Podcasting, pupils and pre-service-teachers

This Action Research conforms to Cohen's definition (2000) as "small scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such an intervention." It is a pilot study that uses a small, but representative group of students with a view to establishing generalisations about the wider applicability of the methods explored. (Burns, 2000, pp. 460-461) The authors examine the use of podcasting - a popular contemporary method of delivering audio content through computers and portable media players. Many rationales for their use in education can be advanced, for example Freedman (2006) lists sixteen reasons including the potential for students to access the podcasts at their own convenience. See also Maag (2006) and Kollar (2006). The study group included six undergraduate, pre-service science teachers who were completing a BSc (Honours) in Bioscience with Teaching. They had previously undertaken course assessments which incorporated presentations to peers and tutors. The pre-service science teachers had already completed block and serial school placements and were considered as being skilled in planning and delivering short presentations as part of their classroom practice. Their presentations had invariably been supported with well constructed and illustrated PowerPoint presentations. The Benchmark Standards for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) (General Teaching Council for Scotland & Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2006) relate to classroom to whole school standards for ITE in Scotland. They make specific reference to the significance and the expectations for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is viewed (paragraph 3.1) as a "Core professional interest" and student teachers should be "undertaking a range of approaches to teaching to facilitate the learning of pupils, including the appropriate use of information and communications technology". Also, ICT provides the potential "to contribute to a process of change". Boud (2000) was critical of assessment practices in higher education institutions and suggested "The purposes of assessment should be extended to include the preparation of students for sustainable assessment". Draper and Maguire (2006) explored the use of podcasts in campus based teaching with first year undergraduates in the Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project. These considerations helped motivate the authors to explore podcasts as a means of promoting sustainable assessment with fourth year undergraduates and consider their potential within professional graduate courses. The research explored the following questions: - Did the process of preparing podcasts extend their professional learning? - Can pre-service teachers deliver a well planned, coherent and well organised presentation to demonstrate their understanding of principles of learning and teaching? - Can pre-service teachers prepare a podcast to describe their own action research findings? Pre-service science teachers found the process challenging and rewarding. Pre-service teachers prepared podcast presentations that described their own action research findings. Pre-service teachers delivered well planned, coherent and well organised presentations to demonstrate their understanding of principles of learning and teaching. The process of preparing podcasts extended their professional learning in a variety of ways - base level technical competence in managing the software; pedagogically in identifying and supporting a teaching and learning resource; and professionally in relation to the Benchmark Standards for ITE. The approach is transferable to further study with a larger group of PGDE pre-service teachers

Pre-service teachers developing literacy identities

This paper highlights how individual literacy narratives influence pre‐service teacher literacy identities. Working with a diverse group of future literacy educators provides a challenge in negotiating and making sense of their personal literacy narratives and considering the impact this has on their literacy learning. Going beyond outcome measures and development of creative individuals (Stables, 2003) in their futures as literacy educators, we consider how to develop shared understandings of literacies within a university course context and how 'classroom' interactions and opportunities for dialogue not only develop literacy competencies, but allow for the meta-awareness of the personal literacy narratives that pre-service teachers bring to the teaching/learning context. Further to this, we consider how literacy identities can be developed through dialogue to help pre-service teachers make connections between authoritative pedagogies, pedagogy in the field and their personal literacy narratives to begin creating personal literacy pedagogies for the future

The effectiveness of tutoring for improving pre-service teacher development

Pre-service teacher preparation in the United States is becoming progressively more challenging with respect to the demands on teachers. This study examined the impact of the tutoring approach on pre- service teachers’ skills to work with English language learners (ELLs) through a qualitative research design. Content analysis was used at the thematic level on student journals written to accompany the semester-long experience of tutoring. 50 pre-service teachers participated and data was collected from 500 written journal reflections for two semesters. Overall, the pre-service teachers gained an understanding of the challenges of working with ELLs and other positive impacts through tutoring. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers have perceived value of the use of the tutoring approach in the teacher preparation program, use of strategies during field-based experiences, instructional realizations, cultural sensitivity, and professionalism. This paper concluded by discussing the need for a teacher education program to assist pre-service teachers to assimilate pedagogies and apply through the tutoring approach

Pre-service Teachers’ Conceptions of Mathematical Argumentation

Drawing on a situated perspective on learning, we analyzed written, open-ended journals of 52 pre-service teachers (PSTs) concurrently enrolled in mathematics and pedagogy with field experience courses for elementary education majors. Our study provides insights into PSTs’ conceptualizations of mathematical argumentation in terms of its meanings. The data reveals how PSTs perceive teacher actions, teaching strategies, classroom expectations, mathematics content, and tasks that facilitate student engagement in mathematical argumentation. It also shows what instructional benefits of enacting mathematical argumentation in the elementary mathematics classroom they perceive

An authentic approach to facilitating transfer of teacher's pedagogical knowledge

The pedagogical knowledge learned by pre-service teachers often fails to transfer to teaching practice. Instead, new teachers revert to instructional strategies they observed as children. This chapter describes design research conducted over four years, where pre-service teachers were immersed in an authentic learning environment using multimedia to learn mathematics assessment strategies. The first study was conducted with pre-service teachers in the second year of their degree, and then the second study followed up with the same people in their second year as practising teachers. The first study revealed several constraints for the participants on professional practice, including limited time and the influence of the supervising teacher. Later, as practising teachers, they faced cultural and practical constraints within the school environment that prevented them from fully operationalising the pedagogical principles they learned as pre-service teachers

Pre-service Teachers’ Perspectives on Teaching Scripture in Primary Religious Education

One of the challenges for pre-service teachers in Catholic primary schools is the teaching of scripture stories within Religious Education. Research states that Catholic teachers in the 21st century require tertiary training in teaching the Religious Education curriculum and they need to learn effective strategies to teach specific content in this learning area, including scripture. Godly Play includes an approach to teaching scripture that was intended for use in parish and hospital settings. Godly Play is now promoted by Catholic Education Western Australia as a meaningful approach for influencing the teaching of scripture in RE in early childhood and primary classrooms. This paper reports on a research project that sought to ascertain pre-service teachers’ perspectives about Godly Play as a strategy for teaching scripture stories in RE in primary schools. Qualitative surveys were employed to collect pre-service teachers’ perspectives of Godly Play prior to and again after learning about Godly Play as one strategy for teaching scripture. Survey data were analysed by question through a process of thematic coding. The results from these surveys provide insight into pre-service teachers’ confidence and pedagogical perspectives with regards to the teaching of scripture. Specifically, findings provide insight into pre-service teachers’ perspectives of the storytelling component of Godly Play as an effective strategy to equip them with the confidence, knowledge and ability to share biblical texts with primary-aged children in RE classes. Findings from this research have implications for pre-service teachers seeking employment in Catholic schools. Additionally, implications for Catholic education more broadly are discussed as well as considerations for future research