scholarly journals PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PREPAREDNESS AND CONFIDENCE IN TEACHING LIFE SCIENCES TOPICS: WHAT DO THEY LACK?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Mavuru ◽  
◽  
Oniccah Koketso Pila ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
School Life ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life On Earth

Pre-service teachers’ preparedness and confidence levels to teach is a topical subject in higher education. Previous studies have commented on the role of teacher in-service training in preparing teachers for provision of meaningful classroom experiences to their learners, but many researchers regard pre-service teacher development as the cornerstone. Whilst teacher competence can be measured in terms of different variables e.g. pedagogy, knowledge of the curriculum, technological knowledge etc., the present study focused on teacher competency in terms of Life Sciences subject matter knowledge (SMK). The study was framed by pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The study sought to answer the research question: How do preservice teachers perceive their levels of preparedness and confidence in teaching high school Life Sciences topics at the end of their four years of professional development? In a qualitative study, a total of 77 pre-service teachers enrolled for the Methodology and Practicum Life Sciences course at a university in South Africa participated in the study. Each participant was tasked to identify topic(s)/concept(s) in Life Sciences they felt challenged to teach, provide a critical analysis of the reasons for that and map the way forward to overcome the challenges. This task was meant to provide the pre-service teachers with an opportunity to reflect and at the same time evaluate the goals of the learning programme they had gone through. Pre-service teachers’ perspectives show their attitudes, values and beliefs based on their personal experiences which therefore help them to interpret their teaching practices. The qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The findings showed that whilst pre-service teachers were competent to teach other topics, the majority felt that they were not fully prepared and hence lacked confidence to teach the history of life on earth and plant and animal tissues in grade 10; excretion in animals particularly the functions of the nephron in grade 11; and evolution and genetics in grade 12. Different reasons were proffered for the lack of preparedness to teach these topics. The participants regarded some of these topics as difficult and complex e.g. genetics. Evolution was considered to be antagonistic to the participants’ and learners’ cultural and religious belief systems. Hence the participants had negative attitudes towards them. Some of the pre-service teachers indicated that they lacked interest in some of the topics particularly the history of life on earth which they considered to be more aligned to Geography, a subject they did not like. As remedies for their shortcomings in the content, the pre-service teachers planned to co-teach these topics with colleagues, and others planned to enrol for content enrichment programmes. These findings have implications for teacher professional development programmes.

scholarly journals Primary School Teachers’ Educational Research: Educational Practice and Professional Development Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Vincentas Lamanauskas ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Teacher Research ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Primary School Teachers

Teacher research activity is an important complex part of their work. Therefore, alongside with the other, their important professional competences, teacher research activity competence becomes a significant one. Teacher’s activity space has widened a lot. Carrying out various research, the teacher uses the obtained information firstly for their activity improvement. It is obvious that there is a lack of reliable research on this question. A deep gap exists between educational research and educational practice. This research aimed to ascertain primary school teachers’ position on educational research question. The research was carried out in 2019, in which 106 primary school teachers from various Lithuanian schools took part. A two-part research instrument was applied, which consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions. A descriptive qualitative and quantitative content analysis was carried out. Though most of the teachers thought that educational research was important for their practical activity, however, the biggest gap between educational research and educational practice is most frequently determined by the lack of teacher competence in this sphere. There exists an obvious teacher support need as well as teacher professional development needs in the aspect of research availability/accessibility and its use in educational practice.

Evolution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Core Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolutionary Science ◽  
Microscopic World ◽  
The Many ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
And Behavior

Evolution is one of the most important processes in life. It not only explains the detailed history of life on earth, but its scope also extends into many aspects of our own contemporary behavior-who we are and how we got to be here, our psychology, our cultures-and greatly impacts modern advancements in medicine and conservation biology. Perhaps its most important claim for science is its ability to provide an overarching framework that integrates the many life sciences into a single unified whole. Yet, evolution-evolutionary biology in particular-has been, and continues to be, regarded with suspicion by many. Understanding how and why evolution works, and what it can tell us, is perhaps the single most important contribution to the public perception of science. This book provides an overview of the basic theory and showcases how widely its consequences reverberate across the life sciences, the social sciences and even the humanities. In this book, Robin Dunbar uses examples drawn from plant life, animals and humans to illustrate these processes. Evolutionary science has important advantages. Most of science deals with the microscopic world that we cannot see and invariably have difficulty understanding, but evolution deals with the macro-world in which we live and move. That invariably makes it much easier for the lay audience to appreciate, understand and enjoy. Evolution: What Everyone Needs to Know® takes a broad approach to evolution, dealing both with the core theory itself and its impact on different aspects of the world we live in, from the iconic debates of the nineteenth century, to viruses and superbugs, to human evolution and behavior.

Creating Synergies for Change

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-52
Author(s):  
Joanne Carney ◽  
Marilyn Chu ◽  
Jennifer Green ◽  
William Nutting ◽  
Susan Donnelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Standardized Testing ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Research Question ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Research Practice

Background/Context The challenges documented in the literature on research–practice partnerships and similar school–university collaborations are outlined in the literature review in this issue. Yet only a collaboration among multiple educational and community organizations could create a synergy powerful enough to achieve the multifaceted goals of this project: (1) enhance instructional practices to better meet the needs of diverse learners; (2) better prepare teachers and teacher candidates to engage families in support of their children's success; (3) develop a community of practice in which preservice teachers, teacher educators, in-service teachers, administrators, and other educational and human service professionals participate in ongoing, collaborative professional development; and (4) recruit and retain more teacher candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study analyzes features and outcomes of a six-year school–university partnership funded by a large state grant. Project goals included developing innovative models for closing the achievement gap in an elementary school with a high percentage of English language learners and high-poverty measures. Using an inquiry-action model, the partners worked to better engage and support families as they enhanced teacher preparation and professional development. Research Design This case study uses mixed methods research to analyze how one research–practice partnership navigated the challenges inherent in such collaborative work. Data Collection and Analysis Data sources included student standardized testing data, teacher and intern surveys, semistructured interviews, a formative assessment of partnership processes, student and intern work samples, and observations in classrooms and teacher professional development activities. Conclusions/Recommendations This partnership avoided or overcame many of the challenges typical of school–university partnerships. Four factors appeared to be significant to the project's success. First, all the key coordinators of the partnership, including the school principal and teacher education faculty, remained in place for five years. Similarly, there was very low turnover among teachers in the school, which meant that professional development was sustained. Second, the personal and professional characteristics of the people involved in the partnership were the right mix for the task. Shared meaning was fostered and school–university status hierarchies leveled as late-career university faculty spent large amounts of time in the school, participating in professional learning communities with teachers and teacher candidates. Third, trusting relationships were fostered within the school by the principal; there was a high level of trust from the outset. Fourth, both school and university leaders waited for indications of “readiness” among teachers and faculty, drew on expertise within the team, and demonstrated a commitment to organic evolution.

Two Dimensions of an Inquiry Stance toward Student-Learning Data

2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Holmlund Nelson ◽  
David Slavit ◽  
Angie Deuel
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Inquiry Stance ◽  
Learning Data

Background/Context Schools and districts are increasingly emphasizing evidence-based decision making as a means for improving teaching and learning. In response, professional development efforts have shifted toward situated, sustained activities that involve groups of teachers in reflective inquiry about student-learning data, instructional practices, and curricular goals. Although strong evidence exists regarding the benefits of looking at student work, there is little research that investigates how teachers might work together to attain these benefits. Classroom teachers often lack the necessary skills and supports to enact data-based inquiry in a manner that informs and influences classroom practices. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In response to a need for specific frameworks to support teachers’ collaborative interactions around student-learning data, we have developed a conceptual framework for describing and characterizing key influences on teachers’ actions and interactions. The purpose of this article is to fully describe the two dimensions that constitute the framework, illustrate them with examples from multiple cases, and discuss potential implications of the framework on research and practice. Population/Participants/Subjects This framework was developed from multiyear case analyses of seven professional learning communities (PLCs). The teachers in these PLCs were secondary science and mathematics teachers who were supported by a 3-year professional development project. Research Design We began to derive this conceptual framework using constant comparison in the development of semiannual case studies. Preliminary results and hypotheses on the specific ways in which teacher groups were interacting as they worked with student-learning data led to the need to better conceptualize what was occurring. Building on others’ work related to stance, we used grounded theory methods to construct and refine this framework. Findings/Results A detailed framework and examples are provided regarding collaborative teacher inquiry groups’ inquiry stance along two dimensions: (1) their epistemological stance toward student-learning data, and (2) the nature of their dialogue when using these data in their inquiry process. The first dimension is delineated by four descriptive categories ranging from an improving to a proving stance; the second dimension ranges from sustained negotiation to no negotiation. Conclusions/Recommendations This analysis of inquiry stance in a collaborative group is valuable in providing a detailed tool for empirical analyses of collaborative teacher development in the context of working with student-learning data. Additionally, it provides practical support for facilitators and school leaders by characterizing fundamental and often hidden influences on PLC processes and outcomes.

scholarly journals The Experience of Receiving and Giving Public Oral and Written Peer Feedback on the Teaching Experience of Preservice Teachers

10.28945/4502 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gila Cohen Zilka
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Face To Face

Aim/Purpose: This study examined how peer feedback, received and given face-to-face and on the course site, shapes the teacher’s image, from the student’s point of view as the one providing and receiving feedback. Background: This study examined the effect of receiving and giving peer feedback, face-to-face and on the course site, on forming the teacher’s image, from the student’s point of view as someone who provides and receives feedback. Methodology: The research question was, “How do preservice teachers experience giving and receiving public, oral and written, peer feedback on the teaching experience?” This is a qualitative study. Two hundred fifty-seven preservice teachers educated in teacher training institutions in Israel participated in the study. Contribution: The study attempted to fill the missing pieces in the experience of providing and receiving peer feedback in the process of training for a teaching certificate. The topic of feedback has been extensively researched, but mostly from the point of view of experts providing feedback to the student, whereas this study examined peer feedback. In addition, many studies have examined the topic of feedback mainly from the point of view of the recipient. By contrast, in this study, all the students both gave and received feedback, and the topic was examined from the perspective of both the feedback recipient and the feedback provider. It was found that receiving feedback and providing feedback are affected by the same emotional and behavioral influences, at the visible, concealed, and hidden levels. Findings: It was found that in oral feedback given by students face-to-face they took into account the feelings of the recipient of the feedback, more so than when feedback was given in writing on the course site. It was found also that most students considered it easier to provide feedback in writing than orally, for two reasons: first, it allowed them to edit and focus their feedback, and second, because of the physical distance from the student to whom the feedback applied. About 45% noted that the feedback they provided to others reflected their own feelings and difficulties. It was found that both giving and receiving feedback was influenced by the same emotional and behavioral layers: visible, concealed, and hidden. Recommendations for Practitioners: When an expert gives feedback, the expert has more experience than the students and wants to share this experience with others. This is not the case with peer feedback, where everybody is in the process of training, and the feedback is not necessarily expert. Therefore, clarification and discussion of feedback are of great importance for the development of both feedback provider and recipient. Recommendation for Researchers: About 45% of preservice teachers noticed that the feedback they provided to others stemmed from their own internal issues, and therefore dialogic feedback stimulated a sense of learning, empowerment, and professional development. Dialogic feedback may clarify for both provider and recipient what their habits, needs, and difficulties are and advance them in their professional development. Impact on Society: People must ask themselves whether they are in a position of conducting a dialogue or in a position of resistance to what is happening in the lesson. A sense of resistance to what is happening in the lesson may cause one to feel attacked and in need of defending oneself, and therefore to criticize. It is difficult to establish fruitful and enriching dialogue in a state of resistance, and with the desire to defend oneself and go on attack. Future Research: Knowledge of virtual feedback needs to be deepened. Does the feedback stem from the desire to advance the student who taught the lesson? Does the feedback stem from anger? etc.

scholarly journals TEACHING LIFE SCIENCES USING SECOND LANGUAGE: HOW DO TEACHERS COPE?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Motloung ◽  
◽  
Lydia Mavuru ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Scientific Language ◽  
Language Difficulties ◽  
Teaching Life ◽  
Observation Protocol

Language plays a pivotal role in science teaching and learning as it serves as both the medium through which the teachers and learners think and also communicate in the classrooms. Science and Life sciences in particular comprises of a unique scientific language register with a lot of technical words and terms borrowed from other languages other than English. Previous researchers acknowledged the difficulty teachers face when teaching science in a language different from their own and that of the learners. Consequently, the current study explored the various ways in which English-second-language Life Sciences teachers taught Life Sciences in order to mitigate language difficulties for themselves and those of their learners. The study was guided by the research question: how does English as a second language influence teacher practices when teaching Life Sciences to grade 12 learners? Using a qualitative research design, six Life Sciences teachers with various levels of teaching experience, two novices, two relatively experienced and two very experienced teachers, were purposefully selected from six different schools. The assumption was that teachers at various levels of experience may have different experiences of teaching the subject in a second language. Each teacher was observed once whilst teaching the same topic to grade 11 Life Sciences learners to establish their teaching practices. Incidences of learner engagement with the content, teacher-learner and learner-learner interactions were captured and scored using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol rubric. Lesson observations were suitable for data collection as they allowed the researcher to examine even non-elicited behaviour as it happened. The findings indicated that language difficulties were prevalent and affected both teachers and learners in engaging with the concepts at hand. For instance, most of the teachers whether experienced or not, struggled to explain and elaborate vital Life Sciences concepts in a comprehensible manner due to lack of proficiency in the language of instruction. The teachers mostly utilised code-switching as it enabled them to explain and elaborate scientific terms and processes in both English and their home languages. Because learners were allowed to express themselves in their home languages, the level of interaction also increased. In addition, teachers used transliteration and demonstrations as teaching strategies that also reduced the challenges of using English as a medium of instruction. The study informs both pre-service and in-service teacher development programmes.

“Losing One African American Preservice Teacher is One Too Many”: A Critical Race Analysis of Support for Praxis Core as African American Students Speak Out

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Kamania Wynter-Hoyte ◽  
Susi Long ◽  
Terrance M. Mcadoo ◽  
Jennifer D. Strickland
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
African American ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Predominately White ◽  
Test Items ◽  
White Institution ◽  
History Of

Background/Context Praxis Core, an ETS general knowledge examination, is required for teaching licensure in many states. However, it exists within a history of racist testing from time of the first IQ and SAT tests. Because of Praxis Core, Preservice Teachers of Color are regularly denied entry into the teaching profession, a reality incongruent with the call for a more diverse teaching population. Purpose/Research Question While recognizing the need to eliminate racist gatekeepers to the profession, this study focused on providing Praxis Core support so that no more African American preservice teachers are lost to the test while working to dethrone it. To understand effective support, this study asked: What can we learn through the experiences of 10 African American preservice teachers at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) about characteristics of effective support as they prepare for the Praxis Core examination? Research Design Data were collected and analyzed using qualitative critical race methods and a framework grounded in culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies. Data included student interviews and questionnaires, lesson plans, and emails among the researchers/instructors and students. Results The study identified characteristics of effective support as grounded instructors’ culturally responsive caring defined by: a commitment to student success and empowering students’ belief in their success; knowing each student well to understand strengths, fears, needs; establishing relationships considered by students to be trusting and comfortable; countering messages of ineptness by teaching students about the racist nature of the test and validating them as knowledgeable and capable; recognizing the linguistic dexterity of African American Language speakers and helping them use their linguistic abilities to conquer the tests; and emancipating students by making them aware of the sociopolitical intent as well as structure of the tests. Conclusions/Recommendations We offer recommendations recognizing that they are merely Band-aids when biased tests play a role in sustaining a predominantly White teaching force. While we work to change that, our study suggests the development of support systems by faculty who (a) do not settle for deflections from the need for this work; (b) can develop relationships deemed comfortable from students’ perspectives; (c) believe and can help students recognize that they are not broken but whole, intelligent, knowledgeable; (d) understand the biased nature of Praxis Core and can help students examine test items and strategize accordingly; and (e) can help students use their cultural and linguistic knowledge and dexterity to beat the testing game.

scholarly journals Training Teachers’ Perspectives of the Effectiveness of the “Academy-Class” Training Model on Trainees’ Professional Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Nabil Assadi ◽  
Tareq Murad ◽  
Mahmood Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Arab Sector ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

This study attempts to examine the effect of the new “Academy-Class” teacher training model on trainees’ professional development according to the training teachers’ perspectives. The participants were 60 training teachers who trained student teachers from the Arab sector from different departments (English, mathematics, science, and Arabic) who were in their third year of studies in the College of Sakhnin for Teacher Education in northern Israel. The training teachers who were chosen to participate in the “Academy-Class” program were from different teaching training schools. The research question was: What is the effect of the new “Academy-Class” model on the trainees’ professional development from the training teachers’ perspectives? In order to answer the research question, the researchers developed research tools involving a questionnaire and interviews to achieve the study purpose. A group of teacher education experts from the College validated these tools. The researchers also   measured reliability of the tools after testing them on a pilot group. The participants filled out the questionnaire and were interviewed before and after participating in the program. The study findings show an improvement in the attitudes of training teachers from the beginning of the program to its end in all aspects: reflective mentoring; approaches in teaching and learning; and the integration of preservice teachers into the education system and co-teaching.

Sea Urchins and Circuses: The Modernist Natural Histories of Jean Painlevé and Alexander Calder

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-211
Author(s):  
Patricia E. Chu
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Machine Age ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The One ◽  
Natural Historian

The Paris avant-garde milieu from which both Cirque Calder/Calder's Circus and Painlevé’s early films emerged was a cultural intersection of art and the twentieth-century life sciences. In turning to the style of current scientific journals, the Paris surrealists can be understood as engaging the (life) sciences not simply as a provider of normative categories of materiality to be dismissed, but as a companion in apprehending the “reality” of a world beneath the surface just as real as the one visible to the naked eye. I will focus in this essay on two modernist practices in new media in the context of the history of the life sciences: Jean Painlevé’s (1902–1989) science films and Alexander Calder's (1898–1976) work in three-dimensional moving art and performance—the Circus. In analyzing Painlevé’s work, I discuss it as exemplary of a moment when life sciences and avant-garde technical methods and philosophies created each other rather than being classified as separate categories of epistemological work. In moving from Painlevé’s films to Alexander Calder's Circus, Painlevé’s cinematography remains at the forefront; I use his film of one of Calder's performances of the Circus, a collaboration the men had taken two decades to complete. Painlevé’s depiction allows us to see the elements of Calder's work that mark it as akin to Painlevé’s own interest in a modern experimental organicism as central to the so-called machine-age. Calder's work can be understood as similarly developing an avant-garde practice along the line between the bestiary of the natural historian and the bestiary of the modern life scientist.

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