"Trainee teachers following the three-year undergraduate BEd course at the University of Wolverhampton undertake a final-year research study. This project requires each individual to investigate an aspect of teaching and learning within an early years or primary school setting.

Reflections on Research presents, in publication, a selection of these final-year projects completed by trainee teachers in 2008 and 2009.

The students themselves have looked back upon the project to critically evaluate the positive and not so positive elements of their investigation. They also considered how what they did as student teachers remains relevant to what they do now as qualified professionals working in the classroom.

See also ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project’, published by SAGE: http://bit.ly/IrLHvD, and on FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/QsLY2Q"

There is growing recognition of the special needs of mathematically gifted learners. This paper reviews policy developments and current research and theory on giftedness in mathematics. It includes a discussion of the nature of mathematical ability as well as the factors that make up giftedness in mathematics. The paper is set in the context of current developments in Mathematics Education and Gifted Education in the UK and their implications for Science and Technology. It argues that early identification and appropriate provision for younger mathematically promising pupils capitalises on an intellectual resource which could provide future mathematicans as well as specialists in Science or Technology. Drawing on a Vygotskian framework, it is suggested that the mathematically gifted require appropriate cognitive challenges as well as attitudinally and motivationally enhancing experiences. In the second half of the paper we report on an initiative in which we worked with teachers to identify mathematically gifted pupils and to provide effective enrichment support for them, in a number of London Local Authorities. A number of significant issues are raised relating to the identification of mathematical talent, enrichment provision for students and teachers' professional development.

This paper discusses the influence of an in-service distance education course in the construction of mathematics teachers' professional identity, especially regarding their views and practices of reflection and collaboration and their relation with information and communication technology. The course was based in open-learning pedagogy and focused on conducting exploratory and investigative work in the mathematics classroom. Evaluation results show that the perspectives and involvement of the participant teachers depend very much on their previous professional experience and relationship with the Internet. Teachers that use e-mail for collaborative work found this a very stimulating experience whereas those with less professional involvement had some difficulty in assuming the roles and values required for this kind of activity.

This article uses a purposive sample of 43 Secondary school (pupils aged 11-18) teachers to explore perceptions of including children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities in mainstream secondary Physical Education. Findings suggest that teachers' conceptions of inclusion are based primarily around the level of participation children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities could achieve and that this could be affected by the activity area, level of support and training opportunities available to them. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this research for teachers' professional development and school organization and specific implications for the future practice of PE teachers and Teacher trainers are suggested.

This review's overarching goal is to synthesize what the research tells us about the impact of teacher professional development programs for both pre-service and in-service science teachers' self-efficacy for the enactment of inquiry-based instruction (IBI) in the classroom. This in-depth critical review attempts to illuminate insights and direction of multi-faceted Professional Development Designs (PDDs) in relation to two eminent research fields in science education; self-efficacy and inquiry-based teaching(IBT). It involves a computerized, web-based search of relevant studies mainly consisting of academic and peer-reviewed journals and well-known book chapters. 43 empirical studies that met specific search criteria were selected for the review based on indications of the reputation of the research and recent impacts factors. Additionally, the methodological aspect is considered to draw a more complete and holistic view of the related studies regarding self-efficacy and inquiry-based science teaching. The prominent implications of the review were the mediator or moderator effect of self-efficacy in the relationship of professional development interventions and the enactment of inquiry-based science teaching, particularly, for pre-service teachers and the broader understanding of the nature of PDDs either form of science content courses or science methods courses. Out of which, deep understanding of scientific inquiry, strong practical experience with designing, developing, implementing and assessing IBT, and skills for guiding and organizing students to conduct inquiry activities were found to be key features of PDDs. Other functional and methodological implications are also pointed out for further research related to the effects of different innovative professional learning communities promoting the self-efficacy beliefs for inquiry-based teaching in science.

Informal inferential reasoning has shown some promise in developing students’ deeper understanding of statistical processes. This paper presents a framework to think about three key principles of informal inference – eneralizations ‘beyond the data,’ probabilistic language, and data as evidence. The authors use primary school classroom episodes and excerpts of interviews with the teachers to illustrate the framework and reiterate the importance of embedding statistical learning within the context of statistical inquiry. Implications for the teaching of more powerful satistical concepts at the primary school level are discussed.

The terms “teacher professionalism” and “professional dispositions” are often used when assessing preservice and practicing teachers.  But what is “teacher professionalism”?  What dispositions are the “correct” ones for teachers?  And who gets to decide these things?  This chapter excerpt explains why the Danielson Framework for Teaching is still being used.

Professional development (PD) of teachers comprises a major challenge in many countries. The empirical relations between teaching-learning processes and student achievements occupy educators who construct teachers' in-service training programs. Student achievements serve as a measure for testing improvements in learning. Many investigators view teachers' content-didactic knowledge as influencing the quality of teaching and student achievements. Large-scale assessments (national and international evaluation frameworks) in the Israeli educational system offer teachers opportunities for improving their teaching-learning processes and student achievements. We developed a program for the PD of science teachers based on the curriculum and large-scale assessments. The model is long term and integrates theoretical and practical knowledge. The activities should be effective and cooperative and should use diverse teaching methods and integrate advanced technologies. This article presents considerations for the construction of the program, its goals, its performance, teachers' reports on the components, and the contribution of the program's components to their PD.

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The purpose of this project was to support the implementation of instructional strategies that will allow middle and high school teachers across the curriculum to cultivate students’ writing skills. The author conducted a review of literature to identify effective instructional strategies and to plan a professional development workshop to align with principles for effective teacher training. The participating teachers from various subject areas developed assignments for use in their courses. Following the workshop, teachers reportedly allotted greater class time to the consideration of models and supported students in processing evaluative criteria. Some participants provided feedback to students in response to written plans. All teachers reported improved student written work as a result of these efforts.

The research aims at investigating the Saudi Secondary school Teachers' Attitudes towards using Interactive Whiteboard in the classrooms. The research uses the Quasi-Experimental approach, with one group (100) teachers, and limited to the Secondary school Teachers that enrolled in the first semester of (2011/2012) academic year. The research uses Interactive Whiteboard Attitude Survey, observation skill card for using Interactive Whiteboard in the classrooms and structured interviews with students. The ...

How does teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge ("TPACK") inform their instructional planning? How can this knowledge be enhanced? In an interpretivist study of experienced secondary social studies teachers' planning, we sought to discover clues to the nature and development of these teachers' TPACK-in-action as it was expressed in their planning processes.

Pedagogical beliefs and attitudes significantly determine the professional skills
and practice of teachers. Many professional development programs for teachers aim to
the elaboration of the pedagogical knowledge in order to improve teaching quality. This
paper presents the study of pedagogical beliefs of computer science teachers in Greece.
The research data reveal that computer science teachers usually hold mixed traditional
and constructivist theories which are generally irrelevant to either demographic factors
or their pedagogical training. In some cases statistically significant correlations to the
educational level or the total teaching service are detected. The results of the study set
out suggestions concerning the design of pedagogical training programs.

In a time of rapid policy and curriculum change, teachers must be knowledge workers who continue to develop professionally. Professional learning networks (PLNs) offer teachers the opportunity to develop professionally by positioning them as inquirers into their own practice and authors and agents of situated innovation. Six examples of PLNs are introduced in this book to illustrate key attributes of PLNs that build educators’ ownership, practice, and expertise. Also highlighted is the potential of PLNs to address questions of equity, both for educators working in remote and rural communities who have limited access to professional development and other resources, and diverse learners and equity-seeking communities (e.g., Indigenous communities, non-dominant cultural groups). Scholar, practitioner, and policy audiences can benefit greatly from the PLNs described here and draw from these case studies to inform equity-oriented PLNs centering the importance of teachers, students, engagement, collaboration, and rural place in educational transformation efforts.

This Handbook is a comprehensive overview of English language education in Bangladesh. Presenting descriptive, theoretical, and empirical chapters as well as case studies, this Handbook, on the one hand, provides a comprehensive view of the English language teaching and learning scenario in Bangladesh, and on the other hand comes up with suggestions for possible decolonisation and de-eliticisation of English in Bangladesh. The Handbook explores a wide range of diverse endogenous and exogenous topics, all related to English language teaching and learning in Bangladesh, and acquaints readers with different perspectives, operating from the macro to the micro levels. The theoretical frameworks used are drawn from applied linguistics, education, sociology, political science, critical geography, cultural studies, psychology, and economics. The chapters examine how much generalisability the theories have for the context of Bangladesh and how the empirical data can be interpreted through di...

Teacher professional identity plays a key role in teacher effectiveness and retention and has a direct impact on classroom practice. While there are many factors that contribute to the development of that identity, much of the focus in the literature has been on the individual. Social practice and interaction, however, play equally important roles in a teacher’s identity formation and growth. The purpose of this study is to more deeply explore the intersection of the individual teacher’s experiences and history and the individual’s participation in communities of practice in that identity development and the impact of that overlap in her understanding of her role as a teacher.

Grounded in research on communities of practice and drawing on the theory of habitus, this study took place in a specific context - a Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) school - and included three case studies of teachers there. It focused on the early influences and histories of the individuals, their professional experiences, and their participation in communities of practice while at the KIPP school. Research data were collected through individual interviews, classroom and professional development and meeting observations and artifact collection. The subjects’ learning trajectories provided insight into the ways in which habitus and personal history merge with professional interaction and development to form an understanding of their roles as educators.

The main goals of professional development (PD) are to energize and enhance teacher professional learning, which is expected to have impact on the quality of educational practices and student learning. In response to this, the present work addresses key issues in needs assessment in PD in the field of TESOL. It begins by landscaping the importance of PD. It moves on to sketch contextualizing needs in PD. The remaining section of the chapter provides a practical guide to needs assessment in PD. This helps teacher educators, teacher trainers, and PD providers to design and enact meaningful and high-quality PD programs.

This particular paper reports on the investigation of (selected) French mathematics teachers' interactions with and use of a commonly used mathematics e-textbook (Sesamath), individually and collectively. Using three recent studies on teachers' work with Sesamath, and leaning on theoretical frames from the area of curriculum design and instructional design with technology, we identify several dimensions of " design " , that is mathematics teachers working as designers. Moreover, we claim that the affordances of digital resources are related to the opportunities for " design " by mathematics teachers, of their own curriculum materials in/for instruction; and for the development of teachers' mathematics-didactical design capacity. This paper is one of four in the AERA 2016 symposium on digital resources/curriculum materials, including e-textbooks, in mathematics education. The focus is on the resources' design and analysis; and teachers' and stu...

Professional development and teacher professionalization. Perspectives and problems Resumen: Con este trabajo pretendemos compartir algunas reflexiones sobre las relaciones entre la formación de profesores, su desarrollo profesional y la profesionalización docente. Forman parte de una investigación más amplia (Eirín, 2005) en la que hemos indagado sobre el recorrido profesional de un grupo de maestros especialistas en Educación Física. Este escenario nos ha ayudado a situar teóricamente los problemas y expectativas que caracterizan las vidas profesionales de profesores y profesoras, a través del diálogo con los significados atribuidos por aquellos autores con los que hemos ido construyendo este trabajo. Esperamos que este esfuerzo pueda ser de utilidad para aquellos que, como nosotros, están embarcados en la travesía por el desarrollo profesional de los docentes.

This article discusses how language use affects reasoning and learning in educational settings. Interactions among (1) pupils in upper secondary school, (2) teachers in upper secondary school, and (3) student teachers studying to become secondary teachers were analysed. While previous studies have examined language use among pupils, teachers, and student teachers, respectively, little research has combined these perspectives. As such, this study provides additional insight into the educational discourse. Drawing on sociocultural, dialogical perspectives on learning, the authors of this article found that the inclusion of specialized language promotes learning and enhances professional awareness. These findings hold implications for teacher education and teacher professional development.

Better than Best Practice offers a new way of thinking about classroom practice, professional development, and improving teaching and learning. This companion book and website together offer a selection of rich and realistic video-based case studies, context and narrative, step-by-step guidance through key issues, and commentary and debate from a range of expert contributors. Carefully chosen video clips from primary school literacy lessons show real teachers in a variety of often knotty situations: classroom conversations that take unexpected turns; grappling with assessment; managing disagreements, to name a few. The book explores the educational potential of classroom talk and, in particular, the promise and problems of dialogic pedagogy. With an emphasis on the complexity and 'messiness' of teaching, Better than Best Practice considers how to learn from observing and discussing practice in order to develop professional judgment. It offers practical advice on how to organise and facilitate video-based professional development in which teachers share their practice with colleagues in order to learn from one another's challenges, problems, dilemmas and breakthroughs. This exciting new resource argues that critical discussions of practice, which highlight dilemmas instead of prescribing solutions, help to develop and support thoughtful, flexible, and insightful practitioners: an approach that is better than best practice.

‘Gifted and talented’ has become the official way of referring to high-achieving, able school pupils. The author questions the validity and appropriateness of this label and calls for a more sophisticated and inclusive framework.

Author profile: http://www.wlv.ac.uk/default.aspx?page=13209

Most teacher education programs prepare teachers for work with individuals who have formal education experience and print literacy skills. However, teachers of adult emergent readers often experience distress and isolation as they navigate an uncharted teaching context. This study involved participants in a professional learning community to explore their teaching and reflective practice. They concurrently unpacked the underlying aspects of their teaching practice (philosophy, principles, theory), while exploring their actual teaching (practice). Participation in the professional learning community fostered the critical dialogues necessary to take these teachers into a space for critical reflection beyond practice.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers’ professional experience and students’ perceptions of their relationships with teachers. It also investigated the influence of these perceptions on students’ affect toward the course and the teacher. Fourteen high school teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and 436 students participated in the study. Teachers had a professional experience of either two years or less or twenty years or more. Results showed that experienced teachers were perceived by students as significantly more co-operative than new teachers. There was no significant difference between influence behaviors of experienced and new teachers. Students’ perceptions of relationships with teacher had a significant effect on their affect toward the course and the teacher. Effect of proximity was higher for both forms of affect.

This paper aims to determine the problems and gains of Turkish teachers employed in Europe. The research was designed in the survey model and the basic qualitative approach. The sample group of the study consists of 210 Turkish teachers who work in Germany, France, England, and Switzerland. The data were collected by an open-ended survey and analysed by the descriptive analysis method. The results revealed that teachers experienced adaptation problems in language and communication, housing, a feeling of loneliness, prejudices, a new educational environment, and cultural diversity. Besides, they had social problems, family affairs, relationships with associations, health, and economic issues. Furthermore, teachers had professional, personal, social, and financial gains.

Hubbard (2007) noted that contemporary language teachers not only need to have competent theoretical knowledge and social power, but they must also be responsible for the maintenance and growth of their technological proficiency. In this article, I report on my summer holiday professional development experience becoming a certified Google Educator. Soon after I started this journey, I discovered that a Google Educator’s training
does not simply amount to a lesson on search strategies or using Gmail; Google offers a range of powerful, free educational tools or apps that teachers can take advantage of in their language classrooms. Google Forms (see Milliner & Flowers, 2015), Google
Sheets, Google Docs (see Firth & Mesureur, 2010; Suwantarathip & Wichadee, 2014), Google Sites, Google Maps (see McMillan, 2013), YouTube, Google Draw, and Google Hangouts are all examples of the great tools available (see Figure 1). As I began training on how to effectively use each one of these tools, I quickly realized that I needed to become more than competent at using each one should I want to pass the Google Educators’ test and become an accredited Google Educator.

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ perceptions of their practice of values education, and to explore their degree of professionalism in this matter. Qualitative interviews with 13 teachers have been conducted and analysed by a comparative analysis. According to their view, values education is (a) most often reactive and unplanned, (b) embedded in everyday school life with a focus on students’ everyday behaviour in school, and (c) partly or mostly unconsciously performed. Furthermore, professional knowledge appears to be missing in the domain of values education among these teachers.

Gustav Adolph Cornaro Riecke -Ein schulpädagogischer Sonderweg im Spannungsfeld von Professionalisierung, Politisierung und Institutionalisierung Riecke und die Volksschulpädagogik im Vormärz Die Volksschulpädagogen des Vormärz werden bisher vor allem als Fürsprecher einer Berufsgruppe gewürdigt, deren Rechte es zu sichern und zu erweitern galt. Ihr Einfluss auf die Lehrerbildung und die Lehrerbewegung war weitreichend. Nicht nur die Gründung und die Führung von Lehrervereinen, die Leitung von Lehrerseminaren und die Wahl von Volksschullehrern in neu gegründete Parlamente, sondern auch die Herausgabe pädagogischer Periodika und anderer Publikationen führten zu einer wenn auch zögerlichen Professionalisierung aber auch Politisierung des Berufstandes. 1 Das Erziehungswissen dieser Akteure prägte zwar die schulpädagogischen Vorstellungen ihrer Zeit, die systematische Reflektionen dieser Praxis kann allerdings als weitgehend eklektisch und theoriefern bezeichnet werden. 2 Die Überlegungen der Volksschullehrer beschränkten sich häufig auf eine Erziehung zum Nationalbewusstsein, zum rational handelnden Bürger oder zum gläubigen Christen und bewegten sich dabei zumeist im Binnenraum von Familie und Schule. 3 Die Ursachen für die theoretische Unausgereiftheit des Denkens vieler Schulpädagogen dieser Zeit sind vielfältig.

Summary A drive for accountability in public administration throughout development agencies has been manifested in the adoption of tools of strategic planning and ex post evaluation. The result has been the adoption of a planning, implementation and evaluation tool known as the Logical Framework (LF). Previous training assistance in Project Cycle Management (PCM) provided to beneficiar- ies of PHARE assistance

The objective of this study is to contribute to the knowledge base of teacher professional development and formative assessment using Singapore as an example. The study was carried out through an exploratory case study in a Singapore school. Our study shows that while the teachers find formative assessment beneficial, they do not have sufficient knowledge of it and face the challenges of heavy workload, time pressure and lack of confidence. The results serve to inform policymakers and educators of the need to provide effective and sustained teacher professional development in formative assessment as well as continual teacher support and collaboration.

Artikkel 1 – Hva slags vitenskapelighet? (9465 ord uten litteraturliste) 1 Teori, empiri, praksis m.fl. – gamle og nye begreper Olav Eikeland Formålet med denne teksten er kort å redegjøre begrepshistorisk og filosofisk for noen sentrale begreper av betydning for diskusjonen om vitenskapelighet i profesjonsdisiplinene og i saerdeleshet for det følgende kapitlet om «Utvidede fagfellesskap og symbiotisk laering» 1. Redegjørelsen gjør det enklere å gi en presis karakteristikk og plassering av forslagene i følgekapitlet. Hervaerende kapittel bygger på forfatterens tidligere arbeider (bl.a. Eikeland 1997, 1998, 2008a, 2008b, 2016a, 2016b) hvor referanser til annen litteratur og historiske kilder er omfattende. Fremstillingen her er derfor forenklet, og bruk av referanser begrenset. De historiske linjene er malt med grov pensel. Innledning For å kunne beskrive og analysere «utvidede fagfellesskap» og «symbiotiske laeringssystemer» i det etterfølgende kapitlet, må moderne begreper og distinksjoner mellom «teori», «praksis», «empiri» og «metodologi» som standarder for hva kunnskap eller vitenskap er, diskuteres, problematiseres og løsnes i sammenføyningene. Også dikotomien mellom «kropp» og «sjel», eller mellom «kropp» og «sinn», må problematiseres. Det samme gjelder for nåtidens dominerende organisering og institusjonalisering av kunnskapsproduksjon basert på bestemte typer arbeidsdeling, saerlig mellom «ånd» og «hånd». Disse distinksjonene og institusjonene stammer verken fra naturen eller høyere makter. De er ikke gitt, men produkter av en bestemt historisk utvikling. Begrepenes og distinksjonenes validitet er heller ikke gitt. Både begreper og arbeidsdelinger står for tiden under press både faglig (innenfra, «validitetsmessig») og samfunnsmessig (utenfra, «relevansmessig»). Mange anerkjente utfordringer, saerlig i samfunns-vitenskapelig metodologi og vitenskapsfilosofi, og dermed også for yrkes-og profesjonsdisiplinene, henger sammen med at disse begrepene, distinksjonene, arbeidsdelingene og rammene de setter, likevel tas for gitt. Språklig presisjon og evnen til å kontekstualisere og dermed relativisere sin egen samtid, roller og praksis krever et historisk utviklet og nyansert 1 Enkelte mener at yrker og profesjoner verken er fag eller disipliner, og at disse betegnelsene bare skal brukes om de etablerte vitenskapene på universitetene som fysikk, kjemi, biologi, psykologi, sosiologi, statsvitenskap, historie osv. Siden yrker og profesjoner hevdes å bruke litt av hvert fra disse, skal de selv ikke kalles verken fag eller disipliner. Universitetsfagene er heller ikke natur-eller gudegitt, men i denne artikkelen godtar jeg «fag» som betegnelse på universitetsinndelingene, mens det er gode grunner til å kalle yrker og profesjoner for nettopp disipliner, siden «disciplina» i utgangspunktet betydde en form for praktisk trening eller opplaering i noe det fantes praktiske regler og systematikk for som satte standarder for utførelse som man kunne vurderes i forhold til. Jfr. Eikeland (2008b) om praxis-interne standarder.