Moving to the Front of the Classroom: English Graduate Students as Composition Instructors

This phenomenological study explores how graduate students in an English department perceive their new roles as writing teachers. The findings show that even though the participants went through the same professional development program, they constructed different teacher identities based on their other identities and their experiences as students and writers.

Goma curriculum, a character education paradigm: Composing a text for shaping classroom character culture

The written text, and approaches to reading it, serves well as an analogy for the classroom space as a "text" that teachers are able to compose; and students are able to read, interpret meaning(s) of, and make responses to and about (Rosenblatt, 1988). Researchers point to ways in which the classroom can be conceptualized as a text to be evoked, experienced, and read (Freire & Macedo, 1987; Powell, 2009; Rosenblatt, 1988; Spears-Bunton & Powell, 2009).^ The present study analyzed secondary data including: 10 transcripts of teacher talks and six self-reports retrieved from the program evaluation archives of DOR Foundation. The data described six teachers' classroom experiences subsequent to professional development centered on Goma character education curriculum that was used during a summer youth program located in South Georgia. Goma, an acronym that stands for Goal, Objective, Method, and Attitude, is a character education paradigm derived from The Inclusive Community Building Ellison Model, the theoretical framework used for this study. The Model identifies conflict resolution as one of its five foci (Hunt, Howard, & Rice, 1998). Hunt (2006) conceived Goma as part of a 7-Step unitary process, also named the 7-Step pathway, to demonstrate how conflict resolution is accomplished within a variety of contexts.^ Analysis of the data involved: (a) a priori coding of teacher talks transcripts using the components of the Goma 7-Step pathway as coding categories, (b) emergent coding of teacher talks transcripts for the types of experiences teachers evidenced, and (c) emergent coding of teachers' self-reports for categories of teachers' instructional activities. Results of the study showed positive influence of Goma curriculum on participating teachers and their instructional practices. Teachers were shown to have had cognitive, instructional, emotional, and social experiences that were most evident when they reported changes in their attitudes toward their students, themselves, and their instructional practices. The present study provided implications for classroom teachers wherein all aspects of teachers' instructional practices can be guided by principles of positive character; and can be used to help compose the kinds of "texts" that may likely contribute to a classroom character culture.^

Historical analysis of two contemporary issues at the International Community School of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire: Local -hired and overseas -hired teacher relationships. Community perceptions of the U.S. Embassy at ICSA

This study was a qualitative investigation to ascertain and describe two of the current issues at the International Community School of Abidjan, examine their historical bases, and analyze their impact on the school environment.^ Two issues emerged during the inquiry phase of this study: (1) the relationship between local-hired and overseas-hired teachers in light of the January 1994 devaluation which polarized the staff by negating a four-year salary scale that established equity, (2) the school community's wide variance in the perceived power that the U.S. Embassy has on school operations based on its role as ICSA's founding sponsor.^ A multiple studies approach was used in gathering data. An extensive examination of the school's archives was used to reconstruct an historical overview of ICSA. An initial questionnaire was distributed to teachers and administrators at an educational conference to determine the scope of the 1994 devaluation of the West and Central African CFA and its impact on school personnel in West African American-sponsored overseas schools (ASOS). Personal interviews were conducted with the school staff, administration, school board members, and relevant historical participants to determine the principal issues at ICSA at that time. The researcher, an overseas-hired teacher, also used participant observations to collect data. Findings based on these sources were used to analyze the two issues from an historical perspective and to form conclusions.^ Findings in this study pertaining to the events induced by the French and African governments' decision to implement a currency devaluation in January 1994 were presented in ex post-facto chronological narrative form to describe the events which transpired, describe the perception of school personnel involved in these events, examine the final resolution and interpret these events within a historical framework for analysis.^ The topic of the U.S. Embassy and its role at ICSA emerged inductively from open-ended personal interviews conducted over the course of a year. Contradictory perspectives were examined and researched for accuracy and cause. The results of this inquiry presented the U.S. Embassy role at ICSA from a two-sided perspective, examined the historical role of the Embassy, and presented means by which the role and responsibility of the U.S. Embassy could best be communicated to the school community.^ The final chapter provides specific actions for mediation of problems stemming from these issues, implications for administrators and teachers currently involved in overseas schools or considering the possibility, and suggestions for future inquiries.^ Examination of a two-tier salary scale for local-hired and overseas-hired teachers generated the following recommendations: movement towards a single salary scale when feasible, clearly stated personnel policies and full disclosure of benefits, a uniform certification standard, professional development programs and awareness of the impact of this issue on staff morale.^ Divergent perceptions and attitudes toward the role of the U.S. Embassy produced these recommendations: a view towards limiting the number of Americans on ASOS school boards, open school board meetings, selection of Embassy Administrative Officers who can educate school communities on the exact role of the Embassy, educating parents through the outreach activities that communicate American educational philosophy and involve all segments of the international community, and a firm effort on the part of the ASOS to establish the school's autonomy from special interests. ^

The role of *language in early childhood mathematics

Math literacy is imperative to succeed in society. Experience is key for acquiring math literacy. A preschooler's world is full of mathematical experiences. Children are continually counting, sorting and comparing as they play. As children are engaged in these activities they are using language as a tool to express their mathematical thinking. If teachers are aware of these teachable moments and help children bridge their daily experiences to mathematical concepts, math literacy may be enhanced. This study described the interactions between teachers and preschoolers, determining the extent to which teachers scaffold children's everyday language into expressions of mathematical concepts. Of primary concern were the teachers' responsive interactions to children's expressions of an implicit mathematical utterance made while engaged in block play. The parallel mixed methods research design consisted of two strands. Strand 1 of the study focused on preschoolers' use of everyday language and the teachers' responses after a child made a mathematical utterance. Twelve teachers and 60 students were observed and videotaped while engaged in block play. Each teacher worked with five children for 20 minutes, yielding 240 minutes of observation. Interaction analysis was used to deductively analyze the recorded observations and field notes. Using a priori codes for the five mathematical concepts, it was found children produced 2,831 mathematical utterances. Teachers ignored 60% of these utterances and responded to, but did not mediate 30% of them. Only 10% of the mathematical utterances were mediated to a mathematical concept. Strand 2 focused on the teacher's view of the role of language in early childhood mathematics. The 12 teachers who had been observed as part of the first strand of the study were interviewed. Based on a thematic analysis of these interviews three themes emerged: (a) the importance of a child's environment, (b) the importance of an education in society, and (c) the role of math in early childhood. Finally, based on a meta-inference of both strands, three themes emerged: (a) teacher conception of math, (b) teacher practice, and (c) teacher sensitivity. Implications based on the findings involve policy, curriculum, and professional development.

The relationship of instructor technical literacy to the academic performance of students in career academies

Career Academy instructors' technical literacy is vital to the academic success of students. This nonexperimental ex post facto study examined the relationships between the level of technical literacy of instructors in career academies and student academic performance. It was also undertaken to explore the relationship between the pedagogical training of instructors and the academic performance of students. ^ Out of a heterogeneous population of 564 teachers in six targeted schools, 136 teachers (26.0 %) responded to an online survey. The survey was designed to gather demographic and teaching experience data. Each demographic item was linked by researchers to teachers' technology use in the classroom. Student achievement was measured by student learning gains as assessed by the reading section of the FCAT from the previous to the present school year. ^ Linear and hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the research questions. To clarify the possibility of teacher gender and teacher race/ethnic group differences by research variable, a series of one-way ANOVAs were conducted. As revealed by the ANOVA results, there were not statistically significant group differences in any of the research variables by teacher gender or teacher race/ethnicity. Greater student learning gains were associated with greater teacher technical expertise integrating computers and technology into the classroom, even after controlling for teacher attitude towards computers. Neither teacher attitude toward technology integration nor years of experience in integrating computers into the curriculum significantly predicted student learning gains in the regression models. ^ Implications for HRD theory, research, and practice suggest that identifying teacher levels of technical literacy may help improve student academic performance by facilitating professional development strategies and new parameters for defining highly qualified instructors with 21st century skills. District professional development programs can benefit by increasing their offerings to include more computer and information communication technology courses. Teacher preparation programs can benefit by including technical literacy as part of their curriculum. State certification requirements could be expanded to include formal surveys to assess teacher use of technology.^

TEACHNJ: An Evaluation of Two Years Implementation

The Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act was adopted by the New Jersey legislature in August 2012 with the intent to raise student achievement by improving the overall quality of instruction. As a result of this act, new teacher evaluation systems are being introduced in school districts across the state in an effort to more accurately assess teacher performance. The new teacher evaluations will be based on multiple classroom observations as well as the academic achievement of their students as measured on standardized tests. In addition, professional development opportunities are likely to change under this legislation, with schools customizing professional development programs to more effectively meet the needs of their teachers. The overarching question that informs our research is what impact will TEACH NJ have on the overall value of teacher evaluations and the quality of professional development opportunities offered to teachers. Data collected through survey research presents the pre-implementation practices (2011-2012 school year) as well as one year post-implementation practices (2013-2014) taking place in school districts throughout New Jersey. The findings reflect teachers’ perceptions of the value of the current teacher evaluation practices, the quality of the current professional development opportunities and the value the school administration places on teacher evaluations.

The Relationship between Classroom Interactions and Exclusionary Discipline as a Social Practice: A Critical Microethnography

Exclusionary school discipline results in students being removed from classrooms as a consequence of their disruptive behavior and may lead to subsequent suspension and/or expulsion. Literature documents that nondominant students, particularly Black males, are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline, to the point that researchers from a variety of critical perspectives consider exclusionary school discipline an oppressive educational practice and condition. Little or no research examines specific teacher-student social interactions within classrooms that influence teachers’ decisions to use or not use exclusionary discipline. Therefore, this study set forth the central research question: In relation to classroom interactions in alternative education settings, what accounts for teachers’ use or non-use of exclusionary discipline with students? A critical social practice theory of learning served as the framework for exploring this question, and a critical microethnographic methodology informed the data collection and analysis. Criterion sampling was used to select four classrooms in the same alternative education school with two teachers who frequently and two who rarely used exclusionary discipline. Nine stages of data collection and reconstructive data analysis were conducted. Data collection involved video recorded classroom observations, digitally recorded interviews of teachers and students discussing selected video segments, and individual teacher interviews. Reconstructive data analysis procedures involved hermeneutic inferencing of possible underlying meanings, critical discourse analysis, interactive power analysis and role analysis, thematic analysis of the interactions in each classroom, and a final comparative analysis of the four classrooms. Four predominant themes of social interaction (resistance, conformism, accommodation, and negotiation) emerged with terminology adapted from Giroux’s (2001) theory of resistance in education and Third Space theory (Gutiérrez, 2008). Four types of power (normative, coercive, interactively established contracts, and charm), based on Carspecken’s (1996) typology, were found in the interactions between teacher and students in varying degrees for different purposes. This research contributes to the knowledge base on teacher-student classroom interactions, specifically in relation to exclusionary discipline. Understanding how the themes and varying power relations influence their decisions and actions may enable teachers to reduce use of exclusionary discipline and remain focused on positive teacher-student academic interactions.

Formação docente e conhecimento profissional: desafios para o ensino da matemática na EJA

As for the Education for Youth and Adult (EYA), the challenge of training these teachers is to provide tools to understand and act on the teaching of mathematics. It is realized just how special education in this modality and as such teaching is lacking in an adequate and solid training in the area of knowledge. One of the major problems affecting this type of education is the high dropout and failure rates, and lack of motivation among students. Thus the need to provide differentiated profile with a professional to teach youth and adults students, so that they are able to mobilize didactic-pedagogic knowledge, methodologies and theoretical frameworks that serve as a basis for school-developed teaching practice. This thesis aims to investigate how the math teacher, who acts in adult education from elementary school, has developed its didactic and pedagogical action, and that professional knowledge has been mobilized to teach? It has highlighted the importance of initial and continuing training and professionalization of teachers dedicated to this specific type of education, when teachers should be the protagonists of their professional development. The methodological approach was begun with a literature review, then the research was anchored mainly on the ideas by Gauthier, Nuñez and Ramalho (2004); Imbernon (2011), Garcia (2006); Perrenoud (2000); Tardif (2007 ); Haddad, Di Pierro (2000), D'Ambrosio (2002), Mendes (2006, 2009), Freire (1996, 2011), and other theorists and official documents of field of adult education here and abroad. That work leads us to the understanding of the present moment from a foray into historical and conceptual aspects, as well as educational policies of EYA, as well as training, professionalism, knowledge and skills necessary for professional practice. Then, the subjects and the locus of research and the instrument for data collection were set up and led by the object of study. To consolidate the study was selected a sample of 27 mathematics teachers, working in municipal EYA Network Teaching of Natal. This research is in an investigative nature, within the quantitative and qualitative approaches focused on the responses of study subjects from the content analysis by Bardin (1977). Results from the analyzes have revealed that the initial training of mathematics teachers of adult education needs to be reconfigured in order to formalize the knowledge base of professionals (the mathematical content, didactics and professional knowledge). Thus the study suggests that this base knowledge is embedded in the pedagogical practice of these teachers, so that there is a completion of the teaching and learning process for young people and adults. The study also has pointed out that there is a need for teachers to participate in a continuing education plan that prioritizes learning situations of mathematical content considering the previous knowledge of the students. The final analyses thus indicate that knowledge of mathematics and the didactic and pedagogical strategies to be mobilized by teachers must be able to motivate the students in such a way that they feel need to incorporate in their knowledge, mathematical knowledge capable of making them more likely to have access to social, economic and labor market

Promoção, vencimento e avaliação de desempenho do professor do ensino fundamental: o PCCR da rede municipal de ensino de Natal/RN (2004-2010)

This study is about the enhancement of the elementary school in Natal/RN, (PCCR - Law No. 058/2004), concerning to the horizontal promotion through the performance evaluation. It uses as reference the education policy on the legislative field hegemony and the managerial model. The analysis of the teacher´s valorization is based on the policy of Funds (Fundef and Fundeb) in the Brazilian social and educational agenda. The study focuses on the Career Plan, Career and Remuneration of teachers in the period (2004-2010).The study focuses on the Career Plan, Career and Remuneration of teachers in the period (2004-2010). The thesis argues for the necessity to adopt a direct relationship between career development and horizontal promotion for more others fifteen classes, no matter to any conditioning variables. In addition, the performance shall be evaluated by interval of 25 years to reach at least the provisions decided in the law, which determines the salary adjustment in 5% at every two years, as pointed at the PCCR, about teachers remuneration, and teachers qualifications. A work of a bibliographic and a documental review about the education funding with the purpose of enhancement of educational work, career concepts, and also promotion and evaluation performance as well was performed based on experts authors in this field. The survey was organized with the aim of articulating quantitative and qualitative information, analyzing data from the teacher's salary - payrolls and paychecks - also applying a questionnaire. After the implementation of the PCCR, it was found that the wage indices for horizontal promotion during the teaching career are tied to a strategy for evaluating the performance which disqualifies the teacher‟s salaries in a minimum percentage of 25% (up to 25 years) and there are also elements that disturb the promotion strategy. The national minimum wage was set in three salaries by the PSPN Lei nº11.738/2008 but it never reaches the three salaries at Natal/RN educational system.Otherwise, the elements that structure the horizontal promotion in fifteen classes, throughout the career, flout the minimum years of teaching work, long established in 25 years. In addition, changes in terms in the salary increase depend on individual efforts by professional development through titration. Concerning to the career, despite of the category approving its PCCR, neither this instrument nor the Funds Policy managed to establish regulations were able to cope effective rules for valuing the teachers in the educational district system. It is necessary to ensure, in percentage terms and financial, the real remuneration of teachers with the attainment of horizontal promotion, reviewing the elements that structure the career and the determinants of performance evaluation.

Ensinar e aprender História na relação dialética entre interpretação e consciência histórica crítica

Teaching and learning History in dialectical relationship between interpretation and critical historical awareness has investigated the triggering of a theoretical-practical training process developed with a history teacher, her mediation in the teaching and learning of the discipline process, related to the appropriation of history text interpretation and the development of critical historical consciousness by public school 8 th-grade students of elementary level. It aims to analyze the relationship between mediation of teaching activity and ownership by the student on this level, the interpretation of history texts and development of this consciousness. It has been opted for collaborative research, as training and strategy, and was employed as procedures for the formation of knowledge: Meeting, Cycles of Reflexive Studies, Planning (with teachers), Observation performed in real life and portfolio (involving students). The teacher appropriated of contributions of the theory by P. Ya . Galperin and critical historical consciousness and developed a teaching process using a methodology grounded in theoretical constructs this author. The students appropriated the interpretation of history texts and demonstrated to be in a process of developing a critical historical consciousness. Performance of the students occurred more consistently in the interpretations implemented in groups, with teacher guidance and support of the activity map. Training processes, performed in and about teaching and student activities, revealed an improvement in teacher's professional development and the knowledge and expertise of the students. It has contributed to this, the critical reflection experienced in the investigative process. Given these findings, as needs of new thinking, research recommends the development of teaching and learning processes in other years of elementary school, involving the interpretation of history texts and the development of critical historical consciousness of students.

Desenvolvimento profissional de futuros professores: travessias que se entrecruzam em contextos formativos

This study aimed to understand how the educational context contributes to the professional development of future teachers on introduction to teaching practice. To this end, we seek to characterize what the learning and the difficulties experienced in training contexts by future teachers, as well as the intrinsic elements to the training contexts that enable professional development. The investigated contexts were the Institutional Program Initiation Grant to Teaching (Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência – PIBID), specifically the sub-projects of Chemistry and Physics of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN) and Masters in Teaching of Physics and Chemistry of the University of Lisbon (MEFQ ). In both contexts, the future teachers are in contact with the school in a systematic way. The methodology used in our study is rooted in qualitative research with interpretative guidance and the design in the study of multiple cases with instrumental purpose. Participated in this study as the main subject, 40 future teachers PIBID of Physics, 24 PIBID future teachers of Chemistry and 5 future Master Teachers in Teaching Chemistry and Physics. As supporting subjects, participated in 3 PIBID Area Coordinators, the teacher of Introduction to Professional Practice of MEFQ, and 8 teachers who teach chemistry and / or physics in public schools. Multiple data collection tools were used: naturalistic observation, descriptive questionnaire, individual interviews, focus groups, reading of written records and official documents. In analyzing the data, we used the method of questioning and constant comparison. The results showed that the main learning of future teachers are related to the strategy employed in class, the change in the understanding of the role of teacher and student in the classroom, the construction of the professional profile and the development of collaborative practices. The main difficulties were related to the development of activities, the management of time and group, the dynamics of the classroom and the material conditions of work. The characteristics inherent in training contexts investigated for professional development are: the practice itself of the research, the collaboration, the focused reflection on practice, focus on student learning and the improving public schools. From the results, it is evidenced that the training contexts centered at school have the capability to resize the practice based on the analysis of actions, in a collaborative work as well as create opportunities for awareness of the concepts, the acting and the way to understand the profession. It is needed for effective mediation trainers, so that future teachers undertake their own practice and, therefore, they can build teaching strategies that promote learning which, in addition to increase the quality of education, favor the professional development throughout life.

Papel do educador e do professor do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico : conceções dos diferentes agentes envolvidos no processo educativo

Relatório de estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Santarém para obtenção do grau de mestre em Educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

A Formação de professores nas tramas do virtual

This study aims to reflect on the cultural and aesthetics formation of teacher, and how they act as a co-author in the virtual environment. The reflection permeates on topics such as: The Information Age and the challenges of the teacher in the twenty-first century; teacher professional development and the multiple personal identities; the importance of cultural repertoire for teaching practice and the role of the teacher as co-author in the informational network. In addition to the theoretical reflections were conducted two focus groups with the participation of teachers with different graduations and working in various levels of education to discuss the presented topics. It was proposed to create a website for the teacher to sail and collaborate with posts on many cultural artifacts. For the construction of the content for the site, it developed a “daily creation”, which is the search information storage from multiple sources, such as academic papers, songs, websites, magazines, comics, blogs, books, photographs, advertisements, finally everything that can increase imagination and serve for the production of content. Data analysis of the focus group showed that teachers recognize the varied cultural repertoire makes for a good professional aplomb, but cannot actively participate in the local culture. It was also found that the teacher has difficulty manipulating information technology and communication and therefore, distance themselves from an active production network. The focus group contributed to building a website and posts on cultural artifacts. Production can be accessed at www.digitaldoprofessor.com.

A qualitative evaluation of the Scottish Staff and Associate Specialist Development Programme

Acknowledgements Our thanks to all those who took part in the interviews, and to Gillian Campbell for her help in organising these interviews. Our thanks to NHS Education for Scotland for commissioning us to carry out this project. Funding Our thanks to NHS Education for Scotland (NES) for funding this research. JC and PJ received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

A supervisão e orientação pedagógica de educadores e professores em São Tomé e Princípe : proposta de um programa de desenvolvimento profissional

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Santarém para obtenção do grau de mestre em Ciências de Educação na especialização de Supervisão e Orientação Pedagógica