From Kansas to Queensland: Global learning in preservice elementary teacher education

Communication of information between groups of humans has been extended through out history progressing from smoke signals, drum beats, message couriers, post, telegraph, telephone and now the ICT. The time between the utterance of a message and the reception of that message has progressively decreased. We are now able to communicate relatively cheaply, simultaneously sharing and responding to ideas and thoughts on a scale never previously possible. Although the technology exists to make possible easy access to people in all parts of the world, we still lack understandings of the aspirations and sensitivities of other cultures with whom we can communicate. This project supported pre-service elementary teachers in two countries – Australia and the United States – to engage in collaborative learning through Internet communications. The purpose of the project was to develop greater understanding of other’s cultures, and practices in teaching elementary students. Students attending an Australian preservice primary science methods course were matched with a cohort of undergraduate preservice elementary student teachers from a university in the United States studying an integrated mathematics science methods course. Over a six-week period the students engaged in the computer-mediated communication and were encouraged to learn about mutual cultural practices and primary/elementary science education in both countries. The outcomes demonstrated that students involved in the project benefited from an array of different and enriching learning experiences. Students benefited through enhanced understanding of the teaching of science and an appreciation of the common problems confronting science education in both countries. However, there was little engagement in debate or discussion of individual differences and the cultural context of each other’s country even when opportunities presented themselves. Nevertheless, the on-line tasks provided the pre-service teachers with the experience and confidence to engage their own students in similar global learning initiatives when they become teachers

Revisiting On-Line Discussion as Practice for Reflective Thinking in Three Sequential Classes

In a previous study, the authors questioned the potential of an on-line environment for increasing productive reflection in three sequential education classes. Of their findings, the issue of consistency stood out as particularly perplexing, namely, why did students exhibit high level reflections sometimes, but not all the time, in an on-line environment? In this follow-up study, the authors question whether in-class reflections coupled with on-line prompts could yield consistently high level pre-service teacher reflections, as measured by individual and class progress over time. This study also examines perceived relationships between the length of a student\u27s reflection and its productivity, as well as a student\u27s depth of focus and productivity. Using the same scoring approach as our previous study, our discussion of the results examines the usefulness of on-line environments for promoting consistently high level pre-service teacher reflection

Investigations and explorations in the mathematics classroom

In Portugal, since the beginning of the 1990s, problem solving became increasingly identified with mathematical explorations and investigations. A number of research studies have been conducted, focusing on students’ learning, teachers’ classroom practices and teacher education. Currently, this line of work involves studies from primary school to university mathematics. This perspective impacted the mathematics curriculum documents that explicitly recommend teachers to propose mathematics investigations in their classrooms. On national meetings, many teachers report experiences involving students’ doing investigations and indicate to use regularly such tasks in their practice. However, this still appears to be a marginal activity in most mathematics classes, especially when there is pressure for preparation for external examinations (at grades 9 and 12). International assessments such as PISA and national assessments (at grades 4 and 6) emphasize tasks with realistic contexts. They reinforce the view that mathematics tasks must be varied beyond simple computational exercises or intricate abstract problems but they do not support the notion of extended explorations. Future developments will show what paths will emerge from these contradictions between promising research and classroom reports, curriculum orientations, professional experience, and assessment frameworks and instruments

A Case for Student Teacher Placement as Preparation for Future Urban Educators

Do schools of education effectively train young, white, and middle-class teacher candidates to work in urban classrooms? How can schools of education prepare teachers and future teachers for classrooms that are diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, nationality, social class, language and other differences (Nieto, 2004) Classrooms that used to be homogeneous are now diverse, yet the predominant face and gender of the teacher has remained the same. Dramatic inequalities exist in the access that students around the globe have to an excellent, high quality education; inequalities that are lamentably too frequently based on race, social class, language, and other differences (Orfield, 2001). Using data from a descriptive survey, this paper will draw from the experience of eleven teacher candidates in racially diverse urban elementary schools through their first year of teaching to provide recommendations for future program improvements to strengthen existing teacher education programs internationally. Using both qualitative surveys and descriptive statistics, this research strives to answer the question of how to educate the strongest teacher candidates for urban classrooms worldwide

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

Investigating mathematics and learning to teach mathematics

This paper deals with an idea that plays an increasing role in teaching and in teacher education—investigating as a powerful paradigm of knowledge construction. Investigations may be carried out both in learning mathematics and in learning how to teach mathematics at preservice and inservice levels. I look into investigations in mathematics and in the mathematics curriculum, pointing out some issues that teachers face proposing them in the classroom. Then, I discuss teacher education and professional development, stressing the value of investigations about practice as a means of developing knowledge. I conclude with examples of work done by preservice and inservice teachers and by teams of teachers and researchers focusing on pupils’ investigative work in mathematics classes that illustrate the educational value of this activity and discuss the roles of the teacher.Este artigo baseia-se numa ideia que desempenha um papel crescente no ensino e na formação de professores – investigar constitui um paradigma poderoso de construção do conhecimento. Tanto podem ser realizadas investigações no ensino da Matemática como na formação inicial e contínua do professor de Matemática. Assim, analiso o papel das investigações em Matemática e no currículo de Matemática, apontando algumas questões que os professores enfrentam quando as propõem na sala de aula. De seguida, discuto a formação de professores e o desenvolvimento profissional, dando ênfase ao valor das investigações sobre a prática como meio de desenvolver novo conhecimento. Concluo com exemplos de trabalho realizado por professores em formação inicial e contínua e por equipas de professores e investigadores que se centram no trabalho investigativo dos alunos realizado nas aulas de Matemática, exemplos esses que ilustram o valor educacional desta actividade e permitem discutir os papéis do professor

Preservice elementary school teachers' knowledge of fractions: a mirror of students' knowledge?

This research analyses preservice teachers' knowledge of fractions. Fractions are notoriously difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. Previous studies suggest that student learning of fractions may be limited by teacher understanding of fractions. If so, teacher education has a key role in solving the problem. We first reviewed literature regarding students' knowledge of fractions. We did so because assessments of required content knowledge for teaching require review of the students' understanding to determine the mathematics difficulties encountered by students. The preservice teachers were tested on their conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions, and on their ability in explaining the rationale for a procedure or the conceptual meaning. The results revealed that preservice teachers' knowledge of fractions indeed is limited and that last-year preservice teachers did not perform better than first-year preservice teachers. This research is situated within the broader domain of mathematical knowledge for teaching and suggests ways to improve instruction and student learning

Pre-service Possibilities: Reconsidering \u27\u27Art for the Elementary Educator

Art for the Elementary Educator courses are sites of possibility in the field of art education, particularly art education oriented toward curriculum integration and meaningful art experiences. Drawing on literature about Art for the Elementary Educator courses and our own teaching experiences we make recommendations for reconsidering possible futures for this course as related to the future of art education. We believe that this course, its students, instructors, and course materials are worthy of sustained attention by the art education community. Ultimately, we argue that art education appreciation and advocacy, concepts we define in our concluding remarks, should be primary objectives for such classes. Reconsidering Art for the Elementary Educator in light of these ideas requires renewed examination of course content, student dispositions, instructor preparation, and teaching and learning resources

Fünf evidenzbasierte Heuristiken für den Einsatz von Video in der universitären Lehrerausbildung

This article provides a research synthesis on the use of video in pre-service teacher education. Common ideas and evidences concerning the use of video in pre-service teacher education are reviewed. Based on the state-of-the-art in using video, five research-based heuristics are derived. Research findings of a number of studies are further used to illustrate the specification of heuristics. Specifically, a set of rules of thumb about when, how, and why to use video is presented to clarify the strengths and limitations of video as a medium to support pre-service teacher learning. (DIPF/Orig.)Der Beitrag liefert eine Forschungssynthese zur Nutzung von Video in der universitären Lehrerausbildung. Die Forschung wird dahingehend zusammengefasst, welche Ideen derzeit verfolgt werden und welche Evidenzen zur Nutzung von Video vorliegen. Basierend auf dem Forschungsstand leiten die Autoren fünf forschungsbasierte Heuristiken zum Einsatz von Video ab. Die Forschungsergebnisse einer Reihe ausgewählter Studien werden genutzt, um die Heuristiken weiter zu spezifizieren. Es werden Erfahrungsregeln vorgestellt, wann, wie und warum Video in der universitären Lehrerbildung eingesetzt werden kann. Die Erfahrungsregeln sollen helfen, Stärken und Schwächen von Video als ein Medium zur Unterstützung des Lernens von Lehramtsstudierenden zu klären. (DIPF/Orig.