Landmarks in the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators

This paper focuses on the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators from two universities in England. The objectives of the study were to analyse and compare the career experiences of teacher educators; in particular, to identify stages of development, landmark events and contextual factors affecting professional learning and academic identities. In-depth biographical interviews were carried out with 12 teacher educators, together with living graphs of their career paths. Clear landmarks were identified in both contexts, with development in teaching seen as largely positive, while research development was much more varied. Teacher educators who were further on in their careers saw research development as transformative personally as well as academically. In analysing the findings within a sociocultural learning framework, the authors draw in particular on Swennen et al.’s model of teacher educators’ sub-identities, Akerlind’s categorisation of an academic identity and Eraut’s contextual and learning factors

Self-efficacy enhanced in a cross-cultural context through an initiative in under-resourced schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This paper discusses the Khanyisa Programme, an initiative in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where learners from under-resourced schools are supported by teachers and high achievers in Grade 11 and 12 from a previously advantaged state school under apartheid. A qualitative, evaluative study was undertaken to identify key elements in the ongoing success of the programme and collect participant suggestions for improvement. The findings, discussed within the framework of self-efficacy theory, identified enormous gains by Khanyisa learners, leading to vastly improved career prospects

Practicum for international students in teacher education programs: an investigation of three university sites through multisocialisation, interculturalisation and reflection

This chapter explores the practicum experience of international students undertaking education programs at three different universities in Australia. International students were interviewed about their practicum experiences with a particular focus on what worked well and what needed improvement. Through a thematic analysis as well as identifying aspects of the interview data related to multisocialisation, interculturalisation and reflection models the authors share findings even though international students may experience difficulties during their practicum they also note that these experiences allow them to learn. When mentor teachers were able to recognise the international students’ strengths then placements were successful. Further, unpacking areas that need improvement through a supportive manner enabled students to learn and reconstruct their practice. The rich and informative data on the challenges and successful approaches across the three sites in this study add to the body of literature regarding effective ways to improve work placements for international students

Teachers’ changing work and support needs from the perspectives of school leaders and newly qualified teachers in the Finnish context

Teachers operate amidst continuous societal changes that transform schools. In response, teachers must acquire wide-ranging professional competences to work in complex school situations while cooperating with numerous partners both within and outside the school. This study examines how teacher growth and the new demands of the teaching profession appear from the perspectives of school leaders and newly qualified teachers. The aim is to investigate in which professional competences new teachers require support at the beginning of their careers. After presenting various theoretical reflections, we analyse the empirical data of Finnish school leaders (N = 104) and new teachers (N = 145) using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results indicate that new teachers require support, for example, in order to provide holistic support for students’ learning and in working with partners, both within and outside the school community. The results provide important knowledge for the induction phase of teachers’ careers.Peer reviewe

Studying changes in the practice of two teachers developing assessment for learning

This paper describes changes in the practice of two teachers, observed over an eighteen month period, who were participating in a study intended to support teachers in developing their use of assessment in support of learning. The design of the intervention allowed each teacher to choose for themselves which aspects of their practice to develop. Analysis of lesson observations, journal entries and interviews indicate that both teachers were keen to change their practice, but were concerned about the disruption to their established routines, and in particular about the potential for loss of control of their classes. Both teachers did effect significant changes in their classrooms, but these tended to be developments of existing preferred ways of working, rather than radical innovations. In conclusion, it is suggested that to be most effective, teacher professional development needs to be structured strongly enough to afford teacher growth, but flexible enough to allow different teachers to take their practice in different ways

Transforming teacher education, an activity theory analysis

This paper explores the work of teacher education in England and Scotland. It seeks to locate this work within conflicting socio-cultural views of professional practice and academic work. Drawing on an activity theory framework that integrates the analysis of these contradictory discourses with a study of teacher educators’ practical activities, including the material artefacts that mediate the work, the paper offers a critical perspective on the social organisation of university-based teacher education. Informed by Engeström’s activity theory concept of transformation, the paper extends the discussion of contradictions in teacher education to consider the wider socio-cultural relations of the work. The findings raise important questions about the way in which teacher education work within universities is organised and the division of labour between schools and universities

Challenges and Opportunities in Sourcing, Preparing and Developing a Teaching Force for the UAE

Teacher education occurs along a continuum that encompasses teacher candidate recruitment, teacher candidate preparation, novice teacher induction, teacher professional development, and advanced teacher qualifications. Since the formation of the state in 1971, teacher recruitment and teacher education in the UAE have undergone several stages of development, beginning with the sourcing of teachers from the Arab world, through the establishment of in-country teacher education programs designed to produce native teachers, to the hiring of teachers from high performing school systems in the Anglophone world. Teacher education is quite a challenging enterprise, being impacted by changes in the constantly evolving education system in this young nation. High-quality teacher education candidates can be elusive, and it is difficult to attract nationals to teaching, especially males. Yet, at the same time, there are opportunities for teacher education as the country works valiantly to raise educational standards, including the development of Arabic language teacher education, the provision of continuing professional development around teacher licensure, and induction programs for novice teachers

Connecting does not necessarily mean learning: Course handbooks as mediating tools in school-university partnerships

This is the author's accepted manuscript (titled "Course handbooks as mediating tools in learning to teach"). The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2011 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.Partnerships between schools and universities in England use course handbooks to guide student teacher learning during long field experiences. Using data from a yearlong ethnographic study of a postgraduate certificate of education programme in one English university, the function of course handbooks in mediating learning in two high school subject departments (history and modern foreign languages) is analyzed. Informed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory, the analysis focuses on the handbooks as mediating tools in the school-based teacher education activity systems. Qualitative differences in the mediating functions of the handbooks-in-use are examined and this leads to a consideration of the potential of such tools for teacher learning in school–university partnerships. Following Zeichner’s call for rethinking the relationships between schools and universities, the article argues that strong structural connections between different institutional sites do not necessarily enhance student teacher learning

Opportunities to Learn Mathematics Pedagogy and Connect Classroom Learning to Practice: A Study of Future Teachers in the United States and Singapore

In this study, we conducted secondary analyses using the TEDS-M database to explore future mathematics specialists teachers’ opportunities to learn (OTL) how to teach mathematics. We applied latent class analysis techniques to differentiate among groups of prospective mathematics specialists with potentially different OTL mathematics pedagogy within the United States and Singapore. Within the United States, three subgroups were identified: (a) Comprehensive OTL, (b) Limited OTL, and (c) OTL Mathematics Pedagogy. Within Singapore, four subgroups were identified: (a) Comprehensive OTL, (b) Limited Opportunities to Connect Classroom Learning with Practice, (c) OTL Mathematics Pedagogy, and (d) Basic OTL. Understanding the opportunities different prospective teachers had to learn from and their experiences with different components of instructional practice in university and practicum settings has implications for teacher preparation programs