This study examined educators' preferences for learning technology integration skills in order to provide the education community with justifiable data concerning the need for educator training alternatives. A survey was distributed to compare preservice educators, inservice educators, and professional development personnel's perceived effectiveness of eight training methods (N=759). The four research questions examined were: Do differences exist among preservice educators, inservice educators, and professional development personnel in the perceived effectiveness of different methods for learning technology integration skills? (2) Do differences exist among preservice educators, inservice educators, and professional development personnel in the perceived effectiveness of different methods for learning technology integration skills when categorized by age? (3) Do differences exist among preservice educators, inservice educators, and professional development personnel in the perceived effectiveness of different methods for learning technology integration skills when categorized by total hours of instruction? (4) Do differences exist among preservice educators, inservice educators, and professional development personnel in the perceived effectiveness of different methods for learning technology integration skills when categorized by locus of control? All groups were measured for similarities and differences in preferences on credit classes, workshops, open computer labs, technology personnel support, peer support, online help, printed documentation, and trial and error. In addition, those training preferences were cross-referenced with age, training hours, and the locus of control personality factor. MANOVAs and post-hoc analyses were performed for each major research question as well as trends in the data were examined. This study indicated that the most effective training methods were technical support, peer support, and credit courses. The least effective training methods were online help, printed documentation, workshops, and computer labs. Age, amount of training hours, and locus of control score did not provide as much information as did educator type when predicting training preference. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that educator training programs be revamped to include the methods that the educators themselves have affirmed as effective for learning technology integration skills. This assures that teachers are prepared to integrate technology into the curriculum and students are prepared for a technological society.

The purpose of this research is to examine ways that the instructional use of voluntary risk-taking and multimodality might decrease preservice elementary educators' artistic trepidation and assist them to reconceptualize elementary art education. The study investigates participant-reported impacts and insights, and inspects ways that participants utilize multimodality during course assignments. This qualitative action research study was conducted in a semester-long arts methods and materials course with 23 participants who were university preservice elementary education students. Data were collected during instruction through open-ended questionnaires, researcher fieldnotes, participant fieldnotes, course culmination projects, participant artwork, written reflections, and participant-created elementary art lesson plans. A hybrid theoretical construct utilized both multimodal and reconceptualist theories. Participant self-reported comfort ratings during the study indicate increased artistic comfort in both making art and teaching art after instruction. Findings from the study suggest the need for educators to focus on arts integration during course instruction and to address the art apprehension held by some preservice elementary educators. Insights shared confirm that recognizing preservice elementary educators' multimodal skills contributes to educational possibilities for their own future instructional practice. By facilitating voluntary risk-taking and multimodality opportunities during the teaching of art education to preservice elementary educators, this study contributes to scholarship about successful instructional strategies and the importance of contemporary arts methods.

This study was an investigation of the different effects of three procedures of human relations training in changing the personality characteristics and attitudes of preservice teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between a structured group laboratory experience, a non-structured group counseling experience, and a regular classroom lecture experience on the development of interpersonal attitudes of preservice teachers, and to ascertain the extent to which attitudinal and personality changes take place.

Thesis advisor: Curt Dudley-Marling / As a result of the standards and accountability reforms of the past two decades, heightened attention has been focused upon student learning in the K-12 classrooms, classroom teacher practice, and teacher preparation. This has led to the acknowledgement of limitations of traditional field practicum and that these learning experiences are not well understood (Bullough et al., 2003; Clift & Brady, 2005). Alternative models for student teaching, including those that foster social learning experiences, have been developed. However, research is necessary to understand the implications of these models for preservice teacher learning. Drawing on sociocultural theoretical frameworks and ethnographic perspectives (Gee and Green, 1998), this qualitative research study examined the learning experiences of a cohort of eight undergraduate preservice secondary science teachers who cotaught with eight cooperating teachers for their full practicum semester. In this model, interns planned and taught alongside multiple cooperating teachers and other interns. This study centers on the social and cultural learning that occurred within this networked model and the ways that the interns developed as high school science teachers within a coteaching community of practice (Wenger, 1998). This study utilized the following data sources: Intern and cooperating teachers interviews, field observations, meeting recordings, and program documentation. Analysis focused on community and interpersonal planes of development (Rogoff, 1995) in order understand of the nature of the learning experiences and the learning that was afforded through participant interactions. Several conclusions were made after the data were analyzed. On a daily basis, the interns participated in a wide range of cultural practices and in the activities of the community. The coteaching model challenged the idiosyncratic nature of traditional student teaching models by creating opportunities to learn across various classroom contexts. In different classrooms, there were markedly different constructions of teacher practice and participant roles. The implementation of the coteaching model also resulted in the creation of an interconnected network of colleagues. In the resulting learning community, coteachers supported one another's developing practice and critically examined their shared practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Michael G. Barnett / Elementary science instruction and teacher preparation need improvement for various reasons: 1) preservice teachers lack opportunities to experience (Windschitl, 2003) or observe (Smith, 1999) inquiry science, 2) pre-service teachers have even fewer opportunities to practice teaching science in a classroom settings (Hewson, Tabachnick, Zeichner, & Lemberger, 1999); and 3) methods courses and field experiences fail to provide proper scaffolding and support for science teaching (Crawford, 1999). One way to improve preservice teacher growth and understanding in teaching inquiry science is through supported field based teaching experiences (Eick, Ware, & Williams, 2003). However, research is necessary to examine how innovative field-based science methods courses compare to traditional, university-based science methods course. This mixed methods study compares the experiences of thirty-two preservice teachers with a specific focus on four preservice teachers involved in either a field-based science methods course or a university-based science methods course. It examines the impact of the two courses on preservice teachers' confidence in teaching science content and beliefs regarding the role of inquiry-based science instruction with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Data sources included a pre/post survey that was distributed to preservice teachers in both courses, with additional interviews and final unit reviews for each of the four preservice teacher case studies. Themes were identified and re-examined through an analysis of the data which informed the development of four case studies, two from each class, to investigate specific trends between the two methods courses. Findings indicate that both field- and university-based instruction have strengths and weaknesses. This research suggests that field-based methods have a stronger impact on improving preservice teachers' beliefs and skills in regard to designing inquiry-based instruction for diverse students, while university-based course promotes greater confidence in preservice teachers' ability to teach different science content areas. However, preservice teachers in both courses struggled to create inquiry-based science lessons where students used evidence to support claims or construct explanations. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / Beginning in 2000, a number of new graduate schools of education (nGSEs) have been established in the U.S. in response to increasing calls for more effective teachers. Among these are programs affiliated with “No Excuses”-style charter schools, which are focused on closing the achievement gap in urban K-12 schools. Teacher education programs at nGSEs affiliated with “No Excuses” schools were designed to prepare teachers specifically for these schools. Although these nGSEs have been applauded by the press and by education reform advocates, there has been almost no independent research about them. Systematic study of the goals, practices and beliefs of teacher educators and candidates at these programs is necessary to understand the impact “No Excuses”-affiliated nGSEs may have on teacher preparation for urban schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze teacher preparation from insiders’ perspectives at the Sposato Graduate School of Education, which is connected to the Match Education charter management organization. For this study, the Sposato GSE was regarded as an illustrative and an instrumental case of the nGSE phenomenon. Drawing on multiple data sources and using qualitative data analysis methods, this dissertation found the Sposato mission was to create “jaw-droppingly effective rookie teachers,” and it argues this mission was in large part realized due to the remarkable coherence of the program’s design, curriculum, and vision. However, this dissertation also argues the success of the Sposato teacher education program came at a cost. My analysis shows that Sposato leaders and faculty members zeroed in almost exclusively on two goals: (1) implementing a technical, moves-based epistemology of teaching in their teacher preparation curriculum; and (2) socializing teachers into a gradualist and technically rational vision of equity and justice consistent with the goals of “No Excuses” schools. This study has important implications for the practice of urban teacher preparation, research into the nGSE phenomenon, and policies related to improving teacher education program quality and the goal of closing the achievement gap.

Investigamos abordagens de conceitos de física em aulas da educação básica, por professores de física em formação, do ponto de vista microssociológico dos encontros face a face e o papel das emoções nesses encontros. Analisamos como essas interações face a face ocorrem em aulas de física durante abordagens de conceitos e os rituais de interação colocados em jogo pelos professores em formação. Desta forma, por meio de um estudo de casos, identificamos alguns rituais de interação que ocorrem durante o processo de ensino e aprendizagem em aulas de física, identificados pelo clima emocional da classe. Utilizando uma abordagem fenomenológica e uma metodologia reflexiva na qual, a partir das observações in loco, focamos nossa atenção nas abordagens conceituais em aulas de física e utilizamos o clima emocional como heurístico na busca de eventos salientes. Nossa investigação mostra que abordagens conceituais não são apenas processos de trocas intelectuais, mas interações face a face características dos encontros sociais e repletas de emoções que constituem a linguagem dessas interações e podem alterar o clima emocional da classe. Constatamos que o professor, consciente ou inconscientemente, coloca em ação rituais de interação de salvamento da fachada como o aprumo e o processo de evitação, podendo até mesmo subverter conceitos científicos para salvar a fachada, o que evidencia a importância de uma atitude reflexiva na prática docente, para que o professor realize escolhas mais conscientes como utilizar mais processos corretivos. Propomos também a inovação na utilização de medidas do clima emocional por leigos como heurístico para encontrar eventos salientes, fundamentados na perspectiva das emoções básicas, na possibilidade de compartilhamento interacional das emoções e na sua relação com o clima emocional da classe. / We investigate approaches of physics concepts in basic education classes, by preservice physics teachers, from the micro-sociological point of view of face-to-face encounters and the role of emotions in these encounters. We analyze how these face-to-face interactions occur in physics classes during concept approaches and the interaction rituals put in place by the teachers in formation. In this way, through a case study, we identify some rituals of interaction that occur during the teaching and learning process in physics classes, identified by the emotional climate of the class. Using a phenomenological approach and a reflexive methodology in which, based on in situ observations, we focus our attention on conceptual approaches in physics classrooms and use the emotional climate as heuristic in the search for salient events. Our research shows that conceptual approaches are not only processes of intellectual exchanges, but face-to-face interactions characteristic of social encounters and full of emotions that constitute the language of these interactions and can alter the emotional climate of the class. We found that the teacher, consciously or unconsciously, put into action the interaction of salvage interaction of the facade as the mastery and avoidance process, and may even subvert scientific concepts to save the facade, which highlights the importance of a reflexive attitude in practice the teacher to make more conscious choices such as using more corrective processes. We also propose innovation in the use of measures of the emotional climate by lay people as heuristic to find salient events based on the perspective of basic emotions, the possibility of interactional sharing of emotions and their relation to the emotional climate of the class.

Investigamos abordagens de conceitos de física em aulas da educação básica, por professores de física em formação, do ponto de vista microssociológico dos encontros face a face e o papel das emoções nesses encontros. Analisamos como essas interações face a face ocorrem em aulas de física durante abordagens de conceitos e os rituais de interação colocados em jogo pelos professores em formação. Desta forma, por meio de um estudo de casos, identificamos alguns rituais de interação que ocorrem durante o processo de ensino e aprendizagem em aulas de física, identificados pelo clima emocional da classe. Utilizando uma abordagem fenomenológica e uma metodologia reflexiva na qual, a partir das observações in loco, focamos nossa atenção nas abordagens conceituais em aulas de física e utilizamos o clima emocional como heurístico na busca de eventos salientes. Nossa investigação mostra que abordagens conceituais não são apenas processos de trocas intelectuais, mas interações face a face características dos encontros sociais e repletas de emoções que constituem a linguagem dessas interações e podem alterar o clima emocional da classe. Constatamos que o professor, consciente ou inconscientemente, coloca em ação rituais de interação de salvamento da fachada como o aprumo e o processo de evitação, podendo até mesmo subverter conceitos científicos para salvar a fachada, o que evidencia a importância de uma atitude reflexiva na prática docente, para que o professor realize escolhas mais conscientes como utilizar mais processos corretivos. Propomos também a inovação na utilização de medidas do clima emocional por leigos como heurístico para encontrar eventos salientes, fundamentados na perspectiva das emoções básicas, na possibilidade de compartilhamento interacional das emoções e na sua relação com o clima emocional da classe. / We investigate approaches of physics concepts in basic education classes, by preservice physics teachers, from the micro-sociological point of view of face-to-face encounters and the role of emotions in these encounters. We analyze how these face-to-face interactions occur in physics classes during concept approaches and the interaction rituals put in place by the teachers in formation. In this way, through a case study, we identify some rituals of interaction that occur during the teaching and learning process in physics classes, identified by the emotional climate of the class. Using a phenomenological approach and a reflexive methodology in which, based on in situ observations, we focus our attention on conceptual approaches in physics classrooms and use the emotional climate as heuristic in the search for salient events. Our research shows that conceptual approaches are not only processes of intellectual exchanges, but face-to-face interactions characteristic of social encounters and full of emotions that constitute the language of these interactions and can alter the emotional climate of the class. We found that the teacher, consciously or unconsciously, put into action the interaction of salvage interaction of the facade as the mastery and avoidance process, and may even subvert scientific concepts to save the facade, which highlights the importance of a reflexive attitude in practice the teacher to make more conscious choices such as using more corrective processes. We also propose innovation in the use of measures of the emotional climate by lay people as heuristic to find salient events based on the perspective of basic emotions, the possibility of interactional sharing of emotions and their relation to the emotional climate of the class.

I report how methods course assignments shifted from simulation to actual participation in remediation, assessment, and co-teaching in a K- 6 methods course in a state where policies dictate a residency model in place of traditional courses followed by student teaching

abstract: Teacher candidates completing their senior year student teaching practicum as part of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University are expected to graduate as professional, high-quality teachers who are classroom-ready and dedicated to the profession. One lacking component of the program is the opportunity for teacher candidates to have personalized learning experiences that develop professional teacher identity in addition to the development of enhanced teaching skills. To address this, an intervention of an Action Research Project (ARP) was added to the final semester of the student teaching practicum. The goal of the project was to increase professional teacher identity, which would lead to increased teaching practices and a more favorable outlook on real-world problem solving in teaching elementary students. This mixed methods action research study included data collection methods to measure how integrating action research into a cohort-based student teaching experience improved teacher candidates’ teaching practices, how it affected their professional teacher identity and how they perceived the project contributed to the formation of their professional teacher identity. Frameworks that guided the study included principles from the Theory of Self-Organized Learning and Social Identity Theory. The participants of the study were seven teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience in an Arizona school district. Data gathered included teacher evaluation scores, results from a “Teacher Candidate Experience Questionnaire,” narratives collected from Teacher Learning Conversations and written responses on a Final Reflection. Results suggested that teacher candidates’ teaching scores either slightly improved or stayed the same following the intervention. Professional teacher identity increased through the integration of the project, while student identity decreased. Through narratives collected from the participants, observations of other teachers and classrooms emerged as the most impactful component of the intervention. Participants perceived that observations contributed to their growth as teachers by providing exposure to more diverse situations, prompting them to feel engaged and inspired, encouraging high expectations and fostering ways for them to make personal connections. Observing in other classrooms did not always provide the examples and structures the participants had hoped for, yet this disappointment also added value to their growth as teachers. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2019