ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
E-Portfolios as a Pedagogical Device in Primary Teacher Education: The AUT University Experience
Author: Maher, Marguerite
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Portfolios (Background Materials),Internet,Student Experience,Reflective Teaching,Teacher Educators,Science Curriculum,Teacher Education,Cooperation,Teaching Methods,Teacher Motivation,Educational Innovation,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Science Instruction

Portfolios have a long tradition in teacher education and now these are available in electronic form. At the same time, there are increasing demands for primary teachers to be technologically capable and confident in classrooms. When teacher educators wish to respond through the introduction of new technologies such as e-portfolios, there are significant issues of professional learning. This paper discusses one response, a collaborative self-study, around the introduction of an e-portfolio as a pedagogical device. It highlights two key aspects of the study: first, it considers how collaborative self-study as a methodology proved crucial for sustaining lecturer motivation and commitment to the innovation; second, it describes how the e-portfolio was used to enhance the student experience in the science curriculum area which can be a challenging curriculum area for some students. Finally, some recommendations for practice are put forward for consideration.
Indicators of Late Emerging Reading-Accuracy Difficulties in Australian Schools
Author: Galletly, Susan A.
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Middle Schools,Low Achievement,Reading Instruction,Reading Difficulties,Foreign Countries,Age Differences,Reading Skills,Gender Differences,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,Incidence

Late-emerging reading-accuracy difficulties are those found present in older students not showing reading-accuracy difficulties when tested in earlier years (Leach, Scarborough and Rescorla, 2003). This paper discusses the constructs of reading-accuracy and late-emerging reading-accuracy difficulties. It then discusses data from a cross-sectional study of Australian readers from Years 1 to 8, which suggests a likelihood of late-emerging reading-accuracy difficulties being present in Australian readers. Results showed a steady increase in the proportion of low achievers (SS less than 90), and a higher number of boys than girls being low achievers. The results provide evidence for the importance of reading-accuracy screening of students in primary and middle school years, and for reading instruction at all year levels to be focussed where needed on reading accuracy. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
How Can Preservice Teachers Be Measured against Advocated Professional Teaching Standards?
Author: Hudson, Peter
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Performance Based Assessment,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,Science Education,Measures (Individuals),Standards,Statistical Analysis

Australia has had many inquiries into teaching and teacher education over the last decade. Standards for teaching have been produced by national education systems with many state systems following suit. The Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) advocates ten professional teaching standards for teachers and preservice teachers. How can preservice teachers be measured against advocated professional standards? This study investigated 106 second-year preservice teachers' perceptions of their development against the QCT standards. A pretest-posttest survey instrument was developed based on the QCT standards and administered to these preservice teachers before and after their science education coursework. Percentages, ANOVAs and t-tests were generated to analyse the results. Findings indicated that 22 of the 24 paired pretest-posttest items were highly significant (p less than 0.001). Percentage increases ranged from as low as 27% in the pretest to as high as 97% in the posttest, yet, there were two items with lower significance (i.e., working in professional science education teams and supporting students' participation in society). Understanding preservice teachers' perceptions of their abilities to implement these standards may be a step towards the process of determining the achievement of teaching standards; however, more rigorous measurements will need to be developed for both teachers and preservice teachers. University coursework and related assessments can provide an indication of achieving these standards, especially authentic assessment of preservice teachers' practices. (Contains 3 tables.)
A Partnership Based Approach to Professional Learning: Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers Working Together to Teach Primary Science
Author: Kenny, John
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Collaboration,Science Instruction,Team Teaching,Elementary School Science,College School Cooperation,Lesson Plans,Attitude Change,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries,Mentors

This paper reports on a partnership based approach for preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach science. It involved forming three-way or &quot;triadic&quot; partnerships, consisting of a final year pre-service primary teacher and an in-service colleague, to teach science in the colleague teacher's classroom, with the support of a teacher-educator. The pre-service teachers had to collaboratively plan, develop and deliver a sequence of science lessons and take major responsibility for teaching a 90 minute science lesson, at least once a week over a six week period. The data was collected during 2007 and 2008. The pre-service teachers kept a reflective journal of their experiences using a process devised to guide and support them. The results indicated improved attitudes to and confidence in teaching science for the pre-service teachers and their in-service colleagues. The results indicate triadic partnership approach may be an effective way to support teacher professional learning in science. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)
&quot;Motivation in Action&quot; in a Collaborative Primary Classroom: Developing and Sustaining Teacher Motivation
Author: Morcom, Veronica
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sociocultural Patterns,Teacher Motivation,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Cooperative Learning,Peer Relationship,Peer Teaching,Teacher Role,Group Discussion,Power Structure,Participative Decision Making,Student Diversity,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students

This paper examines how the process of scaffolding students to solve their social issues developed mature participation for both the teacher and students. A sociocultural perspective framed the research as the underlying assumption is that students learn from each other, mediated by the teacher or more capable peers. The study provides evidence that teachers play a significant role in mediating positive relationships amongst peers, which in this case, sustained the teacher's motivation to engage in the challenging and at times exhausting process. The teacher used weekly class meetings to negotiate with students how to share &quot;power&quot; and model democratic decision-making. The &quot;bottom-up&quot; approach of this research, links not only to teacher motivation but contributes to much needed research on how teachers can effectively cater for the diversity of students in their class, through their professional learning and development. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Developing an Early Childhood Teacher Workforce Development Strategy for Rural and Remote Communities
Author: Price, Anne
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Prior Learning,Young Children,College Credits,Foreign Countries,Teacher Education,Part Time Students,Enrollment,Bachelors Degrees,Rural Areas,Teacher Qualifications,Student Employment,Indigenous Knowledge,Indigenous Populations,Case Studies,Experiential Learning,Transfer Policy

The North West Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Workforce Development Strategy offers students in the Pilbara and Kimberley the opportunity to enrol in a Western Australian University's fully accredited Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) part time and externally--so they can continue to live and work in their communities. The Western Australian Department of Education and Training (WA DET) and the Commonwealth Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) have funded the project, enabling the University to provide mentoring support and provision for Recognition of Prior Learning, on a case-by-case basis, depending on their individual experience and levels of skill. On completion of the course students will be fully qualified to teach from Kindergarten to Year 7. Added to this they will be able to bring their own knowledge of their unique communities, languages and cultures to their teaching.
L2 Teachers' Pedagogic Knowledge Base: A Comparison between Experienced and Less Experienced Practitioners
Author: Akbari, Ramin
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Preservice Teacher Education,Language Teachers,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Experience,Recall (Psychology),Comparative Analysis,Metacognition,Reflection,Schemata (Cognition),Foreign Countries,Institutes (Training Programs),English (Second Language),Knowledge Base for Teaching

Second language teacher education community has become increasingly interested in the pedagogical knowledge base of teachers as a window into practitioners' mental lives. The present study was conducted to document likely differences between the pedagogic thoughts of experienced and less experienced teachers. Eight teachers participated in the project. Data were collected through the use of stimulated recall. The analysis of the data shows that there are differences both in the number and the order of the thoughts teachers produced in different groups. Experienced teachers produced an average of five pedagogical thoughts per minute, while their less experienced counterparts produced 3 thoughts. The top thought category for less experienced teachers was Language Management, while for the experienced teachers Self-Reflection ranked first. Some thought categories were also absent in the report of less experienced practitioners. (Contains 4 tables.)
Configuring of Masculinity in an Ethnocentric Community School
Author: Garas, Dimitri
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cultural Maintenance,Community Schools,Focus Groups,Masculinity,Ethnocentrism,Qualitative Research,Grade 8,Males,Social Influences,Individual Characteristics,Sexual Identity

This paper presents snapshots of a qualitative study that investigated how Year 8 boys in an ethnocentric community school configured their constructions of masculinity. Fifteen boys participated in focus group discussions that extended over a six-week period. For one focus group, the boys were invited to bring a &quot;totem&quot;, which was an embodiment of their masculinity. The findings from the focus groups revealed both collective and individual constructions and enactments of masculinities that were talked into existence and transmitted through hegemonic discourses. Yet the findings also revealed the boys' individual agency to engage with other ways of doing and being a boy. Key recommendations emerging from the study include the need for boys to have opportunities to talk more openly among themselves about their gendered identities and for access to the thinking and experiences of how masculinity might be conceived within a wider community of practice. (Contains 1 table.)
Teaching Out-of-Field in Western Australia
Author: McConney, Andrew
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Qualifications,Foreign Countries,Teacher Placement,Standards,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Shortage,Teacher Surveys,Public Schools,Private Schools,Educational Practices

A former head of the American Federation of Teachers, Albert Shanker, once called out-of-field teaching education's &quot;dirty little secret&quot; (Ingersoll, 2003, p. 5). The practice of allowing or assigning teachers to teach subjects or year levels for which they do not have any formal qualifications has lead to considerable debate within the educational community. Such concerns over the possible negative impact of out-of-field teaching on students, teachers and the broader school community led the Western Australian College of Teaching (WACOT) to commission an exploratory empirical study of the extent of the phenomenon in Western Australia. This paper presents the main findings from the empirical study and literature review and seeks to contribute to a greater understanding of the extent, causes, impact and possible solutions to the phenomenon of out-of-field teaching.
The Inclusive Secondary Teacher: The Leaders' Perspective
Author: Pearce, Michelle
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Curriculum Development,Inclusion,Teacher Characteristics,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Resource Allocation,Disabilities,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Profiles,Instructional Leadership,Qualitative Research,Secondary School Teachers

Australian legislation and policies over the last fifteen years have reinforced the rights of students with disabilities to be included in mainstream classrooms. To make this a reality, change has been necessary in a number of areas such as teacher knowledge, resource allocation, curriculum reform, and support services. This paper presents a profile of an inclusive secondary school teacher from the perspective of Australian educational leaders. A qualitative methodology was used in this study. Fifty leaders in inclusive education across Australia were interviewed. Shulman's (1986) model of teacher knowledge was used to analyse and report the data. The paper identifies the skills, knowledge and attributes deemed necessary for inclusion by the educational leaders. (Contains 1 table.)
Content Area Reading and Writing: Practices and Beliefs
Author: Ulusoy, Mustafa
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Strategies,Content Area Reading,Interviews,Educational Practices,Beliefs,Content Area Writing,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Education Programs,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Effectiveness,Reading Improvement,Reading Strategies,Writing Improvement,Foreign Countries

The main purpose of this study was to investigate science, social studies, and classroom teachers' reading and writing practices, and to investigate their beliefs about content area reading and writing. One hundred and forty-three teachers filled out the survey developed to learn their content area reading and writing practices and beliefs. In the second part of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 teachers. The study results showed that teachers did not employ specific reading and writing strategies. They used question-asking strategy before, during, and after reading. This study concluded that there is a need for content area reading and writing courses for pre-service and in-service teachers. (Contains 1 table.)
Characteristics and Competencies for Teacher Educators: Addressing the Need for Improved Professional Standards in Turkey
Author: Celik, Servet
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Teacher Educators,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Competencies,Instructional Improvement,Teacher Improvement,Educational Quality,Graduation Requirements,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Associations,National Standards,Standard Setting,Educational Needs

Although a great deal of attention has been given to the nature of teaching and the qualities a good teacher ought to possess, there has been little emphasis on the specific characteristics and competencies that teacher educators should have. This paper discusses whether setting explicit standards for teacher educators would help or hinder efforts to improve the quality of teaching about teaching, touching on the viewpoints of student teachers versus professional organizations regarding standards of quality and exploring the implied and explicit standards of academic institutions for language teacher educators in the U.S. and Australia, in comparison with the less-defined standards currently present in the Turkish educational system. (Contains 1 table.)
Tailoring Mentoring for New Mathematics and Science Teachers: An Exploratory Study
Author: Ormond, Christine
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Focus Groups,Science Teachers,Beginning Teacher Induction,Teaching Experience,Teacher Supervision,Supervisory Methods,Training Methods,Self Efficacy,Performance Factors,Best Practices,Critical Incidents Method,Case Studies,Educational Needs,Needs Assessment,Barriers,Foreign Countries,Journal Writing

This paper explores some aspects of effective professional mentoring practice for early career mathematics and science teachers, and discusses the Early Support Program (ESP), a research project conducted in 2009 and 2010 at a large Australian metropolitan university. It is argued that better outcomes may result from a more strategic &quot;tailoring&quot; of mentoring &quot;type&quot; for different aspects of new teacher induction, especially as school-based mentors often have insufficient time or training to support them. The ESP has been trialling its more &quot;distanced&quot; mentoring model, tracking the issues that a group of new teachers chose to discuss with their mentors, and exploring this further through focus groups and case studies. The project has indicated that more flexible, off-campus mentoring assistance may serve some needs particularly well, and that it may also alleviate the pressure placed upon teachers in schools. A secondary aim of the ESP research was to prepare an appropriate resource for teachers, based on its findings, and this has now been done. (Contains 4 figures.)
Achieving the Impossible? Teaching Practice Component of a Pre-Service Distance English Language Teacher Training Program in Turkey
Author: Kecik, Ilknur
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Distance Education,Preservice Teacher Education,English Instruction,English Teachers,Instructional Development,English (Second Language),Educational Practices,Educational Development,Student Teaching,Teaching Experience,Program Descriptions

The aim of this article is to describe the model developed for the teaching practice component of the pre-service Distance English Language Teacher Training Program (DELTT) at Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. The steps taken to improve the model over a six-year period will be explained and the recent developments in the teaching practice area of the current program will be discussed in the light of recent research on learning and personal development. Lessons learned and the steps taken during this developmental process will be explored and recommendations for other programs concerned with the teaching practice component will be made. (Contains 1 figure.)
Teacher Student Control Ideology and Burnout: Their Correlation
Author: Bas, Gokhan
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ideology,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Sampling,Elementary School Teachers,Classroom Techniques,Teacher Student Relationship,Prediction,Socioeconomic Status,School Districts,Measures (Individuals),Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Burnout

The purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between elementary teachers' student control ideologies and their perceived burnout levels and to determine to what extent teachers' student control ideologies predict their burnout. Three hundred and seventy-six teachers from 12 elementary schools in Nigde, Turkey participated in the study. Teachers were chosen by the three-layer group sampling method according to the socioeconomic structures of their districts. In this study, the Student Control Ideology Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to collect data to answer the research questions. The correlative investigation model was adopted in the research and SPSS 17.0 was used to analyse the data gathered. Pearson moment's correlation coefficient analysis showed that there were some negative significant correlations among teachers' student control ideologies and their perceived burnout levels. It was also found that teachers' student control ideologies were significant predictors of their burnout levels and approximately 17 per cent of the total variance for teachers' burnout was explained by their student control ideologies. (Contains 2 tables.)
Integrating Indigenous Cultures into English Language Teaching
Author: Barfield, Susan C.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: World Views,English (Second Language),Indigenous Knowledge,Indigenous Populations,Culturally Relevant Education,English Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Language Maintenance,Cultural Maintenance,Cultural Education,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Educational Strategies,Instructional Design

One of the most important components of a culture is its language. With language, people not only expeditiously communicate; they also express their values, beliefs, and world views. When a language becomes extinct, a part of the cultural patrimony of humanity is lost. For linguists, this also means the loss of an opportunity for a better understanding of the manifestation of the human faculty of language. In this article, the authors discuss the preservation of cultures through English language teaching and provide practical teaching ideas in which English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers can integrate indigenous artifacts and cultural components into their classes.
Mind Mirror Projects: A Tool for Integrating Critical Thinking into the English Language Classroom
Author: Tully, Matthew M.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Feedback (Response),Inferences,Teaching Methods,Self Control,Literary Genres,Language Teachers

Identifying a point of view can be a complex task in any language. By analyzing what characters say, think, and do throughout a story, readers can observe how points of view tend to change over time. Easier said than done, this ability to climb inside the mind of a character can help students as they analyze personalities found in literature, history, and the world around them. This article will outline the steps used to facilitate a mind mirror project that analyzed characters from the short story, "The Lottery" (Jackson 1982). Additionally, this article will describe reflective activities that enabled students to monitor and improve critical thinking skills throughout the project and will conclude by offering insights for teachers interested in using mind mirror projects in their classrooms.
Using Story Boxes in Language Learning
Author: Collins, Rita
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Languages,Second Language Learning,Nonprint Media,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Story Telling,Integrated Activities

Story boxes and story bags are containers for holding realia that are used to enhance reading and provide a variety of activities for encouraging language acquisition and use. Whatever the packaging, these are good ways to develop students' interest in books. Using realia, or real-life objects, to teach a foreign language is not a novel concept. It has been recognized for decades as a useful means of teaching vocabulary and providing students with insight into new ideas. Especially in foreign language learning, realia help students to connect the known to the unknown. Items in story boxes help create a bridge between something tangible and the newly introduced concepts or words as the students begin to explore a story and its vocabulary. The items also provide a means for making the experiences in the story concrete.