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Abstract In this paper we document the advantages of utilising technology to enhance teachers’ instructional activities. In particular we showcase the potential and impact that the use of Geometer’s Sketchpad may have on the teaching and learning of geometry at school. A series of five, two-hour teacher development workshops in which Geometer’s Sketchpad was used were attended by 12 Grade 11 and 12 teachers. The findings revealed that teachers had a better understanding of the same geometry that they initially disliked. This finding was supported by a quantitative analysis which showed a positive change in the understanding of and beliefs about geometry from when the teachers started to the end of the workshops.

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Swaziland changed its pedagogy from the teacher-centred O level to IGCSE which is learnercentred. In preparation for a pedagogical change, some logistics were put into place; amongst these, teacher development. Research points out that what the teacher does in class is significant and has a bearing in the learner’s outcomes, therefore appropriate and adequate teacher training should be afforded to the implementers of a new pedagogy. This study seeks to find out how Swazi teachers were trained in preparation for the pedagogical change. The study was done in a qualitative manner, whereby semi-structured interviews were used as a method of collecting data. The study revealed that even though teachers were trained for the implementation of the new pedagogy, the training was not effective because it was for a few days, no effective follow up was made and it also did not take into consideration the teachers’ pedagogical needs, it assumed a one-size-fit all approach.

Student teaching has been identified as an instrumental element in teacher development (Gaudelli & Ousley, 2009; Hamman, Gosselin, Romano, & Bunuan, 2010; Helgevold, Næsheim-Bjørkvik, & Østrem, 2015). During this portion of a teacher’s education, student teachers are paired with a cooperating teacher and university supervisor who guide them as the student teachers assume the role of teacher in a real-world classroom. However, assuming the role of teacher is not as simple as completing a university program and being granted a teaching license. To become a teacher one must reconcile their preconceived notions of teaching with university coursework, local standards, legal requirements, and community expectations (Alsup, 2006; Borko & Mayfield, 1995; Britzman, 1991; Brown & Crumpler, 2013). Because of the difficulty in navigating these demands, student teachers are provided with two individuals tasked with supporting them. These two people are the university supervisor and cooperating teacher. Commonly referred to as the student teaching triad, the student teacher, university supervisor and cooperating teacher have all been identified as integral to the successful completion of the student teaching experience (Borko & Mayfield, 1995). However, despite the claim that each person is essential to student teaching, their individual contributions to the entire process are not well understood. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the growing body of researcher examining the role each member of the student teaching triad plays in a student teacher’s growth and development. Specifically, this study is focused on the university supervisor, an individual who has not received much attention in the research literature. Approached from a sociocultural perspective, the aim of this work is to investigate the role of the university supervisor from the perspective of the university supervisor. In this case study, data were gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with university supervisors of English as a Second Language (ESL) student teachers. Three participants were interviewed twice regarding their work with student teachers. Once completed, the interviews were transcribed and qualitatively coded. Results from this study indicate that the university supervisor is indeed essential, but not in a uniform way for each student teacher. The university supervisor supports the student teacher with whatever they need to be successful, however, the needs of student teachers vary. Therefore, in accordance to the needs of the student teacher, the role of the university supervisor varies. Even with the variances in practice, there were several consistencies in practice which emerged from the data. In conclusion the author argues that while the university supervisor may not have the same impact on the development of each student teacher, the impact they do have is instrumental for student teacher success.

This case study research explores the experiences of five beginning teachers within four Catholic secondary schools in Australia. The research employs a qualitative approach framed within an interpretative paradigm, drawing on perspectives of symbolic interaction to interpret interview and journal data. These perspectives are used, in conjunction with a conceptual framework derived from the relevant literature, to interpret the experiences of five new teachers against the relevant data. The literature typically investigates the stages of teacher development, where the first year is often seen by researchers as a survival year. Key literature themes include the development of self image and the impact school culture has on beginning teachers. There are two other features less often present in the literature but central in this research. One is the life history of the beginning teacher. A second, which is the major notion employed in this study, is that of professional identity and specifically how identity develops once the novice teacher is immersed within the school organisation. Each teacher was interviewed several times during their first year and each kept a journal. The discussion includes matters of comparison and contrast between the five teachers’ experiences. The symbolic interactionist framework seeks to identify the meanings individuals construct of their experiences. These meanings are located from the journal and interview data gathered. Each text is examined both independently, in relation to other texts and in the light of the conceptual framework. A key procedure is to identify critical events which are then analysed and connections made to the experience of other teachers and literature themes. The key findings of the research include developing a new model for understanding the experience of beginning teachers. The research suggests that the current literature on beginning teachers is limited. It neglects beginning teacher individuality and in particular agency and competency and centrally the dynamic and complex interaction between culture and identity. This research seeks to add significantly to the beginning teacher literature.

With the proliferation of new technological alternatives to the traditional classroom, it becomes increasingly important understand the role that innovative technologies play in learning. Computer environments for learning to teach have the potential to be innovative tools that improve the skill and effectiveness of pre-service and in-service teachers. There is a tacit sense in such environments that “realism” is best created through, and associated with, a kind of pictorial literalism. I designed a computer model (the Direct Instruction tool) that, though simple, appears realistic to many users and thus contradicts that sense of literalism. I also propose a theoretical classification of computer representations based on the relationship (or lack thereof) between perceived usefulness or relevance and realism. In this study, I investigate two questions: 1) What are the kinds of claims or insights that respondents generate in relation to using the DI tool to organize their experiences? 2) How do the functionalities of the DI tool fit with or support what respondents see as meaningful? Results indicate that a model can be seen as relevant and useful even if it is not internally consistent. Two major themes that were meaningful to study participants were the simultaneously positive and negative role of “difficulty” in the classroom, and the balance between past performance and future potential. The DI tool seems to promote a shared focus on these themes despite the diversity of past educational experiences among study participants. Responses to this model suggest that extremely abstracted representations of teaching are able to influence the claims and insights of users, affording a glimpse into the internal realities of pre-service teachers. This in turn creates an opportunity to articulate these alternative realities without judgment, describe them with respect, and make them an object of consideration rather than a hidden force. The results of this study contribute to a theory of computer environments for learning to teach that can shape the effective use of these tools in the present, as well as accommodate new models that may be developed as technologies change in the future. / text

This study is an exploration of the lived experiences of three secondary teachers who have developed innovative approaches to English education in response to the needs of diverse, multi-literate urban students. The research marries multiliteracies pedagogy with narrative inquiry, and explores themes and discourses in the teachers’ narrations of their practices. From the new perspective developed from this pairing emerge two significant findings. First, the study contributes to teacher development by synthesizing concepts of design in multiliteracies pedagogy and personal practical knowledge in narrative inquiry. From this synthesis arises the notion of the intentional design of personal practical knowledge occurring through self-directed professional learning that leads to innovation in teaching. Second, the study develops the concepts of interacting narratives and professional knowledge landscape, offering a method of analyzing the multifaceted interactions of Self and Other narratives in the context of a professional knowledge ecosystem. This method provides a specific framework for contextualizing interacting narratives and provides a new clarity of focus in narrative research texts.

This study is an exploration of the lived experiences of three secondary teachers who have developed innovative approaches to English education in response to the needs of diverse, multi-literate urban students. The research marries multiliteracies pedagogy with narrative inquiry, and explores themes and discourses in the teachers’ narrations of their practices. From the new perspective developed from this pairing emerge two significant findings. First, the study contributes to teacher development by synthesizing concepts of design in multiliteracies pedagogy and personal practical knowledge in narrative inquiry. From this synthesis arises the notion of the intentional design of personal practical knowledge occurring through self-directed professional learning that leads to innovation in teaching. Second, the study develops the concepts of interacting narratives and professional knowledge landscape, offering a method of analyzing the multifaceted interactions of Self and Other narratives in the context of a professional knowledge ecosystem. This method provides a specific framework for contextualizing interacting narratives and provides a new clarity of focus in narrative research texts.

The purpose of this study was to examine the literacy-related professional development preferences of participating secondary teachers in one school board in Ontario. Data was collected using a survey. The findings of this study confirm and extend existing research: the majority of secondary teachers want to engage in literacy-related professional development; secondary teachers have preferences for various forms of professional development, including duration and form; there are differences in preferences for duration, form, and content of teachers in different subject areas; and differences exist in preferences for form and content of teachers of different course types. The findings of this study that confirmed existing research included: the preferences by teachers of Science and Geography for literacy-related professional development on instruction of reading graphical text; the preference for literacy-related professional development by teachers of Math on reading word problems; the preference for literacy-related professional development that results in practical ideas and strategies; and the preference for literacy-related professional development that meets the needs of teachers and students. Interesting themes emerged that extend previous research: the preference for literacy-related professional development that is short in duration (between one to five hours); a higher percentage of teachers of Science, Math, and Technology wanting no literacy-related professional development; the preference by teachers of Open type courses for literacy-related professional development on differentiating literacy instruction; and a stronger focus on the content (as opposed to a focus on form) of literacy-related professional development by teachers of Science, Math, and Technology. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-30 22:17:45.962