Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-02-16T12:33:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marilisa Shimazumi.pdf: 13467767 bytes, checksum: e6489aad8bdb8349f096b27880f6fbc4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-16T12:33:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marilisa Shimazumi.pdf: 13467767 bytes, checksum: e6489aad8bdb8349f096b27880f6fbc4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-03 / Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUCSP / This research study aims at describing and interpreting the phenomena what it means to be a mentor and experience mentoring in a teacher development programme involving teachers of English. This investigation took place throughout the year of 2012 and focused on the mentoring process experienced by twenty mentors working with 335 teachers of English of a private language institute whose headquarters are situated in the city of São Paulo, with 25 schools in the state of São Paulo and Santa Catarina. The mentoring programme investigated in this study, consisted of a 60-hour induction course held in February where mentors were familiarized with the mentoring programme of the institution, 16 meetings held every other fortnight involving all the mentors throughout the year, and collaborative cycles of work between mentors and mentees which revolved around the planning, the execution, the observation, the reflection and new action plans based on lessons given by the mentees. In order to carry out this research study, we have adopted a qualitative approach to research, more specifically, the Hermeneutic-phenomenological approach based on M. Freire (2010, 2012) and influenced by van Manen (1990). The texts used to understand and interpret the phenomena in this investigation were generated longitudinally, as from February 2012, along 12 months, as the mentoring programme evolved. These texts consist of institutional reports and spontaneously-generated texts by the different participants in the programme, totalling 979 texts altogether. Four are the theoretical pillars on which this study is based: reflection in/on action (SCHÖN 1983, 1998/2000), the KASA decision-making model (FREEMAN 1989), the experiential learning model (KOLB 1984), and the model of awareness to describe communication process in human interactions (Johari Window by LUFT 1969). This study has revealed that both the phenomena can be best understood as being structured by four major themes: transformations, relationships, roles and reflection - which are then subdivided into subthemes / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo descrever e interpretar a natureza dos fenômenos: o ser mentor e o experienciar a mentoria de professores de inglês em formação contínua. O foco desta pesquisa é o trabalho de mentoria desenvolvido por vinte mentores ao longo do ano de 2012 com 335 professores de um instituto de idiomas com sede na cidade de São Paulo e 25 unidades nos estados de São Paulo e Santa Catarina. O programa de mentoria desenvolvido neste trabalho, consistiu de um curso de 60 horas de familiarização e contextualização sobre o programa de mentoria na instituição, 16 encontros quinzenais com todos os mentores ao longo do ano, e módulos de trabalhos colaborativos entre mentores e mentorandos organizados por ciclos de planejamento, execução, observação, reflexão e nova conceituação sobre aulas ministradas e observadas. Para a realização deste estudo, adotamos a metodologia de cunho qualitativa, mais especificamente, a abordagem Hermenêutico-Fenomenológica representada pela visão de M. Freire (2010, 2012) e influenciada por van Manen (1990). Os textos utilizados para a interpretação nesta pesquisa foram gerados a partir de fevereiro de 2012, de forma longitudinal, por 12 meses, à medida em que os mentores trabalhavam com seus mentorandos. Tratam-se de relatos oficiais e relatos espontâneos totalizando 979 textos. Quatro construtos teóricos, a saber: a reflexão na/sobre a ação (SCHÖN 1983, 1998/2000), (2) o modelo descritivo de tomada de decisões KASA (FREEMAN 1989), (3) o modelo de aprendizagem experiencial (KOLB 1984), e (4) o modelo de prática de (auto-) conhecimento e reflexão (Janela de Johari de LUFT 1969) serviram de pilares teóricos que informaram o trabalho de mentoria neste estudo. Este estudo revela que o ser mentor e o experienciar a mentoria de professores de inglês em formação contínua se estruturam em quatro temas centrais: transformações, relações, papéis, e reflexão - os quais se subdividem em subtemas que, assim, revelam a natureza do fenômeno investigado

The problem of this study was to identify some concerns of Korean kindergarten teachers at different points in their careers, based on the conceptual framework of Katz's (1972, 1977, 1985) theory of preschool teacher development. This study also described the variations in these concerns on the basis of some teacher characteristics including teaching experience, certification, educational background, inservice training, and teaching assignment. The subjects for this study were 174 volunteers who were Korean kindergarten teachers in Seoul, Korea. The concerns of the teachers were expressed through the Kindergarten Teacher Concerns Questionnaire, consisting of two parts: (a) background information, and (b) the Kindergarten Teacher Concern Rating Scale (KTCRS), consisting of a list of 54 items developed by Tsai (1990), reflecting the four areas of concerns—Survival, Consolidation, Renewal, and Maturity—formulated by Katz. A Likert type 5-point scale indicating the degree of concerns was used in the questionnaire as the scoring system. The following conclusions were drawn from this study: 1. The concerns of the Korean kindergarten teachers were developmental in nature in terms of preoccupation with a specific area of concerns at different points in the teachers' careers. This result tended to follow a sequence of stages as posited by Katz (1972, 1977, 1985). 2. The sample characteristics of this study strengthened the belief that the qualifications for Korean kindergarten teachers need to be raised for the sake of development of early childhood education in Korea. 3. Certification and inservice training might enhance the teachers' job awareness and expectation level of job performance. The findings implied that preservice and inservice education need to be based on teacher concerns. The recommendations for future research included (a) replicating this study with a nationwide sample for a broader generalization, and (b) tracing the processes of change in Korean kindergarten teacher concerns through qualitative research such as longitudinal studies, case studies, or intensive interviews.

Given the fundamental role beliefs play in guiding what individuals think and do, it is important to understand teachers' beliefs and their development in order to facilitate professional growth, which in turn has the potential to promote effective teaching and learning. While research efforts have been devoted largely to investigating teachers' beliefs, it is surprising that, despite its significance, there is little published data concerning vocabulary teaching, not to mention how professional training contributes to teachers' change in relation to the language area. This thesis, therefore, seeks to investigate teachers' epistemological and pedagogical beliefs about vocabulary development, understand their relationship with actual practice, as well as exploring how they develop through a dialogic approach which emphasises interaction and self-reflection. The study reported herein is situated in the context of Hong Kong, where problems relating to the teaching and learning of English vocabulary have been repeatedly highlighted in the literature. It mainly involves six frontline teachers of English as a second language in a local secondary school selected using purposeful sampling. Of these six teachers, four participated in a teacher development programme which focused on dialogic reflection on beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary teaching, whereas the remaining ones did not. Adopting a case study research strategy, the research draws on four major sources of data, including lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, teachers' professional dialogues and reflective writing, to illuminate issues regarding vocabulary teaching and the process of change. The findings of the study reveal the need to promote teacher professional development regarding vocabulary teaching and develop teachers' awareness of their own and alternative beliefs and practices. They also provide empirical support for the notion that dialogic reflection helps foster teachers' change, and enable us to arrive at a better understanding of the complicated nature of teachers' cognitive and behavioural development. These shed new light on sociocultural theory, generate original insights into how dialogic interaction can be used as a mediational tool to facilitate and understand teacher change in beliefs and practice, as well as providing implications for second language education and teacher professional development.

A research report submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education by combination of coursework and research Johannesburg; 2015 / The purpose of this qualitative research report was to explore teacher’s views as perceptions regarding one of South Africa’s Literacy and Numeracy intervention strategy. The specific area in this regard, was to explore the two major tools that are gaining popularity within teacher development studies. These tools namely the usage of scripted lesson plans and coaches were also used in this intervention strategy to develop teachers in the selected underperforming schools throughout Gauteng Province. This research aimed to find out from six participants in two different schools how they perceived using these scripted lesson plans and having coaches in their classrooms who helped them interpret and use the lesson plans they were provided with. The research evaluates the knowledge the participants gained from this experience and once the coaches no longer visited their classrooms and schools, the teacher’s experience of using the scripted lesson plans without the coaches’ supervision. The participants in this report expressed how they appreciated the coach-mediated lesson plans provided for them in the Gauteng Primary Literacy and Mathematics Strategy program. However the participants stated problems with the pacing of the lesson plans where some teachers felt that the lesson plan pacing was too fast for their learners and how some of the activities did not fit the context of their schools. The participants stated that they had a problem with the structure of the content in the lesson plans and the fact they taught too many different concepts in one week. This they stated was confusing for the learners and themselves. With regards to the coaches mediating the lesson plans, the participants showed a sense of appreciation at having someone who would help them unpack the lesson plans, but expressed the need for the coaches to model the teaching pedagogues, which was ultimately never done, rather than just talking them through them. The attitude or interpersonal skills displayed by the coach became one of the big issues that either influenced the reception or rejection of the coaches’ presence in classrooms. The one thing all participants’ concurred on was the supply of other resources such as posters and flashcards, which they stated they found very useful as a stimulus for the learners.

The use of kits in elementary science classes is a growing trend in some countries. Kits provide materials and inquiry lessons in a ready-to-teach format for teachers to use in their science instruction. This study examined elementary teachers' instructional strategies, classroom practices, and assessment types in relation to the frequency of science kit use. A total of 503 elementary teachers from an urban school district received professional development, implemented kits in their classrooms for a year, and then completed a survey about science kit use and teaching practices. Despite similarities in demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, certification/educational level), there were significant differences in teachers' use of inquiry-based teaching and assessment practices by kit use. Teachers who reported using kits the most often were significantly more likely to report that their students designed and implemented laboratory investigations as well recorded, represented, and analyzed data. In addition, the high kit users indicated that they were more likely to use student groups, require students to use evidence to support claims, and use alternative assessments of student work including portfolios, notebooks, and long-term projects than those teachers who used kits less frequently. Those teachers who reported using kits the least often were significantly more likely to report having students practice for standardized tests. The role of kits in promoting reform-based teaching practices is discussed.

The Cycle of Inquiry (COI) is a tool for emergent curriculum planning and for professional development of early childhood teachers and teacher education students. The COI includes a sequence of five organizational forms connecting analysis of documentation data with intentional planning for long-term emergent inquiry inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. The authors discuss and analyze the COI System through examination and analysis of the work of a student in a university early childhood teacher preparation program. Through this case study, the authors explore (1) whether a preservice teacher can learn to use the COI form-driven process to plan and facilitate emergent curriculum and (2) whether a mentor can scaffold and assess the development of an inservice or preservice teacher using the teacher’s COI documentation. The authors also describe ongoing research into use of the COI System and outline potential directions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine secondary mathematics teachers' questioning, responses, and perceived influences upon their instructional decisions regarding questioning and response to students' ideas. This study also compared the questioning practices, responses, and influences of beginning teachers to more experienced teachers. Previous studies on teacher quality in mathematics education have focused on general characteristics of mathematics teachers' instructional practice including a broad range of instructional strategies. Little is known about mathematics teachers' questioning practices and responses to students' ideas that research has repeatedly reported are critical to student mathematics learning in secondary classrooms. Furthermore, it is not clear how different novice teachers are in questioning and responding to students from experienced teachers. This understanding can provide significant insights into teacher education programs for mathematics teachers. With those issues in mind, this study was designed to answer the following questions: (1) What similarities and differences exist in questioning patterns between novice and experienced teachers when guiding a classroom mathematical discussion? (2) What similarities and differences exist in responses to students during pivotal teaching moments between novice and experienced teachers when guiding a classroom mathematical discussion? (3) What perceived factors impact the responses teachers give to students' ideas, and how are these factors of influence different among novice and experienced teachers? This study employed a multiple case study research design to compare the questioning practices and responses of three beginning teachers and three experienced teachers. Multiple sources of data were collected, including two interviews (i.e., initial interview and follow-up interview) for each teacher, five days of classroom video footage for each teacher, and field notes by the researcher for each interview and observation. The researcher conducted initial interviews with each teacher to gain a general sense of the teacher's philosophy and use of questions in guiding classroom discussion. Five instructional days of observation followed the initial interview, and then the researcher conducted a follow-up interview by use of video-stimulated response. All interviews were transcribed verbatim for analysis. The data was analyzed mainly using the constant comparative method to identify regularities and patterns emerging from the data. Results showed differences between beginning and experienced teachers in the frequency and variety of questions asked. Although all teachers showed the largest number of questions in the Socratic questioning category, differences were prominent in the semantic tapestry and framing categories. Results regarding teacher responses to pivotal teaching moments showed that four teachers favored a procedural emphasis in their responses to students, and two teachers used responses to direct students to make clear connections within or outside of mathematics. Perceived influences identified include: (1) reflection on experience and mathematical knowledge for teaching, (2) time, and (3) relationship with students, teachers, and parents, and knowledge of student background. Practicing teachers can expand the types of questions they use in the classroom, making particular efforts to include those areas that this study showed to be most lacking: semantic tapestry questions that help students build a coherent mental framework related to a mathematical concept, and framing questions that help frame a problem and structure the discussion that follows. The comparison between beginning and experienced teachers also shed light on important practices for teacher education. The beginning teacher participants from this study had no trouble noticing pivotal teaching moments in their lessons but were less developed in their responses to them. Recommendations for mathematics teacher education programs are to provide opportunities to develop content, pedagogical knowledge including specific instruction on questioning strategies, and also to provide parallel field experiences where pre-service teachers can apply the knowledge and skill they are learning.

This research study examines the development of a school guidance programme in a teacher education institute in a turbulent Hong Kong environment. The focus of the study is the teachers’ awareness of the impact of change, their beliefs in human nature, and the skills gained from the programme in dealing with student guidance issues in their classrooms. The study describes the political, economic and social changes in Hong Kong society after 1997 and the consequent impact on primary school teachers, educated and brought up in traditional Chinese families now facing student problems in their classrooms that are being addressed using Western humanistic theories and models. The researcher has used a variety of essentially qualitative strategies. These include: participants’ self-reflection; researcher’s observation and interviews on campus and in school classrooms; and teaching and learning materials. The effectiveness of the programme is judged to be in the teachers’ awareness of the theories imparted, and the relevant skills that they gained, in dealing with these behavioural issues in their classrooms. The study explores how contemporary teachers deliver cognitive knowledge to pupils, but also can learn to play the role of guidance helper to their pupils. Thus, the focus is on affective professional teacher development. The contribution this research makes to our understanding is in its attempt to relate teachers’ values and beliefs to their professional behaviour. It also contributes to an understanding of how Eastern and Western values interact in solving global educational issues. The study enters into the professional reflections of new generation of teachers in Hong Kong’s recent period of rapid cultural change.

The purpose of this case study was to examine how three undergraduate, preservice foreign language teachers' motives, sense of teacher identity, use and appropriation of teaching resources developed during the student teaching experience. Central to this study was an examination of participants’ beliefs about language learning and teaching, their motivations as language learners and teachers, and beliefs about target language use. Data were collected using student teachers’ interviews, blogs, lesson plans, and artifacts design from the student teachers. The cooperating teachers and a university supervisor were also interviewed. Triangulation and case study analysis (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009) revealed patterns in the student teachers’ backgrounds such as their successes as language learners, their high levels of motivation to become language teachers, and their desire to use a good deal of target language in teaching. Results indicated that the student teaching experience was highly impacted by individual differences among the student teachers, the role of the cooperating teacher and context of the host classroom, and the requirements of the student teaching program. The student teachers were highly reflective on their teaching beliefs and professional identity development throughout the student teaching experience and all three participants identified clear goals for their first teaching job. Additionally, the requirements of the university and certification considerations caused the participants to emphasize target language, cultural knowledge, and teaching behaviors during their student teaching experience. / text

This study investigated Accelerated Literacy Learning (ALL) trained teachers' implementation of sensory activities into their classroom instructional practice. There were 38 participants in Phase One that completed questionnaires using a 5-point response scale to indicate their frequency of use for each of 30 sensory activities. All but one participant reported a high use of sensory activities in their literacy lessons, although the grade level did influence the variety and frequency of their reported use. Most primary level teachers reported a high use on many of the activities. Seven teachers of the participants from Phase One participated in interviews for Phase Two, and four of the seven participated in Phase Three which included classroom observations. The major themes that were found in the written comments on the questionnaires and in the interviews were: teacher change, teacher empowerment, strategy talk, and student empowerment. Overall, the teachers reported that their ALL training made a difference in how they conducted their literacy lessons. Teachers' classroom use of sensory activities was compared to the teachers' reported use in the questionnaires. Although some items were over reported and a few under reported, a similar pattern of sensory activity use was found both in the reports and in classroom observations. The book level growth of struggling readers within the classrooms was compared with sensory activity use. The comparison between reading growth and sensory activity use proved to be inconclusive, as other factors such as the variety of activities and the amount of time and text were factors that would need to be taken into consideration.