This dissertation explores what cooperating secondary science teachers attend to during observations of pre-service teachers as they enact lessons in their classrooms and how they make sense of what they see. This study applies the teacher noticing framework, recently used in research with mathematics, to the secondary science context and uses it to describe teacher attention. The study also aims to determine if cooperating teachers use the act of noticing to engage in pedagogical reasoning and draw connections to their own teaching practice. As an interpretive qualitative study, the format for data collection and analysis utilized a case-study methodology with cross-case analysis, and used semi-structured interviews, lesson debriefs, collected artifacts, and classroom observations. Data on the four study participants was collected over the 2011-2012 school year. Findings support several conclusions. First, the cooperating science teachers in this study regularly engaged in reflection and pedagogical reasoning through the act of noticing. Second, the cooperating teachers made regular connections to their own practice in the form of vicarious suggestions, reflective questions, comparisons of practice, and perspective shifts. These connections fostered the emergence of "pivotal moments" or times when the cooperating science teacher self-identified a desire to change their current practice. Third, cooperating teachers used observations of pre-service teachers in their classrooms as a form of professional experimentation and built knowledge in practice through the experience. Lastly, the findings suggest that observations of pre-service teachers be added to the list of professional development activities, like video analysis and lesson study, that help teachers reflect on their own practice. For science teacher educators, this study demonstrates the importance of attending to field experiences as a learning opportunity for the science cooperating teacher. It provides a new way of looking at classroom observations as professional development opportunities and it recommends that teacher preparation programs reconceptualize the tasks they ask cooperating teachers to engage in. Suggestions include designing observation tools that direct teacher noticing toward student learning in science, viewing cooperating science teachers as learners, including metacognitive activities for cooperating science teachers, and reorienting lesson debriefs toward a notion of classroom inquiry. / text

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether expert evaluators' assessments of teachers vary between observations of rehearsal frames that demonstrate effective student behavior change and observations of full rehearsals. Ten experienced evaluators rated 12 music teachers on 10 criteria. The evaluators first observed brief video recordings of two rehearsal frames (RF) of each teacher and then a recording of a full rehearsal (FV) taught by the same teacher. The evaluators rated the teachers on all 10 criteria following each observation. Evaluators in the present study tended to rate teachers more highly and express greater confidence in their ratings in the FV condition than in the RF condition. These differences indicate that observing brief video episodes of teaching does not lead to the same ratings of teacher effectiveness as does observing video recordings of full rehearsals. The differences between the two conditions were larger in terms of evaluator confidence (29% higher confidence ratings in the FV condition) than in terms of ratings of teacher effectiveness (7% higher ratings in the FV condition). Although all teachers were rated more highly overall in the FV condition than in the RF condition, the differences between the two conditions were small and varied considerably among teachers and among evaluators. / text

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This study examined the moderating effects of teachers' implementation of a research-based comprehension intervention on a related student outcome. In addition to looking at the utility of including implementation data in a model of student outcomes, the stability of implementation ratings across occasions and the relationship between two implementation data sources (teacher logs and researcher ratings) were examined. The program featured in the study consisted of research-based comprehension strategy instruction implemented in 4th grade classrooms during social studies. Two measures of implementation -- fidelity and overall instructional quality -- did not predict student outcomes. In the tested model, a student's comprehension skills upon entering 4th grade did more to predict post-intervention comprehension achievement than did the teacher's instructional practices. Secondary analyses showed that an overall measure of teacher quality appears to be relatively reliable across only a few measurement occasions. Fidelity scores were less stable across occasions. The alternative method of collecting implementation data used in this study (audio recordings) appears to offer a viable and less costly means of obtaining implementation data. In addition, when measured at a macro level, implementation fidelity data from two sources (teacher logs and researcher ratings) were moderately correlated. Results inform future theory-driven evaluation activities by providing information on approaching the task of documenting implementation and using that information to understand program outcomes.

This thesis seeks to: 1) establish reasons for the introduction of Competenceand Standards-based Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in England and Wales; 2) assess the impact ofCompetences and Standards on Secondary RE ITT; 3) offer proposals for a new 'multidimensional' RE ITT paradigm. The thesis is structured around four research questions. The first research question: Why were Competences and Standards introduced into the lIT process? informs a historical inquiry into the origins of Competences and Standards in Part 1. The second and third research questions: To what extent do documents such as 9/92 and 4/98 represent idealized models of teacher training and assessment? and How do Ofsted inspectors interpret ITT Competences and Standards in practice?, are considered in Part 2, where DfEE Circulars 9/92, 4/98 and other ITT inspection-related materials are analyzed and critiqued. The fourth research question: Can Standards be successfully integrated into ITT structures that seek to develop personal and professional qualities that lie far beyond the mechanical acquisition of depersonalized and decontextualized skills, behaviours and knowledge? leads in Part 3 to the presentation of proposals for new Secondary RE ITT structures. After outlining the salient features of these proposed ITT structures, possible barriers to their successful implementation are considered.

This study investigates the extent and nature of mathematics anxiety in primary school teacher trainees in Malaysia, and identifies the factors that are associated with it. This is qualitative research and hence the approach is to understand the current phenomenon and to obtain a rich and in-depth insight into significant issues. Three methods for obtaining data are used: questionnaires, interviews and observations of subjects doing mathematics. Evidence for the nature and source of mathematics anxiety was derived from what the teacher trainees said about (a) their perceptions of mathematics; (b) themselves with regard to mathematics (self-image); (c) their feelings towards mathematics; and (d) their behaviour when doing mathematics. Hands-on mathematics was given to the teacher trainees in order to observe how mathematics anxiety affects them in an actual scenario of doing mathematics. Interviews were carried out immediately after the hands-on observations in order to give the teacher trainees opportunities to explain their actions. Teachers-students relationship, teachers' style of teaching, examination pressure, parental and peer group influences were identified as the main factors contributing to the trainees' mathematics anxiety. The cultural setting for these factors emerged from the research as being of particular significance.

Each year, teachers apply and interview for posted positions. Yet little is known about what draws certain teachers to given positions or populations of students. This study aimed to determine the extent to which Manitoba teachers consider their fit with the student population when applying for postings, the characteristics of teacher-student fit as perceived by teachers and students, and ultimately if there is a difference in student success rates when teacher-student fit is taken into consideration. Using case study methodology, teachers and students were interviewed. Results from this study indicate that fit with students is not a primary factor in guiding application decisions. Both personal and professional characteristics arose as significant qualities and traits that teachers should possess to provide the most encompassing education to students. Three levels of fit emerged in this study: Characteristics required for student engagement, for relationship development, and for the implementation of culturally relevant teaching. / October 2015

<p> Do professional development sessions in charter schools produce teacher leaders? This is the main question examined in this study. Professional development was established to help with the leadership process and increase teachers&rsquo; capacities overall. Teacher leaders have been deemed as incredibly important to student success and school reformation. Knowing these facts, the researcher sought to probe the utility of professional development in terms of teacher leadership at a charter school whose main intent was reformation. Through a review of the literature, the defining factors for complicated matter such as professional development and teacher leadership were outlined. The literature review helped the researcher look into the parameters of professional development and teacher leadership at what has been given the pseudonym Variety High School. A sociological case study was carried out at Variety High School during the second semester of the 2013-2014 school year. Analysis of focus group interviews, case study observations, and archival documentation were used to examine the impact of professional development on teacher leadership at Variety High School. While there were instances where professional development and teacher leadership were defined and linked to student success, the absence of teacher leadership opportunities was also linked to professional development practices governed by administrative principles. Ultimately, professional development was seen as a powerful tool to increase or decrease more than just leadership for a teacher but quality and skill in general.</p>

<p> Once viewed as a way to establish educational placement, high-stakes testing is used to establish benchmarks for success within school systems. Within a local Utah school district, raising these benchmarks has been deliberated due to a steady decline in Grade 8 language arts scores, which has heightened concerns among local school administrators and teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of teachers on how to improve declining Grade 8 language arts test scores. Based on the theoretical concepts of constructivism, 3 research questions were created to examine the underlying factors of the steady decline in Grade 8 language arts test scores, teachers&rsquo; perceptions of decline in Grade 8 test scores, and current instructional practices used by teachers to prepare students for high-stakes testing. Through semi-structured interviews, data were collected from a sample of 7 language arts teachers who held an academic degree in language arts area and were a faculty member at the selected school. Comparative analysis and the open coding process were used to find themes in the data. Specific themes included the need for change, different influences, and varying instructional practices to increase test scores each academic year. An individualized instructional curriculum might help increase test scores. A 3-day, in service workshop focused on helping teachers recognize current issues with test preparation and offered methods to help improve student learning through multiple intelligence-based instruction. This study contributes to social change within local Grade 8 language arts classrooms by providing information to educators on how to increase high-stakes test scores on an annual basis and increase overall student achievement. </p>

<p> Teacher attrition is a growing problem within the education system in the United States. A study that tracked the experiences of graduates of a particular program was designed to gauge the program&rsquo;s success. There were three research questions. The first asked, What are the first year teaching experiences of Midwestern University educator preparation program graduates? The second question was in two parts and asked, What do graduates of Midwestern University educator preparation program perceive as the strengths and weaknesses of their ability to carry out their duties as a first-year teacher? How does this change from August to May? The third question asked, How do the responses of graduates to the first two questions vary by type of school where they are employed, level and area of certification, and MAT or BA? To answer these questions, six graduates of Midwestern University&rsquo;s Educator Preparation Program were followed during their first year of teaching. </p><p> The participants were interviewed throughout their first year of teaching. The data was presented in case studies. These participants taught in urban, suburban, and rural schools that were either public or private. Some of the participants had earned a BA degree, some a MAT degree, and some were still completing their MAT degree. Three of the teachers were at the secondary level and two were at the elementary level. The data from these interviews helped clarify emerging themes from their experiences. </p><p> This study showed the relevance of student teaching assignments. The graduates whose student teaching assignments had more varied ability levels and grade levels had an easier time transitioning into a first year teacher. Other experiences demonstrated how a cooperating teacher affected the success of the student teacher and the ability to transition into a full time teacher. Many of the participants developed their own style of classroom management as they progressed through their first year of teaching. Some participants struggled with IEPs and had to learn from their co-workers the correct way to implement them. Overall though, substitute teaching experience was found to be the most beneficial tool in preparing university students to become classroom teachers.</p>