High-quality preschool education produces substantial long-term educational, social, and economic benefits, but large benefits occur only when teachers are professionally prepared and adequately compensated. Qualifying the teacher candidates depends on many interrelated components of a teacher education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the student selection policy, decision-making policy, recruitment policy, teacher candidates&rsquo / educational profiles, faculty development and assignment policy, curriculum and instruction, and the graduates&rsquo / competences from the perspectives of the faculty members in the preschool teacher education program. For this purpose, decision-oriented program evaluation CIPP model is taken as a framework. In order to reach in-depth and detailed information from the participants, study is designed as a qualitative phenomenological research. Participants are selected through purposeful sampling strategies that include criterion sampling and snowball sampling procedures from the population of 150 academicians in the 55 preschool teacher education program in Turkey. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires from 58 participants. According to the content analysis, findings indicated that there is need for the additional tests in the student selection, improvement in the faculty development policy, accreditation, faculty initiative in curriculum planning and implementing, alternative strategies in practicum, and collaboration of the local authorities and the faculties in the recruitment policy of the graduates. In this respect, it is believed that the findings will pave the way for the program developers to reform the program accordingly, will give further insights about the real experiences of the academicians and take their suggestions to improve the program and will help the researchers to raise some new questions about the preschool teacher education program to investigate.

High-quality preschool education produces substantial long-term educational,social, and economic benefits, but large benefits occur only when teachers are professionally prepared and adequately compensated. Qualifying the teacher candidates depends on many interrelated components of a teacher education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the student selection policy, decision-making policy, recruitment policy, teacher candidates&rsquo / educational profiles, faculty development and assignment policy, curriculum and instruction, and the graduates&rsquo / competences from the perspectives of the faculty members in the preschool teacher education program. For this purpose, decision-oriented program evaluation CIPP model is taken as a framework. In order to reach in-depth and detailed information from the participants, study is designed as a qualitative phenomenological research. Participants are selected through purposeful sampling strategies that include criterion sampling and snowball sampling procedures from the population of 150 academicians in the 55 preschool teacher education program in Turkey. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires from 58 participants. According to the content analysis, findings indicated that there is need for the additional tests in the student selection, improvement in the faculty development policy, accreditation, faculty initiative in curriculum planning and implementing, alternative strategies in practicum, and collaboration of the local authorities and the faculties in the recruitment policy of the graduates. In this respect, it is believed that the findings will pave the way for the program developers to reform the program accordingly, will give further insights about the real experiences of the academicians and take their suggestions to improve the program and will help the researchers to raise some new questions about the preschool teacher education program to investigate.

The purpose of this research study is to identify teachers&rsquo / perceptions on the effectiveness of their teacher education programs in supporting their professional practices. The data to the study were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 17 in-service teachers working in public early childhood institutions in Ankara. The data were analyzed through the emerging codes and themes shaped by the research questions. The results indicated that the 1998 program the study intended to investigate was found to be relatively satisfying in terms of developing professional teach ing competencies. The major weakness was reported to be theory-oriented structure which did not allow for ample practice opportunities both in the courses and in the field experiences. Moreover, due to the infancy ages of the field, the contents of courses offered were perceived to be in line with the essentials of primary and elementary level which contradicts the necessities of early childhood teaching. The findings were further discussed and interpreted.

abstract: Arizona State University's (ASU) teacher education program has been restructured several times in the last two decades to train teachers to teach children more effectively by responding to their individual needs and learning demands. One of the reasons for restructuring was to respond to new licensing requirements by the State. To serve young children's needs, the state of Arizona required individuals working with young children to obtain either early childhood licensing or endorsement by January, 2009. Responding to these new requirements, ASU now requires student teaching in a preschool setting in addition to the existing Kindergarten to third grade student teaching and internship requirements. This study addressed the question of teacher preparation and self-efficacy based on this newly restructured teaching model used in the ASU Tempe teacher education program. The following questions guided this study: 1) What effects do beginning teachers perceive that their split-student teaching experiences have on their experience as a new teacher; 2) How do beginning teachers' prior schooling, educational, and personal background influence their current teaching; and 3) What role does home, family, and collegial support play as beginning teachers start their teaching career? A qualitative case study research method was utilized in this study. Two face-to-face, in-depth individual interviews and one focus group interview with three second-year and two third-year beginning teachers were utilized to understand their experiences in the program and in their beginning years of teaching. An analysis of interview data revealed beginning teachers' student teaching experiences partially fulfilled their need of having adequate in-classroom experience before starting their teaching careers; yet they highlighted some suggestions for student teaching assignments to better prepare prospective teacher candidates in the program. Moreover, they expressed both satisfaction and dissatisfaction toward courses taken in the program. Their statements also emphasized the importance of having effective mentorship in their student teaching and first year of teaching. Support from administration, experienced colleagues, friends, and family members were also acknowledged as highly valuable as they struggled with issues in their beginning career. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2010

Submitted by Josiane ribeiro (josiane.caic@gmail.com) on 2015-04-08T14:34:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Versão final.pdf: 2421835 bytes, checksum: ab2bd033b112f25f861585e1f79b188b (MD5) / Rejected by Vitor de Carvalho (vitor_carvalho_im@hotmail.com), reason: - Citação incorreta; - Última palavra-chave incorreta on 2015-04-10T17:28:03Z (GMT) / Submitted by Josiane ribeiro (josiane.caic@gmail.com) on 2015-04-10T17:39:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Versão final.pdf: 2421835 bytes, checksum: ab2bd033b112f25f861585e1f79b188b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vitor de Carvalho (vitor_carvalho_im@hotmail.com) on 2015-04-29T18:03:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Versão final.pdf: 2421835 bytes, checksum: ab2bd033b112f25f861585e1f79b188b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-29T18:03:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Versão final.pdf: 2421835 bytes, checksum: ab2bd033b112f25f861585e1f79b188b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo compreender como ocorreu a formação de formadores enquanto formavam docentes para atuar na educação profissional de nível médio e na educação tecnológica de nível superior. Portanto, uma formação realizada na prática. A pesquisa, realizada entre agosto de 2010 e maio de 2011, foi desenvolvida durante as atividades do Módulo I da Licenciatura para a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica oferecida pelo Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul, Câmpus Rio Grande. No relatório apresento como um grupo de professores, entre os quais me incluo, com experiência em lecionar diferentes cursos de nível médio – integrado, subsequente e PROEJA – passou por um processo de formação docente objetivando atuar em licenciaturas para a educação profissional. Como, simultaneamente, atuávamos em um curso que formava professores, a nossa formação ocorreu com a perspectiva de formar-se ao formar. Para alcançar este objetivo, tacitamente, nos organizamos sob a forma de uma Comunidade Aprendente. Nos encontros presenciais as atividades foram realizadas em Roda (Warschauer, 2001), ou seja, na Roda dos Formadores. O corpus de análise desta pesquisa é constituído pelas informações construídas durante as atividades desenvolvidas no Módulo I da Licenciatura. Compreende o Diário de Campo, com minhas percepções dos encontros presenciais, os e-mails trocados entre os integrantes da Comunidade, como complemento dos planejamentos realizados nos encontros presenciais e os relatos pós-aulas dos professores que observavam alguma peculiaridade ocorrida naquele dia ou encontro. Estas informações foram analisadas mediante a Análise Textual Discursiva proposta por Moraes e Galiazzi (2007). A partir da fragmentação dos textos que compõem o corpus da pesquisa, com o processo de unitarização, surgiram novos significados dos fatos ocorridos. Significados que permitiram a emergência de categorias e possibilitaram a compreensão de como ocorreu o processo de formação dos formadores. Esta formação, ocorrida na prática, na Roda dos Formadores, em uma Comunidade Aprendente, rompe com os modelos tradicionais de formação de professores. A Tese defendida é a possibilidade de formação docente na prática, desde que o conhecimento que conduz a formação seja construído coletivamente, em uma Comunidade Aprendente. Conhecimento construído com a reflexão das experiências vivenciadas e escritas pelos membros da Comunidade. Registros que, além de possibilitar refletir sobre as ações desenvolvidas, também oportunizam relatar a história que está sendo construída pelo grupo formado por professores e alunos de uma Licenciatura para a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica. / This research aims to comprehend how the teacher education process proceeded to those who were training teacher-students in order to enable them to teach in secondary education (vocational and technical high school and junior college). Thus, it is about an education that was forged in praxis. The research, which was conducted between August 2010 and May 2011, was developed through the activities presented in Módulo I of the Licenciatura para a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica course, offered by Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul, Campus Rio Grande. My report shows how a group of teachers (including myself), all experienced in teaching different programs in the institution – which offers three types of secondary education: vocational and technical high school, junior college, and PROEJA –, went through a teacher education program in order to be qualified to teach in technical education courses. As we were both students and teachers at the same time, and to each other, our educational process happened under the perspective of receiving teaching qualification while qualifying. In order to achieve our goal, we organized ourselves as a Comunidade Aprendente (Communities of Practice). During the presential meetings, the activities were done in Roda [Wheel] (Warschauer, 2001), also known as Roda dos Formadores (Teachers Wheel). The corpus consists of information gathered during the development of the activities in Módulo I of the Licenciatura course. Both the Diário de Campo (Field Journal), which consists of my perceptions of the face-to-face meetings, and the emails exchanged among members of the Communities of Practice complement the planning performed during the face-to-face meetings and also the after-class reports done by the teacher who noticed any peculiarity which could have happened in some day or during some meeting. That data was analyzed based on Written Discourse Analysis, proposed by Moraes and Galiazzi (2007). After the fragmentation of the texts of the corpus of this research, and the subsequent unifying process of such data, new meanings were given to the reported and experienced information. Such meanings allow the awareness of some categories as well as also facilitate the comprehension of in what manner the teacher education process occurred. When applied in practice, through the Teachers Wheel technique and within the Communities of Practice, this teacher education training breaks with the traditional structures of teacher education. The thesis statement claims the possibility of a teacher education program that is based on a practical approach, if the knowledge shared during the training program is built in group, mutually, within the Communities of Practice. This knowledge would also have to be build based on the reflection upon the written description of the Community members’ experiences. These records allow the members to reflect upon the actions developed in the program, and also grant them the opportunity to report the history that is being written by the group of teachers and students of the Licenciatura para a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica course.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of preservice students completing their associate’s degree (AS) in early childhood education (ECE). My intent was to discover, from the preservice teacher’s perspective, what skills and knowledge preservice students consider necessary to teach young children. I was also interested in how they viewed their professional preparation at the completion of their AS program. The methods included participant interviews, documents and assignments completed by students, and program contextual data (faculty focus group and program documents). Seven themes were identified that represented the student’s perceptions of the skills and knowledge needed for working with young children (child development, learning environment, guidance, curriculum, teaching, assessment and experiences with children). All students reported the development of knowledge and skills through their participation in the ECE program. Each of these themes identified student support and belief in the philosophy of developmentally appropriate practices. Three themes were identified that supported the overall perception of their professional development (reflection, National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] New Teacher Standards, becoming a professional). All preservice students identified development of professional skills, and reported increased confidence in their preparation to be early childhood classroom teachers. All identified NAEYC New Teacher Standards as part of their professional development and understanding. This study provides the perspective of the AS degree seeking ECE preservice student. Little research is available on 2-year students. Further research in this area would aid in understanding and preparing teachers who are likely to work with the youngest in our society.

Culturally responsive education has been an actual topic in teacher education for decades, but most teachers still finish their education without appropriate knowledge and skills for teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Providing quality education to diverse learners remains a challenge, particularly in the fields of mathematics and sciences. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to describe intervention programs preparing in-service and pre-service math and science teachers for teaching in culturally diverse classrooms, and the outcomes of such programs. A search for scholarly journals evaluating such intervention programs has been carried out in several databases, resulting in nine articles included in the analysis. Intervention programs described in these articles covered several important aspects of culturally relevant education and had a limited success in developing cultural responsiveness of teachers. The construct of culturally relevant education is complex and multi-layered, and thus hard to measure without simplifying it to measurable constructs. Limitations of the study and implications for the future research and practice are discussed.

Residency models for education in the medical profession have existed for many years. Nationwide, policies are being implemented to bring this model to the field of teacher preparation. How this plays out within education programs is less researched, and there is a need to document the transition from traditional teacher education, that is, education that is based heavily in the college classroom, to a residency model, where preservice teachers spend a significant amount of time in an elementary school classroom. This paper describes how a year-long residency model is implemented and presents the changes in curriculum, scheduling and challenges encountered.

In 2010, the state of Tennessee embraced the call to overhaul teacher education and required programs to adopt a residency model within K-12 schools. How exactly this would affect the various methods courses in a teacher education program? This paper provides a description of how two elementary education methods courses have shifted from simulation-style projects to projects that involve working with actual elementary students throughout the semester. This article presents an overview of the new residency style methods courses, along with how major assignments shifted to utilize the extensive time pre-service teachers would spend in the elementary school classroom.

No description available.