The ICT handbook for primary teachers : a guide for students and professionals.

Este manual se basa en la idea de que el éxito de la implementación de las TIC en la escuela depende de la identificación, gestión y operación de una serie de procesos clave. Sostiene que el éxito no sólo depende de un buen liderazgo, sino también en la participación de todos los interesados. Explora y describe la utilidad de las TIC en una amplia gama de contextos para mejorar el aprendizaje de los niños en el aula. Contiene: Requisitos legales para el uso de las TIC en todos los niveles del currículo. Uso de las TIC en áreas curriculares básicas y en contextos interdisciplinarios. Asesoramiento en la incorporación de una gama de recursos TIC en el aprendizaje del niño. Diferentes modelos de e-learning (dispositivos portátiles, pizarras interactivas, Internet). Cómo las TIC pueden utilizarse para ayudar a los alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales Uso de las TIC para la planificación, ejecución, evaluación y registro.

Swedish Primary Teachers' Attitudes towards Integrating Gaming in the EFL Classroom

A current topic in Swedish schools is the use of computer games and gaming. One reason is because computers are becoming more and more integrated into the schools, and the technology plays a large role in the everyday lives of the pupils. Since teachers should integrate pupils’ interests in the formal teaching, it is of interest to know what attitudes teachers have towards gaming. Therefore the aim of this empirical study is to gain an insight into the attitudes Swedish primary teachers have towards online and offline computer games in the EFL classroom. An additional aim is to investigate to what extent teachers use games. Five interviews were conducted with teachers in different Swedish schools in a small to medium-sized municipality. After the interviews were transcribed, the results were analyzed and discussed in relation to relevant research and the sociocultural theory. The results show that teachers are positive towards games and gaming, mostly because gaming often contains interaction with others and learning from peers is a main component in sociocultural theory. However, only one out of the five participants had at some point used games. The conclusion is that teachers are unsure about how to use games in their teaching and that training and courses in this area would be valuable. More research is needed within this area, and it would be of value to investigate what suggested courses would contain and also to investigate exactly how games can be used in teaching.

(Re)examining identities: working with diversity in the pre-service teaching experience

Australia, like the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), continues to experience a mismatch between the cultural backgrounds and socio-economic class of teachers and those of the students they work with. This article reports on a study that explored how a group of Australian teacher-education students understand their own ethnic and socio-economic class identities and how they work with students of ethnic and class backgrounds different from their own. Analysis of data from interviews and focus groups with the student-teachers is presented to highlight how they make sense of difference and how they take up the challenges of teaching for diversity. The paper raises issues and concerns regarding how diversity and difference might be addressed in teacher education.

Empowering Australian students in African music: experiential education in primary teacher training

Luckman (1996) defines experiential education as a "process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill and value from direct experience" (p. 7). The core of such learning is practical engagement, contextualised by concepts and skills in guided experiences. This process, to be most effective, should be supported by reflection. This paper considers an experiential program in African music that is part of pre-service primary teacher education for generalist teacher trainees. As part of the Bachelor of Primary Education degree, offered by Deakin University (Australia) students can select an elective subject on African music in the final year of their four-year course. In this subject students learn African music experientially, by playing, singing and moving. These students completed a questionnaire and were interviewed at the conclusion of the unit in 2003. Data collected showed the effectiveness of using an unknown music to explore musical concepts and understandings in an Australian educational setting.

Mathematical knowledge of some entrants to a pre-service education course

Standards for teaching emphasise the need for teachers to have deep content knowledge. To assess the mathematical knowledge of students enrolling in its B.Ed. program, the University of New England has introduced a mathematics diagnostic test. This work is the first stage of an ongoing research project into the numeracy needs of students entering the B.Ed. program. The test is a pen-andpaper test that replaces previous on-line, multiple-choice tests. This paper reports on the test results, discusses some common errors made by students and outlines the future direction of the research.

Opening the doors to multiculturalism : Australian pre-service music teacher education students' understandings of cultural diversity

Educational reform in Australia has urged teachers and tertiary institutions to prepare students for multicultural classrooms. Engagement with multicultural music by teachers and students promotes understanding of difference and diversity as music has both global and cross-cultural manifestations. This article reports on a research project undertaken at both Deakin University and Monash University (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) with final year music specialist students (2005-2007). Students participated in an online, anonymous survey (2005) regarding their understandings of multiculturalism. By in-depth analysis of four semi-structured interviews undertaken with volunteers from the 2006 to 2007 cohort, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, emergent themes and construct understandings of participant experiences were identified. Two significant themes are discussed: representations of multicultural music in Victorian schools and cultural context. Music education can be an effective platform to 'opening the doors to multiculturalism and cultural understanding'. Pre-service teacher education courses should reflect the changing societies in which they are situated.

Making it real : pre-service music teacher education students ideas about artists-in-schools

Globally teacher educators try to prepare culturally inclusive students in an ever-crowded curriculum It is difficult to give students in-depth experiences of other musics and their cultural contexts. In schools, teachers are also faced with the. same challenges. This shortfall may be met by artists-in-schools programs. This paper focuses on the perceptions of pre-service music educators concerning artists-in- schools programs. The study builds on ongoing research (2003-2008), Intercultural attitudes of preservice music education students, between Deakin and Monash universities. Australia only the 2008 interviews (analysed using interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) are discussed. The paper reports only on one aspect that underpins artists-in-schools programs — the importance of authentic practice. Although international studies have, provided insights into artists-in—schools programs little attention has been paid to pre-service specialist music teacher understandings of such programs. It is imperative to know the attitudes that our teachers carry with theta into their future professional engagement The findings of this study provide insight into the need br artists-in-schools programs and the ways in which teachers can link theory to practice, fill in omissions in their own knowledge, skills and understandings. and also heighten student understandings of multicultural musics.

Teacher professional growth : a study of primary teachers involved in mathematics professional development

The overall purpose of this study was to examine whether professional development programs can act as appropriate vehicles for the professional growth of teachers of primary mathematics. A longitudinal study was conducted of primary teachers involved in a Victorian mathematics professional development program — Exploring Mathematics In Classrooms (EMIC). The professional growth of six teacher participants in one EMIC course was examined over a period of 18 months. The teachers selected were from four different schools located in the southern metropolitan region of Melbourne. The central interest of this study was in teacher professional growth and accordingly the perspective sought was predominantly that of the teacher. A case study research approach was adopted and data were gathered through observations, interviews, questionnaire, and the collection of teacher work documents. A theoretical model of teacher professional growth was used to represent the teachers' growth. The study generated data on the nature of teacher professional growth and the features of professional development programs likely to influence teacher professional growth. All of the teachers reported and demonstrated growth with respect to their mathematics teaching, in areas associated with their: Classroom Practice, Knowledge and Beliefs, and Professional Attributes. The teachers' growth was highly individualistic, with no two teachers demonstrating exactly the same professional growth outcomes, or the same growth processes. The data provided evidence to confirm that teacher growth is a complex and gradual learning process. For each of the teachers several different routes to change and growth were evident, drawing attention to the non-linear nature of growth. The teachers' responses to the professional development program were influenced by various contextual and personal factors. The data provided evidence of a strong link between the content and outcomes of professional development programs — the outcomes reported and demonstrated by the teachers reflected the content of the EMIC program. Key factors associated with mathematics professional development programs perceived as influencing growth were: program content; program structure; and program presentation. A significant finding was the strong influence on teacher growth of the presenters of professional development programs—some data suggested that the 'quality' of the program presenter is fundamental to the success of any professional development program. The study provided insight into the processes involved in teacher professional growth and factors associated with the way in which professional development programs influence growth. The theoretical model of teacher professional growth used in this study has been elaborated and recommendations which might inform the design and implementation of future professional development programs have been made.

The technological knowledge of early childhood pre-service educators

With the current introduction of new national and state Early Years Frameworks and the increased interest and activity in educating early childhood educators, it was timely to investigate what knowledge, if any, early childhood educators had when it came to design technology. Although not prescriptive around technological understanding, the new Framework highlights children's learning related to "creativity", "exploration", "collaboration", and "problem-solving", in the context of connecting with people and technologies. This small pilot project asked 20 pre-service educators a number of questions designed to elicit both their understanding and their practices relating to technology. Responses were recorded and from those given, it was apparent that the Early childhood educators not only included technological activities in their daily practices with children, but generally had a basic understanding of technology, differentiated from other forms of learning activities.

Video capture : pre-service teacher reflection, assessment or both

This paper reports on a small trial with 6 pre-service teachers who videoed their own teaching practices. The pre-service teachers used the tool to reflect on practice and to enhance their own understandings of themselves as teachers. The initial footage was used to by the pre-service teachers to gauge quite specific elements of their teaching: for example, were they asking effective questions, or were they responding appropriately to questions children asked and as always, what management strategies seemed to be working? Critical feedback from other students was initially „less than critical‟, but again over time, this also appeared to sharpen as they had more opportunity to use the technology. Initial embarrassment of being on screen was replaced with a professional approach to seeing the video as a tool for providing the opportunity to systematically deconstruct practices and for providing concrete feedback for improvement. Used in conjunction with teaching preparation courses, the videoed segments of teaching practice could be used to highlight exemplars, to show what actually happens in classrooms and to explain certain practices. Cunningham and Benedetto (2002) state “Recent developments in digital video technologies permit teacher candidates to collect, review, and manipulate video to demonstrate their growth as a professional and as a reflective practitioner.” However, in the development of the trial, the issue was raised by the pre-service teachers that they would be interested in keeping the videos as evidence of their teaching competence to be used in applications for teaching positions. In the small trial, ethics permission had not been gained for that to happen, but it is certainly a valid and viable possibility for the future. Currently prospective employers have to rely on paper applications which respond to selection criteria, evidence from pre-service teachers‟ teaching rounds and the subjective impressions of an interview. If students were able to present a 5 minute segment of them teaching, it might count for much more than any other evidence. Video capture of teaching practice would provide potential employers with an indication of a pre-service teacher‟s management strategies, relationships with children and a snapshot of a pre-service teacher‟s instructional practice. The idea of video-capture as a tool for pre-service teachers to illustrate teaching capabilities will be more fully investigated in this paper.

So much more than just the music : Australian pre-service music teacher education students’ attitudes to artists-in-schools

Contemporary Australia is a country of ongoing migration and increasing cultural diversity which is reflected in its arts practices. This article considers the views held by Australian pre-service music education student teachers and their tertiary music educators about their perceptions concerning artists-in-schools programs in school music. This discussion reports on data collected for a study undertaken in Melbourne, Victoria, Intercultural Understandings of Pre-Service Music Education Students (2005–2009). Fifty-three interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings provide insight into teachers’ recognition of the need for artists-in-schools programs. In particular the ways in which teachers can link theory to practice, fill in omissions in their own knowledge, skills and understandings, and heighten student understandings of multicultural musics. The promotion and provision of multicultural music education is essential at all levels of education. This can be achieved by the inclusion of diverse culture bearers, artists-in-schools, and community engagement to work with both teachers and their students.

How school and university supervising staff perceive the pre-service teacher education practicum: A comparative study

This paper reports on research conducted in two Australian universities to evaluate factors that are perceived to significantly impact on the professional experiences of pre-service teachers during practicum. Contextualised within teacher education programs in an urban university in Tasmania and a regional university in Queensland, the particular focus of this paper is the beliefs and experiences of school and university supervising staff members regarding the efficacy of the practicum in enabling students to integrate into practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their university coursework. Findings generated from the comparative analysis of both mixed methods studies revealed some differences but predominantly a number of similarities between the perceptions of the two samples of school practitioners and university staff members towards practicum. Three key findings are presented and discussed in this paper.

Using Mead's Theory of Emergence as a framework for sociological inquiry into pre-service teacher education

In this paper we take up Chang's (2004) challenge to apply Mead's theory of emergence in sociological inquiry. Largely overlooked by scholars, this theory is shown to prove explanatory in one field where limited solutions have been found to date. Specifically, the theory sheds light on how the theory-practice gap is created and sustained in pre-service teacher education. The argument is that under current institutional arrangements the trainee/beginning teacher encounters different and oft-times conflicting environmental, social and cultural conditions in the two 'fields of interaction' (Mead, 1934: 249) of their training program, namely, the on-campus pre-service program and the school. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education program. We conclude that the Meadian mechanisms of role taking and self-regulated behaviour within the two environmental fields of interaction inhibit the trainee/beginning teacher from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university in practice in the classroom. In this sense Mead's theory of emergence predicts the obduracy of the gap between theory and practice in teacher education.

School practitioners’ perceptions of the pre-service teacher education practicum: a comparative study

The importance of strong school-university partnerships in bridging the so-called theory- practice gap in pre-service teacher education has been well established in the literature. The experiences of pre-service teachers during practicum have in particular been shown to be enhanced where there are strong links between the two educational sectors. This paper draws from research conducted in two diverse Australian pre-service teacher education programs to evaluate factors that are perceived to profoundly impact on the professional experiences of pre-service teachers during practicum. The particular focus of this paper is the beliefs and experiences of school practitioners and university staff members regarding the efficacy of the practicum in enabling students to enact theory in practice. A mixed methods approach was adopted for both studies, one of which was located in an urban university in Tasmania, the other in a regional university in Queensland. Findings generated from the comparative study of both programs revealed some differences but predominantly a number of similarities between the perceptions of the two samples of school practitioners and university staff members towards practicum. Three key findings are presented and discussed in this paper.

A Meadian analysis of pre-service and beginning teacher practice

This paper uses Mead’s theory of emergence to examine the theory-practice gap in pre-service teacher education. The paper argues that the theory-practice gap in pre-service teacher education under present institutional arrangements is axiomatic in the process of emergence from pre-service to graduate teachers. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education programme. An interpretation of the data using Mead’s theory of emergence demonstrates that role taking and self-regulated behaviour inhibit the trainee teacher from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university into practice in the classroom. Thus, Mead’s theory of emergence explains the obduracy of the gap between theory and practice in teacher education.