Curriculum innovation in teacher education : exploring conceptions among Tanzanian teacher educators

The focus of the study is to understand curriculum innovation from the perspective of Tanzanian teacher educators. It is argued that the deterioration of quality of education in schools is partly to be attributed to the way in which teachers are educated. Curriculum innovation is considered as an essential strategy for bringing about improvement in teacher education. Therefore, in 2000 a new curriculum was introduced; however, right from the inception the curriculum was criticised by teacher educators. The overall aim of the study is to investigate teacher educators’ conceptions of curriculum innovation. In the theoretical framework the main focus is on discussion about different curriculum approaches for teacher education and innovation. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a phenomenographic approach is employed. This approach is used in order to identify similarities and variation in educators’ conceptions of curriculum innovation. The empirical basis of the study consists of interviews with thirty teacher educators working in eight teachers’ colleges situated in various parts of Tanzania. The findings, in brief, reveal variation in teacher educators’ conceptions of the dominant domains of innovation. Two broad conceptions of teaching with six aspects are identified. Conceptions of educational studies are presented in four broad categories of description with four aspects. Similarly, in methodology subjects two conceptions are described with four aspects. On the integration of subject matter studies and subject methods, two broad conceptions are presented with six aspects. Conceptions of textbook prescription policy are characterised in two broad categories of description with four aspects. With the use of modules two broad conceptions are identified with six aspects. In addition, the study identifies four broad conceptions of future curriculum approaches with eight aspects. Looking across the categories of description, the results indicate that educators cope with innovation individually. Three character types of teacher educators are presented: loyal, creative and critical. Furthermore, four types of phenomena suggesting critical areas about teacher educators’ conceptions of innovation are described: educators’ prior educational background, technical factors, student teachers’ factors and shifting from teaching to learning. On the whole, educators express a number of frame factors in the process of change towards the aim of curriculum innovation. This indicates that the new curriculum (2000) is not implemented as intended by curriculum developers. Constraints to the implementation are presented and discussed in detail. From these findings, two models of educators’ stance towards curriculum innovation are presented and can be used as a framework for planning successful curriculum innovations and analysing practice in teachers’ colleges.

Distance teacher education – some experiences from Dalarna University, SwedenPaper presented at the 33rd Annual ATEE Conference Brussels, Belgium, 23rd – 27th August 2008

Distance teaching is now-a-days used in different shapes. However, it is something different from traditional campus organised education as it systematically uses Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a key element. When the distance teacher education started in Sweden many teacher educators doubted the wisdom of this. They expressed that the educational process to become a teacher would be deteriorated. For instance, they feared for high drop out rates and difficulties to examine in a proper way. The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education has recently edited a report that showed that this form of teacher education was well adapted to the labour market, but the possibilities for the teacher students to shape their education were relatively limited. However, we still know quite little about the effects of this way to educate teacher students. This paper explores the possibility of using distance teacher education.In a case study 20 students, who were the first to finish a complete a distance teacher education at Högskolan Dalarna, were asked in a questionnaire how they had apprehended their education. We also interviewed four of these students, as well as five teacher educators.One of our findings were that the distance teacher education reached new target groups, who not had been able to participate in university studies if it not had been offered in this form. Especially, this was valid for the middle-aged women, living a long distance away from a university, with social responsibilities for children or old parents. Other findings were that these students in general were target oriented and ambitious, wrote more than the campus students and developed that kind of skill better. Marratech, an ICT system for small groups, e-mail and chat were used for the communication. Marratech was considered to permit free and spontaneous communication, both of the teacher educators and the students. Initially the teacher educators were sceptical to distance teacher education, but afterwards they were surprised of how well it had worked. They declared that they had better and nearer contact with their students and more control over the students´ performance, but some parts of the teacher education were better suitable for campus education, for example, power of creating characters. Distance teacher education was considered time consuming and demanded much activity from the teacher educators as the students wanted rapid responses. This study indicates that distance teacher education works well for mature individuals with high motivation. However, it demands more time from the teacher educators, but it gives in general good results. Still, there are pedagogical challenges to overcome. Maybe we should reflect on a mix of distance teacher education and campus based teacher education, instead of separated ways of accomplishing teacher education?

Training New Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarians: Some Technical and Philosophical Guideposts

This article covers key competencies for success as acquisitions and collection development librarians, delineates between collection development's intellectual facets of curricular support and acquisitions' business functions and shows how the two interrelated. Also provided are best practices for training and mentoring and professional development information for new librarians entering acquisitions and collection development.

Portugal: manifest for the republic education or teacher education under scrutiny

Starting from the analysis of a Manifest placed in the World Wide Web in order to gather signatures, the paper discusses the arousal of a wide spread movement of scepticism in the so called Portuguese “civil socie ty” against the overall result of almost forty years of uninterrupted educational reform that has taken place in Portugal since the late sixties and has lead to an increasing percentage of illiteracy and innumeracy. That Manifest is presented as part of a broader movement, deeply rooted in the Portuguese society, and silent so far, which is becoming stronger and has now strength enough to be part of the political agenda. It is also our concern to unveil an emerging trend of blaming sciences of education and badly trained teachers as responsible for the poor outcome of our schooling system.

Education and knowledge: basic pillars of changing production patterns with social equity

Includes bibliography

Potencialidades das narrativas para a formação inicial de professores que ensinam matemática

Pós-graduação em Educação Matemática - IGCE

As etapas da carreira docente e o processo de formação continuada de professores de Educação Física

In this research, qualitative, aimed to analyze the meanings assigned by Physical Education teachers to the relationship between continuing education and professional development stages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight state public school teachers of Bauru/SP. The data were analyzed following the theory referential of HUBERMAN (2000), relatively to the concept of professional life cycles, and found that as well as other factors of the teaching career, on the extent of continuing education teachers also have different needs at each moment professional. In summary concluded: the early stage to teaching, they seek activities to improve pedagogical practice; stabilization phase: to solve problems in the educational context and to disseminate the academic content between teachers; diversifi cation phase: to provide a basis to work new content and to make constant updates according to educational innovations; serenity/exit: they feel the need to attend training activities in different spaces of the school.

Elecciones de los docentes de Educación Física de escuelas secundarias frente a la oferta de capacitación, en La Plata (2007-2009)

El tema de esta tesis son las elecciones que realizan los docentes de Educación Física de nivel secundario frente a la oferta de capacitación. Las preguntas que orientan esta tesis son: ¿Qué factores inciden en la elección de la oferta de capacitación que realizan los docentes? ¿Qué lugar ocupan estas elecciones de los docentes en el diseño de las políticas de capacitación? Para responder a estas preguntas se retoman las investigaciones que aportan datos y perspectivas sobre el peso de la normativa y el trabajo docente, y sobre la institucionalización de distintas modalidades de capacitación. Se aborda la elección de la capacitación desde la perspectiva de los actores, considerando la incidencia de sus contextos y la interacción con las culturas escolares en la que conviven y crean y desde la cual eligen opciones de capacitación. Para esto considero la perspectiva del saber docente y su desarrollo profesional en interacción con los aportes sobre la relación de los sujetos con el saber, reconociendo la implicancia de los sistemas de sentido que se construyen desde las características y la situación de quien elige. ;La estrategia metodológica se centra en entrevistas a docentes de Educación Física, se complementa con entrevistas a responsables de la gestión de acciones de capacitación en el distrito de La Plata, y con el análisis de los documentos que regulan la capacitación en la provincia de Buenos Aires

Elecciones de los docentes de Educación Física de escuelas secundarias frente a la oferta de capacitación, en La Plata (2007-2009)

El tema de esta tesis son las elecciones que realizan los docentes de Educación Física de nivel secundario frente a la oferta de capacitación. Las preguntas que orientan esta tesis son: ¿Qué factores inciden en la elección de la oferta de capacitación que realizan los docentes? ¿Qué lugar ocupan estas elecciones de los docentes en el diseño de las políticas de capacitación? Para responder a estas preguntas se retoman las investigaciones que aportan datos y perspectivas sobre el peso de la normativa y el trabajo docente, y sobre la institucionalización de distintas modalidades de capacitación. Se aborda la elección de la capacitación desde la perspectiva de los actores, considerando la incidencia de sus contextos y la interacción con las culturas escolares en la que conviven y crean y desde la cual eligen opciones de capacitación. Para esto considero la perspectiva del saber docente y su desarrollo profesional en interacción con los aportes sobre la relación de los sujetos con el saber, reconociendo la implicancia de los sistemas de sentido que se construyen desde las características y la situación de quien elige. ;La estrategia metodológica se centra en entrevistas a docentes de Educación Física, se complementa con entrevistas a responsables de la gestión de acciones de capacitación en el distrito de La Plata, y con el análisis de los documentos que regulan la capacitación en la provincia de Buenos Aires

Elecciones de los docentes de Educación Física de escuelas secundarias frente a la oferta de capacitación, en La Plata (2007-2009)

El tema de esta tesis son las elecciones que realizan los docentes de Educación Física de nivel secundario frente a la oferta de capacitación. Las preguntas que orientan esta tesis son: ¿Qué factores inciden en la elección de la oferta de capacitación que realizan los docentes? ¿Qué lugar ocupan estas elecciones de los docentes en el diseño de las políticas de capacitación? Para responder a estas preguntas se retoman las investigaciones que aportan datos y perspectivas sobre el peso de la normativa y el trabajo docente, y sobre la institucionalización de distintas modalidades de capacitación. Se aborda la elección de la capacitación desde la perspectiva de los actores, considerando la incidencia de sus contextos y la interacción con las culturas escolares en la que conviven y crean y desde la cual eligen opciones de capacitación. Para esto considero la perspectiva del saber docente y su desarrollo profesional en interacción con los aportes sobre la relación de los sujetos con el saber, reconociendo la implicancia de los sistemas de sentido que se construyen desde las características y la situación de quien elige. ;La estrategia metodológica se centra en entrevistas a docentes de Educación Física, se complementa con entrevistas a responsables de la gestión de acciones de capacitación en el distrito de La Plata, y con el análisis de los documentos que regulan la capacitación en la provincia de Buenos Aires

Art teachers' attitudes toward the Florida Sunshine State Standards for the Visual Arts

The State of Florida developed the Sunshine State Standards For the Arts Curriculum Framework as part of an initiative to raise student achievement in response to national calls for educational reform. The content-based art education approach used in the Sunshine State Standards reflects a viewpoint advocated by prominent art educators and professional art education organizations for more than two decades. Successful implementation of the Sunshine State Standards curriculum approach requires that art teachers be acquainted with and knowledgeable in the four foundational content areas of the arts: studio art, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. ^ The purpose of this study was to examine art teachers' viewpoints and attitudes toward the content-based art education approach contained in the Florida Curriculum Framework Sunshine State Standards for the Visual Arts. A survey was conducted in order to obtain these viewpoints. Surveys were sent to 440 Miami-Dade County Public School art teachers. A total of 138 elementary, middle and senior high school level art teachers participated in the study. ^ Factors and variables explored in this study included teachers' level of education, type of community, and grade levels taught. The principal methods of analyses employed in the study were descriptive statistics used to display frequencies and percentages. In addition, cross tabulations with Chi-square tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to examine responses to the survey items. ^ The results of the study revealed that the majority of art teachers supported the content-based art education approach used in the Sunshine State Standards for the Arts. However significant differences appeared in the responses to survey items as a result of art teachers' level of education, type of community, and grade levels. The results of this study indicate a need for further examination of teacher training and professional development programs. ^

Partnerships in teacher education - going beyond the rhetoric, with reference to the Norwegian context

Teacher education plays a central role in education and relates to various stakeholders of education. Currently, teacher education is not perceived as the sole responsibility of higher education institutions, and they are expected to work closely together with other partners. In this paper, the concept of ‘partnership’ is defined and mutual benefits and challenges in partnerships with disciplines and institutions beyond teacher education programs are briefly discussed. Issues related to partnerships with students are addressed, and the last part of the paper discusses the partnership between teacher education and the practice field with examples from Norway. Three models illustrating such partnerships are described. The central argument of the paper is that partnerships in teacher education need to go beyond rhetoric. (DIPF/Orig.)

Keys on the Formation and Human Development in Pedagogy

This paper is based on the experiences of the author, who has worked in the various levels of the Venezuelan educational system. This has been a very important platform to understand the ideas of education and human development within the Venezuelan institutionality in the educational field. The idea of education that we have, as teachers, should be rethought in order to consider the personal stories of those who share with us their time, interests and willingness: children, young people or adults, all with particular identities, differences and coincidences. The teachers, the schools and the State cannot consider an education for someone they do not know. In this sense, we provide some reflections resulting from our ethnographic work, based on the school life, interviews, class analysis, observations, and stories, among others. Our thoughts are classified as formation, hope, dialogue, attitude, and school life.

Formação e desenvolvimento profissional do treinador : um estudo sobre os treinadores de basquetebol, suas identidade e saberes

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física