Development of a cadre of teacher educators: some lessons from Pakistan

This article is based on an educational innovation, the creation of a cadre of teacher educators, in the developing world. Professional Development Teachers were trained in an in-service two-year teacher education programme leading to a Masters of Education Degree. The Professional Development Teachers were expected to play three roles in their home schools upon completion of the Degree Programme: (a) Exemplary Teachers; (b) Teacher Educators; and (c) Change Agents within their home schools to effect improvement

Technology education teacher development in solomon islands: Enhancing teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices

Technology education in the Solomon Islands is in the process of change with the curriculum being developed into a more broad technological literacy approach, comprising of technological knowledge, technological practices, and the nature of technology. This paper is based on a two-year study (2005 and 2006) with secondary technology education teachers in the Solomon Islands. The first year of the research revealed that technology teachers in the Solomon Islands held narrow perspectives of technology and technology education, with views centering on narrow technical aspects. Classroom practices were teacher-dominated and authoritarian. Most teaching approaches included rote learning. A professional development programme based on the principles of teacher reflection, teacher support, and on-going professional development was undertaken. Workshop days were interspersed with classroom practice. The programme focussed on developing teachers’ views of the nature of technology and learning in technology education, assisting teachers in planning for effective technology teaching and introducing the concept of assessment for effective technology learning. It impacted on teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices. Changes included the teachers’ perceptions of technology and technology education, the teachers’ teaching documents, the teaching pedagogy, the teachers’ assessment practices and the students’ learning styles

Investigating a Professional Development School Model of Teacher Education in Canada

We examined the effectiveness of a professional development school model of teacher education in Canada. Teacher education candidates responded positively to program features related to sustained participation and collaboration in school communities throughout the year. Their efficacy beliefs about developing professional knowledge were most strongly related to the school component of the program. This highlights the importance of careful selection and preparation of associate teachers where teacher candidates are placed in only one school. Nous avons fait l’examen de l’efficacité d’un modèle de développement professionnel de formation des enseignants en milieu scolaire au Canada. Les candidats enseignants ont réagi positivement aux dimensions du programme relatives à une participation soutenue et à la collaboration au sein des communautés scolaires tout au long de l’année. Leurs convictions relativement au développement efficace d’un savoir professionnel étaient fortement liées à la dimension scolaire du programme. Cette conclusion souligne l’importance de sélectionner et de préparer avec soin les maîtres associés lorsque les candidats à l’enseignement sont assignés à un seul établissement

EFL Teacher Identity Development during Teacher Professional Education Programme

This study aims to identify the development of teacher participants of PPG. The development of the identity is considered urgent to explore especially because  PPG is conducted fully online facilitated by an LMS. Instructors and participants are required to conference online and do assignments online as well as teaching practice. The current stud is conducted based on content analysis method involving six respondents. Data was interpreted from recordings during online discussion session.The research findings indicate that the new skills acquired during PPG fall within the area of use of technology, pedagogy, and collaboration.&nbsp

Vocational Teacher Education in Central Asia: Developing Skills and Facilitating Success

teacher training; project based learning; educational technology; research methodology; network development; vocational teacher education; developing teaching skills; technical teacher education; Central Asia; GIZ Programme Professional Education in Central Asia; PBL; TVET; USPECH; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; vocational educatio

Teacher Professional Development: Who is the learner?

One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a “one size fits all” PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher’s learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD

Educating Professional Teachers in Finland through the Continuous Improvement of Teacher Education Programmes

The purpose of this chapter is to explore and analyze the kind of knowledge curriculum integration required of teachers and how teacher education should be developed to prepare teachers better for curriculum integration. The chapter is organized as follows: First, the concept of curriculum integration (CI) is briefly introduced in the context of the Finnish curriculum for comprehensive schools. Then Lee Shulman’s theory of teachers’ knowledge is discussed and applied to the framework of CI to identify the challenges teachers may face in implementing CI. Finally, implications for teacher education are suggested based on the current challenges identified in the Finnish context.The chapter analyses teacher professionalism and how professional teachers are educated in Finland and will be educated in future. Second, successes and challenges in the Finnish educational context and the role of teachers in education are discussed. The third section examines shortly primary and secondary teacher education at the University of Helsinki as an example of a teacher education programme in Finland. The main topic concerns how Finnish teacher education is aimed to be improved through broad-based collaboration. The Minister of Education nominated 100 experts from universities, the ministry, the teachers’ union, student unions and municipal union to a Finnish Teacher Education Forum and asked them to analyse research outcomes related to teacher education, to identify best practices based on teacher education strategies and policy documents in other countries, organise a national brainstorming process related to the renewal of teacher education and, inally, prepare a Development Programme for Teachers’ Pre- and In-service Education (life-long professional development) in Finland. Furthermore, the forum was asked to identify key actions to undertake to improve teacher education and support the implementation of the development programme, and also to create the conditions through inancing pilot projects and organising meetings for the renewal of Finnish teacher education through professional development projectsPeer reviewe

Professional development of pre-service language teachers in content and language integrated learning: a training programme integrating video technology

Over the years, the integration of technology in bilingual education has become increasingly significant. In the European context, particularly in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), supporting the professional development of future educators has emerged as a crucial aspect. Video-based technology plays a key role in the training of pre-service language teachers, where it serves as a valuable tool for teacher education. There is a growing demand to enhance language teachers’ professional development programs, especially within the realm of CLIL teacher education. This study presents a video-based technology training programme intended to enhance the professional development of pre-service language teachers in CLIL. After implementation of the video-based training programme, semi-structured interviews with pre-service language teachers were conducted to evaluate the impact of the programme. The results show a positive influence on the pre-service language teachers’ professional development. The utilization of video-based technology was found to significantly improve their comprehension of CLIL while fostering their awareness of their teaching practice. For the research community, these encouraging results should act as a driving force to continue exploring video technology within teacher education programs in CLIL to enhance educators’ professional development

Vocational Teacher Education in Central Asia: Developing Skills and Facilitating Success

teacher training; project based learning; educational technology; research methodology; network development; vocational teacher education; developing teaching skills; technical teacher education; Central Asia; GIZ Programme Professional Education in Central Asia; PBL; TVET; USPECH; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; vocational educatio

Teacher Education in Scotland: The Donaldson Review and the Early Phases of Teacher Learning

Vol. 2. No. 2 Oct 2012 Jim O'Brien is Emeritus Professor of Leadership and Professional Learning at the Moray House School of Education, The University of Edinburgh and Co-Managing Editor of the Professional Development in Education journal. His work is in 'leadership and professional learning' and he has been a member of a number of national development groups associated with teacher professional development and leadership themes such as Teacher Appraisal and Professional Review and Development; the Standard for Headship and Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) programme; the Chartered Teacher Standard and Development Programme; and the national CPD Advisory Group on School Leadership, participating in the OECD Thematic Review Improving School Leadership: Scotland. His recent books include Coaching and mentoring: developing teachers and leaders (with Christine Forde), The social agenda of the school (with Gale MacLeod) (Dunedin, 2009) and School leadership (2nd edition) (with Danny Murphy and Janet Draper) (Dunedin, 2008). Jim has written numerous articles and book chapters on associated themes. In this article he critically reflects on current developments in teacher education in Scotland