Transforming pre-service teacher curriculum: observation through a TPACK lens

This paper will discuss an international online collaborative learning experience through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teacher knowledge required to effectively provide transformative learning experiences for 21st century learners in a digital world is complex, situated and changing. The discussion looks beyond the opportunity for knowledge development of content, pedagogy and technology as components of TPACK towards the interaction between those three components. Implications for practice are also discussed. In today’s technology infused classrooms it is within the realms of teacher educators, practising teaching and pre-service teachers explore and address effective practices using technology to enhance learning

Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort

Growing Scholarly Teachers and Educational Researchers: A Curriculum for a Research Pathway in Pre-Service Teacher Education

This paper advocates the development of high-level research capability in some students in their undergraduate Bachelor of Education course. The rationale for this viewpoint is presented in relation to three questions: "What is educational research?" "Why should universities develop high-level research capability in some preservice teacher education graduates?" and "What type of curriculum can support the development of high-level research capability in some preservice teacher education graduates?" The first two questions are addressed broadly. The latter question is addressed with reference to an existing Research Pathway within a Bachelor of Education course. The paper concludes with the identification of a priority issue for subsequent iterations of the Pathway and a reflection on the shift in my role as a teacher in this Pathway from ‘teacher researcher’ to ‘scholarly teacher’

Design principles for mobile learning

The New technologies, new pedagogies project used a designbased research approach in the creation and evaluation of pedagogies and their use in a range of higher education classes. This chapter describes the findings of the project as a whole, and presents principles to inform the design of innovative learning environments employing mobile technologies in higher education learning environments

Four ESOL Graduate Students’ Hybrid Learning Through a Reflective Project: A Qualitative Case Study

This is a qualitative case study to investigate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) graduate students’ learning experiences when completing a reflective project. Four graduate students in the United States participated in this study and completed the project to share their linguistic and cultural stories in a traditional paper-based essay format and in a multimedia format. The data consisted of a reflection paper, digital storytelling (DST), a project report, an oral presentation, and an interview, which were analysed through content analysis. The findings included participants’ learning of (a) language and culture, (b) language teaching, (c) language teachers’ responsibilities, and (d) technology. These showed that ESOL graduate students’ dialogues with preceding, current, and future utterances indicated their hybrid learning experiences through traditional and technology-mediated reflective tasks. The author discussed the influences of dialogues within their hybrid learning. In addition, pedagogical implications of a combined project between a reflection paper and DST and the instructional elements of DST that teachers need to consider were suggested

Preservice teacher education partnerships: Creating an effective practicum model for rural and regional preservice teachers

This project will develop and implement inter-university strategies designed to reshape curriculum in the practicum aspect of rural and regional teacher education programs. This collaboration between ACU National and La Trobe University addresses the challenges of establishing effective teaching approaches in the school practicum, in particular that of providing supervision for pre-service teachers who are placed across a wide geographical area. The project will: (1) develop a secure ICT platform shared between ACU and La Trobe which supports rural and regional pre-service teachers' learning during their practicum; (2) create processes and protocols which will allow universities to share supervision of pre-service teachers in these areas; and (3) develop new strategies for universities to create positive partnerships with rural and regional teacher supervisors. The partnership model developed, together with documentation of lessons learned, will be designed to meet the varying needs of other universities with similar challenges

Bedding down the embedding : IL reality in a teacher education programme

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is one of Australia's largest universities,enrolling 30,000 students. Our Information Literacy Framework and Syllabus wasendorsed as university policy in Feb 2001. QUT Library uses the AustralianInformation Literacy Standards as the basis and entry point for our syllabus. Theuniversity wide information literacy programme promotes critical thinking and equipsindividuals for lifelong learning (Peacock, 2002a). Information literacy has developedas a premium agenda within the university community; as documented by JudithPeacock, the university’s Information Literacy Coordinator (Peacock, 2002b).The Faculties at QUT have for the last few years, started to work through how theinformation literacy syllabus will be enacted in their curricula, and within theorientations of their subject areas. Attitudinal change is happening alongside arealisation that discipline content must be taught within a broader framework.Curricula and pedagogical reforms are a characteristic of the teaching environment.Phrases such as lifelong learning, generic skills, information revolution, learningoutcomes and information literacy standards are now commonplace in facultydiscussion. Liaison librarians are strategically placed to see the "big picture" ofcurricula across large scale faculties in a large scale university. We work withfaculty in collaborative and consultative partnerships, in order to implement reform. QUT Librarians offer three levels of information literacy curriculum to the university.The generic programme is characterised by free classes, offered around the start ofsemesters. The next level is integrated teaching, developed to answer a specificneeds for classes of students. The third level of information literacy is that ofembedding throughout a programme. This involves liaison librarians working toensure that information literacy is a developmental and assessed part of thecurriculum, sequenced through a programme in a similar way to traditional disciplineknowledge, and utilising the IL syllabus. This paper gives a glimpse of what ishappening as we attempt the process of embedding information literacy into theBachelor of Education programme

Preparing tomorrow\u27s teachers today

This portfolio documents the learning journey of a preservice teacher educator in Western Australia. The problem investigated is how should we best to prepare preservice teachers for teaching in future contexts. This document has several sections, firstly the literature review discusses topics that have relevance for teacher educators preparing teachers of the future to work in a knowledge-based economy. Then four phases of research both quantitative and qualitative are presented interlinked by a personal narrative. The narrative describes how the studies and research impacted on the teaching practices of the researcher. The powerful findings of the research with teachers in phase 1 and preservice teachers in phase 2 precipitated the reconceptualisation of a number of courses for preservice teachers co-ordinated by the author. This lead to the transformation of the instructional model used and the incorporation of a range of flexible delivery modes to support student learning styles and needs and foster student engagement and retention. The portfolio also contains descriptions and results of a number of small research projects, five peer reviewed and published papers. Reference is made to a number of peer reviewed academic conference papers presented by the researcher linked to the theme of the portfolio. The portfolio culminates with two peer reviewed publications which describe the current state of preservice teacher education in Western Australia as well as presenting a future vision of how we could prepare our preservice teachers to work in a future digital world. The overriding conclusion reached in this portfolio is that preservice teacher educators need to experiment with flexible modes of delivery to meet the learning needs and styles of our students. In this way we will be modelling flexible modes of teaching to our students to prepare them to teach in future contexts

Revitalizing Pre-service Teacher Pedagogical Competence and Approaches in Teaching Mathematical Comprehension

his study assessed the preservice teacher's pedagogical competence and approach to teaching mathematical comprehension to the fourth-year learners was evaluated in this study. The research estimates the preservice teacher's level of pedagogical competence in terms of communication, adaptability, collaboration, inclusivity, and compassion and the level of pedagogical approaches in terms of constructivist, collaborative, integrative, reflective, and inquiry-based as well as improving the preservice teacher's knowledge input Enhancement training program as an invention. The study employed a descriptive-correlational research design to test the viability of the preservice teacher pedagogical competence and approaches in teaching mathematical competence that the fourth-year learners will utilize for their improvement in teaching mathematics findings revealed that the preservice teachers showed high competence as exposure to input enhancement training programs had a positive effect on teaching mathematics. The significant relationship between the preservice teacher's pedagogical competence and approaches is moderately positively correlated in teaching mathematical comprehension. Additionally, the findings of this study will benefit the preservice teachers to enhance their knowledge in teaching mathematics by providing them with attending the Proposed Enhancement Program entitled Reimagining the Current Pedagogical Trends in Teaching Mathematical Word Problems to the fourth-year learners