Using feedback from stakeholders to strengthen the student teacher experience during field experience

This paper reports a study into key stakeholders’ perceptions of a teacher education program in the context of field experience. Located in an urban Australian university, the study draws on data collected from students, university supervisors and teachers to provide insight into three inter-related issues. First, it projects an understanding of how different stakeholders perceive and enact their roles and responsibilities during field experience. Second, it contributes an understanding about factors that enhance and impede students’ capacity to integrate theory and practice and, third, it shows the fundamental role that effective university-school partnerships play in enabling student engagement in teacher education. The paper concludes by proposing ways in which the study’s findings can be used to improve teacher education.

A fundamental partnership : the experiences of practising teachers as lecturers in a pre-service teacher education program

This paper reports an evaluation of an innovative university-school partnership in which teacher practitioners work as university lecturers in a regional Australian pre-service teacher education programme. The philosophy of this programme encompasses authentic partnerships between universities, schools and other industry employers. The study was motivated by an interest inunderstanding the experiences and outcomes for the teacher practitioners and in documenting their experiences. Staff members who are currently on contract as university lecturers as well as teachers who have completed secondments and returned to school settings are surveyed. This paper focuses on suggestions to improve the partnership and discusses future directions for the partnership.

A day in the life of an early childhood teacher: identifying the confronting issues and challenges that arise

Recent emphasis upon Early Childhood as an educational priority for the Australian Government has resulted in increases in funding, government initiatives, course providers and the introduc- tion of new policies to the sector in order to improve the quality of early childhood education. The study reported here investigated the "reality" of what it means to be an Early Childhood Teacher within this changing context and identified the roles and responsibilities and the associated chal- lenges. A case study involving observation and interviews with five Bachelor qualified Teachers from varied early childhood settings was undertaken in order to gain knowledge about their ex- periences and perspectives on their work. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory ap- proach involving the identification of key themes and issues about the nature of teachers' work. The findings revealed that in their everyday practice teachers played a complex array of roles that required them to contribute far more than just their teaching skills and knowledge. They were expected to concurrently enact the roles of educator, leader, advocate, communicator, counsellor and administrator whilst juggling everyday challenges including a "lack of time", the need for "further support and more resources" and "building successful partnerships with parents".

Asian immigrant parents’ and New Zealand early childhood teachers’ views of parent-teacher relationships

The growing number of Asian children entering the New Zealand early childhood education system means that teachers cannot ignore the need to develop an understanding of Asian cultures and practices that support working collaboratively with Asian families. This paper examines the views of a small number of Asian immigrant parents and New Zealand early childhood teachers about parent-teacher partnerships in children’s early education and care. The findings point to challenges for both parents and teachers. The paper highlights some major problems or barriers to the achievement of effective partnerships between Asian immigrant parents and New Zealand early childhood teachers, namely parental and teacher confidence, time, and willingness or perception of need to develop a partnership. Some recommendations for improving teacher practices are outlined. It is concluded that given the limitations of this study and yet the issues it has raised, that this is topic which needs to be more systematically researched.

INVESTIGATION OF STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES IN EARTH SCIENCE

This dissertation serves as a call to geoscientists to share responsibility with K-12 educators for increasing Earth science literacy. When partnerships are created among K-12 educators and geoscientists, the synergy created can promote Earth science literacy in students, teachers, and the broader community. The research described here resulted in development of tools that can support effective professional development for teachers. One tool is used during the planning stages to structure a professional development program, another set of tools supports measurement of the effectiveness of a development program, and the third tool supports sustainability of professional development programs. The Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP), a Math/Science Partnership project funded by the National Science Foundation, served as the test bed for developing and testing these tools. The first tool, the planning tool, is the Earth Science Literacy Principles (ESLP). The ESLP served as a planning tool for the two-week summer field courses as part of the MiTEP program. The ESLP, published in 2009, clearly describe what an Earth science literate person should know. The ESLP consists of nine big ideas and their supporting fundamental concepts. Using the ESLP for planning a professional development program assisted both instructors and teacher-participants focus on important concepts throughout the professional development activity. The measurement tools were developed to measure change in teachers’ Earth science content-area knowledge and perceptions related to teaching and learning that result from participating in a professional development program. The first measurement tool, the Earth System Concept Inventory (ESCI), directly measures content-area knowledge through a succession of multiple-choice questions that are aligned with the content of the professional development experience. The second measurement, an exit survey, collects qualitative data from teachers regarding their impression of the professional development. Both the ESCI and the exit survey were tested for validity and reliability. Lesson study is discussed here as a strategy for sustaining professional development in a school or a district after the end of a professional development activity. Lesson study, as described here, was offered as a formal course. Teachers engaged in lesson study worked collaboratively to design and test lessons that improve the teachers’ classroom practices. Data regarding the impact of the lesson study activity were acquired through surveys, written documents, and group interviews. The data are interpreted to indicate that the lesson study process improved teacher quality and classroom practices. In the case described here, the lesson study process was adopted by the teachers’ district and currently serves as part of the district’s work in Professional Learning Communities, resulting in ongoing professional development throughout the district.

"You have to reach before you can teach": A study of teacher candidates' journeys of community teaching

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Cultivating Collaborative Relationships: A Case Study of Teacher Collaboration and Professional Development

Students often receive instruction from specialists, professionals other than their general educators, such as special educators, reading specialists, and ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine how general educators and specialists develop collaborative relationships over time within the context of receiving professional development. While collaboration is considered essential to increasing student achievement, improving teachers’ practice, and creating comprehensive school reform, collaborative partnerships take time to develop and require multiple sources of support. Additionally, both practitioners and researchers often conflate collaboration with structural reforms such as co-teaching. This study used a retrospective single case study with a grounded theory approach to analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with thirteen teachers and an administrator after three workshops were conducted throughout the school year. The theory, Cultivating Interprofessional Collaboration, describes how interprofessional relationships grow as teachers engage in a cycle of learning, constructing partnership, and reflecting. As relationships deepen some partners experience a seamless dimension to their work. A variety of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external factors work in concert to promote this growth, which is strengthened through professional development. In this theory, professional development provides a common ground for strengthening relationships, knowledge about the collaborative process, and a reflective space to create new collaborative practices. Effective collaborative practice can lead to aligned instruction and teachers’ own professional growth. This study has implications for school interventions, professional development, and future research on collaboration in schools.

School-based approaches to pre-service primary science teacher education resulting in gains in confidence

The quality of science education has been the focus of a number of research projects nationally and internationally, including concerns about primary teachers’ lack of science knowledge and confidence to teach science. In addition, the effectiveness of traditional approaches to teacher education have been questioned. The Science Teacher Partnerships with Schools (STEPS) responds to these concerns by investigating the effectiveness of school-based approaches to pre-service primary science teacher education. It considers established, innovative and successful practices at five universities to develop and promote a framework supporting school-based approaches to pre-service teacher education. An analysis of the five models was conducted in 2013 involving interviews with teacher educators, pre-service teachers, and school principals and teachers. Pre-service teachers at these universities also engaged in pre- and post- online surveys generating data on their expectations and experiences associated with these experiences. This paper reports on the analysis of the survey data, which shows that there are statistically significant gains in pre-service teachers’ responses to several items relating to their confidence to teach science. Analysis of the data also shows interesting differences between universities noted in different confidence items. The school based experience was shown to provide these pre-service teachers with an authentic engagement with the teaching of science while being supported by their university tutors. While raising confidence at university does not automatically translate to confident early career teachers, the gains in confidence are an important step in assisting prospective teachers to approach the teaching of science more positively than they might otherwise. Implications for teacher education and the role that university-school partnerships can play in preparing confident teachers of science will be discussed.

Self-studies in rural teacher education

The purpose of this book is to highlight the work of teacher educators in the field of rural education. In this book, education faculty who work in teacher education study the ways in which one’s identity impacts one’s teaching and the partnerships with rural schools. Although the field of research on teacher preparation has an abundance of studies on preparing students for the challenges of urban settings, there is much less emphasis on rural education, despite the prevalence of rural schools. This book problematises notions of rural or rurality which is often considered via a deficit or a generalised model where a stereotype of one kind of rural is outlined. Developing more multi-faceted understandings of rurality is a key to attracting and retaining teachers who understand the complexities and opportunities of living and working in rural spaces.

Successful university-school partnerships: an interpretive framework to inform partnership practice

This paper presents an Interpretive Framework stemming from a longitudinal and iterative multiple case study of five Australian universities examining the cogent and unique practices underpinning their established and successful school-based science teacher education programs. Results from interviews with teacher educators, school staff and pre-service teachers, show four components that guide the successful and sustainable use of university-school partnerships. These components: Guiding Pedagogical Principles; Growing University-School Partnerships; Representations of Partnership; and Growth Model provide a scaffold for initiating, growing and sustaining partnerships that maximise the benefits for all. The essential role of both university and school staff is also highlighted.

Successful university-school partnerships: an interpretive framework to inform partnership practice

This paper presents an Interpretive Framework stemming from a longitudinal and iterative multiple case study of five Australian universities examining the cogent and unique practices underpinning their established and successful school-based science teacher education programs. Results from interviews with teacher educators, school staff and pre-service teachers, show four components that guide the successful and sustainable use of university-school partnerships. These components: Guiding Pedagogical Principles; Growing University-School Partnerships; Representations of Partnership; and Growth Model provide a scaffold for initiating, growing and sustaining partnerships that maximise the benefits for all. The essential role of both university and school staff is also highlighted.

Teacher-student relationships

An updated edition of the comprehensive introduction to the rapidly growing area of middle schooling, for teachers, teacher education students and school administrators.The middle years of schooling are increasingly recognised as a crucial stage in students' lives, one that has significant consequences for ongoing educational success. International research indicates that young adolescents benefit from programs designed especially for their needs. Teaching Middle Years offers a systematic overview of the philosophy, principles and issues in middle schooling. It includes contributions from academics and school-based practitioners on intellectual and emotional development in early adolescence, pedagogy, curriculum and assessment of middle years students. This second edition is fully revised to reflect the latest research findings. It includes new chapters on students with diverse needs, school partnerships with families and community, and effective team teaching. Also new to this edition is a chapter that brings middle schooling concepts to life by providing real examples of reform in action.Written for teachers, student teachers, education leaders and policy makers, Teaching Middle Years is an essential resource for anyone involved in educating young adolescents.