The objectives of this qualitative multiple case study are as follows: (a) identify the professional beliefs or representations of two student teachers before, during and after their last practicum in FSL (French as a second language) or in French immersion at a High School; and (b) study the evolution of these beliefs or representations during the student teaching period. / The investigation was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews: of two student teachers; of two associate teachers; of one university supervisor; and of the student teaching coordinator. Other data, taken from the portfolio of the two student teachers, were also analysed. The classroom actions of the two student teachers were observed on a daily basis (three teaching periods during seven weeks), alternating between the two student teachers. The data yielded by this observation were also examined. / The following conclusions were drawn: (a) the student teachers constructed a number of professional beliefs which were then reflected in their classroom practice; (b) social interactions with individuals and groups, personal experiences, former high school experiences, the training program and early field experiences were the basis of these student teachers' professional beliefs or representations; (c) some of the student teachers' beliefs or representations evolved as a result of their awareness of problems which were resolved through discussions and reflexive practice; (d) analysis revealed an inconsistency between certain beliefs or representations and their actualization. These findings were particularly significant in FSL and immersion classes where the two student teachers were in favour of a lot of interaction in view of promoting communicative competence. Yet, observation revealed a rather traditional teacher-centered approach oblivious of the learning process. The results of the research suggest that the evolution of the student teachers' beliefs or representations was impeded due to the lack of a more concerted, coordinated, rigorous support-oriented training program involving both the university and the associate school. / This study suggests a shared individual and collective responsibility of schools, universities and governments for improving the student teaching structure in view of more cohesiveness between all partners involved; a better articulation between theory and practice in the teacher training program; and efficient development of supervised reflexive practice.

This dissertation challenges the traditional patriarchal conception of mentoring, in which mentors are cast as experts and the task for novices is to assimilate their mentors' knowledge and proposes an alternate feminist conception in which mentors and novices are learner-teachers. The conception is based on practices of conversation and shared experience, through which mentoring partners develop trust and reciprocity. Through reciprocity, mentoring dyads move to a practice of thoughtful critique, in which they trouble taken-for-granted structures within schools. Central to feminist mentoring are issues of concern to the teachers involved, including issues of gender, race and culture as experienced in their own lives. To explore the conception of feminist mentoring, a qualitative research study was undertaken. Data about four mentoring dyads and one triad were collected through a series of structured interviews with individuals and pairs of teachers during one school year. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed for common themes. It was found that more successful dyads formed on the basis of the beginning teacher's choice and involved considerable time commitment. Successful mentoring dyads participated in frequent conversations, both casual and planned, in which they talked about students, shared resources, and co-planned curriculum. Conversations centred on both work-related and personal issues. The most successful dyad created numerous shared experiences which provided opportunities for the partners to learn reciprocally. Mentoring conversations and shared experiences led to two complementary ways of coming to know about teaching. In percolated learning the beginning teacher came to know based on hearing and thinking about the mentor's experiences. Thoughtful critique is a more deliberate mode of learning in which the mentor and beginning teachers intentionally address issues of common concern. Although there was some evidence of explicit thoughtful critique emerging within the mentorships, critique was expressed tentatively and cautiously. I suggest that the conditions of schools discourage critique and beginning teachers feel discouraged from being overtly critical. Mentoring dyads may need to work together for more than one year to develop a sufficient level of trust to move to a more critical feminist reconception of mentoring that supports and challenges both mentors and beginning teachers.

The purposes of the study were to 1) determine if responses from teachers to items on the pre- and post- administration of the questionnaires would change after viewing the Tap Tapes series and 2) provide members of the Tap - A - Talent committee with recommendations on how to proceed with the inservice process if, in fact, the process should continue.The pre- and post- questionnaires were mailed to randomly selected teachers of grades one through five employed by the school corporation during the 1980-81 school year. Usable questionnaires were returned by 101 teachers and constituted the sample for the study.Data reported represented changes in responses to items on the pre- and post- questionnaires as tabulated by number and percent.The following conclusions were formulated from the summary of the findings based on teacher responses on the pre- and post- questionnaires:1. Teachers who viewed all or some of the seven-part Tap Tapes resulted in a small but positive increase in desired responses in the questionnaires.2. The responses of teachers who viewed none of the Tap Tapes reflected a decrease in the number of desired responses in the questionnaire.3. While many teachers participating in the study reported, by the responses, an overall agreement with the statements in the questionnaire prior to viewing the Tap Tapes, the data reflect a general strenthening of views and attitudes by teachers following the viewing of the tapes.4. The video-tapes, mini-workshop series, known as Tap Tapes, appeared to be an effective inservice component.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an audio-tutorial, independent study program on simple machines to meet the individual needs of elementary in-service teachers. The research was designed to determine how well in-service teachers could learn the specific content involved using this particular approach. Advantage was taken of the teaching skills and methods which teachers employ in their own classes. Pre- and post-tests of the Smith Mechanic Test were administered.Two samples were drawn from the population of elementary teachers in the Science 590 extension and summer classes at Ball State University. There was a control group of twenty-nine elementary teachers and an experimental group of forty-eight elementary teachers. The experimental group used the audio-tutorial program. The control group received classroom instruction over the specific content involved. The difference in means between groups was examined for significance using a two-tailed t-test. No significant difference was found on the pre-test. A significant difference beyond the 0.01 level was found on the post-test (t = 2.87, 75 d.f.). Each group was considered separately for significance in the mean gain. The control group showed significance at the 0.05 level (t = 2.05, 28 d.f.). The experimental group showed significance beyond the 0.001 level (t = 13.54, 47 d.f.). It was concluded that the audio-tutorial program afforded a much better mode for practice over the specific content involved than did classroom instruction. It was recommended that the program be used in conjunction with elementary pupils in order to measure any increase in teacher competency more accurately; that the program be used in a teaching situation other than the extension class in order to measure retention; that the program be used as one mode of presentation in the Science 590 classes; and that administrators institute this program into schools as part of continuing in-service training.

The purpose of this study was to determine and describe the status and changes in elementary teacher attitudes and concerns of a group of inner city teachers involved in an inservice program.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-261). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xii, 261 leaves, bound 29 cm

There exists a consensus about the importance, but little else, of the ongoing professional education of teachers. The professional development of teachers is often seen by teachers to be a purely private matter serving self-improvement and/or career advancement. Equally often it is assumed to be essentially collegial concerned with improved school responses to redefined social expectations. Little is known about how, at the intersection of personal interactions and social necessities, truth is constructed by teachers about the significance of professional development exercises. This ontological research investigated the influence of the community of practice in signifying professional development of teachers' professional identity formation. It is a proximal influence that has been largely neglected in the literature on professional development. The case studies conducted here of science teachers in a rural secondary school initially assumed that certain types of autonomy and collegiality, together with differing workplace conditions have a more positive influence on teachers' professional development than others. The use of teacher portfolios in professional development reporting was investigated as institutional scaffolding for facilitating the sharing of insights from often remote professional development experiences, and as a means of improving communication within the science department.Positioning theory, as a tool in discursive psychology, was used to analyse professional development experiences as narrated by four colleagues in conversations with the author.

The purpose of this study was to examine the training and development of teachers in multi-grade teaching in selected Eastern Cape primary schools with a particular focus on the integration of vertical and horizontal knowledge in post-training. Multigrade teaching is the combining of learners of different grade levels in one classroom taught by one teacher. To gain better understanding of the construct of vertical and horizontal integration of knowledge within post-training environment, this qualitative case study design sampled eight teachers, four school principals and three trainers, purposively. In order to evaluate the training and development provided for teachers in multi-grade classrooms the researcher examined the training programmes, the training curriculum and transfer of training inputs. The results of the study indicate that post-training is the determinant of the extent of the effectiveness of the transfer of training skills, knowledge and attitudes gained in multi-grade teaching training. The study found a massive gap that currently exists between training in multi-grade teaching and the actual transferability of such training in multi-grade contexts. Positive transfer of training in multi-grade teaching strategies was found to be skills related to teaching strategies, lesson management, curriculum integration and social components of multi-grade teaching. Negative transfer of training included classroom organisation, lesson planning, timetabling, curriculum adaptation and assessment. Although multi-grade teacher training programme is assumed to change behaviours, attitudes, impart knowledge and improve teaching skills, the results of the study indicate that training inputs might not necessarily transform into classroom practice. In order to facilitate and ensure vertical and horizontal integration of knowledge and skills and transfer of training to classroombased teaching, recurrent training in multi-grade teaching is therefore, suggested.

This study was based upon a concern about the quality of education in South Africa and a concern about the quality of NGO and other INSET interventions. Many organisations purport to address the issues of education, most of them doing so from the very comfortable position of the moral high ground (the position adopted where the political - correctness of the intervention outweighs the quality and impact) rather than from the position of having the capacity to deliver a quality service (a position from which they can effect genuine educational transformation toward quality education for all). With the rapid social, political and educational changes taking place at present, it is necessary for most organisations to assess their positions in respect of their ability to effect quality changes within the broad educational terrain. This study is an attempt to investigate the influence of one particular programme, that of the Centre for Cognitive Development, as it effects changes in teacher cognitions. It is argued that teachers are the catalysts for and agents of educational and social change and that these changes require the thinking and beliefs of individual teachers which inform their practices and behaviours, both personally and as professionals, to be addressed. These beliefs need to be critically reflected upon by the teachers themselves and through this process of reflection, teachers need to be empowered to take responsibility for the quality of teaching and learning. This concern was addressed by selecting a sample of teachers from within one such INSET intervention and through the use of a questionnaire, investigating whether teachers cognitions had changed, as a result of the INSET programme. It was hypothesised that changes in teacher cognitions would occur as a result of the INSET programme and that these cognitive or gestalt shifts could be categorised as Attributional shifts, Efficacy shifts, shifts in teachers perceived Locus of Control (Control Beliefs) and changes in general Pedagogic Beliefs. The statistical analysis of the data indicated varying degrees and trends of significant change. However, the complexity of the social context of teaching and the impact of this on teacher beliefs and cognitions, especially those of teachers who have been most affected (disempowered) by social and personal oppression, cannot be under-estimated and even minor shifts reflected in this investigation should be seen as positive changes none-the-less.

A presente pesquisa, realizada no curso de Mestrado em Educação, pela Universidade de Caxias do Sul, no período de 2016 a 2018, desenvolveu seus estudos compreendendo a formação docente na modalidade de Educação a Distância, tendo como propósito analisar as estratégias que preconizassem a formação autônoma do sujeito. As análises foram ancoradas no referencial teórico proposto por Reuven Feuerstein e Paulo Freire, estabelecendo relações dessas teorias com o Projeto Político Pedagógico do curso de Pedagogia na Modalidade EaD, oferecido pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, credenciada na Universidade Aberta do Brasil, com o seu polo no município de Vila Flores, Rio Grande do Sul. Desenvolveu-se também um estudo de campo através de observações e questionário, durante um semestre do curso, com alunos, tutores e professores das disciplinas do Eixo V do curso acima citado. A problematização do objeto de estudo incide sobre: que estratégias de mediação na formação de professores de pedagogia, na modalidade EaD, potencializam a construção da aprendizagem e de um sujeito autônomo no processo de estruturação da docência? As reflexões estruturaram-se em analisar as estratégias de mediação na formação de professores na modalidade EaD, enfatizando o processo de construção da aprendizagem e de um sujeito autônomo. Para atender a esse objetivo maior, organizaram-se as etapas de acompanhamento, através da observação de um grupo de alunas do curso de pedagogia EaD, o processo de construção da aprendizagem, mediado por relações, recursos didáticos e tecnológicos, com o propósito de identificar estratégias de mediação responsáveis por potencializar a construção da aprendizagem e da autonomia na estruturação da docência. As análises direcionaram-se em identificar as estratégias de aprendizagem mediadas, entre mediador e mediado, que permitiram, no processo de construção do conhecimento, destacar marcas da estruturação da autonomia entre os sujeitos envolvidos numa perspectiva de relação com o outro, de forma responsável e ética. / Submitted by cmquadros@ucs.br (cmquadros@ucs.br) on 2018-03-29T17:57:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Valdete Gusberti Cortelini.pdf: 5320359 bytes, checksum: b2f81b1b7760b6a61c090f3f6127f7cd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-29T17:57:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Valdete Gusberti Cortelini.pdf: 5320359 bytes, checksum: b2f81b1b7760b6a61c090f3f6127f7cd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-29 / This research, realized in the course of Master’s Degree in Education, in the University of Caxias do Sul, in the period from 2016 to 2018, developed its studies including the teacher training in the modality Distance Education, having as purpose the identification of strategies that advocate the autonomous formation of subject. The analysis were based in the theoretical references proposed by Reuven Feuerstein and Paulo Freire, establishing relations between these theories and the Political Pedagogical Project of the course of Pedagogy, in the modality Distance Education, offered by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, accredited in the Open University of Brazil, with its campus in the city Vila Flores, Rio Grande do Sul. Was developed also a field study through observations and questionnaires, during a semester of course, with students, tutors and teachers of matters of Axis V of the course quoted about. The problematization of the object of study incide: what strategies in mediation of formation in teachers of pedagogy, in the modality Distance Education, potentiate the construction of learning and of an autonomous subject in the process of structuring of teaching? The reflections were structured in analyze the strategies of mediation in formation of teachers in Distance modality, emphasizing the process of construction of learning and of an autonomous subject. To attend this biggest objective, were organized the steps of monitoring, trough the observation of a group of students from the Distance Pedagogy Course, the process of construction of learning, mediated by relations, didactics and technological resources, with the purpose of identify strategies of mediation responsible for potentializate the construction of learning and autonomy in structuration of teaching. The analysis were directed to identify the strategies of learning mediated, between mediator and mediated, that allowed, in the process of construction of learning, highlight marks of structuration of autonomy among subjects involved in a perspective of relation with the other, in a form responsible and ethic.