? Intermediate Science Curriculum Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonar, John R., Ed.; Hathway, James A., Ed.

This is the teacher's edition of the Record Book for the unit "What's Up" of the Intermediate Science Curriculum Study (ISCS) for level III students (grade 9). The correct answers to the questions from the student text are recorded. An introductory note to the teacher explains how to use the book. Answers are included for the activities…

Spanish Language Arts. A Handbook for the Primary Teachers = Las artes del lenguaje espanol. Un manual para maestros de nivel primario.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago Board of Education, IL. Dept. of Curriculum.

A teaching guide for teachers of language arts for native Spanish-speaking primary school students in the Chicago public schools consists of four sections and appendices. Part I introduces the concepts of the language arts program, its behavioral objectives, suggestions for teachers, and notes on the characteristics of students of this age group.…

The Guiding Effects of a Critical Reading Program on the Use of External Reading Strategies When Confronting an Ironical Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karabay, Aysegul

2015-01-01

This study employed a sample of 60 pre-service teachers to examine the guiding effects of understanding critical reading theories on using external reading strategies such as note-taking and underlining when confronting an ironical literary text. The study broke down the teachers into one control group of 30 teachers and one experimental group of…

Teachers' Conduct in the 21st Century: The Need for Enhancing Students' Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dimkpa, Daisy I.

2015-01-01

This paper explores the teaching profession and the impact of teachers' conduct on the academic performance of students. It noted that as teaching is one of the oldest and well respected professions in the world, the role of the teacher in the effective delivery of knowledge and in bringing about a conducive atmosphere for learning cannot be over…

Mentor: A Wise Friend and Counselor--A Revolutionary Process for Tomorrow's Policy in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlachadi, Maria; Vasilis, Papageorgiou

2013-01-01

The institution of Mentor is not well-known in Greek educational reality since it has recently been introduced. Many teachers face it with skepticism however, it should be noted that the mentor is not only a teacher but also a student partner. He does not compete and does not interfere in the teachers' work, he simply facilitates and guides them…

Roma Gans: Still Writing at 95.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Joanna

1991-01-01

Recounts discussions with reading educator Roma Gans over a 25-year period. Presents Gans' views about reading, teachers, her family, and her years at Teachers College, Columbia. Notes that Gans has seen the teaching of reading come full circle since her first teaching assignment in 1919. (RS)

What Did You Do with Sophie, Teacher?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacIsaac, Pat; King, Susan

1989-01-01

Describes three- and four-year-old children's reactions to the death of a class guinea pig. The teacher recorded children's comments about the death and included them in a note to parents. The guinea pig was buried by the children in the school playyard. (RJC)

A Reflection on Reflection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Pat

2002-01-01

Reflects on the articles in this themed issue on reflective practice. Notes that these teacher/authors have been influenced by prior learning, past experience, feelings, attitudes, values, the school constraints on the learning environment, and their own assumptions about teaching. Describes how teachers have formed a learning community to…

Teaching Television Watchers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Judy Lee

1994-01-01

Presents activities to help teachers address the needs and behaviors of students raised on television; includes resources to help teachers use television productively in the classroom, a send-home reproducible on children and television violence, and notes on an interview with Shari Lewis and television tips for primary students. (SM)

Integrating Curriculum in a Total Quality School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Kenneth D.; Jenkins, Doris M.

1998-01-01

Examined the changes implemented by teachers at Brown Barge Middle School, in Pensacola, Florida, to improve curriculum. Notes the teachers' use of total quality education principles and describes six propositions of change: achieving constancy of purpose, building quality, continuous improvement, student-centered approach, using data, and…

Teacher labor markets in developed countries.

PubMed

Ladd, Helen F

2007-01-01

Helen Ladd takes a comparative look at policies that the world's industrialized countries are using to assure a supply of high-quality teachers. Her survey puts U.S. educational policies and practices into international perspective. Ladd begins by examining teacher salaries-an obvious, but costly, policy tool. She finds, perhaps surprisingly, that students in countries with high teacher salaries do not in general perform better on international tests than those in countries with lower salaries. Ladd does find, however, that the share of underqualified teachers in a country is closely related to salary. In high-salary countries like Germany, Japan, and Korea, for example, only 4 percent of teachers are underqualified, as against more than 10 percent in the United States, where teacher salaries, Ladd notes, are low relative to those in other industrialized countries. Teacher shortages also appear to stem from policies that make salaries uniform across academic subject areas and across geographic regions. Shortages are especially common in math and science, in large cities, and in rural areas. Among the policy strategies proposed to deal with such shortages is to pay teachers different salaries according to their subject area. Many countries are also experimenting with financial incentive packages, including bonuses and loans, for teachers in specific subjects or geographic areas. Ladd notes that many developed countries are trying to attract teachers by providing alternative routes into teaching, often through special programs in traditional teacher training institutions and through adult education or distance learning programs. To reduce attrition among new teachers, many developed countries have also been using formal induction or mentoring programs as a way to improve new teachers' chances of success. Ladd highlights the need to look beyond a single policy, such as higher salaries, in favor of broad packages that address teacher preparation and certification, working conditions, the challenges facing new teachers, and the distribution of teachers across geographic areas.

CoRes utilization for building PCK in pre-service teacher education on the digestive system topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraha, Ikmanda

2017-05-01

Knowledge of teachers in learning activities in the classroom has a close relationship with how well and how much students learn. Recently, a promising development in teacher education has appeared that centers on the academic construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study was an exploratory study into a science teacher education program that seeks to build the foundations on which pre-service teachers can begin to build their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The program involved the use of Content Representations (CoRes), which was initially applied as component of a strategy for exploring and gaining insights into the PCK of in-service science teachers. This study involved the researcher and 20 students (third year) in a pre-service teacher education course (School Science I) in science education when the students worked to make content analysis on the digestive system topic. During the course, the students make their own CoRes through a workshop for digestive system topic individually, in pairs and whole class discussion. Data were recorded from students' CoRes, student reflective journals, interviews, and field notes recorded in the researcher's reflective journal. Pre-service teachers' comments from interviews and reflective journals were coded in relation to references about: (1) the effectiveness of variety strategies in building the knowledge bases required to design a CoRes and (2) their awareness and/or development of tentative components of future PCK for a digestive system topic as a result of CoRes construction. Observational data were examined for indications of increasing independence and competency on the part of student teachers when locating appropriate information for designing their CoRes. From this study, it is hoped that the pre-service science teachers are able to build knowledge and then transform it into a form of PCK for digestive system topic for their first classroom planning and teaching to teach digestive system contents effectively.

Young Children’s Motivation to Read and Write: Development in Social Contexts

PubMed Central

Nolen, Susan Bobbitt

2009-01-01

In a 3-year longitudinal, mixed-method study, 67 children in two schools were observed during literacy activities in Grades 1–3. Children and their teachers were interviewed each year about the children’s motivation to read and write. Taking a grounded theory approach, content analysis of the child interview protocols identified the motivations that were salient to children at each grade level in each domain, looking for patterns by grade and school. Analysis of field notes, teacher interviews, and child interviews suggests that children’s motivation for literacy is best understood in terms of development in specific contexts. Development in literacy skill and teachers’ methods of instruction and raising motivation provided affordances and constraints for literate activity and its accompanying motivations. In particular, there was support for both the developmental hypotheses of Renninger and her colleagues (Hidi & Renninger, 2006) and of Pressick-Kilborne and Walker (2002). The positions of poor readers and the strategies they used were negotiated and developed in response to the social meanings of reading, writing, and relative literacy skill co-constructed by students and teachers in each classroom. The relationship of these findings to theories of motivation is discussed. PMID:19727337

Mathematical Abstraction: Constructing Concept of Parallel Coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurhasanah, F.; Kusumah, Y. S.; Sabandar, J.; Suryadi, D.

2017-09-01

Mathematical abstraction is an important process in teaching and learning mathematics so pre-service mathematics teachers need to understand and experience this process. One of the theoretical-methodological frameworks for studying this process is Abstraction in Context (AiC). Based on this framework, abstraction process comprises of observable epistemic actions, Recognition, Building-With, Construction, and Consolidation called as RBC + C model. This study investigates and analyzes how pre-service mathematics teachers constructed and consolidated concept of Parallel Coordinates in a group discussion. It uses AiC framework for analyzing mathematical abstraction of a group of pre-service teachers consisted of four students in learning Parallel Coordinates concepts. The data were collected through video recording, students’ worksheet, test, and field notes. The result shows that the students’ prior knowledge related to concept of the Cartesian coordinate has significant role in the process of constructing Parallel Coordinates concept as a new knowledge. The consolidation process is influenced by the social interaction between group members. The abstraction process taken place in this group were dominated by empirical abstraction that emphasizes on the aspect of identifying characteristic of manipulated or imagined object during the process of recognizing and building-with.

Teachers as Secondary Players: Involvement in Field Trips to Natural Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alon, Nirit Lavie; Tal, Tali

2017-08-01

This study focused on field trips to natural environments where the teacher plays a secondary role alongside a professional guide. We investigated teachers' and field trip guides' views of the teacher's role, the teacher's actual function on the field trip, and the relationship between them. We observed field trips, interviewed teachers and guides, and administered questionnaires. We found different levels of teacher involvement, ranging from mainly supervising and giving technical help, to high involvement especially in the cognitive domain and sometimes in the social domain. Analysis of students' self-reported outcomes showed that the more students believe their teachers are involved, the higher the self-reported learning outcomes.

Being outside learning about science is amazing: A mixed methods study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weibel, Michelle L.

This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to examine teachers' environmental attitudes and concerns about an outdoor educational field trip. Converging both quantitative data (Environmental Attitudes Scale and teacher demographics) and qualitative data (Open-Ended Statements of Concern and interviews) facilitated interpretation. Research has shown that adults' attitudes toward the environment strongly influence children's attitudes regarding the environment. Science teachers' attitudes toward nature and attitudes toward children's field experiences influence the number and types of field trips teachers take. Measuring teacher attitudes is a way to assess teacher beliefs. The one day outdoor field trip had significant outcomes for teachers. Quantitative results showed that practicing teachers' environmental attitudes changed following the Forever Earth outdoor field trip intervention. Teacher demographics showed no significance. Interviews provided a more in-depth understanding of teachers' perspectives relating to the field trip and environmental education. Four major themes emerged from the interviews: 1) environmental attitudes, 2) field trip program, 3) integrating environmental education, and 4) concerns. Teachers' major concern, addressed prior to the field trip through the Open-Ended Statements of Concern, was focused on students (i.e., behavior, safety, content knowledge) and was alleviated following the field trip. Interpretation of the results from integrating the quantitative and qualitative results shows that teachers' personal and professional attitudes toward the environment influence their decision to integrate environmental education in classroom instruction. Since the Forever Earth field trip had a positive influence on teachers' environmental attitudes, further research is suggested to observe if teachers integrate environmental education in the classroom to reach the overall goal of increasing environmental literacy.

Classroom Notes Plus: A Quarterly of Teaching Ideas, 1999-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Classroom Notes Plus, 2000

2000-01-01

"Classroom Notes Plus" publishes descriptions of original, unpublished teaching practices or adapted ideas. Each issue also contains sections on Teacher Talk, Classroom Solutions, and Web resources. The August 1999 issue contains the following materials: Ideas from the Classroom-"Parody: Getting the Joke with Style" (Bonnie…

Successful White teachers of Black students: Teaching across racial lines in urban middle school science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, Bobbie

The majority of urban minority students, particularly Black students, continue to perform below proficiency on standardized state and national testing in all areas that seriously impact economically advanced career options, especially in areas involving science. If education is viewed as a way out of poverty, there is a need to identify pedagogical methodologies that assist Black students in achieving higher levels of success in science, and in school in general. The purpose of this study was to explore White teachers' and Black students' perceptions about the teaching strategies used in their low socioeconomic status (LSES) urban science classrooms, that led to academic success for Black students. Participants included three urban middle school White teachers thought to be the best science teachers in the school, and five randomly selected Black students from each of their classrooms. Methods of inquiry involving tenets of grounded theory were used to examine strategies teachers used to inspire Black students into academic success. Data collection included teacher and student interviews, field notes from classroom observations, group discussions, and questionaires. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The teachers' perceptions indicated that their prior belief systems, effective academic and personal communication, caring and nurturing strategies, using relevant and meaningful hands-on activities in small learner-centered groups, enhanced the learning capabilities of all students in their classrooms, especially the Black students. Black students' perceptions indicated that their academic success was attributable to what teachers personally thought about them, demonstrated that they cared, communicated with them on a personal and academic level, gave affirmative feedback, simplified, and explained content matter. Black students labeled teachers who had these attributes as "nice" teachers. The nurturing and caring behaviors of "nice" teachers caused Black students to feel a sense of community and a sense of belonging in their classrooms. Black students demonstrated that they respected and always "had the back" of these "nice" teachers. Results from this study could play a significant role in teacher retention and in informing best practices for preservice and other teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of LSES urban students.

Why won't they listen: Negotiating the technological and social context for science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liuzzo, Anna M.

The purpose of this study was to gather information to identify the obstacles and the impact an implementation of technology had in a middle school science classroom. This study explored a teaching environment where the teacher planned on using a variety of technology tools including laptops, probeware, hardware and software to promote scientific study. This study took place in two phases consisting of three consecutive years. In phase one the teacher reported great success. In phase two a shift in the school implementation created a significant impact on the learning taking place. This study identified the obstacles faced by a teacher providing an environment that combined her pedagogy with technology implementation. This teacher's pedagogy included research-based practices such a authentic problem-based learning, scientific inquiry, conceptual understanding of problem solving, connections to real-life situations and the use of metacognition in her practice. This study looked to determined if this implementation had an effect on student engagement and achievement; how the nature of technical and professional development impacted the implementation; and the barriers that were faced in creating a student-centered, technology rich approach to science. This qualitative study was conducted meeting the criteria of a case study of one teacher. The participant teacher's accounts of events through interviews were the primary source of data. In addition, multiple sources of information were also gathered. These included the teacher's reflective journal, student interviews, student focus groups, student artifacts, classroom observations, field notes, e-mail correspondences and students' test scores. This study proposes to contribute to the growing research evidence of implementation in the classroom and to identify specific obstacles that hinder success. The current state of education is calling for reform.

Looking inward, looking outward: Developing knowledge through teacher research in a middle school science classroom during a unit on magnetism and electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Melissa D.

In this study I aimed to understand effective teaching and learning in the context of my middle school science classroom. The study was a multiple case analysis of two classes of students, one gifted and one academic, during a unit on magnetism and electricity. From a teacher researcher perspective, I conducted the study to investigate the development of my knowledge---scientific, pedagogical content, and reflective---as a teacher. From an analysis of questionnaires, field notes, transcribed audio tapes of small and large group discussions, and student artifacts, I constructed an understanding of my students' learning and my own growth in several realms. My scientific knowledge grew both substantively and syntactically; I elaborated my understanding of magnetism, rethought my delivery of electricity, realized a need for training in electronics, and refined my definition of the nature of science in research. I built on my pedagogical content knowledge with regard to students ideas about magnetism and electricity, learning characteristics of gifted students, tools of inquiry that facilitate learning, and methods to operationalize the situated learning model. Most importantly I gained an understanding of teacher research and its three components: ownership, purpose, and methodology. The findings contribute to the understanding of teacher research as well as various bodies of science education literature: (a) students' ideas about magnetism, (b) the science learning characteristics of gifted students, (c) tools of inquiry in the science classroom, and (d) operationalization of the situated learning model.

Coordinating Effective Field Experiences: Recommendations for Cooperating Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEntyre, Kelsey; Baxter, Deborah; Richards, K. Andrew R.

2018-01-01

The role of the cooperating teacher is an integral component of field-based teacher education because the cooperating teacher can bridge the gap between the knowledge developed on campus during physical education teacher education and preservice teachers' field-based learning experiences leading up to and including student teaching. In order to…

Tulips, Tagmemics, and the Ghost of Dartmouth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oster, John

1979-01-01

Provides the author's impressions of the 1979 Canadian Council of Teachers of English Conference at Ottawa, noting the three prominent areas of concern: the assessment of writing at all educational levels, the teaching of writing to non-matriculation students, and continuing education for the writing teacher. (RL)

Writing from "Artifacts."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Robert

1987-01-01

Describes a teacher's presentation in the classroom of the drafts, notes, outlines, and other artifacts from his own papers. Recommends that teachers show their students evidence of their own struggle with the writing process in order to encourage them and convince them that all writers hesitatingly begin with a mess. (JG)

Practicing What We Preach in Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Marian B.; Hatch, J. Amos

2000-01-01

Describes reorganization of an early childhood education program for teachers at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Lists changes in program elements, highlights program goals, describes key conceptual features, and includes student comments as evidence of program effectiveness. Notes that program focus is developing the students' capacity…

Basic Writing Concepts for Scientists and Engineers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, John H.

1980-01-01

Notes the differences between poetry and technical communication. Charges English teacher/humanists with confusing students about emotional writing, style, and effective technical communication. Offers five concepts that technical writing teachers can use to place "style" on a rational basis and to make students understand the true purposes of…

May's First Year: Conversations with a Mentor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilbourn, Brent; Roberts, Geoffrey

1991-01-01

Describes a first-year teacher's efforts to become a teacher and her experiences of the complex relationships among control, subject matter, and teaching. The article stresses the importance of the institutional context within which the beginner works, noting her relationship with her department head and mentor. (SM)

Scribliotherapy: Enhancing Communication among Students, Parents, and Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Joyce C.

Researchers have long noted the psychologically-liberating effects of expressive language. This paper explores how a writing technique, scribliotherapy, enhances communication among students, parents, and teachers. Scribliography is the technique of matching children with books on the topics of their emotional concerns and writing their response…

Effective Instructional Characteristics of Teachers of Junior High School Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendel, Robert; Heiser, Sandra

1989-01-01

An ethnographic study analyzed videotapes using simulated recall procedure and comparative analysis of a student opinionnaire to determine effective characteristics of teachers of gifted junior high schools students. Desirable traits noted were humor, enthusiasm, creativity, care and respect for students, and high expectations. (MSE)

Notes from a Meeting with Preschool Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Diane; And Others

1996-01-01

Conducting question-and-answer sessions among teachers, parents, and mental health professionals can build a tighter home-school community while improving children's quality of life. This article presents the gist of one such meeting with three child psychoanalysts, early childhood-education professors, preschool parents, and teachers. Analysts…

Representing Young Children with Disabilities in Classroom Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Favazza, Paddy C.; LaRoe, Joyce; Phillipsen, Leslie; Kumar, Poonam

2000-01-01

The "Inventory of Disability Representation" was administered to 92 teachers representing kindergarten, community child care, or preschool settings. Low scores across settings indicated that classrooms typically do not have materials that represent or depict children with diverse abilities. Reasons cited by teachers are noted as are benefits…

Children's Stealing: A Review of Theft-Control Procedures for Parents and Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Ruth Lyn Meese

1985-01-01

Guidelines are offered to parents and teachers for dealing with "normal" and aberrant theft while maintaining respect for the child's right to privacy. It is noted that theft is resistant to traditional intervention; however, successful behavioral interventions have been devised. (Author/CL)

Attitude Changes of Specialist Students of Physical Education towards Physical Activity during Teacher-Training Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrell, G. V.; Holt, D.

1982-01-01

A longitudinal investigation of the attitudes towards physical activity of specialist students of physical education was undertaken during a course of training teachers. Significant changes of attitude with time were noted, particularly in the Vertigo and Ascetic dimensions. (Author)

Creative Experiences for Young Children. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chenfeld, Mimi Brodsky

Noting that a creative approach to early childhood education allows teachers to reinforce the foundation of achievement by encouraging and expanding upon children's play activities, this book provides teacher-developed ideas and strategies for creating learning communities in the early childhood classroom. The beginning chapter introduces creative…

Emotional engagement, social interactions, and the development of an afterschool game design curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwah, Helen; Milne, Catherine; Tsai, Tzuchi; Goldman, Ricki; Plass, Jan L.

2016-09-01

This formative design study examines how a program curriculum and implementation was emergently (re)designed in dynamic relation to the expressed emotions of teachers and students. The context was a yearlong afterschool game design program for STEM learning at an urban and public all-girls middle school. Using Randall Collins' (Interaction ritual chains, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2004) sociology of emotions framework, our analysis of field notes and video data reveal how the original intended curriculum hindered the generation of positive emotions, mutual foci of attention, and feelings of group solidarity—factors important in the generation of successful group interactions. In response to teacher and student expressed emotions, we took these factors as a guide for redesigning the program curriculum and implementation in order to foster a more positive emotional climate and redirect students' positive emotions toward engagement in learning goals. This study's implications point to the possibilities for designing curricula and program implementations to engender more emotionally responsive environments for STEM learning.

78 FR 56222 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Highly Qualified Teachers Clearance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-12

..., commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments... respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received...

Bubbles: Films, Foams & Fizz. Ideas in Science. Notes for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Pat, Ed.

Five activities dealing with bubbles are presented. Information provided with the activities includes introductory and/or background information; notes on pre-activity preparations; lists of science themes and skills fostered; time frame; list of materials needed; student procedures; and instructional strategies. A teaching guide with detailed…

Lecons speciales Hausa (Hausa Special Lessons).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peace Corps, Niger (Nigeria).

Teachers' instructional notes for a Hausa course designed for Peace Corps volunteer language and cultural training contains lesson translations, questions for classroom use in several tenses, stories, readings, and summaries, lists of idioms and verbs, pattern drills, and notes on classroom technique. The information is intended to accompany a set…

Enhancing science teaching in an elementary school: A case study of a school-initiated Teacher Professional Development Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Clare M.

1998-12-01

This naturalistic case study documents a year long Teacher Professional Development Program (TPDP) initiated by an elementary school staff in British Columbia. The TPDP was designed to enable the teachers to meet their objective of making science instruction more frequent, more active, and more student-centered in all classrooms in the school. This case study addresses two research questions: (1) What attributes of the Teacher Professional Development Program supported the school's "objective" for improved science instruction? (2) How did the outcomes of the Teacher Professional Development Program relate to the achievement of the school's educational objective? The site for the research was a kindergarten--Grade 7 school. A university professor and the researcher were invited to visit the school on a bi-weekly basis during one school year (1993--94) to facilitate a series of science workshops involving the entire teaching staff and to provide classroom support to teachers. Teachers were offered university course credit for their participation. This case study draws on qualitative data including: audio recordings of planning/debriefing sessions, workshop discussions, and interviews with participants; field notes and written observations; a survey of teachers' opinions about the TPDP; and documents relating to the school accreditation process in 1994--95. The results of the study show that teachers, administrators, and parents were satisfied that the school's objective for science instruction was met, and that the TPDP contributed significantly to this outcome. The study identifies TPDP attributes which supported the school's objective with reference to the teachers and their context, the planning process, and the organizational context, that is, the school. This study contributes to our understanding of teacher professional development by examining an alternative to more common approaches to elementary teacher science inservice in British Columbia, which are typically short-term, designed by inservice providers with little input from participants, and removed physically and conceptually from the classroom. Such inservice experiences often lack administrative and collegial support for the teacher who attempts classroom implementation. While this study relates to science; the discussion is relevant to other curriculum areas such as fine arts or physical education.

Learning from Experience: A New Approach for Teacher Upgrading = Apprendre par l'experience: Une nouvelle approche en matiere de formation et de perfectionnement des enseignants. Notes, Comments...No. 190.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkatoolah, Amina B. S.

Two of Unesco's major education programs, the universalizaation of basic education and literacy education, have emphasized the need for teachers trained in their particular disciplines and pedagogical techniques. Developing countries, faced with a shortage of qualified teachers, have realized that they cannot rely solely on the formal education…

Effects of random study checks and guided notes study cards on middle school special education students' notetaking accuracy and science vocabulary quiz scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Charles L.

Federal legislation mandates that all students with disabilities have meaningful access to the general education curriculum and that students with and without disabilities be held equally accountable to the same academic standards (IDEIA, 2004; NCLB, 2001). Many students with disabilities, however, perform poorly in academic content courses, especially at the middle and secondary school levels. Previous research has reported increased notetaking accuracy and quiz scores over lecture content when students completed guided notes compared to taking their own notes. This study evaluated the effects of a pre-quiz review procedure and specially formatted guided notes on middle school special education students' learning of science vocabulary. This study compared the effects of three experimental conditions. (a) Own Notes (ON), (b) Own Notes+Random Study Checks (ON+RSC), and (c) Guided Notes Study Cards+Random Study Checks (GNSC+RSC) on each student's accuracy of notes, next-day quiz scores, and review quiz scores. Each session, the teacher presented 12 science vocabulary terms and definitions during a lecture and students took notes. The students were given 5 minutes to study their notes at the end of each session and were reminded to study their notes at home and in study hall period. In the ON condition students took notes on a sheet of paper with numbered lines from 1 to 12. Just before each next-day quiz in the ON+RSC condition students used write-on response cards to answer two teacher-posed questions over randomly selected vocabulary terms from the previous day's lecture. If the answer on a randomly selected student's response card was correct, that student earned a lottery ticket for inexpensive prizes and a quiz bonus point for herself and each classmate. In the GNSC+RSC condition students took notes on specially formatted guided notes that after the lecture they cut into a set of flashcards that could used for study. The students' mean notetaking accuracy was 75% during ON, 89% during ON+RSC, and 99.5% during GNSC+RSC. The class mean scores on next-day quizzes during ON, ON+RSC, and GNSC+RSC was 39%, 68%, and 90%, respectively. The class mean score on review quizzes following ON, ON+RSC, and GNSC+RSC was 2.1, 5.3, and 7.8 (maximum score, 10), respectively. Results for five of the seven students provide convincing evidence of functional relationships between ON+RSC and higher quiz scores compared to ON and between GNSC+RSC and higher quiz scores compared to ON+RSC. Students', teachers', and parents' opinions regarding the RSC and GNSC procedures were highly favorable.

Classic Classroom Activities: The Oxford Picture Dictionary Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Renee; Adelson-Goldstein, Jayme; Shapiro, Norma

This teacher resource book offers over 100 reproducible communicative practice activities and 768 picture cards based on the vocabulary of the Oxford Picture Dictionary. Teacher's notes and instructions, including adaptations for multilevel classes, are provided. The activities book has up-to-date art and graphics, explaining over 3700 words. The…

Identifying Mentors' Observations for Providing Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Peter

2016-01-01

Mentors' feedback can assist preservice teachers' development; yet feedback tends to be variable from one mentor to the next. What do mentors observe for providing feedback? In this study, 24 mentors observed a final-year preservice teacher through a professionally video-recorded lesson and provided written notes for feedback. They observed the…

The Tort Liability of the Classroom Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ripps, Stephen R.

1975-01-01

Discusses the tort liabilities (both intentional and negligent torts) to which school and college teachers are exposed. Noting that the doctrine of sovereign immunity has protected the instructor and that litigation has increased in states which have waived their immunity, the author concludes that the likelihood of litigation is greater now than…

RISE: The Online Professional Development Choice for Secondary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabor, Kara; Meyers, Jane Slater

2002-01-01

Explains San Diego County Office of Education's "Reading in Secondary Education" (RISE), an online series of nine professional development modules for secondary teachers and administrators, intended for use in staff development groups or by individual educators. Notes that the program combines video, Web information, lesson plans, and Internet…

Growing Great Minds: Seizing the Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Carl A.

2015-01-01

Teachers must seize the opportunity to grow great minds. Contextualizing the argument in the writing of renowned poets, noted educators, and distinguished moral heroes whose life's work was dedicated to the principles of democracy, this article reminds practicing teachers in this challenging moment that "You are braver than you believe,…

The Child in Grief: Implications for Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hare, Jan; And Others

The purpose of this paper is to increase teachers' understanding of children's conceptualizations of death to enable them to respond to the symptoms of grief in both early and middle childhood. John Bowlby's theoretical framework of childhood mourning is elaborated, and research on teachers' facilitation of children's grief is briefly noted. The…

Making Homework Central to Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vatterott, Cathy

2011-01-01

U.S. teachers grade homework far more than teachers in other countries, yet at least one study shows a negative correlation between grading homework and student achievement. More important, Vatterott notes, grading homework sends students unhelpful signals about the purpose and value of homework. By focusing on the grade, students view homework…

Speaking Volumes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy

2014-01-01

Students love to talk. So do teachers. When there's a balance in the classroom between student and teacher discourse, good things happen. When students assume increased responsibility for discussions, when they interact with a wide range of peers on diverse topics and supply evidence for their thinking, great things happen. Noted educators…

Ethics Instruction for Preservice Teachers: How Are We Doing in ECE?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Nancy Krupnick; Brown, Mac H.

1996-01-01

Notes the importance of providing preservice early childhood educators with ethics guidance and instruction. Summarizes results of Survey of Instruction in Professional Ethics (SIPE) indicating that most early childhood teacher educators include professional ethics instruction. Suggests use of a Code of Ethics, SIPE, textbooks, and videotape…

Discipline Is the Problem--not the Solution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohn, Alfie

1995-01-01

A teacher discusses classroom management techniques, explaining that discipline tends to involve the teacher maintaining his/her position of authority rather than creating a democratic community and noting that threats and bribes buy short-term behavior change but do not help students develop a commitment to positive values. (SM)

Challenge Beginning Teacher Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lannin, John K.; Chval, Kathryn B.

2013-01-01

As beginning teachers start to recognize the complexity of teaching mathematics in elementary school classrooms and how their new vision for teaching mathematics creates new challenges, they experience discomfort--a healthy awareness that much is to be learned. Brousseau (1997) notes that changes in the roles that are implicitly assigned to the…

Engine Identification. Teacher's Guide. Small Engine Repair Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Pamela

This teacher's guide is part of an instructional series on small engine repair that is intended for use with mentally retarded and learning disabled students in general mechanical repair programs. The package also includes three student manuals. Notes to the instructor cover equipment needed, preparation before teaching, and use of evaluation…

Measurement. Teacher's Guide. Small Engine Repair Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

East Texas State Univ., Commerce. Occupational Curriculum Lab.

This teacher's guide is part of an instructional series on small engine repair that is intended for use with mentally retarded and learning disabled students in general mechanical repair programs. Notes to the instructor cover equipment needed, preparation before teaching, and use of evaluation charts, transparency masters, audiovisual(s), and…

Dialogizing Response in the Writing Classroom: Students Answer Back.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gay, Pamela

1998-01-01

Notes that while informed teachers of writing have moved toward more dialogic approaches, they still have colonial tendencies when responding to student writing. Suggests an activity that invites students to talk back to the teacher-reader as a means of helping them move more effectively toward revision. (PA)

Teaching as a Way of Knowing: Observing and Responding to Students' Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wansart, William L.

1995-01-01

This article describes action-oriented teacher research in which teachers use information students reveal about the competent aspects of their lives as learners to direct their teaching efforts. The article notes methodological considerations of this approach and applications to the study of special education. (Author/DB)

Masonry. Teacher's Guide. Competency Based Education Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Diana

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the competency based masonry student materials (see note). It is intended for use as a reference and aid in implementing the curriculum. The guide includes these sections: Identification and Validation of Job Titles and Competencies, Functions of the Developmental Committee, Program Organization…

A "Worry Doctor" for Preschool Directors and Teachers: A Collaborative Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Diane; And Others

1996-01-01

Notes that mental health is important to children as well as early childhood educators. Suggests the use of child psychoanalysts as demonstrated by the Houston-Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute. Describes the implementation of such programs to assist directors and teachers. Provides a list of American Psychoanalytic Association affiliate…

Metaphor as Renewal: Re-Imagining Our Professional Selves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillis, Candida; Johnson, Cheryl L.

2002-01-01

Considers that how educators see themselves as teachers of English depends on many things: culture, gender, and experiences. Notes that the metaphors constructed to describe their teaching lives arise from the teachers they have known, from their knowledge of pedagogy, and from their relationships to literature, language, and writing. (SG)

High and Low Visualization Skills and Pedagogical Decision of Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unal, Hasan

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the preservice secondary mathematics teachers' development of pedagogical understanding in the teaching of modular arithmetic problems. Data sources included, written assignments, interview transcripts and filed notes. Using case study and action research approaches cases of three preservice teachers…

Process Writing in the Intermediate Grades: Magical Panacea or Oversold Cliche?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balajthy, Ernest

Noting that the principles of writing process instruction typically offered to elementary teachers are less readily adaptable to intermediate classrooms emphasizing content area learning rather than basic skills, this paper explores two key themes important to the successful implementation of writing process instruction: (1) teachers' needs to…

Traditional or Alternative--Finding New Teachers along Different Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Susan

2010-01-01

In 2009, the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) brief, "Alternative Certification Programs: Meeting the Demand for Effective Teachers," noted that each state had its own requirements for alternative certification, and while some states and school districts have become more open to alternative certification, other states are very…

From Mystery Seed to Mangrove Island

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frissell, Virginia

2010-01-01

Introducing a mystery object is an easy strategy to implement and allows teachers to pre-assess students' knowledge about local natural resources. Misconceptions can be noted as teachers record initial inquiries and wonderings on charts. Using the constructivist approach, students can explore and construct their learning as they continue to use…

Teacher Evaluations in Leisure Studies Programs: An Old Issue with a New Slant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butts, Frank B.; Swearingen, Tommy

1994-01-01

This paper examines teacher evaluation practices in leisure studies programs, noting the perceived effectiveness of rating instruments. Surveys of leisure studies professors nationwide indicated many institutions used evaluation instruments and processes that were not statistically validated; key decisions were often made on the basis of these…

Teaching in the Tao.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Patrick

This book shares the philosophy that what a teacher learned through the martial arts form, Aikido, allowed him to look beyond aggressive acts without responding aggressively himself, viewing the student behind the angry behavior. The teacher notes that compassion works better than any form of discipline he has ever encountered in education. Tao,…

Reflections on "A Qualitative Analysis of Mainstreamed Behaviorally Disordered Aggressive Adolescents' Perceptions of Helpful and Unhelpful Teacher Attitudes and Behaviors."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowley, E. Paula

1993-01-01

The author of EC 607 583 responds to questions about her research on mainstreamed behaviorally disordered aggressive adolescents' perceptions of helpful and unhelpful teacher attitudes and behaviors. Issues relevant to future research in this area are noted. (JDD)

Teacher Leadership and High Standards in a Summer Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelleher, James

2003-01-01

Notes that summer school has been affected by current curricular reform and high stakes testing. Describes an innovative summer school program, created through transformational teacher leadership, that developed a new vision for integrated curriculum--one that revolved around rebuilding a boat. Presents implications for both an integrated academic…

Feed, Need, Greed: Food Resources & Population. A High School Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Science for the People, Cambridge, MA. Boston Chapter.

Four units, teacher's notes, and a comprehensive glossary provide background information and activities aimed at raising the awareness of high school students and teachers regarding the nature of the food system and its relationship to nutrition, population, and resources. These non-sequential units analyze the economic and political factors…

Pre-Service Teachers' Linear and Quadratic Inequalities Understandings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bicer, Ali; Capraro, Robert M.; Capraro, Mary M.

2014-01-01

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] noted that middle and high school students are expected to be able to both explain inequalities by using mathematical symbols and understand meanings by interpreting the solutions of inequalities. Unfortunately, research has revealed that not only do middle and high school students hold…

Teacher Reflection as a Cure for Tunnel Vision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Karen S.

1995-01-01

Offers one teacher's account of a year of process approach to writing instruction in her fifth-grade class. Focuses on the importance of not getting caught within a narrow vision when reflecting on classroom practice. Notes the crucial role students need to play in instructional decision making. (SR)

Solving for Irrational Zeros: Whiteness in Mathematics Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warburton, Trevor Thayne

2015-01-01

For many, mathematics and social justice are perceived as incompatible. Several mathematics education researchers have noted resistance to social justice among mathematics teachers. However, mathematics education has a consistently negative impact on the education of students of color. This study seeks to better understand the nature of this…

Developmental Perspectives on Reflective Practices of Elementary Science Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Joanne K.; Finson, Kevin D.

2009-01-01

Instructors of elementary science methods classes have long lamented the significant difficulties their students exhibit when trying to understand the many complexities of teaching science. As noted by some researchers and practicing teachers, preservice teachers often fail to developmentally function at desired levels with respect to…

P.S. Write Soon! Teachers' Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Pat

Prepared to accompany an Australian letter writing guide for students, this teachers' guide provides suggestions for integrating letter writing into the school curriculum, either through regularly scheduled activities during the school year, or through special letter writing units of a few weeks. Topics covered in the guide include: (1) the craft…

Two Dozen-Plus Ideas That Will Help Special Needs Kids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Martha; Korn-Rothschild, Sarah

1994-01-01

Contains 27 specific suggestions for teachers with special needs children mainstreamed in their classroom, particularly children with visual and auditory perceptual difficulties and poor motor skills. Notes that teachers need to make sure that directions, visual and verbal cues, learning materials, and computers are appropriate for children with…

Some "Wonderings" about Literacy Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvermann, Donna E.

2001-01-01

Ponders whether there exists a knowledge base for teaching others how to teach reading. Discusses the distinction between "social constructionism" and "social constructivism." Notes that literacy teacher educators who conceive of literacy as critical social practice do not deny the cognitive or behavioral aspects of reading, writing, and speaking,…

Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in rural areas.

PubMed

Monk, David H

2007-01-01

In examining recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas, David Monk begins by noting the numerous possible characteristics of rural communities--small size, sparse settlement, distance from population concentrations, and an economic reliance on agricultural industries that are increasingly using seasonal and immigrant workers to minimize labor costs. Many, though not all, rural areas, he says, are seriously impoverished. Classes in rural schools are relatively small, and teachers tend to report satisfaction with their work environments and relatively few problems with discipline. But teacher turnover is often high, and hiring can be difficult. Monk observes that rural schools have a below-average share of highly trained teachers. Compensation in rural schools tends to be low, perhaps because of a lower fiscal capacity in rural areas, thus complicating efforts to attract and retain teachers. Several student characteristics, including relatively large shares of students with special needs and with limited English skills and lower shares of students attending college, can also make it difficult to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Other challenges include meeting the needs of highly mobile children of low-income migrant farm workers. With respect to public policy, Monk asserts a need to focus on a subcategory of what might be called hard-to-staff rural schools rather than to develop a blanket set of policies for all rural schools. In particular, he recommends a focus on such indicators as low teacher qualifications, teaching in fields far removed from the area of training, difficulty in hiring, high turnover, a lack of diversity among teachers in the school, and the presence of migrant farm workers' children. Successful efforts to stimulate economic growth in these areas would be highly beneficial. He also calls attention to the potential for modern telecommunication and computing technologies to offset some of the drawbacks associated with teaching in rural areas.

Teacher argumentation in the secondary science classroom: Images of two modes of scientific inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Ron E.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine scientific arguments constructed by secondary science teachers during instruction. The analysis focused on how arguments constructed by teachers differed based on the mode of inquiry underlying the topic. Specifically, how did the structure and content of arguments differ between experimentally and historically based topics? In addition, what factors mediate these differences? Four highly experienced high school science teachers were observed daily during instructional units for both experimental and historical science topics. Data sources include classroom observations, field notes, reflective memos, classroom artifacts, a nature of science survey, and teacher interviews. The arguments were analyzed for structure and content using Toulmin's argumentation pattern and Walton's schemes for presumptive reasoning revealing specific patterns of use between the two modes of inquiry. Interview data was analyzed to determine possible factors mediating these patterns. The results of this study reveal that highly experienced teachers present arguments to their students that, while simple in structure, reveal authentic images of science based on experimental and historical modes of inquiry. Structural analysis of the data revealed a common trend toward a greater amount of scientific data used to evidence knowledge claims in the historical science units. The presumptive reasoning analysis revealed that, while some presumptive reasoning schemes remained stable across the two units (e.g. 'causal inferences' and 'sign' schemes), others revealed different patterns of use including the 'analogy', 'evidence to hypothesis', 'example', and 'expert opinion' schemes. Finally, examination of the interview and survey data revealed five specific factors mediating the arguments constructed by the teachers: view of the nature of science, nature of the topic, teacher personal factors, view of students, and pedagogical decisions. These factors influenced both the structure and use of presumptive reasoning in the arguments. The results have implications for classroom practice, teacher education, and further research.

A Field-Based Curriculum Model for Earth Science Teacher-Preparation Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubois, David D.

1979-01-01

This study proposed a model set of cognitive-behavioral objectives for field-based teacher education programs for earth science teachers. It describes field experience integration into teacher education programs. The model is also applicable for evaluation of earth science teacher education programs. (RE)

Technology Integration in Science Education: A Study of How Teachers Use Modern Learning Technologies in Biology Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnanakkan, Dionysius Joseph

This multiple case-study investigated how high school biology teachers used modern learning technologies (probes, interactive simulations and animations, animated videos) in their classrooms and why they used the learning technologies. Another objective of the study was to assess whether the use of learning technologies alleviated misconceptions in Biology documented by American Association for the Advancement of Science. The sample consisted of eight teachers: four rural public school teachers, two public selective enrollment school teachers, and two private school teachers. Each teacher was followed for two Units of instruction. Data collected included classroom observations, field notes, student assignments and tests, teacher interviews, and pre-and post-misconception assessments. Paired t-tests were done to analyze the pre-post test data at a significance level of 0.05 and the qualitative data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Each case study was characterized and then a cross-case analyses was done to find common themes across the different cases. Teachers were found to use the learning technologies as a tool to supplement instruction to visualize abstract processes, collect data, and explore abstract concepts and processes. Teachers were found to situate learning, use scaffolding and questioning and make students work in collaborative groups. The genetics, photosynthesis, and evolution misconceptions were better alleviated than cellular respiration. Student work that was collected demonstrated a superficial understanding of the concepts under discussion even when they had misconceptions. The teachers used the learning technologies in their classrooms for a variety of reasons: visual illustrations, time-saving measure to collect data, best way to collect data, engaging and fun for students and the interactive nature of the visualization tools and models. The study's findings had many implications for research, professional development, teacher education, teaching practice, administrators, and learning technology developers. More detailed research within similar school settings (public, charter, and private) is needed to verify the common findings across the different cases in this study. An implication is that learning technology integration could be modeled with instructional scaffolds and questioning and incorporating higher order thinking tasks. Learning technology developers should consider the collaborative learning groups while developing these technologies.

Book Notes: College Chemistry Faculties 1996, 10th ed.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauffman, George B.

1998-02-01

This comprehensive directory of the most current information on two-, three-, and four-year college and university teachers of chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, chemical engineering, chemical technology, medicinal chemistry, and other chemistry-related fields in the United States, its territories, and Canada will be of great use and interest not only to chemistry faculty members but to graduate and undergraduate students, librarians, and departmental secretaries as well. For each of the more than 2,150 academic departments devoted to these disciplines the entire staffs (except for emeriti, emeritae, adjunct, or visiting professors; persons on temporary appointment; postdoctoral fellows; research associates; or graduate students) are listed, along with major teaching fields, highest degree earned, and academic rank. Other departments, such as biology or physical science, in which these disciplines are taught are also included, but only persons who teach chemistry or related subjects are listed for these departments.

Creating Memorable Learning Experiences with Foldables in AP Human Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purcell, Jane

2014-01-01

Many teachers struggle with helping their students simultaneously comprehend and retain the information that they read. These classroom educators have students take notes (copious amounts of notes) that neither produces the intended learning effect nor actively engages the student in the learning process. One way to increase retention is through…

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy-Jig (Views and Reviews).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otto, Wayne

1992-01-01

Discusses Roger Schank's book "Tell Me a Story," noting that understanding stories (their structure, acquisition, and retelling) is at the heart of understanding intelligence. Notes that the best reading teachers adapt their stories--rather than relying on rules--for the guidance they need to work with different students at different times. (SR)

What I've Learned about Discipline from Puppies and Preschoolers. Teaching Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heath, M. Pearl

1997-01-01

Notes the similarities in dealing with puppies and toddlers in terms of teaching correct behavior; age, temperament, and personality; and reasons behind misbehavior. Explores developing a plan for teaching social behavior, establishing a teaching style, and setting standards. Notes that parents and teachers need to look at their personal teaching…

New Faces of Liberty: A Curriculum for Teaching about Today's Refugees and Immigrants. For Teachers of Social Studies, Language Arts and English as a Second Language, Grades 5 through 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jorgensen-Esmaili, Karen

This middle school curriculum guide helps teachers to work with students to explore the experiences of new immigrant children and to nurture student understanding of migration and its impact on individual refugees and recipient community members. An introductory section ("Notes to the Teacher") explains the issues that call for this…

Concerns of Teacher Candidates in an Early Field Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Sau Hou

2009-01-01

The present study examined the concerns of teacher candidates in an early field experience. Thirty-five teacher candidates completed the Teacher Concerns Checklist (TCC, Fuller & Borich, 2000) at the beginning, middle and end of their early field experiences. Results showed that teacher candidates ranked impact as the highest concern, self as…

Levels of Social Play: Observing and Recording Preschoolers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbakoff, Sondra; Yo, Yang Pei

Noting that observing preschool children at play allows teachers to understand how individual children develop their social skills, this article describes different levels of social play and shows how teachers may use a running record and check list to assess such play. Children are described as engaging in onlooker play, solitary play, parallel…

The Pre-Service Teachers' Value Orientations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akin, Mehmet Ali

2018-01-01

It is important to note that social scientists have recently concentrated on the issue of values. People's thoughts, decisions, behaviors etc. values that have an important place in the explanations constitute the subject of this research. The main purpose of the research is to analyze whether the value orientations of the pre-service teacher'…

It's about Time: A Resource Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckwith, Chris; Cassida, Joanne; Cote, Brian; James, Amy; Lane, Steven; O'Donnell, Heidi; Stroble, Suzanne; Tracy, Stacie

Noting that middle level teachers interested in involving their students in curriculum planning and instruction need resource materials to draw on, this document presents such a resource unit developed by a group of eight veteran middle level teachers and designed to be used within an integrated curriculum framework. Part 1 introduces the unit,…

The Time Is Ripe (Again)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Roland S.

2013-01-01

"It's always been a promising time for teacher leadership. It's just never been a successful time," writes noted educator Roland Barth. Why? Barth points to five obstacles: administrator resistance, the taboo in teaching against elevating oneself higher than one's peers, the fact that teachers' plates are full, the…

Using Skype in the Second and Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Sarah Elaine

2010-01-01

This presentation introduced Skype and how it can be used to: (1) connect teachers with other professionals - and save on long distance charges - even internationally (2) empower language teachers and tutors (3) give presentations and workshops (4) be a stepping stone to using more sophisticated technology in the classroom. It was noted that for…

Exploring the Role of Leadership in Facilitating Teacher Learning in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Edmond H. F.

2011-01-01

In recent years international trends towards teacher empowerment and leadership have gained increased attraction in East Asia's education policy and practice. Yet, as scholars have noted, the values underlying these practices often conflict with traditional cultural norms of East Asian societies which stress hierarchical and status differences.…

Troubleshooting. Teacher's Guide and Student Activity Sheets. Small Engine Repair Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Pamela

This teacher's guide is part of an instructional series on small engine repair that is intended for use with mentally retarded and learning disabled students in general mechanical repair programs. Notes to the instructor cover equipment needed, preparation before teaching, and use of evaluation charts, transparency masters, audiovisual(s), and…

Teacher, where Are You?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Diane P.

2009-01-01

In recent years, much has been made of the increase in student absenteeism. However, an issue that has not received as much attention, but one that is equally critical to childhood education, is that of teacher absenteeism. It is important to note that schools are not only centers of learning, but also institutions that provide continuity for…

Business and Office Education. Teacher Handbook. Vocational Education. Grades 9-12. North Carolina Competency-Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This teacher handbook provides recommended goals and objectives and suggested measures for competency-based courses in the vocational program area of business and office education. A background and overview section contains the philosophy and rationale, discusses thinking skills and programs for exceptional children, and provides notes that…

NOTES ON MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WHEELER, D.H.; AND OTHERS

THIS BOOK IS A COLLECTION OF MATERIALS AND IDEAS ABOUT THE NEWER METHODS OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING BY A GROUP OF TEACHERS AND STUDENT-TEACHER LECTURERS. REPORTS FROM ACTUAL LESSONS AND VARIED ILLUSTRATIONS OF CHILDREN'S WORK MAKE UP A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THIS BOOK. THE MATHEMATICS IS PRESENTED IN A STYLE AND MANNER WHICH ENCOURAGES THE READER TO…

Note-Taking in a Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoong, Leong Yew; Guan, Tay Eng; Seng, Quek Khiok; Fwe, Yap Sook; Luen, Tong Cherng; Toh, Wei Yeng Karen; Chia, Alexander; Teck, Ong Yao

2014-01-01

The authors are a team of teachers and teacher educators who are deeply interested in helping mathematically-challenged students improve in their learning of mathematics. In Singapore, depending on their performance at the end of a nationwide Year 6 examination, students are channelled into three ability streams for Years 7 to 10: Express (60%),…

Accentuate the Positive: The Relationship between Positive Explanatory Style and Academic Achievement of Prospective Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Wanda

2006-01-01

This research examines 480 current event-explanation units using the CAVE technique (Schulman, Castellon, & Seligman, 1989) to note the relationship between positive and negative explanatory style and achievement of prospective early childhood and upper elementary female teachers. This study found a significant positive relationship between…

Alaska Is Our Home--Book 2: A Natural Science Handbook for Alaskan Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bury, John; Bury, Susan

A natural science resource booklet for teachers and students contains detailed materials for teaching and learning about Alaskan wildlife. Each of nine chapters provides background subject information, suggested learning activities, tear-out pages of review questions for students to answer, and supplementary notes for teachers which include…

Problem Solving Strategies of Selected Pre-Service Secondary School Mathematics Teachers in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yew, Wun Theam; Zamri, Sharifah Norul Akmar Syed

2016-01-01

Problem solving strategies of eight pre-service secondary school mathematics teachers (PSSMTs) were examined in this study. A case study research design was employed and clinical interview technique was used to collect the data. Materials collected for analysis consisted of audiotapes and videotapes of clinical interviews, subjects' notes and…

Trade and Industrial Education. Teacher Handbook. Vocational Education. Grades 9-12. North Carolina Competency-Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This teacher handbook provides recommended goals and objectives and suggested measures for competency-based courses in the vocational program area of trade and industrial education. A background and overview section contains the philosophy and rationale, discusses thinking skills and programs for exceptional children, and provides notes that…

Building Relationships Step by Step: One Teacher Leader's Journey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangin, Melinda M.

2010-01-01

This case describes how Hannah, a new math specialist, strives to create a positive math culture in her elementary school. Along the way, she works to build relationships with the teachers and the school principal. The accompanying teaching notes facilitate analysis of the case from the perspective of professional relationships in schools.

The Alliance for a Media Literate America and NMEC 2001: Reflections and Renewed Spirit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Kara

2001-01-01

Notes that media studies teachers have few opportunities to network with knowledgeable professionals in media education. Discusses a new organization, the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA), that offers resources ideal for both new and seasoned media studies teachers. Explains that AMLA hosted the National Media Education Conference…

Speaking My Mind: Stop Reading Shakespeare!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spangler, Susan

2009-01-01

Reading skills are vital to student success, and those skills could be practiced with Shakespeare "if students are taught reading skills in the classroom." The problem is that many teachers of English do not consider themselves reading specialists and do not teach reading skills to their students. Fred L. Hamel notes that teachers in a recent…

Concerns about and Effective Strategies for Inclusion: Focus Group Interview Findings from Tennessee Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trump, Gordon C.; Hange, Jane E.

This monograph describes results of focus group interviews with 53 regular and special education teachers in Tennessee concerning their experience with inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. An introduction notes the trend toward inclusion of students with disabilities in regular programs while providing needed…

The Problem-Solving Power of Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Ariel

2013-01-01

Risk takers of all kinds have joined the effort to find new and better ways to structure nearly every aspect of teaching and learning. But as teacher leader and blogger Ariel Sacks notes, "Sadly, most of the experiments in education reform come from the imaginations of people who don't actually teach children." Top-down experiments…

Preparing Teachers for Rural Appointments: Lessons from Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lock, Graeme

2008-01-01

Education authorities continue to experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers in rural and remote schools. In Western Australia (WA), a state noted for its vastness and number of schools located in rural and remote settings, a scheme developed by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) and the WA Chamber of…

Jurors' Responses to "Longevity and the Secondary Theatre Arts Teacher: A Case Study."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Jeanne

1999-01-01

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal which examines factors influencing longevity in the career of a particular high school theatre arts teacher. Notes responses of some jurors regarding methodological concerns and theoretical grounding, but appreciates the writer's personal affinity with her subject and welcomes the…

True Confessions (From the Teacher's Desk).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krieger, Evelyn

1991-01-01

Relates how an eighth grade teacher read an unfamiliar book for the first time along with her students, thus seeing the story through their eyes and modeling for them the kinds of strategies a good reader naturally employs. Notes that students responded positively, doing most of the talking and much of the discussion and class preparation. (SR)

Comprehension Research: New Directions and Ideas for LD Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Linda Mixon; Sheppo, Karen G.

Research on teaching methods is reviewed for improving the reading comprehension of learning disabled (LD) students. Among the approaches noted are the structured overview, in which the teacher and/or students arrange important concepts and terms in a graphic design for introduction and discussion before reading; use of story grammars to outline…

The Effects of Teacher Purpose on Achievement Gains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balajthy, Ernest

2000-01-01

Addresses the issue of teacher purpose in using technology for reading and literacy instruction. Notes that computers were used mostly for motivation and self-esteem and not for raising achievement. Argues that educators need to critically think through the multiple realities they face as they consider the use of technology with disabled readers.…

STUDENT-TEACHER POPULATION GROWTH MODEL--DYNAMOD II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ZABROWSKI, EDWARD K.; AND OTHERS

DYNAMOD II IS A COMPUTERIZED MARKOVIAN-TYPE FLOW MODEL DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE ESTIMATES OF THE EDUCATIONAL POPULATION OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OVER SELECTED INTERVALS OF TIME. THE POPULATION IS CROSS-CLASSIFIED INTO 108 GROUPS BY SEX, RACE, AGE, AND EDUCATIONAL CATEGORY. THIS NOTE DESCRIBES THE METHODOLOGY USED IN DYNAMOD II, COMPARES DYNAMOD II…

Sources of Legal Liability among Physical Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babalola, Alla Joseph; Alayode, Ajibua Michael

2012-01-01

Legal issues in Physical Education are very germane to sport and physical activity development. Consequently, Physical Education teachers should be involved in studying laws that relates to P.E in the course of their professional preparation. It is worth noting that today, people are becoming more aware of their rights under the law. This has…

An Approach to Peace Education. Development Education UNICEF School Series No. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volan, Sissel

This publication contains classroom activities and fact sheets intended to teach intermediate and secondary level students about international understanding, cooperation, and peace. A background paper for teachers and a bibliography are also included. Following a very brief introduction in Part I, Part II contains teacher's notes and suggestions…

From Racial Stereotyping and Deficit Discourse toward a Critical Race Theory in Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solorzano, Daniel G.; Yosso, Tara J.

2001-01-01

Examines connections between critical race theory (CRT) and its application to the concepts of race, racial bias, and racial stereotyping in teacher education. Defines CRT, then discusses racism and stereotyping, racial stereotypes in the media, and racial stereotypes in professional environments, noting the effects on minority students. Presents…

The Common Core "State" Standards: The Arts and Education Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wexler, Alice

2014-01-01

In this commentary, Alice Wexler notes that as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) become reality, teachers have reason for concern. She contends that this reform to public education has consequently marginalized the arts and exacerbated the inequities of people in poverty and those with disabilities. Teachers, principals and, ultimately,…

Teacher Bilingual Instruction and Educational Malpractice: California Teachers Association v. Davis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMitchell, Todd A.

2000-01-01

As a policy pronouncement, California's Proposition 227 mandates a duty of care that educators owe their students. Failure to teach primarily in English creates a private cause of action against an educator that overcomes legal and policy concerns of "Peter W. v. San Francisco Unified School District." (Contains 57 notes and references.)

Notes from the Pressure Cooker: Sharpening Our Professional Edge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Carol; Piver, Patricia

2011-01-01

Advocates for teacher education reform are calling for university faculty to become more in tune with conditions in the schools. Linda Darling-Hammond (2006), for one, says that "the enterprise of teacher education must venture out further and further from the university and engage ever more closely with schools in a mutual transformation…

Teaching for the Common Life; or Collective Reflective Resistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Shanti

2013-01-01

At a time when serious pronouncements and decisions about education are made by noneducators, it is important to take note of the practice and impact of teachers' collective reflective resistance. This means foregrounding learning that is organic, artful, and contemplative--that puts first the humanity of students and teachers. This is a story of…

Envisioning the Possible: Building a Critical Literacy Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flint, Amy Seely

2000-01-01

Notes that connecting the teachers' stories and experiences presented in this themed issue are such themes as using real life issues as the curriculum, risk taking, student ownership, and community building. Discusses how these teachers believe in the importance of making curriculum relevant and meaningful to the lives of the children by…

Teaching and Avocations: An Idle Mind Is the Devil's Workshop Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werner, Peter

2002-01-01

Suggests that teachers at any career stage can use hobbies to regenerate the soul, ward off stress, and allow one to return to work refreshed. Notes that teachers can use their own hobbies to enhance student learning and encourage students to develop interests in useful and fulfilling avocations. (RS)

A Special Education Systems Simulation Model: Teacher Training Emphasis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Wayne; And Others

The authors illustrate the application of a systems approach for educational decision-makers through utilization of a special education systems simulation model with emphasis on teacher training. It is noted that the model provides a procedure to answer "what if" type questions before actually implementing a proposed program. Discussed are the…

Dealing with Sensory Integrative Dysfunction in the Classroom: A Guide for Early Elementary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Christina

This paper offers teachers basic information about sensory integration and suggests strategies for managing classrooms which include children with sensory integrative dysfunction. The first section looks at what sensory integration is, noting especially the roles of the three "near senses": the vestibular system, the proprioceptive system, and the…

Comprehension Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices. Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Block, Cathy Collins, Ed.; Pressley, Michael, Ed.

Noting that comprehension instruction is widely recognized as an essential component of developing students' pleasure and profit from reading, this book presents 25 essays on comprehension instruction that summarize current research and provide best-practice guidelines for teachers and teacher educators. Each chapter in the book presents key…

The Multiple Loves of the Successful Teacher: A Deweyan Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Douglas J.; Jackson, Michael J. B.

1998-01-01

Explores eight loves suggested by Dewey, noting their importance in teacher education. The loves include love of others, love of contact with children, love of communicating knowledge, love of knowledge, love of arousing in others similar intellectual interests, love for and aptitude in one subject, ability to unconsciously spread contagion for…

Marketing Education. Teacher Handbook. Vocational Education. Grades 9-12. North Carolina Competency-Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This teacher handbook provides recommended goals and objectives and suggested measures for competency-based courses in the vocational program area of marketing education. A background and overview section contains the philosophy and rationale, discusses thinking skills and programs for exceptional children, and provides notes that explain how to…

Food Service. Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furneisen, Barbara K.

This guide is designed as an aid to the teacher in using the student manual titled "Food Service" and an accompanying language workbook (see related note), all of which are intended for use with deaf students in their vocational preparation for a food service occupation. Eleven units are included, with each unit containing from three to eleven…

Contextualised Learning for 5- 8-Year-Olds. 5-14 Teacher Support Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabian, Hilary

Noting that play provides opportunities for children to develop adaptability, flexibility, and creativity, this paper links the findings of educational research on play and the work of teachers in primary classrooms in Scotland following the 5-14 curriculum. The paper's introduction provides information on historical and contemporary theories of…

Perceptions and Images of North Africa: What American Schools Teach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Victoria

2002-01-01

Examined descriptions of North Africa (particularly Tunisia) found in U.S. high school social studies textbooks, noting the resulting perceptions and images these descriptions created in the minds of teachers and students. Data from examination of textbooks and interviews with teachers indicated that few high school students were exposed to images…

Traveling Old Roads Deeper into the Woods Leaves Promises to Keep.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Willis D.

1990-01-01

Questions activities of the Holmes Group, noting that, if the activities do not result in the exemplification of excellence in teaching and teacher education, the group's claim to leadership is questionable. The criticism claims that the group discourages more fundamental and promising changes in teacher education than it advocates. (SM)

Unit: Water, Inspection Pack, National Trial Print.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Science Education Project, Toorak, Victoria.

The teachers' guide to this unit, prepared for use in grades seven or eight of Australian secondary schools, contains a list of unit objectives, teaching notes on each activity, lists of required apparatus, suggested teacher and student reference materials, and appropriate audio-visual aids. The core of the unit explores the importance of water…

An Open Letter on Teacher Morale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strasser, Dina

2014-01-01

"What do you do--and what do you need--to stay sane?" This is what an educator asked a group of teachers and administrators in the Rochester City School District, one of the poor-performing school districts that the governor of that state had referred to as needing a "death penalty." The educators repeatedly noted five items…

The Use of Journal Clubs in Science Teacher Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tallman, Karen A.; Feldman, Allan

2016-04-01

This qualitative study explored how in a 7-month-long journal club pre- and inservice science teachers engaged with education research literature relevant to their practice to reduce the theory-practice gap. In the journal club they had the opportunity to critique and analyze peer-reviewed science education articles in the context of their classroom practice. Data sources included audio recordings of the meetings; semi-structured pre- and post-interviews of the teachers; focus groups; and artifacts (e.g., journal articles, reflective paper, email exchanges, and researcher's field notes). Data were analyzed using the techniques of grounded theory (Corbin & Strauss in Basics of qualitative research, 3rd ed. Sage, Thousand Oaks, 2008). In addition we used some preconceived categories that we created from existing literature on journal clubs and communities of practice (Newswander & Borrego in European Journal of Engineering Education 34(6): 561-571, 2009; Wenger in Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998) and from our previous research (Tallman & Feldman, 2012). We found that the journal club incorporated the three characteristics of a community of practice (Wenger in Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998) into its functioning (mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire). The teachers mutually engaged around the joint enterprise of reading, critiquing, and understanding the research studies with the goal of improving practice. The teachers also asked each other analytical questions, which became a shared repertoire of the journal club. They reflected on their practice by presenting, reading, and discussing the articles, which helped them to determine whether and how the findings from the articles could be incorporated into their teaching practice. In doing so, they learned the skills needed to critique the research literature in relation to their practice as classroom teachers.

Alternative certification science teachers' understanding and implementation of inquiry-based instruction in their beginning years of teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demir, Abdulkadir

The purpose of this phenomenographic study was to: (a) understand how beginning science teachers recruited from various science disciplines and prepared in an Alternative Teacher Certification Program (ATCP) implemented inquiry during their initial years of teaching; (b) describe constraints and needs that these beginning science teachers perceived in implementing inquiry-based science instruction; and (c) understand the relation between what they learned in their ATCP and their practice of teaching science through inquiry. The participants of this study consisted of four ATCP teachers who are in their beginning years of teaching. Semi-structured interviews, classroom observation, field notes, and artifacts used as source of data collection. The beginning science teachers in this study held incomplete views of inquiry. These views of inquiry did not reflect inquiry as described in NRC (2000)---essential features of inquiry,---nor did they reflect views of faculty members involved in teaching science methods courses. Although the participants described themselves as reform-oriented, there were inconsistencies between their views and practices. Their practice of inquiry did not reflect inquiry either as outlined by essential features of inquiry (NRC, 2000) or inquiry as modeled in activities used in their ATCP. The research participants' perceived constraints and needs in their implementation of inquiry-based activities. Their perceived constraints included logistical and student constraints and school culture. The perceived needs included classroom management, pedagogical skills, practical knowledge, discipline, successful grade-specific models of inquiry, and access to a strong support system. Prior professional work experience, models and activities used in the ATCP, and benefits of inquiry to student learning were the declared factors that facilitated the research participants' practice of inquiry-based teaching.

Strategies and Perceptions of Students' Field Note-Taking Skills: Insights from a Geothermal Field Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dohaney, Jacqueline; Brogt, Erik; Kennedy, Ben

2015-01-01

Field note-taking skills are fundamental in the geosciences but are rarely explicitly taught. In a mixed-method study of an introductory geothermal field lesson, we characterize the content and perceptions of students' note-taking skills to derive the strategies that students use in the field. We collected several data sets: observations of the…

Overcoming Challenges of Being an In-Field Mathematics Teacher in Indigenous Secondary School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandhu, Satwant; Kidman, Gillian; Cooper, Tom

2013-01-01

Queensland rural and remote schools have difficulty in attracting experienced, in-field mathematics teachers. Thus, when such teachers arrive, much is expected of them to increase the mathematics knowledge of students. This paper looks at one such teacher who, against the high expectations placed upon him as an in-field teacher, experienced…

The use of computer simulations in whole-class versus small-group settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetana, Lara Kathleen

This study explored the use of computer simulations in a whole-class as compared to small-group setting. Specific consideration was given to the nature and impact of classroom conversations and interactions when computer simulations were incorporated into a high school chemistry course. This investigation fills a need for qualitative research that focuses on the social dimensions of actual classrooms. Participants included a novice chemistry teacher experienced in the use of educational technologies and two honors chemistry classes. The study was conducted in a rural school in the south-Atlantic United States at the end of the fall 2007 semester. The study took place during one instructional unit on atomic structure. Data collection allowed for triangulation of evidence from a variety of sources approximately 24 hours of video- and audio-taped classroom observations, supplemented with the researcher's field notes and analytic journal; miscellaneous classroom artifacts such as class notes, worksheets, and assignments; open-ended pre- and post-assessments; student exit interviews; teacher entrance, exit and informal interviews. Four web-based simulations were used, three of which were from the ExploreLearning collection. Assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics and classroom observations, artifacts and interviews were analyzed using Erickson's (1986) guidelines for analytic induction. Conversational analysis was guided by methods outlined by Erickson (1982). Findings indicated (a) the teacher effectively incorporated simulations in both settings (b) students in both groups significantly improved their understanding of the chemistry concepts (c) there was no statistically significant difference between groups' achievement (d) there was more frequent exploratory talk in the whole-class group (e) there were more frequent and meaningful teacher-student interactions in the whole-class group (f) additional learning experiences not measured on the assessment resulted from conversations and interactions in the whole-class setting (g) the potential benefits of exploratory talk in the whole-class setting were not fully realized. These findings suggest that both whole-class and small-group settings are appropriate for using computer simulations in science. The effective incorporation of simulations into whole-class instruction may provide a solution to the dilemma of technology penetration versus integration in today's classrooms.

Using a Field Trip Inventory to Determine If Listening to Elementary School Students' Conversations, While on a Zoo Field Trip, Enhances Preservice Teachers' Abilities to Plan Zoo Field Trips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Patricia; Mathews, Cathy; Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale

2013-01-01

This study investigated whether listening to spontaneous conversations of elementary students and their teachers/chaperones, while they were visiting a zoo, affected preservice elementary teachers' conceptions about planning a field trip to the zoo. One hundred five preservice elementary teachers designed field trips prior to and after…

Mathematics teaching experiences of elementary preservice teachers with high and low mathematics anxiety during student teaching: A multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Leslie Deanna

This study investigated the teaching experiences of six elementary preservice teachers (EPTs), three with high mathematics anxiety and three with low mathematics anxiety, during their student teaching semester. The EPTs were selected from an initial pool of 121 EPTs who took the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The cases were compared in a cross case analysis to highlight mathematics teaching experiences among EPTs. Data sources included EPT and researcher journal entries, interview transcripts, pre-lesson surveys, field notes, lesson plans, and artifacts of observed lessons. Data were coded using Shulman's content knowledge, Graeber's mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematics anxiety characteristics. Findings revealed both similarities and differences across EPTs as related to four major categories: (a) planning and resources used, (b) role of the cooperating teacher, (c) content knowledge, and (d) pedagogical content knowledge. All EPTs used mostly direct instruction and relied on the course textbook and their respective cooperating teacher as their primary resources for planning. Additionally, across participants, the cooperating teacher influenced EPTs' perceptions of students and teaching. Also, EPTs with high mathematics anxiety were weaker with respect to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest a need to re-design methods courses to address improving the pedagogical content knowledge of EPTs with mathematics anxiety. Findings also suggest a need to develop content specific mathematics courses for EPTs to improve their content knowledge. Future studies could include a longitudinal study to follow highly anxious EPTs who take content specific elementary mathematics courses to observe their content knowledge and mathematics anxiety.

Evidence, explanations, and recommendations for teachers' field trip strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebar, Bryan

Field trips are well recognized by researchers as an educational approach with the potential to complement and enhance classroom science teaching by exposing students to unique activities, resources, and content in informal settings. The following investigation addresses teachers' field trip practices in three related manuscripts: (1) A study examining the details of teachers' pedagogical strategies intended to facilitate connections between students' experiences and the school curricula while visiting an aquarium; (2) A study documenting and describing sources of knowledge that teachers draw from when leading field trips to an aquarium; (3) A position paper that reviews and summarizes research on effective pedagogical strategies for field trips. Together these three pieces address key questions regarding teachers' practices on field trips: (1) What strategies are teachers employing (and not employing) during self-guided field trips to facilitate learning tied to the class curriculum? (2) What sources of knowledge do teachers utilize when leading field trips? (3) How can teachers be better prepared to lead trips that promote learning? The Oregon Coast Aquarium served as the field trip site for teachers included in this study. The setting suited these questions because the aquarium serves tens of thousands of students on field trips each year but provides no targeted programming for these students as they explore the exhibits. In other words, the teachers who lead field trips assume much of the responsibility for facilitating students' experience. In order to describe and characterize teachers' strategies to link students' experiences to the curriculum, a number of teachers (26) were observed as they led their students' visit to the public spaces of the aquarium. Artifacts, such as worksheets, used during the visit were collected for analysis as well. Subsequently, all teachers were surveyed regarding their use of the field trip and their sources of knowledge for their practices. A subset of eight teachers were interviewed using guided conversations in order to shed further light on their use of the aquarium field trip and their pedagogical preparation. Data from all sources were organized by repeating ideas relevant to the questions of interest. The resulting evidence was interpreted to support distinct categories of teacher strategies and experience and related claims about these strategies and experiences. Thus, findings reveal that teachers attempt to link the curriculum to the activities, resources, and content encountered on the trip using a variety of connections. However, these curriculum connections are characterized as products of opportunistic situations and reveal limited depth. Evidence further indicates that teachers treat the aquarium visit as a background experience for their students rather than as an opportunity to introduce new concepts or do an activity that is integrated into the curriculum. Nevertheless, teachers included in this study were leading field trips that created countless learning opportunities for their students. Because training specific to field trips is rarely included in preservice programs, teachers were asked about influences on their field trip practice with specific focus on observed strategies. Findings suggest four categories of training experiences that teachers apply to their practice: (1) informal mentoring; (2) past experience trip leading; (3) outdoor education training; (4) traditional education training. Overall findings along with a review of previous research are suggestive of many ways in which efforts to enhance students' learning opportunities may be developed by means of support for teachers. Foremost among recommendations is the idea that field trip pedagogy be integrated into science methods courses required for preservice teachers (the premise for the final manuscript). Furthermore, the findings of this study may serve as a starting point for museums interested in the development of specific support and teacher professional development activities intended to enhance teachers' use of their resources as learning opportunities for their students. Among the implications is the idea that museums and other institutions developing teacher professional development activities might capitalize on teachers' existing sources of knowledge, for example by providing structured support for peer-mentoring and guided reflections related to field trip preparations and skills.

Reading and Note Taking in Monological and Dialogical Classes in the Social Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cartolari, Manuela; Carlino, Paula; Colombo, Laura M.

2013-01-01

This qualitative study explores the uses of reading and note-taking in two pre-service teacher training Social Sciences courses. Data analysis of in-depth interviews with professors and students, class observations and course materials suggested two polar teaching styles according to how bibliography was included in the course and the presence or…

Note-Taking Interventions to Assist Students with Disabilities in Content Area Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.; Forchelli, Gina A.; Cariss, Kaitlyn

2015-01-01

As high-stakes testing, Common Core, and state standards become the new norms in schools, teachers are tasked with helping all students meet specific benchmarks. In conjunction with the influx of more students with disabilities being included in inclusive and general education classrooms where lectures with note-taking comprise a majority of…

Elementary Students Using a Tablet-Based Note-Taking Application in the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Seungoh; Fulton, Lori A.

2016-01-01

This exploratory study investigates the potential of a tablet-based note-taking application (TbNA) to serve as a digital notebook in support of students' classroom science practices. An elementary teacher (Grades 4-5) from a public charter school integrated a TbNA into her science class for one semester while participating in professional…

Getting It Together: Notes toward a Shared Future for NCTE and CCCC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilyard, Keith

2011-01-01

In this article, the author shares his notes toward a shared future for National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). He discusses how activism has been at the heart of both organizations, how language activism in particular has separated NCTE and CCCC--and brought them together, and…

A Spreadsheet Tool for Learning the Multiple Regression F-Test, T-Tests, and Multicollinearity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, David

2008-01-01

This note presents a spreadsheet tool that allows teachers the opportunity to guide students towards answering on their own questions related to the multiple regression F-test, the t-tests, and multicollinearity. The note demonstrates approaches for using the spreadsheet that might be appropriate for three different levels of statistics classes,…

And the Survey Says ...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Susan C.

2013-01-01

Two-Year Colleges, Physics Majors, and Diversity. As noted last month, we're taking a look at physics in two-year colleges (TYCs). We expect to have the first reports from our 2012-13 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers in the spring of 2014. Last month we noted that the high school physics experience of undergraduate physics…

Classic of the Month. [Columns Compiled from Three Issues of "Notes Plus," September 1983 to January 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notes Plus, 1984

1984-01-01

Three installments of "Classic of the Month," a regular feature of the National Council of Teachers of English publication, "Notes Plus," are presented in this compilation. Each installment of this feature is intended to provide teaching ideas related to a "classic" novel. The first article offers a variety of…

Beyond Tokenism in the Field? On the Learning of a Mathematics Teacher Educator and Faculty Supervisor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Supervision of student teachers in their field experience is one of the practices that characterizes the work of many teacher educators. This paper takes up the issue of mathematics teacher education field experience, drawing on the conceptual tools of Bourdieu's social field theory to interpret data from a self-study on the role of supervision…

Taking Them into the Field: Mathematics Teacher Candidate Learning about Equity-Oriented Teaching Practices in a Mediated Field Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Sara Sunshine

2012-01-01

Teacher education programs have been criticized as too theoretical with university courses disconnected from the practical realities of classrooms. This single case study investigates a model of teacher education that worked to bridge the coursework-fieldwork gap in teacher education. The Mediated Field Experience (MFE) is a field experience…

Development of Teacher Attitude Scale towards the Field Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tortop, Hasan Said

2012-01-01

A field trip is an excursion by group of students with teachers to a place away from classroom such as natural field, science center, and zoo. So, it is an important tool for renewable energy education. This study was carried out to develop a new scale for measuring teacher attitudes towards the field trip. Teacher attitude scale towards the field…

Evaluation of a user guidance reminder to improve the quality of electronic prescription messages.

PubMed

Dhavle, A A; Corley, S T; Rupp, M T; Ruiz, J; Smith, J; Gill, R; Sow, M

2014-01-01

Prescribers' inappropriate use of the free-text Notes field in new electronic prescriptions can create confusion and workflow disruptions at receiving pharmacies that often necessitates contact with prescribers for clarification. The inclusion of inappropriate patient direction (Sig) information in the Notes field is particularly problematic. We evaluated the effect of a targeted watermark, an embedded overlay, reminder statement in the Notes field of an EHR-based e-prescribing application on the incidence of inappropriate patient directions (Sig) in the Notes field. E-prescriptions issued by the same exact cohort of 97 prescribers were collected over three time periods: baseline, three months after implementation of the reminder, and 15 months post implementation. Three certified and experienced pharmacy technicians independently reviewed all e-prescriptions for inappropriate Sig-related information in the Notes field. A physician reviewer served as the final adjudicator for e-prescriptions where the three reviewers could not reach a consensus. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey HSD tests were performed on group comparisons where statistical significance was evaluated at p<0.05. The incidence of inappropriate Sig-related information in the Notes field decreased from a baseline of 2.8% to 1.8% three months post-implementation and remained stable after 15 months. In addition, prescribers' use of the Notes decreased by 22% after 3 months and had stabilized at 18.7% below baseline after 15 months. Insertion of a targeted watermark reminder statement in the Notes field of an e-prescribing application significantly reduced the incidence of inappropriate Sig-related information in Notes and decreased prescribers' use of this field.

``Pirates Can Be Male or Female'': Investigating Gender-Inclusivity in a Years 2/3 Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rennie, Léonie J.

2003-08-01

The term gender-inclusive has become well known in Australian education since the late 1980s. In policy terms, it is associated with an education structured to value girls and women, their knowledge and experience, equally with that of boys and men. This paper reports an analysis of the gender-inclusivity of teaching and learning activities in a combined Year 2/3 class studying an integrated, science and technology topic themed about pirates. The data include field notes from class visits, interviews with the teacher, informal conversations with children, a videotape recording of one class and inspection of children's work. The content of an inherently gendered topic, like pirates, provides teachers with opportunities to challenge the structure of gender in ways that enable children to begin to understand how males and females are positioned in the prevailing discourse and how some groups are privileged over others. In this Year 2/3 class, the teacher was able to help children to develop different views of, in this case, who pirates are, what they might do, and what a more socially just pirate existence might be like. Opportunities to challenge the gendered way we think about things, even pirates, are taken too infrequently in our classrooms.

Critical Chemistry Education in a Private, Suburban High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashby, Patrick; Mensah, Felicia Moore

2018-01-01

This critical ethnography documents how a group of 25 students and their teacher/researcher in a suburban, private school setting, the vast majority from the dominant cultural background, engaged with and enacted a critical chemistry education together. Critical chemistry education contextualizes chemistry in socially relevant issues and problematizes participants' conceptual frameworks for understanding the intersections between chemistry and our capitalist society by identifying the shortcomings of traditional scientific language to sufficiently interrogate privilege and oppression. Qualitative data from teacher/researcher field notes and journal, classroom video transcripts, questionnaires, focus group interviews, and student artifacts document that while it is difficult for the teacher/researcher and the students of this setting to reflect upon their own positions of privilege, together they interpreted and made meaning of their experience by (1) developing the ability to critically analyze the products of science for the potential of oppression, (2) developing an understanding of inequity in science, and (3) evaluating and respecting diverse knowledge bases. Based on the findings, we suggest students should be encouraged to problematize socially situated science issues related to settings close to their own communities, students should participate in structured and purposeful journaling to improve their metacognition and critical reflexivity, and critical pedagogues must be explicit with students in their Marxist-based interpretation of the global capitalist super structure.

Physical activity in child-care centers: do teachers hold the key to the playground?

PubMed Central

Copeland, Kristen A.; Kendeigh, Cassandra A.; Saelens, Brian E.; Kalkwarf, Heidi J.; Sherman, Susan N.

2012-01-01

Many (56%) US children aged 3–5 years are in center-based childcare and are not obtaining recommended levels of physical activity. In order to determine what child-care teachers/providers perceived as benefits and barriers to children’s physical activity in child-care centers, we conducted nine focus groups and 13 one-on-one interviews with 49 child-care teachers/providers in Cincinnati, OH. Participants noted physical and socio-emotional benefits of physical activity particular to preschoolers (e.g. gross motor skill development, self-confidence after mastery of new skills and improved mood, attention and napping after exercise) but also noted several barriers including their own personal attitudes (e.g. low self-efficacy) and preferences to avoid the outdoors (e.g. don’t like hot/cold weather, getting dirty, chaos of playground). Because individual teachers determine daily schedules and ultimately make the decision whether to take the children outdoors, they serve as gatekeepers to the playground. Participants discussed a spectrum of roles on the playground, from facilitator to chaperone to physical activity inhibitor. These findings suggest that children could have very different gross motor experiences even within the same facility (with presumably the same environment and policies), based on the beliefs, creativity and level of engagement of their teacher. PMID:21804083

Physical activity in child-care centers: do teachers hold the key to the playground?

PubMed

Copeland, Kristen A; Kendeigh, Cassandra A; Saelens, Brian E; Kalkwarf, Heidi J; Sherman, Susan N

2012-02-01

Many (56%) US children aged 3-5 years are in center-based childcare and are not obtaining recommended levels of physical activity. In order to determine what child-care teachers/providers perceived as benefits and barriers to children's physical activity in child-care centers, we conducted nine focus groups and 13 one-on-one interviews with 49 child-care teachers/providers in Cincinnati, OH. Participants noted physical and socio-emotional benefits of physical activity particular to preschoolers (e.g. gross motor skill development, self-confidence after mastery of new skills and improved mood, attention and napping after exercise) but also noted several barriers including their own personal attitudes (e.g. low self-efficacy) and preferences to avoid the outdoors (e.g. don't like hot/cold weather, getting dirty, chaos of playground). Because individual teachers determine daily schedules and ultimately make the decision whether to take the children outdoors, they serve as gatekeepers to the playground. Participants discussed a spectrum of roles on the playground, from facilitator to chaperone to physical activity inhibitor. These findings suggest that children could have very different gross motor experiences even within the same facility (with presumably the same environment and policies), based on the beliefs, creativity and level of engagement of their teacher.

Positive weighing of the other's collective narrative among Jewish and Bedouin-Palestinian teachers in Israel and its correlates.

PubMed

Lazar, Alon; Braun-Lewensohn, Orna; Litvak Hirsch, Tal

2016-06-01

Teachers play a pivotal role in the educational discourse around collective narratives, and especially the other's narrative. The study assumed that members of groups entangled in a conflict approach the different modules of the other's narrative distinctively. Jewish and Palestinian teachers, Israeli citizens, answered questionnaires dealing with the narrative of the other, readiness for interethnic contact, negative between-group emotions and preferences for resolutions of the Israeli-Palestinian (I-P) conflict. Positive weighing of the other's narrative among Jewish teachers correlated with high levels of readiness for interethnic contact and low levels of negative between-group emotions, across the various modules of the Palestinian narrative. Preferences for a peaceful resolution of the I-P conflict and rejection of a violent one were noted in two of the modules. Among Palestinian teachers, positive weighing of the other's collective narrative was exclusively noted for the Israeli narrative of the Holocaust, and this stance negatively related to negative between-group emotions and preference for a violent solution of the I-P conflict, and positively related to readiness for interethnic contact and preference of a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Practical implications of these findings for peace education are discussed. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Strengthening the Connection Between Space and Society: A Comparative Analysis of Supernovae Distribution in the Andromeda Galaxy for Secondary School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borders, Kareen; Mendez, B.; Borders, K.; Thaller, M.; Plecki, M.; Usuda, K.

2011-05-01

In order to prepare students in grades 4-12 for a global workforce, NASA supports science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) immersion education for secondary students. Secondary schools, through the NASA Explorer School program, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and the WISE (Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer) Telescope Teacher Ambassador program, offer authentic research opportunities for students. Spitzer and WISE studied the sky in infrared light. Among the objects WISE studied are asteroids, the coolest and dimmest stars, and the most luminous galaxies. The lessons learned from the NASA Explorer School program and Spitzer and WISE teacher and student programs can be applied to other programs, engaging students in authentic research experiences by using data from space-borne and earth-based observatories such Kitt Peak Observatory. Several ground based telescopes at Kitt Peak Observatory study visible light from objects such as supernovae. Utilizing a student research immersion philosophy along with data analysis skills learned from the Spitzer and WISE student research programs, an analysis of supernovae distribution with respect to location in the Andromeda galaxy was conducted using images of the Andromeda galaxy taken from the WIYN 0.9 meter telescope on Kitt Peak. A comparison was made between the 12 outer fields (spiral arms) and the 4 inner fields (central bulge). Novae were found by "blinking” images of each field throughout 100 epochs of data. Blinking is a technique used to compare images of fields and noting brightness (via x,y coordinates) in one field that is not visible in the same field during a different epoch. Although the central bulge was expected to contain more supernovae due to stellar density and proximity of stars to each other, analysis of data indicates that the there is also a concentration of supernovae that appeared in outer regions. WISE Telescope funding is gratefully acknowledged.

Is It Personal? Teacher's Personality and the Principal's Role in Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benoliel, Pascale; Schechter, Chen

2017-01-01

Research results have provided evidence of the potential contribution that professional learning communities (PLCs) can make to enhance school outcomes. While numerous organizational and cultural aspects of schools have been recognized as key requirements for PLC success, researchers have noted that a teacher's ability to share knowledge in the…

A Futuristic View of the REI: A Response to Jenkins, Pious, and Jewell.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thousand, Jacqueline S.; Villa, Richard A.

1991-01-01

This commentary on an earlier paper (EC 230 267) notes that the debate on the regular education initiative (REI) should focus on the future, teachers should become personalizers of curriculum and instruction, classroom teachers are one member of an interdependent teaching team, and an adhocracy should be developed among educators of all…

Dual Powerpoint Presentation Approach for Students with Special Educational Needs and Note-Takers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naik, Nitin

2017-01-01

In higher education, supporting students with special educational needs (SEN) necessitates an understanding of these needs, additional teaching aids and innovative ideas. The teacher must be an integral part of this support process, and this is difficult for the majority of teachers, due to their lack of core understanding of SEN. However,…

What's Sex Got to Do with It? The Preparation of Elementary Male Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Shartriya; Coombs, Letoynia; Burston, Betty

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper examines the experiences and outcomes of male teacher candidates in the College of Education at a large university in California. Design/methodology/approach: This mixed methods study highlights findings from the preliminary analysis of student records as well as qualitative observation notes from their university supervisors…

New Tools for an Ancient Craft: The Use of eCases in Chinese Medicine Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Zhi-Xiu; Lam, Paul; Wong, Alex; Cen, Ze-bo; Sun, Wai-zhu; Miao, Jiang-xia; McNaught, Carmel

2009-01-01

Conventional teaching of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is highly teacher-centered, in line with traditional views of the teacher as "master". This article focuses on how modern teaching concepts and technologies can enhance the teaching of TCM in Hong Kong, a city noted for a culture where "East meets West." The project…

Star Trek with Latin. Teacher's Guide. Tentative Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masciantonio, Rudolph; And Others

The purpose of this guide is to assist Latin and English teachers with some background in Latin to expand the English vocabulary and reading skills of students through the study of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes. The introductory material in the guide provides general notes on the teaching of Latin in the Philadelphia School District,…

Physical Activity Breaks and Student Learning: A Teacher-Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camahalan, Faye Marsha G.; Ipock, Amanda R.

2015-01-01

This study is a teacher initiated action research. The purpose is to improve student learning in math using physical activity breaks during classroom lessons. The study was conducted by tracking the results of ten 5th grade students for a period of one week. Using anecdotal notes, students showed improvement on attentiveness during class…

Promoting Student Engagement. Volume 2: Activities, Exercises and Demonstrations for Psychology Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard L., Ed.; Balcetis, Emily, Ed.; Burns, Susan R., Ed.; Daniel, David B., Ed.; Saville, Bryan K., Ed.; Woody, William Douglas, Ed.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the book is to provide teachers of psychology access to teaching techniques that epitomize "happy tact and ingenuity." The principle influence that teachers have on student behavior occurs in the classroom since, as noted by Erickson and Strommer, (1991), today's students spend relatively little time studying outside of class. When…

Strategies of Pre-Service Primary School Teachers for Solving Addition Problems with Negative Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida, Rut; Bruno, Alicia

2014-01-01

This paper analyses the strategies used by pre-service primary school teachers for solving simple addition problems involving negative numbers. The findings reveal six different strategies that depend on the difficulty of the problem and, in particular, on the unknown quantity. We note that students use negative numbers in those problems they find…

Shaping Children's Artwork in English Primary Classes: Insights from Teacher-Child Interaction during Art Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallam, Jenny; Gupta, Mani Das; Lee, Helen

2011-01-01

This paper utilises a Vygotskian framework to examine the ways in which teachers shape the creation of children's artwork in educational contexts. Reflexive ethnography and a bottom up approach to discourse analysis are used to analyse a range of qualitative data including photographs, observational notes and audio recordings collected from a Year…

Types and Cognitive Levels of Questions Asked by Professors during College of Agriculture Class Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewing, John C.; Whittington, M. Susie

2007-01-01

One common teacher behavior exhibited in college of agriculture class sessions is oral questioning of students. Belland, Belland, and Price (1971) believed that if questioning was a noted teacher behavior, then it was important to evaluate and analyze questions asked by professors. Professors use questions to control classroom interactions,…

How Do We Educate Teachers for Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Educators in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ishigaki, Emiko

This paper discusses the organization of early childhood education and preschool education in Japan and describes how teachers are trained for positions in these schools. It is noted that the organization of such education in Japan has undergone considerable change since the first kindergarten was established in 1877. At that time the curriculum…

Strategy-Based Development of Teacher Educators' ICT Competence through a Co-operative Staff Development Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavonen, Jari; Lattu, Matti; Juuti, Kalle; Meisalo, Veijo

2006-01-01

An ICT strategy and an implementation plan for teacher education were created in a co-operative process. Visions and expectations of staff members and students were registered by questionnaires and by making notes during sessions in which the strategy was created. Thereafter, an implementation document, where the staff development programme and…

Status of Teachers and the Teaching Profession: A Study of Elementary School Teachers' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalin, Jana; Cepic, Renata; Šteh, Barbara

2017-01-01

In scientific literature a large number of different conceptual definitions of status found that can be applied as a framework for the analysis of different professions although it should be noted that there is no single, universally accepted, unambiguous definition or theoretical construct. For example, Haralambos (1994) defined reputation as the…

The Art Teacher and Environmental Education--A Scottish Viewpoint

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Russell

1978-01-01

Discusses the role of the art teacher with relation to environmental education and the nature of the art specialist's training including the part played by past artists in influencing the art curriculum as well as that of William Morris and Walter Gropius, two noted architects. Concludes with a case study of the town in which the author was…

Industrial Arts Education. Teacher Handbook. Vocational Education. Grades 9-12. North Carolina Competency-Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This teacher handbook provides recommended goals and objectives and suggested measures for competency-based courses in the vocational program area of industrial arts. A background and overview section contains the philosophy and rationale, discusses thinking skills and programs for exceptional children, and provides notes that explain how to read…

The Teacher's Sourcebook for Cooperative Learning: Practical Techniques, Basic Principles, and Frequently Asked Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, George M.; Power, Michael A.; Inn, Loh Wan

This book demonstrates how classroom teachers can use cooperative learning techniques for lesson planning and classroom management. It emphasizes that cooperation among students is powerful, and it notes that just because students are in a group does not mean that they are cooperating. Part 1, "Getting Started with Cooperative Learning," includes…

Better Benefits: Reforming Teacher Pensions for a Changing Work Force. Education Sector Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldeman, Chad; Rotherham, Andrew J.

2010-01-01

Policymakers are beginning to take note of the fiscal problems in teacher retirement systems. States have recently taken action by raising retirement ages, lowering benefit payments, and reducing cost-of-living adjustments. These are small steps toward shoring up the system to help ensure that it remains sustainable in the future. But the problems…

Some Students Don't Want To Read.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewinski, Michael J.

A high school teacher recounts his own literacy journey from a young child with an auditory perception problem, to a school-hating student, to a semi-literate Marine in Viet Nam, to a teacher of persons with disabilities. He notes that his literacy journey during the early years was characterized by immaturity, avoidance, and self doubt. He grew…

Bowen Family Systems Theory and Its Relationship to Teachers: Does Differentiation of Self Predict Teacher Job Satisfaction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Noal Baxter

2011-01-01

Educational leaders are charged with maintaining the academic success of students, the faith of stakeholders in the educational process, and the growth of the educational profession. These objectives have become difficult during a time of noticeable discontent among the stakeholders of educational systems. The discontent is noted strongly among…

Perspectives/Taking Stock of the Teaching Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherer, Marge

2016-01-01

Although they may not have to confront the physical dangers fire fighters, and pilots face every day, teachers, principals, and administrators are responsible for many children and to many adults, our authors note (Tomlinson, Danielson, DuFour, Collins, Anderson). What teachers do or don't do affects the well-being of many and they have to make…

"Comparison, Understanding and Teacher Education in International Perspective" by Shen-Keng Yang. Book Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, J. D.

2000-01-01

Notes that Yang's book provides a combination of Eastern and Western philosophy in defining values, aims, and methods of education, research, and teacher preparation programs. Maintains that the book presents important insights into current educational issues. Asserts that problems such as printing errors and significant flaws in arguments add to…

Integrating Assessment for Learning in the Teacher Education Programme at the University of Oslo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brevik, Lisbeth M.; Blikstad-Balas, Marte; Engelien, Kirsti Lyngvaer

2017-01-01

This article provides an analysis of the integration of assessment for learning principles in the newly revised five-year Master of Education programme at the University of Oslo, Norway, across didactic subjects, pedagogy and school practice. The analysis draws on lecture notes, student videos and student exam papers among 143 student teachers,…

Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language in Belgrade, Yugoslavia: A Need To Overcome the Old Ways.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savic, Jelena M.

1997-01-01

Notes that although the popularity of Spanish as a foreign language has increased in Yugoslavia, little attention has been paid to Spanish teachers' attitudes toward foreign language teaching or to their continuous education. Presents a survey of teacher attitudes regarding curriculum and teaching methods. Results indicate that the teaching staff…

First-Year Special Educators: The Influence of School and Classroom Context Factors on Their Accomplishments and Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Cynthia C.; Kilgore, Karen L.; Winn, Judith A.; Otis-Wilborn, Amy; Hou, Wei; Garvan, Cynthia W.

2009-01-01

Despite a history of research in general education on novice teachers, researchers have only recently begun to investigate the experiences of beginning special educators. Many of these studies describe problems encountered, noting the high attrition rate among beginning special education teachers and emphasizing the importance of keeping qualified…

From the Secondary Section: Green Pens, Marginal Notes--Rethinking Writing and Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadwick, Jocelyn A.

2012-01-01

In his foundational work, "English Composition and Rhetoric," Alexander Bain set forth the framework for what students and teachers now routinely refer to as the five-paragraph essay. Teachers were so inculcated with Bain's paradigm for the "perfect" essay format, they in turn have inculcated their students, and they just say now, "Write an…

Issues To Address, Assets To Engage: Parents in Classrooms and Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Cheryl J.

1998-01-01

A teacher working in a school with an open-door policy discusses some difficulties with this arrangement. She had trouble finding a private place, including the staff room, to talk intimately with other teachers, had to build her schedule around parent helpers, and noted some unethical treatment of children. Parent involvement is no elixir. The…

Lighting the Flame: Teaching High School Students To Love, Not Loathe, Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milburn, Michael

2001-01-01

Discusses how Francine Prose accuses English teachers of assigning simplistic, badly written books that breed incompetent writers and readers who loathe literature. Notes that Prose focuses her contempt upon "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Suggests that students show teachers how to help them love…

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge for Teaching: One Preservice Teacher and Her Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Susanna

2016-01-01

This paper describes how a new pre-service teacher engaged with mathematical content in order to learn it for teaching, during practicum. The results show that the PST learned mathematical content by initiating and carrying out a preparation phase prior to planning. This phase involved searching through internet sites and making notes that were…

Learning Style-Based Teaching To Raise Minority Student Test Scores: There's No Debate!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Karen; Dunn, Rita

2002-01-01

Explains how teachers in the Freeport, Illinois School District began teaching to individual learning styles to ensure that all of their students performed well in school. Notes that the teachers insisted that students learn differently from one another. Concludes that once students understood what they were required to learn and could work…

Children, Teachers and Computers. P.E.N. (Primary English Notes) 45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Tony

1984-01-01

The purpose of this focused newsletter is to give teachers who know little or nothing of computers some background on which to base further investigation and decisions. It begins by explaining what a computer is and defining such terms as software, hardware, memory, input/output devices, and disk drive. The newsletter then outlines four major uses…

Changing Workloads of Primary School Teachers: "I Seem to Live on the Edge of Chaos"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridges, Sue; Searle, Annette

2011-01-01

The roles and workloads of teachers have been widely noted as changing considerably over recent decades. In this 2009 replication of a 1992 study, 379 New Zealand primary school educators are surveyed regarding their workloads, how these changed and their perceived sustainability. It investigates how respondents believe that educational reforms…

NSF GK-12 Fellows as Mentors for K-12 Teachers Participating in Field Research Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellins, K.; Perry, E.

2005-12-01

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) recognizes the value of providing educational opportunities to K-12 teachers who play a critical role in shaping the minds of young people who are the future of our science. To that end, UTIG established the "Texas Teachers in the Field" program in 2000 to formalize the participation of K-12 teachers in field programs that included UTIG scientists. In 2002, "Texas Teachers in the Field" evolved through UTIG's involvement in a University of Texas at Austin GK-12 project led by the Environmental Sciences Institute, which enabled UTIG to partner a subset of GK-12 Fellows with teachers participating in geophysical field programs. During the three years of the GK-12 project, UTIG successfully partnered four GK-12 Fellows with five K-12 teachers. The Fellows served as mentors to the teachers, as liaisons between UTIG scientists leading field programs and teachers and their students, and as resources in science, mathematics, and technology instruction. Specifically, Fellows prepared teachers and their students for the field investigations, supervised the design of individual Teacher Research Experience (TRE) projects, and helped teachers to develop standards-aligned curriculum resources related to the field program for use in their own classrooms, as well as broader distribution. Although all but one TRE occurred during the school year, Texas school districts and principals were willing to release teachers to participate because the experience and destinations were so extraordinary (i.e., a land-based program in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina; and research cruises to the Southeast Caribbean Sea and Hess Deep in the Pacific Ocean) and carried opportunities to work with scientists from around the world. This exceptional collaboration of GK-12 Fellows, K-12 teachers and research scientists enriches K-12 student learning and promotes greater enthusiasm for science. The level of mentoring, preparation and follow-up provided by the GK-12 Fellows was important in helping teachers transfer components of a challenging field research experience to their students. Participating research scientists were able to convey the importance of their science to a wider audience. NSF GK-12 Fellows gained valuable experience in communicating scientific knowledge and field skills to K-12 teachers and students, became more knowledgeable about K-12 science education and were exposed to advances in pedagogy.

Assisting Your Preservice Teacher to Be Successful during Field Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brett, Christine

2006-01-01

Field experience (junior practicum and student teaching) is considered by many to be the most influential part of a teacher preparation program (Cruickshank & Aramalin, 1986; Tannehill & Zakrajsek, 1988). During field experiences, preservice teachers (hereafter referred to as PSTs) are guided by a cooperating teacher (hereafter referred to as a…

How can students contribute? A qualitative study of active student involvement in development of technological learning material for clinical skills training.

PubMed

Haraldseid, Cecilie; Friberg, Febe; Aase, Karina

2016-01-01

Policy initiatives and an increasing amount of the literature within higher education both call for students to become more involved in creating their own learning. However, there is a lack of studies in undergraduate nursing education that actively involve students in developing such learning material with descriptions of the students' roles in these interactive processes. Explorative qualitative study, using data from focus group interviews, field notes and student notes. The data has been subjected to qualitative content analysis. Active student involvement through an iterative process identified five different learning needs that are especially important to the students: clarification of learning expectations, help to recognize the bigger picture, stimulation of interaction, creation of structure, and receiving context- specific content. The iterative process involvement of students during the development of new technological learning material will enhance the identification of important learning needs for students. The use of student and teacher knowledge through an adapted co-design process is the most optimal level of that involvement.

One physical educator's career cycle: strong start, great run, approaching finish.

PubMed

Woods, Amelia Mays; Lynn, Susan K

2014-03-01

This article is nested within a longitudinal project examining 6 teachers' journeys along their career cycles (Lynn & Woods, 2010; Woods & Earls, 1995; Woods & Lynn, 2001). Two participants from the initial 6 continue to teach K-12 physical education; 1 of these participants, Everett, is examined in the current study. This veteran teacher's career-cycle movement and the environmental factors that both enhanced and constrained his career development are examined through the lens of Fessler and Christensen's career cycle model (1992). Data sources included: 8 formal interviews with Everett; formal interviews with his university teacher educators, student-teacher supervisor, principal, and spouse; informal interviews; field notes; and systematic teaching observations. An interpretative framework was used to assess the perceptions and meanings Everett gave to experiences as a physical educator and coach. Several factors acutely influenced Everett's career progression, including: (a) his individual disposition, (b) the impact and continued influence of a professional preparation program, and (c) his school and community support. He entered the profession with great promise and spent most of his career in the enthusiastic and growing, and the career stability, stages before shifting into the career frustration stage where he currently remains. Everett was able to negotiate personal and organizational environmental factors that have been identified as barriers for some physical educators. Therefore, viewing his professional life through the lens of the career cycle provides insights into the areas of change necessary to motivate and retain high-quality physical educators such as Everett.

SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, C. J.; Penuel, W. R.; Haydel Debarger, A.; Blank, J. G.

2009-12-01

An important purpose of formative assessment is to elicit student thinking to use in instruction to help all students learn and inform next steps in teaching. However, formative assessment practices are difficult to implement and thus present a formidable challenge for many science teachers. A critical need in geoscience education is a framework for providing teachers with real-time assessment tools as well as professional development to learn how to use formative assessment to improve instruction. Here, we describe a comprehensive support system, developed for our NSF-funded Contingent Pedagogies project, for addressing the challenge of helping teachers to use formative assessment to enhance student learning in middle school Earth Systems science. Our support system is designed to improve student understanding about the geosphere by integrating classroom network technology, interactive formative assessments, and contingent curricular activities to guide teachers from formative assessment to instructional decision-making and improved student learning. To accomplish this, we are using a new classroom network technology, Group Scribbles, in the context of an innovative middle-grades Earth Science curriculum called Investigating Earth Systems (IES). Group Scribbles, developed at SRI International, is a collaborative software tool that allows individual students to compose “scribbles” (i.e., drawings and notes), on “post-it” notes in a private workspace (a notebook computer) in response to a public task. They can post these notes anonymously to a shared, public workspace (a teacher-controlled large screen monitor) that becomes the centerpiece of group and class discussion. To help teachers implement formative assessment practices, we have introduced a key resource, called a teaching routine, to help teachers take advantage of Group Scribbles for more interactive assessments. Routine refers to a sequence of repeatable interactions that, over time, become automatic to teachers and students. Routines function as classroom norms, governing how students and teachers interact with subject matter (i.e., the way ideas are elicited, taken up, and revised). We use the qualifier teaching because we view good classroom assessment as seamless with instruction. Each teaching routine defines a sequence of instructional moves, supported by classroom network technology, for creating formative assessment opportunities that address 3 goals: (1) Increase student-teacher and student-student communication;(2) Motivate students to participate and learn from discussion, investigation, and reading; and (3) Provide real-time feedback for the teacher who can then adjust instruction. We report on key features of our support system for helping teachers develop proficiency with using formative assessment to inform instruction and advance learning in Earth Systems science. We also present preliminary findings from the implementation of the support system with a test group of teachers in a large, urban school district. Findings highlight the promise of teaching routines as an important resource for structuring student opportunities to showcase their thinking.

Community-Based Field Experiences in Teacher Education: Possibilities for a Pedagogical Third Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallman, Heidi L.

2012-01-01

The present article discusses the importance of community-based field experiences as a feature of teacher education programs. Through a qualitative case study, prospective teachers' work with homeless youth in an after-school initiative is presented. Framing community-based field experiences in teacher education through "third space" theory, the…

Teachers' Sources of Knowledge for Field Trip Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rebar, Bryan M.

2012-01-01

Teachers draw from many personal and professional experiences when organising and leading field trips. In order to identify the influences on teachers' field trip practices, I used surveys, interviews, artifacts and observations gathered from teachers who led trips to an aquarium. Findings clarified the types of influence and the impact that these…

Knowing All Students: Creating a Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Kristel

2012-01-01

In spring 2006, the names of all the students in the entire senior class of Truman High School in Independence, MO, were written on individual note cards that were taped to the walls in the cafeteria. When the teachers arrived for the meeting, they were asked to write the answers to the following questions on the note cards: (1) What is a hobby of…

Novel Experiments in Physics II. A Selection of Laboratory Notes Now Used in Colleges and Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Physics Teachers, Washington, DC.

This second volume, a compilation of reprints of experimental notes in physics, was prepared by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Committee on Apparatus and by the AAPT Executive Office in response to requests received by the Association for a completely new edition. The goal of the Committee was to provide a selection of…

Pathways in Learning to Teach Elementary Science: Navigating Contexts, Roles, Affordances and Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Deborah C.; Jang, Shinho

2011-12-01

This case study of a fifth-year elementary intern's pathway in learning to teach science focused on her science methods course, placement science teaching, and reflections as a first-year teacher. We studied the sociocultural contexts within which the intern learned, their affordances and constraints, and participants' perspectives on their roles and responsibilities, and her learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants. Audiotapes of the science methods class, videotapes of her science teaching, and field notes were collected. Data were transcribed and searched for affordances or constraints within contexts, perspectives on roles and responsibilities, and how views of her progress changed. Findings show the intern's substantial progress, the ways in which affordances sometimes became constraints, and participants' sometimes contradictory perspectives.

Informal science participation positively affects the communication and pedagogical skills of university physics students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinko, Kathleen; Finkelstein, Noah

2013-04-01

Many undergraduate and graduate physics students choose to participate in an informal science program at the University of Colorado Boulder (Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC)). They coach elementary and middle school students in inquiry-based physics activities during weekly, afterschool sessions. Observations from the afterschool sessions, field notes from the students, and pre/post surveys are collected. University students are also pre/post- videotaped explaining a textbook passage on a physics concept to an imagined audience for the Communications in Everyday Language assessment (CELA). We present findings from these data that indicate informal experiences improve the communication and pedagogical skills of the university student as well as positively influence their self-efficacy as scientific communicators and teachers.

METHODOLOGICAL NOTES: On the redefinition of the kilogram and ampere in terms of fundamental physical constants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karshenboim, Savelii G.

2006-09-01

In the summer of 2005, a meeting of the Consultative Committee for Units of the International Committee on Weights and Measures took place. One of the topics discussed at the meeting was a possible redefinition of the kilogram in terms of fundamental physical constants — a question of relevance to a wide circle of specialists, from school teachers to physicists performing research in a great variety of fields. In this paper, the current situation regarding this question is briefly reviewed and its discussion at the Consultative Committee for Units and other bodies involved is covered. Other issues related to the International System of Units (SI) and broached at the meeting are also discussed.

The use of geospatial technologies to increase students' spatial abilities and knowledge of certain atmospheric science content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedley, Mikell Lynne

2008-10-01

The purpose of the study was to use geospatial technologies to improve the spatial abilities and specific atmospheric science content knowledge of students in high schools and junior highs in primarily high-needs schools. These technologies include remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems. The program involved training the teachers in the use of the technologies at a five-day institute. Scientists who use the technologies in their research taught the basics of their use and scientific background. Standards-based activities were used to integrate the technologies in the classroom setting. Students were tested before any instruction in the technologies and then tested two other times. They used the technologies in field data collection and used that data in an inquiry-based project. Their projects were presented at a mini-science conference with scientists, teachers, parents, and other students in attendance. Significant differences were noted from pre-test to second post-test in the test in both the spatial abilities and science section. There was a gain in both spatial abilities and in specific atmospheric science content knowledge.

An opportunity for success: Understanding motivation and learning from urban youth participation in an after school science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catlin, Janell Nicole

This dissertation is an ethnographic study that documents through student voice the untold stories of urban student motivation to learn and engage in science through the contexts of an after school science program and the students' in-school science classrooms. The purpose of this study is to add to the literature in science education on motivation of urban youth to learn and engage in science through thick and rich descriptions of student voice. This study addresses issues in educational inequity by researching students who are historically marginalized. The focus of the study is four middle school students. The methodology employed was critical ethnography and case study. The data sources included participant observations and field notes, interviews, student artifacts, Snack and Chat, autophotography, and the researcher's reflective journal. The findings of this study state that motivating factors for urban middle school students' learning and engaging in science include a flexible and engaging curriculum, that students are empowered and motivated to learn when teachers are respectful, that urban middle school science students hold positive images about scientists, themselves and knowing science, and that urban teachers of the dominant culture believe that their urban middle school science students are motivated. In using Sociotransformative Constructivism (STC) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) the researcher informs the issues of inequity and racism that emerge from historical perspectives and students' stories about their experiences inside and outside of school. The implications state that allowing for a flexible curriculum that motivates students to make choices about what and how they want to learn and engage in science are necessary science teaching goals for urban middle school students, it is necessary that teachers are conscious of their interactions with their students, diversifying the science field through educating and empowering all students through learning science is key, and to get teachers to the point of an anti-deficit view of urban education more positive stories told by and research done with White urban science teachers must be documented.

Crossing borders: High school science teachers learning to teach the specialized language of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patrick, Jennifer Drake

The highly specialized language of science is both challenging and alienating to adolescent readers. This study investigated how secondary science teachers learn to teach the specialized language of science in their classrooms. Three research questions guided this study: (a) what do science teachers know about teaching reading in science? (b) what understanding about the unique language demands of science reading do they construct through professional development? and (c) how do they integrate what they have learned about these specialized features of science language into their teaching practices? This study investigated the experience of seven secondary science teachers as they participated in a professional development program designed to teach them about the specialized language of science. Data sources included participant interviews, audio-taped professional development sessions, field notes from classroom observations, and a prior knowledge survey. Results from this study suggest that science teachers (a) were excited to learn about disciplinary reading practices, (b) developed an emergent awareness of the specialized features of science language and the various genres of science writing, and (c) recognized that the challenges of science reading goes beyond vocabulary. These teachers' efforts to understand and address the language of science in their teaching practices were undermined by their lack of basic knowledge of grammar, availability of time and resources, their prior knowledge and experiences, existing curriculum, and school structure. This study contributes to our understanding of how secondary science teachers learn about disciplinary literacy and apply that knowledge in their classroom instruction. It has important implications for literacy educators and science educators who are interested in using language and literacy practices in the service of science teaching and learning. (Full text of this dissertation may be available via the University of Florida Libraries web site. Please check http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/etd.html)

Short-term data collection projects: A means to increase teacher content knowledge and bring authentic research experiences into the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaboardi, M.; Parker, W.; Rodriguez, D.

2010-12-01

Short-term field research projects were embedded into a two-week, Mathematics and Science Partnership-funded, teacher institute devoted to increasing content knowledge about the physical basis of climate change. Teams of four teachers were encouraged to ask any research question related to weather or climate, and create a data collection method that they thought might help answer their question. They were provided with a range of measurement devices, from simple immersible thermometers to light sensors, probeware, and carbon dioxide concentration sensors. Teams were expected to design data collection sites in a middle-school setting, present site designs to their peers, collect data, present initial results, and participate in peer-review about site design and data collected. Teachers were encouraged to generate research questions that could be replicated with their students at their schools. Design complexity ranged widely with some teachers deliberately choosing to model sites their students might design and others making full use of more sophisticated technology. On the third day of the institute, each group presented their research question and setup for data collection in poster format. Large gaps in understanding about testable questions and effective data collection methods were apparent. Instead of addressing errors as groups presented, facilitators encouraged participants to explore each groups’ presentation and make comments using post-it notes. Participants were then encouraged to respond to the comments and consider modifying their questions, site designs, or data collection methods. Teams gathered data up to three times daily and were fully responsible for choosing means of data organization; by the second week most were using and becoming familiar with Microsoft Excel. Final presentations were in Microsoft PowerPoint. Teams were expected to graphically report data, present possible interpretations, and discuss any problems related to their initial questions or methods. All teams reported problems with their work and identified improvements for future research. Teachers reported that the field component was very helpful to their understanding of the process of science and to deepening their content knowledge about climate change research. Additionally they reported that they were much more likely to include short-term research projects in their own classrooms as a result of this experience. Short-term data collection experiences such as these can serve to: - Encourage teachers to provide students with the opportunity to develop their own questions, and design methods to answer those questions; - Expose teachers to common pitfalls in data collection methods so that teachers can later guide students as students encounter similar problems; - Familiarize teachers with widely available technology used to record and present data; - Refine teacher understanding of research and improve likelihood of success on longer research projects; - Enable teachers to look at data sets more critically and in more depth; - Better understand how to construct, read, and interpret data tables and graphs; and - Increase depth of understanding of science content.

Effects of sound-field frequency modulation amplification on reducing teachers' sound pressure level in the classroom.

PubMed

Sapienza, C M; Crandell, C C; Curtis, B

1999-09-01

Voice problems are a frequent difficulty that teachers experience. Common complaints by teachers include vocal fatigue and hoarseness. One possible explanation for these symptoms is prolonged elevations in vocal loudness within the classroom. This investigation examined the effectiveness of sound-field frequency modulation (FM) amplification on reducing the sound pressure level (SPL) of the teacher's voice during classroom instruction. Specifically, SPL was examined during speech produced in a classroom lecture by 10 teachers with and without the use of sound-field amplification. Results indicated a significant 2.42-dB decrease in SPL with the use of sound-field FM amplification. These data support the use of sound-field amplification in the vocal hygiene regimen recommended to teachers by speech-language pathologists.

News Event: UK to host Science on Stage Travel: Gaining a more global perspective on physics Event: LIYSF asks students to 'cross scientific boundaries' Competition: Young Physicists' tournament is international affair Conference: Learning in a changing world of new technologies Event: Nordic physical societies meet in Lund Conference: Tenth ESERA conference to publish ebook Meeting: Rugby meeting brings teachers together Note: Remembering John L Lewis OBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2013-03-01

Event: UK to host Science on Stage Travel: Gaining a more global perspective on physics Event: LIYSF asks students to 'cross scientific boundaries' Competition: Young Physicists' tournament is international affair Conference: Learning in a changing world of new technologies Event: Nordic physical societies meet in Lund Conference: Tenth ESERA conference to publish ebook Meeting: Rugby meeting brings teachers together Note: Remembering John L Lewis OBE

Weighing in on the Teacher Merit Pay Debate. Notes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froese-Germain, Bernie

2011-01-01

First the good news. There's a growing consensus that the quality of teachers and teaching is a major factor--some would say the most important school-based factor--in the quality of student learning. In sum (and this comes as no surprise to the teaching profession), good teaching matters. The bad news is that, in this highly charged climate of…

SREB Teacher Salaries: Update for 1995-96 and Estimated Increases for 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA.

Updated information is provided on teacher salaries for 1995-96 and estimated increases for the 1996-97 school year in the 15 states belonging to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Pay raises for 1996-97 are estimated as ranging from 1.75 percent in Virginia to 6 percent in Georgia. Especially noted are South Carolina's continuing…

I Thought It Would Be Just Like Mainstream: Learning and Unlearning in the TESOL Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Courcy, Michele

2011-01-01

As researchers and teachers, we have particular beliefs about the world and how it works, and about classrooms and how they work. Borg notes that "beliefs colour memories with their evaluation and judgment, and serve to frame our understanding of events" (Borg, 2001, p. 187). When already qualified teachers, in a TESOL graduate program, undertake…

Using Comic Books To Teach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Jim; Smith, Kathy

Noting that comic books are known and read by a wide variety of students, this paper presents brief descriptions of 30 ways that teachers can use comic books in a wide variety of subjects and grade levels. The ideas for using comic books in the paper are designed to help teachers become aware of what their students are reading and to use what…

Low Energy Technology. A Unit of Instruction in Agricultural Economics. Planning for Energy Savings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utley, Michael; Scanlon, Dennis C.

This unit of instruction on farm management for energy savings was designed for use by agribusiness and natural resources teachers in Florida high schools and by agricultural extension agents as they work with adults and students. It is one of a series of 11 instructional units (see note) written to help teachers and agents to educate their…

A Taste of English: Nutrition Workbook for Adult ESL Students. Teacher's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of Farmworker Opportunity Program, Arlington, VA.

This workbook introduces basic concepts of nutrition and health to beginning adult students of English as a Second Language (ESL). The text may also be adapted for use with new readers. It is intended as a supplement to existing instructional materials. An introductory section offers teachers suggestions for use of the text and notes on the design…