Exploring the relationship between task, teacher actions, and student learning. 'Exploración de las relaciones entre tarea, acciones del profesor y aprendizaje del estudiante'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Teacher actions to maximize mathematics learning opportunities in heterogeneous classrooms

The basic unit of school based mathematics teaching is the lesson. This article is a contribution to understanding teacher actions that facilitate successful lessons, defined as those that engage all students, especially those who may sometimes feel alienated from mathematics and schooling, in productive and successful mathematical thinking and learning. An underlying assumption is that lessons can seek to build a sense in the students that their experience has elements in common with the rest of the class and that this can be done through attention to particular aspects of the mathematical and socio-mathematical goals. We examine three teacher actions that address the mathematical goals: using open-ended tasks, preparing prompts to support students experiencing difficulty, and posing extension tasks to students who finish the set tasks quickly; as well as actions that address the socio-mathematical goals by making classroom processes explicit. To illustrate and elaborate these actions, we describe a particular lesson taught to a heterogeneous upper primary (age 11–12) class.

Progressive discourse in mathematics classes - the task of the teacher

This paper uses data from two mathematics lessons to explore the nature of progressive discourse and examine critical features of teacher actions that contribute to mathematics classrooms functioning as communities of inquiry. Features found to promote progressive discourse include a focus on the conceptual elements of the curriculum and the use of complex, challenging tasks that problematised the curriculum; the orchestration of student reporting to allow all students to contribute to progress towards the community's solution to the problem; and a focus on seeking, recognizing, and drawing attention to mathematical reasoning and justification, and using this as a basis for learning.

Challenges of elementary science teaching: an Australian perspective

This chapter profiles research that has explored the role of affect in the teaching of science in Australia particularly on primary or elementary science education. Affect is a complex set of characteristics that relate to the interactions between an individual’s knowledge and emotional responses to a stimulus. Thus, there are many dimensions and theoretical frameworks that inform our understanding of how and why people behave in particular ways.

Increasing access to mathematical thinking

This article is a contribution to understanding of teacher actions that can contribute to a successful mathematics learning experience, defined as one that engages all students, especially those who may sometimes feel alienated from mathematics and schooling, in productive and successful mathematical thinking and learning. We offer an example of a task that can form the basis of such a learning experience. The key elements are that the task is open-ended, that the teacher offers specific pedagogical prompts to support student leaning, that the teacher builds a sense of community by ensuring that there are some common experiences, and the teacher prepare prompts that can be used to support students who are experiencing difficulty, or to extend those students who complete the
basic task readily.

Tasks and pedagogies that facilitate mathematical problem solving

This is a report from one aspect of a project seeking to identify teacher actions that support mathematical problem solving. The project developed a planning and teaching model that describes the type of classroom tasks that can facilitate mathematical problem solving, the sequencing of the tasks, the nature of teaching heterogeneous groups, ways of dfferentiating tasks, and particular pedagogies. We report here one teacher's implementation of the
model using a unit of work that he planned and taught. The report provides important insights into the implementation of the theoretically founded model and the responses of students. We found that the model can be used for planning and teaching and for encouraging problem solving. The model has a positive effect on the learning of most students. Specific teachers actions were identified in order to address the needs of the students we are most
keen to support, those experiencing dfficulties.

Formação continuada do professor: um estudo das contribuições do Programa Conhecer para Acolher para a prática pedagógica inclusiva

Este estudo está vinculado à linha de pesquisa Currículo e Formação de Professores, do Programa de Pós Graduação do Instituto de Ciências da Educação da Universidade Federal do Pará. Defini como objetivo geral analisar se a formação continuada de professores, desenvolvida no Programa “Conhecer para Acolher: capacitação de educadores para atuar junto a alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais no contexto da escola regular da Rede Pública Estadual do Pará”, trouxe contribuições para a prática pedagógica docente no processo de inclusão dos alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em escolas públicas da rede estadual do Pará e como objetivos específicos identificar como os professores articulam o vivenciado no processo da formação com sua ação docente; avaliar que aspectos da formação podem ter favorecido (ou não) sua ação docente na perspectiva da inclusão e investigar se processo formativo gerou mudanças atitudinais nos professores. A investigação configurou-se como pesquisa qualitativa de abordagem descritiva, apoiada nos teóricos que discutem a formação de professores e inclusão, para compreensão dos fenômenos educacionais e do papel da formação continuada para a ressignificação das ações do professor no processo de construção da educação inclusiva. Foram sujeitos participantes quatro professoras que participaram da referida formação, selecionadas a partir dos critérios: participação na primeira formação do Programa, ocorrida em 2002; participação em módulo de aprofundamento; não ter participado de outras formações sobre educação especial/inclusão; ter no momento da pesquisa aluno com necessidades educacionais especiais em suas turmas. Elegi como instrumentos de coleta de dados a pesquisa documental e entrevista semi-estruturada. Considerando a importância da pesquisa como possível auxiliar em formações continuadas para o processo de inclusão educacional de alunos com necessidades especiais, para análise dos dados me apoiei nos constructos teóricos que são veiculados sobre a educação inclusiva e busquei pontos de interface entre esses constructos para a compreensão dos aspectos da complexidade que envolvem o processo de formação continuada de professores e seus reflexos na atuação profissional dos mesmos. A análise dos dados permitiu perceber que a formação proporcionou às professoras o repensar de suas práticas pela assimilação e uso dos conceitos teórico-práticos como recurso para sua ação, ao afirmarem que ativaram postura mais reflexiva, mais participativa em seu contexto profissional; ao se perceberem como mais sensíveis às diferenças que se manifestam em suas salas de aula; ao recorrerem a estratégias diferenciadas para efetivar o processo de ensino e se perceberem como co-responsáveis pela organização da inclusão educacional.

A importância da linguagem do educador no processo de construção da autonomia moral da criança pré-escolar

This paper demonstrates that in every society there are limits and these are imposed on its members. However, the awareness and the determination of theses limits are necessarily how they are transmitted by the educator to the learners. Its purpose is to show that autonomous, critical and cooperative individuals are result of the form they were educated and instructed in the classroom. Schools and educators should be concerned with the education of individuals able to reflect, discuss and solve the social and moral conflicts through dialogue, exposition of ideas, suggesting alternatives and the preparation and reworking of the principles and norms that govern society. The goal of this study is identify and highlight the importance of educator language in conflict resolution, its consequences and effects on the process of building the moral autonomy of children in preschool, as well as discussing, in theory the two types of language, evaluative and descriptive. In the same way, show the importance of descriptive language on the construction process from moral autonomy of learner. Several existing research about the chosen subject led to face this challenge, deepening the study to show that and educational system focused on cooperative environment, where teacher actions encourage social interaction, giving the student opportunity to talk, argue and present his thoughts, causes a significant development toward the construction of moral autonomy on the learner

A cross-cultural investigation of the use of teaching styles

Teacher beliefs are a major influence on teacher actions. Because context influences beliefs, it was the purpose of this study to explore teachers' beliefs about Mosston's Spectrum of Teaching Styles from an international perspective. Over 1,400 teachers from 7 countries completed a survey related to their self-reported use of and beliefs about various teaching styles. Data suggested a shared core of reproduction teaching style use. The use of and beliefs about the production styles of teaching were more varied. Teachers' use of styles was significantly related to their beliefs about the styles. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Behaviour disorders and teacher negligence

The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal implications of the continuing rise in the number of school children diagnosed with behaviour disorders. Not only are teachers now subject to a dense grid of legal regulation, they are also increasingly vulnerable to actions in tort. It will be argued here that as more and more children are labelled ‘disordered’, the duty of care become more onerous, and hence harder for teachers to meet. As a consequence, teachers are more likely to face claims of negligence. It is concluded that while the schooling system needs to retain a healthy scepticism about each new pathologising disorder that seeks special status for its sufferers, it also needs to provide greater training and resources for teachers regarding disorder management. It is also concluded that recent changes to negligence law regarding the issue of ‘reasonable foreseeability’ within breach of duty of care, may not be as significant as might have been hoped by the teaching community. Indeed, the elevated standard of care required by the increasing numbers of disordered pupils, places teachers in an ever more difficult legal position.

Behaviour disorders and the negligent teacher

The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal implications of the continuing rise in the number of school children diagnosed with behaviour disorders. Not only are teachers now subject to a dense grid of legal regulation, they are also increasingly vulnerable to actions in tort. It will be argued here that as more and more children are labelled ‘disordered’, then the concomitant duty of care requirements for teachers becomes more onerous. As a consequence, teachers are less likely to be able to defend themselves against claims of negligence. It is concluded that while the schooling system needs to retain a healthy scepticism about each new pathologising disorder that seeks special status for its sufferers, it also needs to provide greater training and resources for teachers regarding disorder management. It is also concluded that recent changes to negligence law regarding the issue of ‘reasonable foreseeability’ within breach of duty of care, may not be as significant as might have been hoped by the teaching community. Indeed, the elevated standard of care, as required by increasing numbers of disordered pupils, place teachers in an ever more difficult legal position.

Young children’s active citizenship : storytelling, stories, and social actions

This thesis inquires into possibilities for young children‘s active citizenship as provoked through a practice of social justice storytelling with one Preparatory1 class of children aged five to six years. The inquiry was practitioner-research, through a living educational theory approach cultivating an interrelational view of existing with others in evolving processes of creation. Ideas of young children‘s active citizenship were provoked and explored through storytelling, by a storytelling teacher-researcher, a Prep class of children and their teacher. The three major foci of the study were practice, narrative and action. A series of storytelling workshops with a Prep class was the practice that was investigated. Each workshop began with a story that made issues of social justice visible, followed by critical discussion of the story, and small group activities to further explore the story. The focus on narrative was based on the idea of story as a way knowing. Stories were used to explore social justice issues with young children. Metanarratives of children and citizenship were seen to influence possibilities for young children‘s active citizenship. Stories were purposefully shared to provoke and promote young children‘s active citizenship through social actions. It was these actions that were the third focus of the study. Through action research, a social justice storytelling practice and the children‘s responses to the stories were reflected on both in action and after. These reflections informed and shaped storytelling practice. Learning in a practice of social justice storytelling is explained through living theories of social justice storytelling as pedagogy. Data of the children‘s participation in the study were analysed to identify influences and possibilities for young children‘s active citizenship creating a living theory of possibilities for young children‘s active citizenship.

Ethical dilemmas : a model to understand teacher practice

Over recent decades, the field of ethics has been the focus of increasing attention in teaching. This is not surprising given that teaching is a moral activity that is heavily values-laden. Because of this, teachers face ethical dilemmas in the course of their daily work. This paper presents an ethical decision-making model that helps to explain the decision-making processes that individuals or groups are likely to experience when confronted by an ethical dilemma. In order to make sense of the model, we put forward three short ethical dilemma scenarios facing teachers and apply the model to interpret them. Here we identify the critical incident, the forces at play that help to illuminate the incident, the choices confronting the individual and the implications of these choices for the individual, organization and community. Based on our analysis and the wider literature we identify several strategies that may help to minimize the impact of ethical dilemmas. These include the importance of sharing dilemmas with trusted others; having institutional structures in schools that lessen the emergence of harmful actions occurring; the necessity for individual teachers to articulate their own personal and professional ethics; acknowledging that dilemmas have multiple forces at play; the need to educate colleagues about specific issues; and the necessity of appropriate preparation and support for teachers. Of these strategies, providing support for teachers via professional development is explored more fully.

Ecological footprinting : its potential as a tool for change in preservice teacher education

Environmental and sustainability issues pose challenges for society. Although education is seen as being a contributor to addressing sustainability, teacher education has been slow to act in preparing future teachers to teach sustainability. Recent Australian curriculum documents nominate sustainability as one of three cross-curriculum priorities. In one Australian university course, an Ecological Footprint Calculator tool has been employed to challenge preservice early childhood teachers to consider the sustainability of their lifestyles as a means for engaging them in learning and teaching for sustainability. Students enrolled in an integrated arts and humanities subject voluntarily engaged with the online calculator and shared their findings on an electronic discussion forum. These postings then became the basis of qualitative analysis and discussion. Data categories included reactions and reflections on reasons for the ‘heaviness’ of their footprints , student reactions leading to actions to reduce their footprints, reflections on the implications of the footprint results for future teaching, reactions that considered the need for societal change, and reflections on the integration of sustainability with the visual arts. The power of the tool’s application to stimulate interest in sustainability and education for sustainability more broadly in teacher education is explored.

Beyond Science Education: Embedding sustainability in teacher education systems

This chapter will report on a study that sought to develop a systemwide approach to embedding education for sustainability (EfS (the preferred term in Australia) in teacher education. The strategy for a coordinated and coherent systemic approach involved identifying and eliciting the participation of key agents of change within the‘teacher education system’ in one state in Australia, Queensland. This consisted of one representative from each of the eight Queensland universities offering pre-service teacher education, as well as the teacher registration authority, the key State Government agency responsible for public schools, and two national professional organisations. Part of the approach involved teacher educators at different universities developing an institutional specific approach to embedding sustainability education within their teacher preparation programs. Project participants worked collaboratively to facilitate policy and curriculum change while the project leaders used an action research approach to inform and monitor actions taken and to provide guidance for subsequent actions to effect change simultaneously at the state, institutional and course levels. In addition to the state-wide multi-site case study, which we argue has broader applications to national systems in other countries, the chapter will include two institutional level case studies of efforts to embed sustainability in science teacher education.