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Addressing training in Response to Intervention at the pre-service level has potential to reach educators during their formative years; preparing them to implement research-based practices upon entering the field and building the capacity to do so with more fidelity and less support. While the knowledge levels and perceptions of pre-service teachers are critical to the future success of RTI implementation, the level of training among pre-service educators is less understood relative to their colleagues in the field. This exploratory study was designed to examine pre-service general and special education teachers' perceptions of RTI, and self-efficacy in implementation. A survey, created and distributed to measure teacher candidates' (TCs) opinions and self-efficacy in RTI, found that TCs have positive opinions of RTI. They believe it to be effective for students, but have less ability to implement specific components in the classroom. The outcomes from this study suggest that special education majors had significantly higher ratings of their self-efficacy than elementary education majors. This has implications for curriculum changes in teacher training programs to better prepare educators to implement RTI in the classroom.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The United States continues to face a national shortage of teachers with large numbers of vacancies in districts creating crisis situations for many schools. Novice teachers often quit within five years, with highest attrition in schools serving minority and economically challenged students. Among the reasons teachers cite leaving the profession is lack of preparation. The most impactful teacher preparation experience is field placement with a mentor teacher during supervised student teaching. While research highlights its benefits, little is known about how mentor teachers are matched with pre-service teachers. This study sought to investigate the decision-making process of school leaders in this regard. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 20 PreK-12 public school principals to investigate the following research questions: 1) What criteria do principals use to make decisions involving the matching of mentor and pre-service teachers within PreK-12 schools? 2) What are principals’ perceptions of matching mentor teachers with pre-service teachers? Regarding the first question, findings indicate that principals played a more pivotal role in the matching process than university partners, principals used similar criteria to select mentors as they use when hiring new teachers, and principals had little insight into pre-service teachers' backgrounds, experiences, and goals to inform the matching process. As for the second question, findings indicate that principals often struggle to find mentors, relationships forged between mentor and pre-service teachers were the primary contributor to positive outcomes from the matching process, and pre-service teachers were often blamed for negative outcomes from the matching process. Additionally, principals often regarded the matching process as a potential pipeline for recruiting and hiring prospective teachers and as a vehicle to meet the urgent need for effective teacher preparation, given teacher shortages. Principals noted the need to increase university involvement to improve the matching process. A framework for matching was created using the research in this study to inform future matching decisions. / Educational Leadership

Title: Transforming teacher education of chemistry in the Czech Republic Abstract: The title of the dissertation is 'Transforming teacher education of chemistry in the Czech Republic'. The work describes and analyzes the current system of the pregraduate prospective teachers' training of chemistry at universities and faculties of science focused on teaching science as well the subsequent in-service education of chemistry teachers in this country. The work also takes into account the post-war development of education in the republic from 1945 until present and the list of all the universities and faculties that educate chemistry teachers. The most important section of this work identifies and analyzes the current state of training and further education of chemistry teachers and the design of chemistry teachers educational conception in the Czech Republic. Key words: teaching profession, undergraduate pre-service teacher training, continuing in-service teacher training/education, educational institutions, curriculum reform, lifelong educatio

Essa pesquisa foi desenvolvida no período de 2013 a 2017 e buscou investigar o quanto e de que forma o Projeto Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência (Pibid) (subprojeto Inglês), que se materializa numa universidade pública federal no nordeste do Brasil, a qual denominei UPNE, permite a problematização do trabalho com letramentos digitais na formação inicial do professor de inglês. Para o seu desenvolvimento, a pesquisa qualitativa exploratória de cunho etnográfico realizada, inserida no campo da linguística aplicada crítica, foi delineada consoante um estudo de caso etnográfico. Além da linguística aplicada, a pesquisa fundamentou-se nos estudos pertencentes a diferentes áreas do conhecimento, principalmente das ciências sociais e da educação. Buscando entremear a análise dos dados coletados no contexto com as perspectivas teóricas adotadas, o trabalho foi construído de forma a promover o diálogo Pibid Inglês da UPNE e sua relação com neoliberalismo, globalização, formação de professores no Brasil, formação crítica de professores, tecnologias digitais e a língua inglesa. Nesse contexto, os estudos dos letramentos, em especial dos letramentos digitais, são trazidos à discussão, considerando-se as sociedades ditas digitais, as epistemologias digitais delas decorrentes e o contexto da educação linguística, por meio de um mergulho no universo do subprojeto Pibid inglês da UPNE, principalmente focando nos projetos Focus on Future e English Everywhere. Os principais instrumentos de coleta de dados empíricos utilizados foram: observação participante, entrevista semi-estruturada realizada com os coordenadores do subprojeto (uma vez) e com os graduandos participantes da pesquisa (em dois momentos), além de análise documental. Documentos nacionais e institucionais (locais) relacionados ao projeto Pibid, documentos específicos do subprojeto Inglês, bem como projetos e relatórios escritos pelos graduandos complementam o conjunto dos dados coletados. Contou-se também com o diário de campo da pesquisadora (enriquecido mediante conversas informais com graduandos e coordenadores) e os relatos dos graduandos em relação ao desenvolvimento dos projetos. Os resultados principais apontam que o Pibid-Inglês da UPNE, ainda que permeado por ambiguidades, mostrou-se um campo fértil para problematizações, no que concerne aos letramentos digitais na formação inicial de professores de inglês. / This research was developed from 2013 to 2017 and sought to investigate how much and in which ways the National Pre-service Brazilian Teacher Education Program (Pibid) (English subproject), that takes place in a federal public university in the northeast of Brazil, which I named UPNE, allows the problematization of digital literacies within pre-service English teacher education. For its development, an exploratory qualitative research of ethnographic nature, inserted in the field of critical applied linguistics, was conducted as an ethnographic case study. Besides the focus on applied linguistics, the research was based on studies belonging to different fields of knowledge, especially on social sciences and education. In order to analyze the data collected in the context, together with the theoretical perspectives adopted, this investigation was built to promote a dialogue involving Pibid English at UPNE and its connection to neoliberalism, globalization, teacher education in Brazil, critical teacher education, digital technologies and the English language. In this context, literacy studies, especially digital literacies, are brought to the discussion, considering the so-called digital societies, the digital epistemologies resulting from them, and the context of language education, through immersing in the universe of Pibid (English subproject) at UPNE, with the emphasis on Focus on Future and English Everywhere projects. The main instruments of empirical data collection were: participant observation, semi-structured interview with the coordinators of the subproject (once) and with the undergraduates participating in the research (in two moments), besides documentary analysis. National and institutional (local) documents related to the Pibid project, specific documents related to the English subproject, in addition to the projects and reports written by the undergraduates complement the set of data collected. The researcher\'s field diary (enriched with informal conversations with undergraduates and coordinators) and the students\' reports on the development of the projects were also part of data collection. The main results indicate that Pibid English at UPNE, although permeated by ambiguities, proved to be a fertile place for problematizations regarding digital literacies in preservice English teacher education.

Este trabalho resulta de uma pesquisa observacional, realizada no período de 2004 a 2005 em São Paulo, junto a um grupo de professores de física em formação continuada. Nossa problemática mais ampla se insere no contexto da formação de professores, e nosso problema inicial se sustentou no reconhecimento do aprendizado incipiente dos professores nos cursos, a contar pelas poucas mudanças resultantes em sua atuação. A primeira observação mais objetiva que deu origem ao problema específico de pesquisa foi o truncamento da seqüência pedagógica do professor, quando ele ensaia mudanças em sua prática a partir da tentativa de aplicação das propostas do curso. Percebemos que o incômodo do professor com essa ruptura gerada na seqüência muitas vezes o dissuadia de continuar a aplicar a novidade aprendida. Em que consiste esse truncamento e como ocorre? Quais são os obstáculos (conceituais/epistemológicos) do professor que podem causar o truncamento? Essa pergunta nos motivou a estudar quais são as características da atuação do professor em sala de aula e como essas características mudam, ou oscilam, quando o professor está em processo de re-elaboração de sua prática, motivado por um programa de formação. Escolhemos um grupo em formação continuada entendida por nós como construtivista. Analisamos a atuação dos professores sob esse referencial, e agrupamos suas características em três dimensões quanto à atuação mais direta em sala de aula - o professor e as estratégias, o professor e as habilidades e o professor e as atitudes - e duas dimensões quanto à reflexão e avaliação do professor sobre o seu trabalho - avaliação que o professor faz do seu trabalho e meta-avaliação ou tomada de consciência. Relacionamos o truncamento da seqüência pedagógica com a incoerência nas estratégias e atitudes do professor conforme ele aplica a teoria de ensino que está aprendendo, mas mantém aspectos de sua prática ainda embasados na teoria antiga. Concluímos que o aprendizado de uma nova teoria de ensino e sua aplicação em sala de aula requer uma mudança atitudinal de base, mais fundamental do que possíveis mudanças nas estratégias de ensino, passíveis de planejamento. A mudança de atitudes é complexa, porque envolve mais que simples substituições, e prolongada, pois depende de feedback a situações concretas trazidas da prática. / This work is the result of an observational research, carried out in the period of 2004 to 2005, in Sao Paulo, along with a group of highschool physics teachers in in-service teacher training course. Our broader issue is inserted in the context of teacher education and our initial problem was based in the recognition of the incipient learning of teachers in the courses, as identified from the few changes resultant in their practice. The first more objective observation that gave birth to our research question was the teachers\' fragmentation of the pedagogical sequence when trying out changes in their practice; that fragmentation coming from attempts of aplication of the course\'s proposals. We noted that the discomfort of the teacher with this generated disruption in the sequence many times discouraged them from persisting in putting the new learning into practice. What does this fragmentation consist of and how does it occur? What are the obstacles (conceptual, epistemological) of the teacher that can cause the disruption? This question motivated us to study the characteristics of teacher practices in the classroom and how these characteristics change, or oscilate, when teachers are in process of re-elaboration of their practice, fostered by a teacher education program. We chose a group participating of an in-service teacher training program, which we understand as constructivist. We analysed the classroom practice of the teachers within this framework and grouped their characteristics into three dimensions as of their more direct classroom practice - teacher and their strategies, teacher and their habilities, and teacher and their attitudes - and two dimensions as of the reflection and self-evaluation of their work - evaluation that teacher makes of their work and meta-evaluation. We related the fragmentation of the pedagogical sequence with the incoherence in the teachers\' strategies and attitudes when they apply the teaching theory they are learning, but at the same time maintain aspects of their practice still founded into the old theory. We concluded that the learning of a new teaching theory requires a ground attitudinal change, more fundamental than possible changes in the teaching strategies, these ones capable of planning. An attitude change is complex as it involves more than mere substitutions, and time-taking, as it depends on feedback to concrete situations brought from the classroom practice.