U.S. Electric Restructuring: A Lesson for Canada

natural resources--Canada, natural resources--United State

Learning to Facilitate Highly Interactive Literary Discussions to Engage Students as Thinkers

Helping novices learn to facilitate interactive whole-class discussions is an important “high-leverage practice” for becoming an effective teacher due to its strong potential to increase students’ learning opportunities. A semester-long classroom-based assignment in a senior-level elementary literacy methods course supported preservice teachers in developing the practice of leading one text-based interactive literary discussion, along with learning to establish norms and routines for discussions, and to analyze instruction for the purpose of improving it. Analysis of 83 preservice teachers’ written work investigated their learning during the beginning stages of developing the complex practice of leading discussions. We propose a learning trajectory outlining three areas of development that may offer direction for helping preservice teachers improve in specific areas and provide a focus for future research

U.S. Electric Restructuring: A Lesson for Canada

natural resources--Canada, natural resources--United State

Dialogic education, historical thinking and epistemic beliefs: a design-based research study of teaching in Taiwanese classrooms

The study reported in this dissertation explored: (1) teachers’ use of dialogue to facilitate students’ historical thinking and (2) the trajectory of historical personal epistemology through a design-based approach. Empirical evidence emerging in previous decades has acknowledged that good quality classroom dialogue could have a positive impact on students’ learning. Through dialogic teaching, it has been argued that teachers could probe and promote students’ higher thinking skills. However, how dialogue is being used in history classes as well as the cultural context of dialogic education in East Asia was a salient gap in current research. The first research aim was to explore both teachers’ and students’ epistemic beliefs regarding the domain of history, which has been largely neglected in this field of study. The aim of this research was also to propose a new perspective on dialogic education that might not only bridge the dichotomy of the monologic and dialogic forms of teaching, but also address the pedagogical dilemma in history education raised by the latest Taiwanese national curriculum reform. Finally, another major aim of the research was to design a teacher professional development programme to change teachers’ epistemic beliefs and their teaching practice towards dialogic history education for promoting historical thinking. Adopting the notion of design-based research, a teaching professional programme was designed and administered throughout the one-academic year to 7 high school teachers. Three students of each participating teacher were chosen for semi-structured interviews to explore their personal epistemology, which were later analysed with an innovative discourse analysis method: Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA). Data concerning classroom dialogue was collected from monthly class observations and then analysed with a reconceptualised coding framework adapted from the Teacher’s Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis (T-SEDA, Hennessy, et al., 2021) and an observational instrument for historical thinking (Gestsdóttir, et al., 2018). In regard to personal epistemology, the findings reported a mixture of results with only a few students seeing a significant change in their epistemic beliefs after the programme. However, a pattern-based model for analysing historical epistemic beliefs reported from this study, has been generated resulting in four major patterns of beliefs being identified. In terms of classroom dialogue, the results found a positive increase in teachers’ use of dialogue. A hybrid form of dialogue informed by current dialogic theories synthesised with Confucianism and Taoism allowed dialogue to transgress away from the dichotomy of structural forms of monologue and dialogue was also put forward and characterised from the analysis. The contributions of this present study are discussed in terms of theoretical, methodological and practical uses

The Name Curriculum: Exploring Names, Naming, and Identity

The act of naming, or using and respecting one’s name, is a humanizing act: it is foundational to one’s sense of identity and belonging. Conversely, the act of ‘de-naming,’ or changing, forgetting, or erasing one’s name, is an act of dehumanization: it denies one’s sense of identity and belonging. The Name Curriculum provides an opportunity for third grade students to explore the role of names and naming as they relate to one’s sense of self and community. It draws on the role of developmental psychology, the urgency of historical context, and the power of children’s literature. Specifically, it explores how language development informs a connection between one’s name and sense of self, how patterns within and across historical events exemplify connections between naming and oppression, and how children’s literature can provide accessible entry points for meaningful conversations about naming, identity, and belonging. Over the course of the year, students consider questions related to names, identity, oppression, power, and belonging. Ultimately, the curriculum highlights the power of names to combat oppression with abolition

Critical thinking about crosscultural differences between Chinese and Americans in English education in Taiwan

This project is designed to teach crosscultural differences in English education in Taiwan employing a strategy-based curriculum. By comparing crosscultural differences between Taiwan and American cultures, students will have a strong desire to learn English in order to know more about American culture

Primary Mentors' Conceptions Of Subject Knowledge In English

This research investigates concepts of subject knowledge in English held by teachers acting as student mentors in primary schools, in an Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) partnership. A case study approach draws on evidence from documentary sources, interviews with mentors and tape-recorded conversations between mentors and student teachers, following the observation of English lessons. During the past 25 years teachers' professional identities have been restructured through a series of Government interventions into the curriculum and teachers' working conditions, culminating in the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. It has been argued that these reforms have established a 'culture of compliance' within the teaching profession. Government intervention has taken place in ITET, which has been regulated through OfSTED inspection. Since 1992 schools and Higher Education Institutions have been required to establish training partnerships. A National Curriculum for ITT was introduced in 1997. It is suggested that opportunities for student teachers to learn through reflective practice are constrained by policy directives affecting ITET and primary schools. The management of student teachers' learning, and the assessment of their progress is the responsibility of a designated student mentor. Previous research indicates that primary mentors do not place a high priority on supporting the development of student teachers' subject knowledge. Evidence from the case study suggests primary mentors implicitly distinguish between different forms of subject knowledge for teaching. They hold a developmental model of learning to teach which seeks to move student teachers towards an awareness of the needs of learners. Mentors' conceptions of subject knowledge in English are circumscribed by the curriculum and pedagogical approaches recommended in the National Literacy Strategy. The subject specialism and personal interests of mentors are also a significant factor in these conceptions. Mentors who have entered the profession more recently appear to be more accepting of the content and approaches of the NLS. Much of the literature on mentoring assumes an underpinning model of the reflective teacher. The mentoring practices examined in the case study were situated within the context of the school and delivery of the NLS requirements. It is suggested that it may be unrealistic to expect broader reflective discussion on curriculum issues within the current policy context and structures of school experience. A re-examination of the ways in which student teachers' experiences in schools are conceptualised and organised, in terms of professional learning, may thus be necessary