Information technology in educational management as an emerging discipline

This chapter introduces the application of computerized management information systems in schools and presents a brief history of the dynamic area of Information Technology in Educational Management (ITEM). Subsequently, the background of this special issue and a framework for its contents are portrayed. Finally, an overview is presented of the contents of the special issue

Virtual Reality in Preservice Teacher Education:Core Features, Advantages and Effects

This article presents a review of the research into the use of virtual reality (VR) for preservice teacher education. In addition to generating a description of the nature of VR, the analysis of the 24 included studies showed that the use of VR in preservice teacher education can have several benefits for student teachers and their educators, such as practicing professional competence in safe and diverse VR environments, the possibility of monitoring student development with VR, the use of learning environments that would not be accessible, and distance education for student teachers when schools for internships are located too far away from a teacher training institute. Although research into the effects of the use of VR in preservice teacher education is still limited, the results thus far indicate positive effects on student teachers’ motivation, self-efficacy, and various classes of teacher skills. We reflect on the challenges with respect to designing VR environments for preservice teacher education and on studying VR effects on teaching quality and student learning outcomes.</p

A cognitive task analysis of the teacher skills and knowledge required for differentiated instruction in secondary education

Providing differentiated instruction (DI) is a complex teacher task that many secondary school teachers do not master well. In the current study, a cognitive task analysis of this teacher task was conducted by analyzing how expert teachers do this and why, resulting in an inventory of the necessary teacher skills and knowledge for providing DI, and a description of the factors that influence the complexity of DI. The results of this analysis show what providing DI in secondary education entails, which is valuable for designing teacher professional development programs for DI at that level.</p

Does smartphone-assisted student feedback affect teachers’ teaching quality?

In this study, it was investigated if student feedback promoted teachers’ insight into where they could improve their lessons and their reflection on their lessons. It was also studied in what ways teachers worked on improvement, based on the student feedback, and whether it affected the quality of their teaching. Student perceptions of teaching quality were measured by means of a smartphone application for providing teachers with feedback on their lesson. Teachers in this study (N = 60) were randomly assigned to the control or experimental group. The smartphone application was used several times by teachers to obtain student feedback. The teachers reported that they gained insight into where they could improve their lessons. They reported improvement-oriented actions in response to the student feedback. According to students, teachers first slightly improved their teaching quality. However, teachers did not seem to reflect significantly more on their lessons and their improvement did not sustain. Explanations for the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented

Integrated Language and Science &amp; Technology Instruction:A Cognitive Task Analysis of the Required Teacher Expertise

Integrated language arts and science &amp; technology (ILS&amp;T) instruction can make learning more meaningful and improve student learning outcomes for both subjects. Although the literature has stressed that such integrated instruction presents pedagogical challenges for elementary school teachers, little is yet known about the specific characteristics of the required pedagogical repertoire. To gain a better understanding of the teacher knowledge and skills required for ILS&amp;T instruction, a cognitive task analysis was conducted. This analysis resulted in a hierarchy consisting of the various required constituent teacher skills for ILS&amp;T instruction. The cognitive task analysis also revealed what knowledge teachers rely on and identified the factors influencing the complexity of ILS&amp;T instruction. The findings presented here contribute to our knowledge about what ILS&amp;T instruction requires from teachers and can serve as a basis for the development of substantiated, 4C/ID-based teacher professional development trajectories. Furthermore, it provides valuable insight into the pros and cons of a relatively new, systematic way of analyzing teacher expertise.</p

Key stakeholder voices:Investigating student perceptions of teachers’ use of assessment for learning

Many schools aim to implement Assessment for Learning (AfL) to stimulate students to take more ownership of their learning and develop self-regulatory skills. This survey-based study is among the few in the field showing how students experience the extent of implementation of AfL, here in English language and mathematics classes in 12 Dutch secondary schools. Analysis showed no differences between the subjects. Students (N = 685) experienced activities to clarify the learning intentions and success criteria and eliciting evidence on their learning progress regularly (between 50–74% of the lessons). Students hardly ever experienced activities aimed at peer- and self-assessment (less than 25% of the lessons). However, cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters related to the extent of AfL strategy use students experienced. Overall, we can conclude that AfL is not yet fully integrated into teaching practices. Teachers’ skills, knowledge and attitudes required to increase student engagement in AfL practices and strengthen students’ self-regulated learning need more attention in future teacher professional development trajectories.</p