Tumu College of Education trainee teachers’ perceptions of mentors’ pedagogical knowledge

The study accessed the perceptions of final year students in the Tumu College of Education towards the Pedagogic Knowledge (PK) of their mentors. It also investigated whether statistically significant differences existed in terms of mentees’ gender and programmes of study regarding the pedagogic knowledge of their mentors. The study used a census method to collect data from respondents for the study by distributing a closed-ended five-point Likert scale on Perceptions of Knowledge and Skills in Teaching (PKST) Questionnaires to all 215 students pursuing Early Grade and Primary Programmes, with an 84.2% (181) return rate. However, 175 respondents’ data were used, as six of the questionnaires contained incomplete data. Findings of the study revealed that participants perceived their mentors as having a high measure of PK, with an overall mean value for the student teachers ‘perceptions of their mentors PK of 3.62 (SD =.77). The study also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of student teachers towards the PK of their mentors in terms of gender or programme of study. However, the study revealed that participants perceived their mentors to be less competent in effectively incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service organise capacity building workshops for teachers to improve their competencies in integrating ICT in their classrooms. 

Effectiveness of professional suitability scale in assessing teaching suitability among primary school teachers in Tanzania

This study intended to evaluate effectiveness of professional suitability scale (PSS) in assessing primary school teachers’ suitability for teaching profession in Tanzania in an attempt to address the challenges of professional unsuitability among teachers in Tanzania. Specific objectives of this study were to explore the structure, validity and reliability of PSS in assessing the professional suitability among primary school teachers, to examine effectiveness of PSS in measuring differences in professional suitability among teachers by region and to examine the effectiveness of PSS in measuring differences in professional suitability between teachers in private schools and government schools. Data were collected among 365 primary school teachers using 26 items of the PSS. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that PSS is a valid four-factor scale comprised of social, practical, personal, and ethical suitability. It was also found out that PSS is a reliable tool with an internal consistency of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of α =.79. Results further revealed no significant difference in professional suitability by region but found out significant difference in professional suitability with school ownership and school performance category (Low versus High Performing Schools). It was concluded that although PSS is an effective tool for measuring professional suitability among teachers, the difference in school performance by region or ownership can just partly be explained by teachers’ professional suitability. It was recommended that PSS may assist employers in assessing their employees’ suitability for teaching and that future studies may undertake a validation study for further improvement of the PSS. 

What newspapers tell us about teacher-on-learner violence in South African schools

This small-scale qualitative study of newspapers’ portrayal of teacher-on-learner violence in South African schools is informed, firstly, by the World Health Organisation’s definition of violence and four of the World Health Organisation’s six main types of violence involving children and, secondly, by John Galtung’s theory of violence. South African media was used as a database for identifying South African English newspaper articles on teacher-on-learner violence. Qualitative content analysis was employed to systematically work through the identified newspaper articles. Five types of direct teacher-on-learner violence were identified: (1) The physical abuse of learners under the pretext of addressing learner misbehaviour; (2) the normalisation of the sexual abuse of learners by their teachers; (3) teachers’ use of words to systematically humiliate and tear down learners; (4) teachers’ negative stereotyping and discrimination of learners belonging to a different race; and (5) teachers’ malicious neglect of their in loco parentis responsibilities. Looking at teacher-on-learner violence through the lens of Galtung’s theory of violence, this study facilitates an understanding of the multi-layered and complex nature of teacher-on-learner violence and contributes to the existing body of knowledge on teacher-on-learner violence. 

Developing interactive pedagogies: A case of accounting pre-service teachers from Ghana

This is a study of how eight pre-service teachers developed their skills in developing interactive lessons to teach concepts in Accounting in Senior High Schools in Ghana. Sequential multiple case study design was employed to observe two cohorts of four pre-service teachers who worked in two phases of a professional development scenario to design and enact interactive Accounting lessons. Data for the study were collected through observation, interviews, lesson documents and questionnaires. Pictures, content and thematic analysis procedures were used to analyse the qualitative data, whilst means and standard deviation were used to analyse the quantitative data. It emerged from the results that the interactive lessons developed and implemented by the pre-service teachers were effective in promoting participation in the classroom.  The study also brought to light that interactive teaching promotes collaboration among students through solving problems in groups which helps to strengthen the bond between students. The study thus, advocates the need for teacher training institutions to focus on training teachers to acquire the skills in designing and enacting lessons interactively to promote students’ participation in the classroom.

Supporting Dietitians in Practice: Professional Development Activities of Dietitians of Canada in the Past 30 Years

Dietitians of Canada (DC) was established in 1997 from the Canadian Dietetic Association and the provincial associations. This project is part of a larger program of work to document the recent history of Canadian dietetic practice, including the professional development (PD) initiatives DC has provided since its inception. The aims of the present study are to synthesize a timeline of PD events since 1993, understand the context that led to their development, and understand their impact on the profession. 13 key informants were recruited by email, of which 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted, and 8 participants provided written contributions. Interview transcripts and written contributions were analyzed thematically, and a final timeline of events was developed. Six themes were found: 1) the use of technology in PD tools, e.g. online courses, Learning on Demand; 2) conferences and workshops , e.g. national conference, Coast-to-Coast workshops; 3) initiatives that placed DC as a leader in health and nutrition, e.g. Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN); 4)  informal discussion about emerging issues in dietetics, e.g. PEN Current Issues, Practice Blog; 5) DC actively sought member input to inform PD strategy, e.g. members issues forums; and, 6) DC PD events demonstrated their support for research and dietetic education, e.g. relationship with CFDR, public health online course. Key concerns for the future included: declining DC membership and funding, and dietetics not keeping pace with other professions on PD. The successes and failures of initiatives in this time period can inform the development of DC’s PD strategy for the coming decades.&nbsp

Science and sociality: achieving the social dimensions of science through contextualization of secondary school classroom instruction

This position paper is predicated on two focus areas. First, it recognises that scientific inquiry is performed in social situations and questions whether and how standard epistemology can be augmented to tackle this aspect. Within this focus, the goals of science education are reviewed. The second focus addresses sociality as an essential feature of knowledge and questions how standard epistemology can be reformed from this generally social perspective. Specifically, this study on one hand addresses the social dimension of science education, and on the other hand, examines the suitability of instructional contextualisation as a possible strategy to achieve the social dimensions of science education. The aim is to initiate a conversation about the importance of framing science education studies and experiences within the sociocultural context of interests and needs to achieve reliable participation of all concerned. To this end, this paper argues that science education ought to place considerable emphasis on students’ acquisition of values and skills of sociality. Furthermore, a comprehensive goal of science education should constitute both the normative and the non-normative aspects of science with a particular emphasis on the development of character formation, moral values, creativity skills and competences. There is, therefore, a need for an examination of the social dimensions of science education and its curriculum implications, especially as science education serves as the nexus between science and society.

Il Fait Plus Chaud : une Taxonomie Raffinée Pour Evaluer la Réponse Des Bibliothèques Publiques à la Crise Climatique

As Canada’s climate warms at double the rate of the rest of the world, Canadian libraries have an important responsibility towards guardianship and activism on the climate crisis. Libraries are often appraised on their climate change goals by inward-facing factors, such as building standards and collections. While these remain important, this paper proposes a taxonomy that develops assessment further outward in the direction of community activism and climate justice, and tests that taxonomy against the environmental sustainability indicators published by Ontario public libraries. Alors que le climat du Canada se réchauffe deux fois plus vite que celui du reste du monde, les bibliothèques canadiennes ont une responsabilité importante en matière de tutelle et d’activisme face à la crise climatique. Les bibliothèques ont longtemps été évaluées sur leurs efforts en matière de développement durable en fonction de facteurs internes, tels que les normes de construction et les collections. Quoique ceux-ci demeurent importants, cet article propose une taxonomie qui développe une évaluation plus externe comprenant l’activisme communautaire et la justice climatique, et teste cette taxonomie par rapport aux indicateurs de durabilité environnementale publiés par les bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario

Publications d’Alain Thomas

This document contains a list of Alain Thomas' publications.Ce document contient une liste des publications d'Alain Thomas

La démographie de la censure : examination des corrélations entre la démographie communautaire et les documents contestés dans les bibliothèques canadiennes

This study examines materials challenges in Canadian libraries, compiled by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA), with the intention of identifying demographic trends in patron challenge behaviour. By cross-referencing the CFLA data with five demographic fields from the 2016 Canadian census of population (median age, city size, educational attainment level, median income, and political representation), the study aims to determine whether challenges of a certain nature are more likely to occur in communities with certain demographic profiles. The study identifies twenty-two challenge categories derived from user complaints and three ideological alignments of challenges based on the political ideology standards set by moral foundations theory. Though the available sample is too small to draw any definitive conclusions, some strong trends were apparent. Findings show that the most common challenge types, challenges to racist content and sexual content, are fairly consistent throughout demographic groupings, but notable correlations were found between demographic profiles and materials concerning LGBTQIA+ issues. Progressive-leaning communities were far more likely to challenge homophobic/transphobic materials while conservative-leaning communities challenged more LGBTQIA+-positive works. From an ideological standpoint, young communities tend to be the most progressive in their challenge behaviour, while communities with a low level of educational attainment tend to be the most conservative in their challenge behaviour.Cette enquête examine les documents contestés dans les bibliothèques canadiennes tels que compilés par la Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (FCAB) dans le but d’identifier les tendances démographiques dans les comportements de contestation des usagers. En croisant les données de la FCAB avec cinq champs démographiques du Recensement de la population canadienne 2016 (âge médian, taille de la ville, niveau d’éducation, revenu médian et représentation politique), l’enquête vise à déterminer si les contestations d’une certaine nature sont plus susceptibles de se produire dans les communautés ayant certains profils démographiques. L’enquête identifie 22 catégories de contestation dérivées des plaintes des usagers et trois alignements idéologiques de ces contestations qui sont basés sur des normes idéologiques politiques fondées sur la théorie de la fondation morale. Bien que l’échantillon disponible soit trop petit pour tirer des conclusions définitives, certaines tendances fortes sont apparentes. Les types de contestation les plus communs - des contestations de contenus racistes ou de contenus sexuels - sont assez homogènes dans les groupes démographiques, toutefois des corrélations notables ont été observées entre les profils démographiques et les contestations liées aux enjeux LGBTQIA+ (lesbien, gai, bisexuel, transgenre, queer, intersexe, asexuel et autres). Les communautés à tendance progressiste étaient plus enclines de contester les documents homophobes ou transphobes tandis que les communautés à tendances conservatrice contestaient davantage les ouvrages positifs sur les communautés LGBTQIA+. D’un point de vue idéologique, les jeunes communautés ont tendance à être plus progressistes dans leur comportement de contestation tandis que les communautés ayant un faible niveau d’éducation ont tendance à être les plus conservatrices dans leur comportement de contestation

Towards a context-relevant, institution-based ICT integration model of teacher education curriculum at diploma level in Zimbabwe

 21st Century requirements for teaching and learning, driven by ICT advancements have opened doors for the development of models to guide and enhance ICT integration. Some countries have adopted international models and others have adapted them to suit their own environments. Zimbabwe still remains silent on what model it is using as there is no clear framework (policy related to ICT in education). In this paper, the authors focus on the Zimbabwean teacher education landscape in the absence of neither a distinct localised model   nor an international one. Using literature review, document analysis and reviews of a proposed model, by six teacher educators from three secondary school teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe (carried out through semi structured interviews) this paper seeks to propose a framework for the integration of ICTs in teacher education curriculum. Drawing from literature around the Zimbabwean ICT landscape and its ICT policy framework, models proposed in the broader African and global contexts, we argue for a context-relevant and institution-based model of ICT integration for the teacher education curriculum in Zimbabwe. This proposed model privileges the localised contextual issues and takes a critical view of models which assume similarity of conditions across countries and institutions. Moreover, the model has relevance for ICT integration in the teacher education programmes of countries facing political and socio-economic challenges similar to those which Zimbabwe is facing