Student teaching is recognized as the culminating and seminal experience of preservice teacher education. It is a unique time when preservice teachers are fully engaged in daily responsibilities of P-12 music educators, while under direct supervision of a mentor, often referred to as the cooperating music teacher (CMT). CMTs have immense influence on student teachers during this pivotal point in their education. The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to explore preferences and practices of music teacher educators (MTEs) in the United States with regards to the selection, preparation, and education of CMTs, through the lens of Abramo and Campbell’s Four Notions Framework. Data were collected through a document search of state administrative codes, rules, and regulations regarding selection criteria for CMTs, a national survey of MTEs (n = 104), and semi-structured follow-up interviews of survey participants (n = 10). This study demonstrated the importance of MTE agency and student involvement in the selection process and selection criteria that is responsive to diverse and localized needs of institutions of higher education, P-12 schools, and individual student teachers. Findings argue against universal criteria for CMTs in favor of policies that are appropriate and sensible for diverse teaching and learning contexts. Findings indicate a prevalence of published criteria for the selection of CMTs across the United States, paired with a disconnect between the prevalence of policy and MTEs knowledge of those state policies, and a lack of published policy at institutions of higher education. MTEs in the study reported community building and individual relationships as important elements that facilitate the selection, preparation, and education of CMTs. MTEs also demonstrated strong agreement with the importance of the Four Notions Framework and indicated student involvement dispositional criteria for CMTs (e.g., good role model, willingness to discuss feedback) to be elements of the selection process they valued most. The strong agreement with the Four Notions Framework positions it as a useful tool to evaluate effectiveness of selection criteria and available professional development. Availability of professional development for CMTs appears to be an important area of growth for the profession. MTEs identified themselves as primary providers of professional development, through informal and formal individualized interactions they have with CMTs. While handbooks for CMTs appear to be prevalent, findings demonstrate they are an underutilized tool for preparation and education of CMTs. MTEs shared mixed perceptions about alignment of available professional development with the Four Notions Framework, indicating effectiveness of those opportunities, in helping to promote dispositions and qualifications MTEs value, is another area of growth. The availability of qualified and effective CMTs emerged as a primary barrier, alongside other expected barriers such as geographic contexts, time, funding, staffing, and full workloads. MTEs in this study also identified institutionalized structures and policies intended to support CMTs that sometimes act as barriers to selection, preparation, and education. A lack of common terminology in the field of music teacher education may also act as a barrier to collaboration and communication about policies and processes. Implications and recommendations are offered for further exploration of selection criteria, advancement of professional development, and further lines of inquiry.

While classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which amended Florida Statute 1012.585 (3) (e) (Process for Renewal of Professional Certificates, 2017) on perceived teacher ability to implement inclusion practices. An online version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale developed by Sharma, Loreman, and Forlin (2012) was utilized, along with demographic and experiential factors for classroom teachers in the study district to examine their self-efficacy toward inclusion. Analysis of the data indicated statistically significant differences in mean TEIP scale scores for exceptional student education (ESE) and general education teachers. Data analyses revealed that almost half of the teachers had a negative view of and did not perceive any benefit from the course. While ESE and general education teachers had similar preparation needs, they also reported areas of concern specific to their subset. Overall, the course did not provide enough continuing education in the areas most needed by the participants. SB1108-mandated course completion was also not found to be an indicator of higher teacher self-efficacy for the majority of teachers. Analysis of the differences in TEIP scale scores found that only elementary school teachers benefited from completing the course, while it had the opposite effect for general education high school teachers and no significant effect for ESE teachers. Differences in TEIP scale scores from demographic and experiential factors accounted for 13% of the variance in the population and was not significant for the ESE teacher subset. One percent or less of the variance was attributed to completion of the required continuing education course. Implications include reviewing the legislation’s effectiveness for teachers in different areas and grade levels, hiring and evaluation decisions based on TEIP scale scores of applicants and employees, and designing more meaningful continuing education courses. Recommendations for state legislatures, school administrators, designers of continuing education courses, and for future research regarding improvement of teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices are offered. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study investigates how an active language learner is constructed in the context of teacher education for teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in Vietnam, as well as the supportive factors and challenges in developing learner activeness in language learning.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:35:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4314.pdf: 1565559 bytes, checksum: 25fe1a8977bf583cf51971c19288d123 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-19 / This study deals with a research proposal and intervention that aimed to: develop, implement and evaluate a distance teacher training program on Inclusive Education. To that, it started with the following research question: What are the limits and possibilities of a distance continuing training program in education by the Internet to teachers of the early years of elementary school? The basis of the investigation was continuing education program for teachers entitled "Diversity in school: reflecting on pedagogical practices in inclusive classrooms ", developed through Portal dos Professores - UFSCar MOODLE platform. The whole program was online and it was aimed at elementary school teachers who work in early years, live all over the country, and had signed up spontaneously in the Teachers' Portal. Our study is suitable for a methodological form of research that focuses on collaborative research between researchers and teachers, recognizing that teachers get the knowledge from their practices and they know that is very important to link this knowledge with the one produced in academic circles. Our investigation, therefore, contemplates the purposes of collaborative action from a model of research and intervention called constructive - collaborative. Taking the narrative as the main form of data collection, data from this research were obtained from 16 teachers who participated during five months of the training process. After this study, we consider that the use of distance learning (EaD) by Internet is an important and interesting training resource. However, in order to it be actually an efficient way of training, some factors should be seen as the issue of self-government and discipline for studies that are very required when there is the participation in a program of distance education by Internet. These are essential skills for the student to take advantage of the program. So, it s important that programs adopt tools that provide moments of interaction among the participants themselves and between them and the teacher or tutor. The number of students per tutor, or teacher is another aspect to be observed because it affects the quality of the course. If there is a large number of participants, it is difficult to the monitor analyzes and observes the participation and learning of all of them. Observed these aspects, we believe in distance education by internet as an effective means of training, first because it keeps people who live in different places and away from the training place closer to each other and the course can be done at any time they want. Second, the web offers resources that can break a formation based on the simple transmission of content and the idea of passive learning. / Este estudo trata de uma proposta de pesquisa e intervenção que teve como objetivo geral: desenvolver, implementar e avaliar um programa de formação de professores à distância sobre Educação Inclusiva. Para tal, partiu da seguinte questão de pesquisa: Quais os limites e possibilidades de um programa de formação continuada a distancia via internet para o desenvolvimento profissional professores dos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental?A base da investigação foi o programa de formação continuada de professores intitulado A diversidade na escola: refletindo sobre práticas pedagógicas inclusivas em sala de aula , desenvolvido via Portal dos Professores UFSCar na plataforma MOODLE. Este programa realizado totalmente a distancia pela internet foi destinado aos professores atuantes nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental residentes em todo o país que se inscreveram espontaneamente no Portal dos Professores. Nosso estudo está adequado a uma forma metodológica de pesquisa que privilegia a investigação colaborativa entre pesquisador e professores, que reconhece que os professores possuem saberes oriundos de suas práticas e que entendem que é muito importante ligar este conhecimento com o produzido nos meios acadêmicos. Nossa investigação, portanto, contempla os propósitos da ação colaborativa a partir de um modelo de pesquisa e intervenção denominado construtivo - colaborativo. Tendo a narrativa como a principal forma de coleta, os dados desta pesquisa foram obtidos junto a 16 professoras que participaram durante cinco meses do processo formativo. Após a realização deste estudo consideramos que a utilização da EaD via internet é um importante e interessante recurso formativo. No entanto, para que ela de fato seja um meio eficaz de formação, alguns fatores devem ser observados como a questão do autogoverno e da disciplina para estudos que são muito exigidos quando se participa de um programa de EaD via internet. Estas são habilidades imprescindíveis para que o aluno possa obter o melhor aproveitamento possível. Assim, é importante que os programas adotem ferramentas que propiciem momentos de interação entre os próprios participantes e entre estes e o professor ou tutor. Outro aspecto a ser observado e que tem profunda relação com a qualidade do curso ofertado, é o número de alunos por tutor, ou professor. Um número elevado de participantes dificulta o acompanhamento da participação e das aprendizagens feitas pelos cursistas. Observados tais aspectos, acreditamos na EaD via internet como um meio eficaz de formação profissional, primeiro por aproximar pessoas residentes em lugares distintos e distantes do local de formação podendo realizá-la em horários que lhes são mais convenientes e possíveis. Segundo, que a web hoje oferece recursos capazes de romper com uma formação baseada na simples transmissão de conteúdo e com a ideia de aprendizagem passiva.

Teachers have to cope with two main changes. Firstly, they have experienced global technological change and the introduction of new technologies into the education system. Secondly, they have to cope with a new generation of pupils (Generation Z). This thesis argues that these changes necessitate a change in the role of the teacher. This research examines how teachers react to these changes. The main research question is “How do teachers conceive their role when they teach Generation Z pupils in a technological learning environment?”. The research focuses on a case study of a school on the northern periphery of the State of Israel. The research focused on the teachers of the “computer notebook” classes. The school supplies every pupil and every teacher a standard personal laptop while the teachers have been integrating the technology and applications into their lessons for the last twenty years. The data was collected by means of questionnaires (20); personal interviews (24); observations (8); and an analysis of relevant documents. The research compares the category of the “traditional teacher” with that of the “technological teacher”. It finds that (a) teachers view the the two roles of traditional and technological teacher as distinct; (b) they recognise a wide variety of technological changes that influence the education system; and (c) they believe that the present pupil generation (Generation Z) requires a new approach to study in contrast with previous generations of pupils. The research shows that in response to the changes described above, the teachers have changed their perspective through the use of the new technologies and define their role in three dimensions (pedagogical, interpersonal, and technological) and indicate that there are 11 skills and abilities required for the technological teacher. However, the research also found that despite the extensive experience of the teachers in using the new technologies, there is no confidence in realising the full potential inherent in these tools. In particular, the opportunity for cooperative learning which is offered by online technologies is not always exploited efficiently. Moreover, the research found that the challenges and barriers in the application of the new pedagogy in the technological learning environment. The contribution of this research is both theoretical and practical. The theoretical contribution of the research is in the characterisation of the pedagogical, interpersonal and technological dimensions that constitute the role of the “technological teacher”. The practical contribution of the research is detailed in the series of recommendations made in relation to the development of schools and the training and continuing professional development of teachers.

It is commonly observed that elementary and secondary teachers often work in isolation and that providing opportunities for teachers to work together helps improve student outcomes. But it can be difficult to find time for teacher collaboration, whether in professional learning communities, grade-level teams, or other collaborative groups. Given the extensive role of collective bargaining agreements in governing teachers’ hours and working conditions, this study explores the role of collective bargaining in creating time for teacher collaboration. Using legal and content analyses, the study examines scope-of-bargaining statutes in each state to determine the extent to which district and union leaders are required to bargain over teacher time. It also uses the content-analysis methodology to review how collective bargaining agreements from thirty-one of the nation’s largest school districts restrict or promote teacher time for collaboration. The study concludes that collective bargaining plays a considerable role in teacher collaboration time. Not only do most states have statutes that require stakeholders to bargain to create opportunities for collaboration time, the resulting collective bargaining agreements directly and indirectly affect time for collaboration. These findings establish that in almost all states where collective bargaining is required, school officials and teachers cannot advance teacher collaboration without the assistance of collective bargaining. Moreover, success in creating collaboration time depends largely on how the collective bargaining agreements restrict or promote that time. In light of these findings, the study recommends that local leaders and state policymakers take steps to promote teacher collaboration through collective bargaining by (1) prioritizing and reducing teacher workload; (2) removing teacher duty-hour limits; (3) expanding noninstructional time, including through additional teacher-collaboration set-asides; and (4) involving school leadership in determining how noninstructional time is used.

This dissertation investigates the adaptation of a research-based professional development approach, Innovating Instruction, for special education teachers. This adapted approach uses assistive technology (AT) as a catalyst for helping teachers acquire design skills needed to include more inquiry-based practices. The adapted approach introduces effective teaching practices based on the learning sciences and demonstrates multiple ways to use AT to meet the needs of students. To address the “unexamined link between the use of design practices and the introduction of technology within a learning science framework,” (Meier, 2018, p.142), the Innovating Instruction© professional development framework (2018) at the Center for Technology and School Change provides a three-part approach to implement these changes: design, situate, lead. Two recent National Science Foundation grants have established the model’s positive impact on teachers’ ability to design projects, to shift from disciplinary to transdisciplinary project design, and to shift instructional thinking to include inquiry-based approaches. This dissertation responds to an important challenge in special education: the limited opportunities to prepare special education teachers to provide high-quality instruction to support all students. It uses technology as a catalyst to help special education teachers learn about design practices that engage students in inquiry practices that are culturally relevant and build on student strengths. The intervention introduced teachers to inquiry-driven design practices and used technology that supported new ways of understanding the capacity of special needs students through a six-month professional development program. The research design used was a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to analyze both qualitative and qualitative data to capture how special education teachers used AT to design inquiry-based learning. The analysis revealed a statistically significant shift over the period of the professional development, implementation, and reflection phases in terms of teachers’ ability to design inquiry-based projects that integrated AT. Also, the findings showed the importance of “situating” teachers’ needs, encouraging collaborative learning with colleagues, and developing a shared knowledge base of inquiry-based teaching strategies in special education classrooms. Findings from teacher questionnaires and interviews showed emerging leadership activities: teachers took more initiative to design projects and collaborate with other teachers in the school community.

This qualitative research seeks to understand the experiences of rural English instructional coaches in Sarawak, Malaysia through culturally relevant pedagogy and the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework. Sarawak, the largest Malaysian state, is home to 27 main ethnic indigenous groups and over 40 ethnic subgroups, most of which reside in rural areas. Yet, conversations and research around race and culture in Malaysian educational spaces are limited and focus mostly on dominant ethnic groups while sidelining ethnic indigenous groups (Embong, 2018). Using narrative case study, this research adds to the racial discourse in Malaysian education by first exploring the complexities and subtleties that shape coaches’ experiences within rural Sarawak. It seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) In the context of a multicultural rural setting, how do instructional coaches narrate their experiences of supporting rural English teachers? (2) What can we learn from the narratives of instructional coaches regarding their roles and responsibilities of coaching English teachers in a multicultural rural setting? (3) What changes or adjustments need to be made in the preparation and professional development of coaches in a multicultural setting? Three instructional coaches were involved in 60 to 75-minute open-ended interviews as well as classroom and field observations over 3 months. Findings suggest the following themes: (a) making “ruralness” work, (b) the coaches’ perceived understanding of “culture”, and (c) missing pieces in the preparation and support of coaches. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how the nuanced experiences of coaches are shaped by their past and present, interactions, and the rural context. The in-depth and context-specific information has important implications for stakeholders and policymakers in reforming the preparation and support of instructional coaches toward being culturally relevant.

This multiple-bounded case study explored charter-school music teacher practitioners’(MTPs’) and instructional leaders’ (ILs’) perceptions of professional development (PD) in four charter management organizations (CMOs). The purpose was to provide a rich description of these practitioners’ professional development, with the goal of spurring policy conversations and further research on music teachers and their experiences in the charter domain. Over two months in the fall of 2023, the researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with eight participants, which focused on ways of making change, methods of delivery, beneficial components of the methods of supporting music literacy, and forms of PD assessment from the perspectives of MTPs and ILs. In addition to holding two focus groups (one with each case), the researcher conducted four classroom and debrief observations. The interviews and observations were analyzed using the participants’ words as first-cycle analysis themes; these were then filtered through the study’s conceptual framework of Desimone’s (2009) core elements of effective professional development: content focus, active learning, coherence, sustained duration, and collective participation. The findings illustrate the participants’ experience with the professional development phenomenon through a series of main themes: instruction is classroom management, except PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHARTER SCHOOLS when it is not, (b) the many moods of instructional coaching and workshops, (c) content expertise via cycles of inquiry, and (d) reflection is essential. Implications include framing future empirical research in this usually guarded sector as a partnership to identify best and emergent practices for practitioners that directly affect students and families. Framing research in this manner may resonate with charter management organizations that adhere to more formative professional development practices. Additionally, cycles of inquiry in which self-reflection can occur may be a way forward for myriad non-content-expert instructional leaders who support the professional development of music teacher practitioners in charter schools or traditional public schools. Further suggestions for future practice include hosting charter-specific sessions at music education conferences, which could be framed as dialogic sessions to foster collegial inquiry concerning practices at both charter and public schools. Because CMOs’ system structures are different, practitioners there experience some aspects of teaching and professional development differently than their traditional public counterparts. Offering sessions specifically tailored to charter practitioners’ needs could help ensure that their needs, as well as those of the ILs that support them, are met. Keywords: Professional Development, Charter Schools, In-Service Music Teacher Practitioners, Instructional Leaders, Instructional Coaching, Mentors, Workshops.

A pesquisa desenvolvida tem o objetivo geral de analisar com a literatura pedagógica na relação com a legislação oferece bases para compreender o estágio curricular supervisionado como possibilidade para o desenvolvimento profissional dos docentes formadores que atuam em cursos de licenciatura e nos cursos do ensino médio integrado numa instituição de educação profissional tecnológica. Os objetivos específicos são: caracterizar os fatores históricos-teóricos-legais da formação de professores da Educação Profissional e Tecnológica; identificar as concepções de formação de professores na Licenciatura em Física; identificar as concepções de estágio na legislação educacional e no projeto pedagógico do curso de Licenciatura em Física; compreender teoricamente o potencial das atividades de estágio para o desenvolvimento profissional e a profissionalidade dos docentes da instituição formadora. E por questão central compreender as relações entre o campo da formação específica do ensino da física e o campo de conhecimento da pedagogia e da didática, a partir da prática do estágio no curso investigado. A teoria da pedagogia históricocrítica e da didática como eixo fundamental da ação pedagógica constituem seus fundamentos teóricos para compreensão da problemática e construção da materialidade sócio-histórica-educacional no âmbito da formação de professores para educação básica na realidade brasileira, na qual o ensino de física está situado. As análises dos dados são apoiadas em Freire (1982), Saviani (1996), Pimenta (2012), Pimenta e Lima (2017), Almeida (2012), Almeida e Pimenta (2014), Marin (2009), Kuenzer (2013), Franco (2015), Libâneo (2012), Imbernón (2010), Nóvoa (2009, 2017). Esses autores nos permitem compreender os conceitos de práxis educacional, estágio crítico-reflexivo, mediação didático-pedagógica, profissionalidade e desenvolvimento profissional. Coerente a esse referencial teórico e à natureza do objeto da pesquisa os autores Minayo (2014), Pinto (1969) e Frigotto (2010) nos permitem sustentar a escolha e a realização da pesquisa qualitativa, com vistas à compreensão do fenômeno e a escolha dos procedimentos e instrumentos que foram utilizados para a coleta de dados. As análises foram elaboradas conforme a Análise de Conteúdo Bardin (2011). A categoria da supervisão e orientação didático-pedagógico da área de conhecimento específico e área de formação pedagógica se configurou como uma possibilidade de compreensão sobre a materialidade do curso de licenciatura e da prática pedagógica do estágio no sentido de reconfigurar as condições do trabalho docente. Em síntese, a prática do estágio ampliará o desenvolvimento profissional dos docentes supervisores quando situado no contexto histórico formativo, político e social, na medida em que atividade individual de supervisão do estágio for superada pela realização de atividades coletivas que transformam o modo dos licenciandos vivenciarem a formação inicial, ao tempo que ampliando as possibilidades formativas compreendam os fundamentos do seu trabalho como instrumento humanizador do processo de ensino e aprendizagem, os sujeitos o tornem também em elemento humanizador de si próprios na e pela práxis. / The presented research\'s intent is to analyse with pedagogical literature in the relation with legislation offers bases to understand the supervised curricular stage as a possibility of professional development of supervisor teachers who work on licensure and high school courses linked to a professional technological institute of education. The specific intents are: to characterize the historical-theoretical-legal factors during formation of teachers who act on Professional and Technological Education; to identify the conceptions of formation of teachers on Licensure on Physics; to identify the conceptions on stage and on Educational Legislation and on pedagogical project on Licensure on Physics; to understand theoretically the potential of stage activities for professional development and the professionality of teachers from supervisor institution. And as main point to understand the relations between the field of specific formation on physics teaching and the field of knowledge of pedagogy and didactics throught the pratice of stage in the investigated course. The theory of historicalcritical pedagogy and of didactics as main axis of pedagogic effort constitute their theoric cornerstones to understand the problem and construction of social-historical-critical materiality about the formation of teachers for elementary education at brazilian reality, where the teaching of physics is at. The data analyses are supported by Freire (1982), Saviani (1996), Pimenta (2012), Pimenta and Lima (2017), Almeida (2012), Almeida and Pimenta (2014), Marin (2009), Kuenzer (2013), Franco (2015), Libâneo (2012), Imbernón (2010), Nóvoa (2009, 2017). Those authors allow us comprehend the concepts of educationl praxis, critical-reflexive stage, didactical-pedagogical mediation, professionality and professional development. Following the theorethical reference and the provenance of research target the authors Minayo (2014), Pinto (1969) and Frigotto (2010) allow us sustain te choice and achievement of the qualitative research, aiming at the comprehension of that phenomenon and the choice of procedures and tools which were used during the data collection. The analyses were formulated according to the Bardin\'s Content Analysis (2011). The category of didactical-pedagogical supervision and orientation of the specific knowledge area and pedagogical formation area was set as a comprehension possibility about materiality of licentiate course and of pedagogical pratice of the stage aiming to reset the teacher\'s working conditions. Finally, the pratice of stage will improve the professional development of supervisor teachers when they\'re placed in the historical, political and social context, as the supervisoring individual activity is overcome by achievement of collective activities which transmute the way in which the licentiate students live the initial formation, as they improve the formative possibilities understanding the cornerstones of their work as a tool which will humanize the teaching and learning processes, the subjects make of it a humanizator element of themselves in and by the praxis.