In this thesis I consider experiences of two beginning teachers during their pre-service year at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto and the early years of their teaching careers as they move from student teacher to professional teacher. In particular, I use narratives I created about each woman along with my own to identify the factors which influenced the success of this transition such as the nature of the first teaching positions held, the types of supports and assistance experienced during this transitional phase, and the personal experiences brought to the enterprise of becoming a teacher. Additionally, I look for any changes in their beliefs about teaching from those held as teacher-candidates to those that evolved during the initial years in the classroom and what influence, if any, these professional environments had on such shifts in thinking. In this study I use a narrative inquiry approach in which my own story is placed along side those of my two participants. By doing so, I acknowledge the close relationship between the primary investigator and the study subjects that is inherent in this qualitative method. My data sources for the narratives I created include written material in the form of journals, interview transcripts, practice teaching reports, and personal narratives produced by and about my participants during the time under study. In my concluding chapter, I make suggestions for changes both to the ways in which teacher-candidates are instructed as they begin to learn the intricacies of the art of teaching and to the conditions under which many of these new members of the profession begin their careers. There are many avenues for future research that I did not pursue in this study and some of these are outlined in my conclusions.

In this thesis I consider experiences of two beginning teachers during their pre-service year at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto and the early years of their teaching careers as they move from student teacher to professional teacher. In particular, I use narratives I created about each woman along with my own to identify the factors which influenced the success of this transition such as the nature of the first teaching positions held, the types of supports and assistance experienced during this transitional phase, and the personal experiences brought to the enterprise of becoming a teacher. Additionally, I look for any changes in their beliefs about teaching from those held as teacher-candidates to those that evolved during the initial years in the classroom and what influence, if any, these professional environments had on such shifts in thinking. In this study I use a narrative inquiry approach in which my own story is placed along side those of my two participants. By doing so, I acknowledge the close relationship between the primary investigator and the study subjects that is inherent in this qualitative method. My data sources for the narratives I created include written material in the form of journals, interview transcripts, practice teaching reports, and personal narratives produced by and about my participants during the time under study. In my concluding chapter, I make suggestions for changes both to the ways in which teacher-candidates are instructed as they begin to learn the intricacies of the art of teaching and to the conditions under which many of these new members of the profession begin their careers. There are many avenues for future research that I did not pursue in this study and some of these are outlined in my conclusions.

There is broad agreement that the practicum is a key part of teacher education. In the context of the classroom, the teacher candidate begins to adopt the role of teacher as outlined by the Ministry of Education in Ontario. One challenge for teacher candidates is to translate to the classroom what they have experienced in their university program. Associate Teachers influence this translation of pedagogy by how they shape what Student Teachers have explored in theory. The broad scope of research literature on the role of the Associate Teacher lacks clarity on the varied perceptions of the supportive roles of Associate Teachers. Research is needed on how Teacher Candidates and Associate Teachers perceive their pre-service practice experience and the impact of the Associate Teacher support. This study is a qualitative one. The research is based on a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers who were participants in the 2007/2008 elementary pre-service consecutive teacher education program at one Ontario University. Findings from the research suggest that the use of participatory dialogue throughout the practicum is essential to support the learning process of Student Teachers concerning teaching in the classroom. Additionally, differentiated mentored support by the Associate Teacher proved essential to the completion of the practicum by the Teacher Candidate.

There is broad agreement that the practicum is a key part of teacher education. In the context of the classroom, the teacher candidate begins to adopt the role of teacher as outlined by the Ministry of Education in Ontario. One challenge for teacher candidates is to translate to the classroom what they have experienced in their university program. Associate Teachers influence this translation of pedagogy by how they shape what Student Teachers have explored in theory. The broad scope of research literature on the role of the Associate Teacher lacks clarity on the varied perceptions of the supportive roles of Associate Teachers. Research is needed on how Teacher Candidates and Associate Teachers perceive their pre-service practice experience and the impact of the Associate Teacher support. This study is a qualitative one. The research is based on a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers who were participants in the 2007/2008 elementary pre-service consecutive teacher education program at one Ontario University. Findings from the research suggest that the use of participatory dialogue throughout the practicum is essential to support the learning process of Student Teachers concerning teaching in the classroom. Additionally, differentiated mentored support by the Associate Teacher proved essential to the completion of the practicum by the Teacher Candidate.

You can always fall back into teaching. This thesis explores the meaning of this statement as it pertains to teachers’ motivations related to their careers, the decisions they make in both their daily work and their professional goals, and the consequences of those decisions. I investigate why teachers choose to teach. What are the reasons that lead teachers to ‘fall back’ into teaching? Upon beginning their career, what do these teachers experience during their daily work in the classroom? How do they negotiate how they feel with what they do? Falling back into teaching is an arts-informed thesis. I am an artist and a researcher who communicates in text and images. I combine autobiographical writing and the language of art, the elements of design, to explain my academic and artistic journey. The thesis employs the metaphor of a triptych, a three-paneled painting that has been and continues to be used specifically by visual artists. The left panel encompasses the introduction; a definition of 'fallback', an explanation of arts-informed inquiry as a method for researching fallback, and a first meeting with my parents and me who inform the thesis. The middle panel follows my research process in understanding 'fallback' using the elements of design: line, shape, space, colour, value and texture. The final panel provides a reflection on the process and a response to those who have read and relate to 'fallback'.

The fast pace of technological change within education has made it challenging for Faculty of Education professors to keep current with the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into teaching. This study focuses on an Ontario university Faculty of Education’s ubiquitous laptop program. Diffusion of innovation theory was used as a conceptual framework to examine how Faculty of Education professors perceive they are learning and integrating ICT into the preservice program despite a lack of formal ICT standards in the education system of Ontario. In 2007, data were gathered through interviews with faculty, administration, technical assistants and recent B.Ed. graduates. The faculty participated in an online survey to determine what ICT was being used and integrated within the B.Ed. program. In the analyses, data were organized into five themes based on Rogers (2003) diffusion of innovations theory: innovations used by faculty, adoption of innovations, organizational support of the adoption, unexpected consequences of the innovation, and increasing the rate of adoption. The findings from the faculty survey and interviews indicate that while many professors often integrated technology in their teaching, there existed a wide range of skills, confidence levels, and amount of ICT integrated into teaching among faculty. Issues influencing the adoption of effective technology integration that arose from the study include: lack of faculty development, off task behavior of preservice teachers, lack of time to learn ICT, technical difficulties, technical support concerns, wide range of ICT skills of preservice teachers, and the high cost of the laptops themselves. The lack of provincial ICT standards may have further contributed to the varied degrees of ICT integration at the university as well as that within schools in the practicum setting. Recommendations were made that have the potential to improve the effectiveness of ICT integration into the Bachelor of Education program and also provide direction for future faculty development initiatives, including faculty development. Findings from this study may be beneficial to researchers who are studying the faculty experience in ubiquitous laptop Faculty of Educations or other educational institutions considering ICT integration.

This research investigates elementary student teachers’ experiences of learning to teach health and physical education (HPE) in a one-year pre-service teacher education program at Windermere University in Canada. The participants in the research are preparing to become elementary classroom teachers; a group who often recall negative prior experiences of HPE from their time as school pupils and report an overwhelming lack of preparation and confidence to teach HPE. Mixed-methods of data gathering were employed in the form of pre- and post-test surveys of 308 student teachers, and three interviews conducted with a purposive sample of ten student teachers. Four main findings emerged from the research. First, elementary student teachers’ embodied identity as healthy and physically active individuals profoundly shaped their prior experiences of HPE. Second, the 12-hour HPE course offered in Windermere’s pre-service program broadened student teachers’ views of HPE and provided them with some basic strategies for teaching elementary HPE. Third, the practice teaching experience provided some student teachers with opportunities to either observe or to try teaching HPE; few had opportunities to do both. Fourth, there was a positive and statistically significant change in student teachers’ identities as teachers of HPE from the beginning to the end of the pre-service teacher education program. Implications for school HPE, pre-service teacher education programs, policy regarding teachers of HPE, and future avenues for research are discussed in light of the findings.

Research evidence suggests that quality teacher preparation sets beginning teachers on the right track for effectively teaching literacy. Given that most of the research has been conducted in the United States, there is a shortage of knowledge of the impact of teacher preparation for elementary literacy instruction in Canada. Similarly, little is known about the effect of program length and structure on graduates’ knowledge and skills. This thesis contains two studies aimed at addressing these gaps in the literature in the Ontario context. The majority of teacher preparation programs in Ontario are completed in one year, with the exception of 2 two-year teacher preparation programs. Study 1 is an exploratory investigation comparing the survey responses of 38 graduates from two-year programs with the responses of a matched sample of graduates from one-year programs on items related to their preparation for elementary literacy instruction. Paired-sample t-tests revealed that graduates from two-year programs reported spending significantly more time discussing literacy-related issues, had better knowledge of key literacy terms, felt better prepared for literacy instruction and were more likely to include evidence-based components as part of their literacy program. Study 2 is a qualitative investigation of two-year teacher preparation programs with a focus on literacy instruction. Thirty-eight graduates from both two-year programs in Ontario completed a survey. Ten of these graduates also completed an interview. Following a modified Grounded Theory approach, Study 2 presents a detailed analysis of two-year programs in Ontario including: a) the range of content regarding literacy instruction; b) the correspondence between the content and the evidence-based knowledge of effective literacy instruction; c) graduates’ knowledge base and skills for literacy instruction; and d) their feelings of preparedness. From a socio-cultural perspective, Study 2 also explored the processes and contexts that influence graduates’ formation as literacy instructors. The findings served as the basis for proposing a model for teacher preparation that encompasses the processes and contexts that mediate pre-service teachers’ development as literacy instructors. The proposed model outlines the necessary components to effectively prepare prospective teachers, based on scientific evidence, to ensure that all children learn to read and write.

This research investigates elementary student teachers’ experiences of learning to teach health and physical education (HPE) in a one-year pre-service teacher education program at Windermere University in Canada. The participants in the research are preparing to become elementary classroom teachers; a group who often recall negative prior experiences of HPE from their time as school pupils and report an overwhelming lack of preparation and confidence to teach HPE. Mixed-methods of data gathering were employed in the form of pre- and post-test surveys of 308 student teachers, and three interviews conducted with a purposive sample of ten student teachers. Four main findings emerged from the research. First, elementary student teachers’ embodied identity as healthy and physically active individuals profoundly shaped their prior experiences of HPE. Second, the 12-hour HPE course offered in Windermere’s pre-service program broadened student teachers’ views of HPE and provided them with some basic strategies for teaching elementary HPE. Third, the practice teaching experience provided some student teachers with opportunities to either observe or to try teaching HPE; few had opportunities to do both. Fourth, there was a positive and statistically significant change in student teachers’ identities as teachers of HPE from the beginning to the end of the pre-service teacher education program. Implications for school HPE, pre-service teacher education programs, policy regarding teachers of HPE, and future avenues for research are discussed in light of the findings.

You can always fall back into teaching. This thesis explores the meaning of this statement as it pertains to teachers’ motivations related to their careers, the decisions they make in both their daily work and their professional goals, and the consequences of those decisions. I investigate why teachers choose to teach. What are the reasons that lead teachers to ‘fall back’ into teaching? Upon beginning their career, what do these teachers experience during their daily work in the classroom? How do they negotiate how they feel with what they do? Falling back into teaching is an arts-informed thesis. I am an artist and a researcher who communicates in text and images. I combine autobiographical writing and the language of art, the elements of design, to explain my academic and artistic journey. The thesis employs the metaphor of a triptych, a three-paneled painting that has been and continues to be used specifically by visual artists. The left panel encompasses the introduction; a definition of 'fallback', an explanation of arts-informed inquiry as a method for researching fallback, and a first meeting with my parents and me who inform the thesis. The middle panel follows my research process in understanding 'fallback' using the elements of design: line, shape, space, colour, value and texture. The final panel provides a reflection on the process and a response to those who have read and relate to 'fallback'.