Programmatic change related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) training in special education teacher education programs across the U.S. and institutional variables that influenced change were examined. Variables included institutions’ current coverage of autism content in coursework and institution enrollment. One faculty member from each identified institution was invited to participate in the study. Data were collected from 136 special education faculty using an exploratory survey instrument, the National Survey on ASD Preparation in Undergraduate Special Education Teacher Training Programs (NSAP). This study was designed around themes which emerged from empirical and pragmatic research findings conceptualizing prevalent issues in personnel preparation for ASD including critical knowledge and skills needed by teachers to effectively serve students with ASD. Results indicated a significant number of programmatic changes (66%) remain to be implemented in undergraduate special education programs at institutions participating in the study.

The North Carolina Public Schools, like other schools in the southeast, have experienced phenomenal growth in their ELL student populations in the last 15 years. This fairly recent influx of ELL students raises questions about the extent to which the schools, and more specifically, the teachers, are prepared to meet the needs of their linguistically diverse students. Unfortunately, few studies to date have investigated how teacher education programs (TEPs) and professional development opportunities are addressing this aspect of teacher preparation. This dissertation addresses the lack of current research as it pertains to both TEPs and professional development experiences of middle school working in the North Carolina Public Schools. Using a mixed methods design that combined survey research with open-ended interviews of focal participants, the author revealed that teachers had had limited preparation experiences at both the TEP and professional development levels. However, those who had had these experiences overall did exhibit some capacity to adapt instruction and relate to their ELLs in positive ways. The preparation, however, also lacked sociolinguistic awareness and awareness about the theoretical foundations that underlie these practices. The author concluded by relating the findings to the current research and discussed recommendations and implications for TEPs and professional development in North Carolina and the southern context.

A avaliação possui um papel importante no processo de ensino-aprendizagem e sua prática deveria estar de acordo com os objetivos educacionais, contribuindo assim na sua obtenção. A avaliação das aprendizagens tem reconhecida capacidade de modificar o currículo, daí a importância do seu estudo. A forma como a avaliação se organiza e se desenvolve não é independente das concepções de ensino-aprendizagem apresentadas pelo professor e pode ter influência na representação que os alunos fazem da ciência e na aprendizagem da ciência. Neste trabalho, apresentamos o resultado de um estudo de caso realizado com dez professores de Química em exercício, atuantes em escolas públicas e particulares e também participantes do Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ensino de Ciências da Universidade de São Paulo. Nossos dados estão baseados em entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com estes professores e análises de documentos desenvolvidos pelos professores e suas respectivas escolas, a saber: planejamento de ensino anual, projeto político pedagógico e avaliações. As respostas às entrevistas foram categorizadas e relacionadas a modelos didáticos conforme descritos na literatura por: transmissão/assimilação, descobrimento e construtivista. Os projetos políticos pedagógicos e os planejamentos foram categorizados de acordo com a literatura em ênfase em Educação Geral e em Química e, dentre estas, ainda em sub-categorias. As provas elaboradas pelos professores foram categorizadas em produtivas e reprodutivas, utilizando características descritas na literatura. As concepções de ensino-aprendizagem inferidas dos discursos dos professores, bem como as concepções expressas nos documentos que definem suas práticas (planejamentos de ensino e projetos políticos pedagógicos) mostram-se bastante coerentes com as direções sugeridas pelas reformas curriculares, expressando modelos de ensino centrados no aluno, e enfatizando aspectos relacionados à valorização do desenvolvimento dos estudantes e do processo de aprendizagem. Nosso estudo revela, entretanto, que as ações em sala de aula, ao menos no que se refere ao processo de avaliação, contrastam com tais idéias. A análise sistemática dos objetivos e da metodologia do processo avaliativo utilizada pelos professores investigados revela-se coerente com uma prática de ensino centrada no conteúdo químico e voltada principalmente à transmissão/assimilação e sugerem que a avaliação praticada pelos professores tem um papel predominantemente certificativo. Tal contradição pode comprometer a representação de ciência e como se aprende ciência, uma vez que, por este modelo de transmissão, a nota da prova e o que se solicita nela servem de referencial para o aluno. A compreensão das funções que a avaliação pode assumir não ocorre espontaneamente sendo necessário a intervenção através de formação contínua, onde se faça a correlação entre a concepção de ensino-aprendizagem, o modelo didático a ser empregado e a avaliação da aprendizagem mais adequada. / Assessment plays an important role in the teaching-learning process, and its practice should be in accordance with the instructional goals, contributing towards their attainment. The assessment of learning is an important subject of study in research in science education, given its recognized capacity to change curriculums. The assessment methodology is dependent upon teaching-learning conceptions, and may impact students´ representations on science and on the learning of science. In this work, results based on a case-study focused on ten Chemistry teachers, practicing in public and private schools, and enrolled in a chemical education master program at the University of São Paulo are presented. The current study is based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews and also includes the investigation of documents produced by these teachers and the schools they work, including the annual teaching plannings, the school´s political pedagogical projects and the applied evaluations. The answers to the interviews were categorized and related to didactic models according to literature descriptions: transmission/assimilation model, discovery learning and constructivist model. Political pedagogical projects and teaching plannings were both categorized according to different curriculum emphases, grouped into two categories: \"General Education\" and \"Chemical Education\". Such emphases are also classified in subcategories, and have been suggested by literature. The exam questions were classified as productives and reproductives, also in accordance to previously described categories. The teaching-learning conceptions that emerge from the analysis of the teacher\'s speeches and the guidelines stated by the documents that define teachers\' classroom practices (teaching plannings and political pedagogical projects) are in close agreement to the educational directions suggested by the curricular restructuring, expressing studentcentered teaching models and giving emphasis to the importance of students´ development and the learning process. Our study reveals, however, that classroom actions contrast to such ideas, at least while assessment procedures are concerned. The systematic analysis of the purposes and methodology of the evaluative process performed by the investigated teachers suggests a strong correlation to a content-based teaching practice, based on a transmission/assimilation model, where the main goal of the assessment practice is certification. Such contradiction may potentially undermine science representation and the learning of science, since, according to a transmission/assimilation model, the obtained grade in an exam and what is requested in the exams are important references to the students. Comprehension as regard to the different roles that the evaluation process may assume does not spontaneously occur. An intervention through teachers\' in-service programs is necessary, focusing on the correlation between teaching-learning conceptions, didactic models and the assessment of learning.

In this thesis I propose to address what are, in my view, significant educational problems: how to tease out and analyse those principles, concerning equity and social justice, which underlie a particular program of teacher education. I want to discuss the kinds of principles, issues and considerations which have to be faced when designing such a program as the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at James Cook University. The issues I will address are these: (a) The extent to which the notion of equality of educational opportunity is being addressed in the provision of teacher-education programs in Queensland in general, and James Cook University in particular; (chapter 1). (b) Ways in which the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) p r o g r am aims to produce teachers able to act as agents of bi-cultural transmission; (chapters 2 and 3). (c) The value, usefulness and desirability of James Cook University setting up a teacher-education program specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from geographically remote communities, thus increasing the participation rates of Aborigines and Islanders in teacher-education programs; (chapters 4 and 5). This process of analysis has led me to structure the thesis around three dimensions: (i) The historical context of the program; (ii) The program as one response to the problems faced by educational institutions in meeting the educational needs of Aboriginal people; (iii) A basis for the next phase in the development of new programs of teacher - education for indigenous students living in remote communities. This is a qualitative research project, based on my interpretation of available documentation, my use of relevant literature, and my own involvement as planner of, and teacher in the program. It is not a quantitative research project. The structure of the thesis has, as its introduction, an analysis of the extremely complex situation which exists at James Cook University. This analysis leads to a search for a set of principles to provide the theoretical underpinning of the program, which in turn leads through a combination of theory and practice to the "praxis" of the program as a model of equity and educational practice in teacher-education. The thesis is concluded by the presentation of the current stage in the development of a program for teacher-education students in remote communi ties. The conceptual framework for my thesis has been developed through my determination to increase my understanding of the complexities of developing teacher-education programs for indigenous students at James Cook University. The thesis is developed through case study techniques including: personal observation and recording of my work as Program Planner; a situational analysis of the historical background, leading up to the development of the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) ; a discussion of the stages through which the development team proceeded with intentionality and empathy towards its task of constructing a specific program of teacher-education; and my use of existing literature to comprehend the educational and social problems which the program attemted to alleviate. Throughout my thesis the specificity of the "case", and the eclectic position I have adopted, have acted as boundaries of my conceptual framework. My thesis attempts to show that the "case" of the development of teacher-education programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at James Cook University, although an idiosyncratic instance , is valuable as illumination , if not for generalisation, and thus has a credibility and usefulness. The characteristics of the case-study method are frequently more appropriate to expansion is than reductionist activities, and I have tried to show how the different perspectives of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, together with the beliefs, attitudes and values of such different interest-groups as university academics, Commonwealth and State Education Department bureaucrats, and teachers and parents in schools, have emphasised both the importance of questioning assumptions and the importance of critical, experiential understanding.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze the idea of ¡§professional development schools (PDSs)¡¨ which was a new school setting and one of collaborative models with universities developed in the past decade in USA. The researcher inquired into PDS¡¦s goals, functions, operations, major influential factors, and ¡§PDS Standards¡¨ in depth, and aimed to explore the collaborative models and the developing stages of Taiwan¡¦s PDSs according to the five standards, which was the key concept of PDS model and was designated by National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. These five standards are ¡§learning community¡¨, ¡§accountability and quality assurance¡¨, ¡§collaboration¡¨, ¡§equity and diversity¡¨, and ¡§structures, resources and roles¡¨. The researcher selected six staffs as the participants from each partnership of university/affiliated high school and used qualitative research methods to collect research data, including documentary reviews and semi-structured interviews. After careful examination and analyses of the data collected, the following conclusions are reached: 1. About professional development schools: (1) PDSs are innovative school settings and establishments which were initiated and refined progressively along the educational reform movements. (2) PDSs are not only the ¡§learning communities¡¨; but also the settings for the professional development of participants. (3) The establishment of PDSs needs support in terms of structure and system building from both sides of the partnership. They also need more resources to be invested in. (4) ¡§PDS Standards¡¨ are both guidelines and criterion for the assessment of the PDSs. 2. About the collaborative models between universities and affiliated high schools: (1) The cases actually demonstrate the function of ¡§learning community¡¨, but the degree of ¡§collaboration¡¨ is not close enough. (2) The standard of ¡§accountability and quality¡¨ for the collaborative models can¡¦t be presented due to lack of evaluation measures for the partnership. (3) Two case high schools have developed some supportive activities for low-achievement students by their own. The involvements of two universities on this aspect are apparently not enough. (4) Two cases need to enhance their support for the partnership in terms of structure and system building. (5) According to the ¡§PDS Standards¡¨, the developing stages of two cases are between beginning level and developing level. (6) The collaborative models between universities and affiliated high schools are influenced by internal and external factors. According to the conclusions of this study and the related problems encountered, suggestions to government, two case partnerships, universities, high schools and future researchers have been proposed.

A avaliação possui um papel importante no processo de ensino-aprendizagem e sua prática deveria estar de acordo com os objetivos educacionais, contribuindo assim na sua obtenção. A avaliação das aprendizagens tem reconhecida capacidade de modificar o currículo, daí a importância do seu estudo. A forma como a avaliação se organiza e se desenvolve não é independente das concepções de ensino-aprendizagem apresentadas pelo professor e pode ter influência na representação que os alunos fazem da ciência e na aprendizagem da ciência. Neste trabalho, apresentamos o resultado de um estudo de caso realizado com dez professores de Química em exercício, atuantes em escolas públicas e particulares e também participantes do Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ensino de Ciências da Universidade de São Paulo. Nossos dados estão baseados em entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com estes professores e análises de documentos desenvolvidos pelos professores e suas respectivas escolas, a saber: planejamento de ensino anual, projeto político pedagógico e avaliações. As respostas às entrevistas foram categorizadas e relacionadas a modelos didáticos conforme descritos na literatura por: transmissão/assimilação, descobrimento e construtivista. Os projetos políticos pedagógicos e os planejamentos foram categorizados de acordo com a literatura em ênfase em Educação Geral e em Química e, dentre estas, ainda em sub-categorias. As provas elaboradas pelos professores foram categorizadas em produtivas e reprodutivas, utilizando características descritas na literatura. As concepções de ensino-aprendizagem inferidas dos discursos dos professores, bem como as concepções expressas nos documentos que definem suas práticas (planejamentos de ensino e projetos políticos pedagógicos) mostram-se bastante coerentes com as direções sugeridas pelas reformas curriculares, expressando modelos de ensino centrados no aluno, e enfatizando aspectos relacionados à valorização do desenvolvimento dos estudantes e do processo de aprendizagem. Nosso estudo revela, entretanto, que as ações em sala de aula, ao menos no que se refere ao processo de avaliação, contrastam com tais idéias. A análise sistemática dos objetivos e da metodologia do processo avaliativo utilizada pelos professores investigados revela-se coerente com uma prática de ensino centrada no conteúdo químico e voltada principalmente à transmissão/assimilação e sugerem que a avaliação praticada pelos professores tem um papel predominantemente certificativo. Tal contradição pode comprometer a representação de ciência e como se aprende ciência, uma vez que, por este modelo de transmissão, a nota da prova e o que se solicita nela servem de referencial para o aluno. A compreensão das funções que a avaliação pode assumir não ocorre espontaneamente sendo necessário a intervenção através de formação contínua, onde se faça a correlação entre a concepção de ensino-aprendizagem, o modelo didático a ser empregado e a avaliação da aprendizagem mais adequada. / Assessment plays an important role in the teaching-learning process, and its practice should be in accordance with the instructional goals, contributing towards their attainment. The assessment of learning is an important subject of study in research in science education, given its recognized capacity to change curriculums. The assessment methodology is dependent upon teaching-learning conceptions, and may impact students´ representations on science and on the learning of science. In this work, results based on a case-study focused on ten Chemistry teachers, practicing in public and private schools, and enrolled in a chemical education master program at the University of São Paulo are presented. The current study is based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews and also includes the investigation of documents produced by these teachers and the schools they work, including the annual teaching plannings, the school´s political pedagogical projects and the applied evaluations. The answers to the interviews were categorized and related to didactic models according to literature descriptions: transmission/assimilation model, discovery learning and constructivist model. Political pedagogical projects and teaching plannings were both categorized according to different curriculum emphases, grouped into two categories: \"General Education\" and \"Chemical Education\". Such emphases are also classified in subcategories, and have been suggested by literature. The exam questions were classified as productives and reproductives, also in accordance to previously described categories. The teaching-learning conceptions that emerge from the analysis of the teacher\'s speeches and the guidelines stated by the documents that define teachers\' classroom practices (teaching plannings and political pedagogical projects) are in close agreement to the educational directions suggested by the curricular restructuring, expressing studentcentered teaching models and giving emphasis to the importance of students´ development and the learning process. Our study reveals, however, that classroom actions contrast to such ideas, at least while assessment procedures are concerned. The systematic analysis of the purposes and methodology of the evaluative process performed by the investigated teachers suggests a strong correlation to a content-based teaching practice, based on a transmission/assimilation model, where the main goal of the assessment practice is certification. Such contradiction may potentially undermine science representation and the learning of science, since, according to a transmission/assimilation model, the obtained grade in an exam and what is requested in the exams are important references to the students. Comprehension as regard to the different roles that the evaluation process may assume does not spontaneously occur. An intervention through teachers\' in-service programs is necessary, focusing on the correlation between teaching-learning conceptions, didactic models and the assessment of learning.

No description available.

A presente tese trata-se de um estudo de caso, no qual valemo-nos de pesquisas bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Tendo como objeto de estudo as disciplinas filosóficas do Curso de Licenciatura em Geografia do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo - campus São Paulo (IFSP-SP), objetivamos analisar o papel exercido por estas disciplinas no interior desta Licenciatura para avaliar em que medida elas contribuem no processo formativo de seus estudantes. Para exame dos dados colhidos no IFSP-SP, utilizamos a abordagem qualitativa e a análise de conteúdo dos questionários aplicados junto a um grupo de professores e estudantes deste Curso. Acreditamos que as disciplinas filosóficas propiciam o desenvolvimento não somente de uma cultura geral, que serve de base para a formação específica do professor de Geografia, mas também uma visão totalizante e o rigor metodológico necessário à compreensão do mundo, do papel do professor de Geografia na Educação Básica e o sentido formativo da Educação, a qual deve promover a humanização, a autonomia e a emancipação, recuperando, portanto, a concepção de uma educação política. Embora tenhamos visto que o Projeto de Curso de Licenciatura em Geografia, a matriz curricular e as disciplinas filosóficas contemplam o que é esperado para uma formação docente de qualidade, verificamos que há um comprometimento da finalidade do Curso em função da grande distância entre o Projeto Pedagógico e o Curso em exercício, o que obstaculariza as contribuições das disciplinas filosóficas, impedindo-as de exercer seu papel no processo formativo dos estudantes. / This thesis is a case study, using bibliographic, documentary and field research, which focuses on the philosophical disciplines in the Geography education program at Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo - São Paulo campus (IFSP-SP) and aims to analyze the role played by these disciplines within the teacher licensing program in order to assess the extent to which they contribute to the formation of the students. For examination of the data collected at IFSP-SP, we used a qualitative approach and content analysis of questionnaires completed by a group of professors and students in the Geography education course. We believe that the philosophical disciplines favor the development, not only of a general culture that underlies the specific formation of geography teachers, but also of an overall vision and the methodological rigor necessary for an understanding of the world, the role of the geography teacher in primary and secondary education and the formative role of education, which should promote humanization, autonomy and emancipation, thus recovering the concept of a political education. Although in the plan of for the Geography Education Course, the curriculum and the philosophical disciplines include what is expected for quality teacher formation, it appears that there is an impairment of the purpose of the course due to the great distance between plan for the course and the course as it is actually carried out, a fact which creates obstacles for the contributions of then philosophical disciplines, preventing them from performing their role in the formative process of the students.

ABSTRACT FINDING THEIR WAY: A CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY OF FIVE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN EDUCATORS’ EARLY EXPERIENCES TO DEVELOP INTO CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEGAGOGUES by Rachel Beatrice Dunbar Teacher education programs have been charged with the responsibility to equip all teachers to work successfully in increasingly diverse elementary classrooms around the nation (NCES, 1996). However, the composition of the nation’s teaching force has not kept pace with these changes. Additionally, there is concern that many Pre-service teachers are ill prepared to work with culturally diverse students, partly because teacher education programs (TEPs) often adopt a monocultural, one-size-fits-all approach to preparation, ignoring race, class, and gender considerations (King & Castnell, 2001). African American women who seek preparation are greatly impacted by this singular approach to teacher education, which influences the way in which they experience their training. Consequently, they are often underserved in TEPs (Cozart & Price, 2005). It has been argued that TEPs will have to broaden their approaches to preparation by using a culturally relevant approach to teaching (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). Given the necessity for teachers to be equipped to meet the needs of culturally diverse learners in the classroom, it is imperative that TEPs are designed to cultivate culturally appropriate practices within Pre-service teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the nature of the diversity preparation of five African American women and their teaching experiences following the completion of their teacher education training. The critical ethnographic case studies that developed were theoretically framed in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 1990), and Womanism (Phillips, 2006). Data were collected from classroom observations, individual, and group interviews. Using a system of open coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), data analysis resulted in the emergence of three overarching themes: a) the formal diversity preparation offered by the university, b) the women’s individual perspectives of cultural relevance, and c) the ways in which the women incorporated their perspectives into their classroom practices. The experiences the young women encountered significantly influenced their understandings of culture and its impact on learning for diverse student populations. The results of this study suggest the need for teacher educators to reconsider how TEPs are structured to better prepare minority Pre-service teachers in the future to teach culturally diverse students.

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.