“Miss, I Am Not Being Fully Prepared”: Student - Teachers’ Concerns About Their Preparation at a Teacher Training Institution in Jamaica

The issue of teacher preparation continues to occupy academic discourse relating to student outcomes and student achievement (Stronge, Ward & Grant, 2011). Research has supported the view that there is an inextricable connection between student outcomes, quality of teaching and teachers, and teacher preparation (Darling-Hammond 2005; Grover 2002). Similarly, theories about students’ self efficacy beliefs (e.g. Bandura, 1977; Dweck, 2000) and Institutional Habitus (Bourdieu, 1977) have been advanced in relation to students’ study experience, motivation and coping mechanisms. Using data from a focus group comprising 30 third year students enrolled in a four year teacher training pogramme in Jamaica, this paper discusses student-teachers’ concerns about their training. The main findings from this small scale exploratory study indicated that student teachers’ concerns were about the quality of teaching and teachers, curriculum organisation, content and delivery, and resources

Co-operating Teachers, School Placement and the Implications for Quality

It is widely understood by teacher educators and administrators responsible for the practicum of student teachers that co-operating teachers play a critical role in student teacher development. This research sought to examine student teachers perception of their co-operating teachers during practicum and ascertain the extent to which subject specialisation, gender and school placement influenced their perception. Through the use of a questionnaire, data were collected from 195 student teachers during the final week of their practicum. The results indicated that student teachers had a positive perception of their co-operating teachers and perceived their co-operating teachers to be providing developmental and instructional supervision. Additionally a significant finding was that student teachers perception of their co-operating teachers was based on the type of school at which they were placed. In light of these findings, attention needs to be given to the establishment of policies regarding student teacher placement and training of co-operating teachers as means of positively influencing quality teaching practicum experience

Project-based Learning for Environmental Sustainability Action

The quest for social and economic development coupled with a growing population has led to complex and unsustainable interactions between humans and the natural resources of planet Earth. One approach to addressing complex, ‘wicked’ problems involves closing the gap between the sustainability knowledge of individuals and the competencies for positive environmental behaviours. Projectbased learning is one teaching-learning strategy which provides opportunities for cultivating a wide range of sustainability competencies to close this gap. Two cases are presented in this paper in which project-based learning was used for fostering environmental competencies and advancing sustainability. One relates to teachers in a graduate course, and the other, to students using an online learning platform. Evaluation of various qualitative documents and artefacts produced by participants revealed that i) teachers and students were motivated and enabled to take action on environmental and sustainability issues through project-based learning ii) participants’ environmental knowledge and sustainability competencies such as communication and collaboration skills were enhanced. School administrators should therefore encourage a culture where project-based learning is infused into the curriculum, and teachers’ collaborative efforts regarding projects are supported

Examining School Leadership Practices in Canada and Jamaica: Bridging the north south divide

The erosion of borders and the movement of people across international borders have given rise to a range of diversity issues in schools. As a result, it has become increasingly important for scholars and practitioners to build collaborative partnerships across borders to conduct research to unearth innovative and creative ways for aiding school leaders to understand and respond to issues of diversity. Research that is integrated, to reflect multiple perspectives and cultures can help discern approaches to address such issues. Utilizing the qualitative research narrative inquiry approach, data were collected through interviews with principals in Jamaica and Ontario, Canada. This presentation seeks to share ways in which school leaders in Ontario and Jamaica make sense of their leadership journey, respond to socio-cultural shifts in the growing issue of diversity in schools. Shifting school and community demographics, globalization, and the movement of people across international borders have made cultural diversity an important issue and phenomenon in education globally (Ball, 2006; Kinloch, 2011). Dimmock urges scholars in the field of educational leadership to look beyond national borders for alternative frameworks, because if they do not the field will remain too narrow. In other words, space must be created to include voices, experiences, and knowledge that have not been present in the discourse, and shift away from the dominance of Eurocentric theorizing about policy and practice that tends to place focus on national contexts. The study’s findings will be used to theorise about school leaders' practice in both country context and inform current educational leadership discourse and provide a framework for collaborative research between scholars from the Caribbean and North America

From classroom teacher to teacher educator: Critical insights and experiences of beginning teacher educators from Jamaica, England and United Arab Emirates

This exploratory study sought to investigate how beginning teacher educators (BTEs hereafter) constantly examine and reframe their identities when transitioning from being a classroom teacher to being a teacher educator of pre-service teachers. Through interviews of nine participants selected from Jamaica, England and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the paper presents a cross-cultural discourse. Beginning teacher educator identities were examined using Goffman’s Impression Management Framework (1968). Findings presented highlight the experiences and expectations that underpinned the beginning teacher educators’ period of transition from K-12 teaching to teaching pre-service teachers. Although educational research acknowledges that social perception processes are relevant in understanding and evaluating situations, impression management has not been used as a lens to understand beginning teacher educator experiences so far. This study attempts to open new perspectives in understanding how BTE identities are shaped and redefined in the higher education context and discusses implications for teacher education

Provoking Reflection: A Photovoice Exploration of Non-traditional Adult Learners’ Experiences in Higher Education

Non-traditional adult learners are different from the typical traditional learner (age 18-22) as they typically are employees rather than students who work. According to Chen (2017) these learners make up the majority of students in higher education classrooms. As a result, adult learners pursuing postgraduate studies will need support in understanding themselves as learners and how to succeed. With this in mind, this study seeks to ascertain the following: 1) the distinctive characteristics of adult learners in higher education in the Caribbean context; 2) pedagogic approaches lecturers utilise with them; 3) the challenges they face in pursuing postgraduate studies in higher education; and 4) the role, if any gender plays in their experiences. Using photovoice as a participatory action research method, a team of researchers and a group of their postgraduate students seeks to explore the experiences of adult learners pursuing postgraduate studies in a higher education institution in Jamaica. Qualitative data will be collected through photographed representations of prompts regarding the examined issue of adult learners in higher education in the Caribbean. Participants and researchers’ co-analysis of the images and reflections on the meanings attached to images will be used to share findings. This presentation seeks to share the findings to provide an understanding of the experiences of adult learners in higher education in a Caribbean context. Additionally, the presentation will highlight reactions of the researchers to the use of photovoice as a research method as a means of sharing lessons learnt. References Chen, J.C. (2017). Nontraditional Adult Learners: The Neglected Diversity in Postsecondary Education. Sage Open, 1-12. DOI: 10.1177/2158244017697161. Retrieved from journals.sagepub.com/home/sg

Looking at beginning teacher educators' ambitions for teacher education through a cross cultural lens

Goodwin and Kosnik (2013) argue that “quality teacher education depends on quality teacher educators” (p. 334). Through multiple case studies conducted in Jamaica, England and the United Arab Emirates, this study sought to illuminate the experiences of beginning teacher educators as they set out to realise their ambition for teacher education. The focus is on answering three main research questions: (1) What are beginning teacher educators’ ambitions for teacher education as they transition to second order teaching? 2) How are these ambitions reflected in their practice? 3) How do beginning teacher educators address the challenges to achieving their ambitions for teacher education? Data was collected through interviews of nine beginning teacher educators across the three countries. Preliminary findings indicate that though the sociocultural contexts of the three countries differed, there were similarities in the intentions and experiences of the beginning teacher educators. Across the three countries beginning teacher educators entered teacher education wanting to make a meaningful contribution to creating a generation of teachers who would prepare primary age children for the world of tomorrow. Most teacher educators from early on in their university careers largely depended on learning in ways which were often unstructured, solitary and dependent on individual endeavour. Feelings of professional unease and discomfort were perceived to be more visible during the first year of HE work when the substantial and situational selves of the teacher educators were seen as distinctly out of alignment (Murray and Male, 2005). The study also found an absence of awareness of public policies dedicated to support teacher educators who have recently transitioned to second-order teaching in their career, and an absence of professional development initiatives for teacher educators tailored to their needs. Based on the findings the authors argue in this paper for a formalized and systematic approach to how teacher educators transition from being first order teachers and make their contributions to teacher education in terms of policy and practice. Therefore, this research seeks to contribute to a broader national and international policy environment and make a modest contribution to the literature