This study explores one aspect of the professional preparation of students graduating from teacher education institutions. A case study of one of the University of Canterbury College of Education’s initial teacher education programmes (the BTchLn (Primary) qualification) is the focus for this study. The purpose of the study is to illustrate what school employers from the Canterbury region, and BTchLn (Primary) graduates and teacher educators from the University of Canterbury, consider as important practices when preparing graduating-year students for the beginning-teacher employment process. This study addresses the lack of systematic research into the employment of beginning teachers within a New Zealand setting. The study employs a case study approach and involves two stages of data gathering. Quantitative data is collected in Stage One to identify potential participants for the case study. More substantive qualitative data are collected in Stage Two through semi-structured interviews conducted with samples of school principals, graduates and initial teacher education lecturers from the Canterbury region. The findings suggest that the decentralised system of employment in operation in New Zealand has made the employment process complex for teachers entering the profession because schools have developed their own individual practices and preferences in the employment-related area and advertise their beginning-teacher positions while students are still completing their programme of study. The findings also suggest that lecturers at the University of Canterbury perform an important and valued function when they prepare their graduating-year students for employment, although there are both strengths and weaknesses in their current employment-related programme and practices. This case study will inform course and qualification reviews planned at the University of Canterbury, and will be of interest to other teacher education organisations in New Zealand that prepare their graduating-year students for employment.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate what research show about the use of manipulative materials in the mathematics education and what factors have an impact on this approach. A definition of the problem<img src="https://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png" /> was formed when considering the decrease of Swedish pupils mathematical abilities presented in PISA. The intention with the present study was to assemble further knowledge in whether or not the use of manipulative materials could be a teaching method that could help improve this. The method used in this study was a systematic review based on an analysis of 8 studies. The results of the studies were thoroughly examined and presented in a result chapter. When comparing the results categories were found. These categories structured the result chapter as following: the beliefs of pre- and in- service teachers, the situations in which manipulative materials are used / not used, the use of manipulative materials in relation to grades and duration and pupils’ beliefs and achievements. Results show a positive meaning to the use of manipulatives, however it is the question of how they are used that is discussed.

The Education Lab is a specialized lab section of an Earth and Ocean Sciences introductory Geology lab that is geared towards teacher education candidates and uses a constructivist approach through the model of E-D-U (Explore, Discuss, Understand). The EOS120 Education Lab was started in 2005 by David Blades and Eileen Van der Flier-Keller and continues to the present. The goal of this study was to assess the lingering effects, if any, of the Education Lab on the pedagogy of those participants that had continued through their teacher education. Qualitative analysis shows that the lab has had a lasting impact on the participants of this study, including the use of hands-on inquiry and constructivist principles in their pedagogy as well as an increase in participant interest and positive attitudes towards Earth Science and science in general. / Graduate

This thesis explores the relationships between pre-service teacher training, peace education, anti-racism education, gender equity education and conflict resolution. Specifically, this study investigates the mandatory School and Society course within the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, to explore peace education training within the pre-service teacher education program. The methodology employed involves the combination of a curriculum analysis and reflective case study; both are utilized to illustrate the author’s experiences as a pre-service student, and the training received during this program. The findings illustrate that components of a peace education curriculum are observable in the Initial Teacher Education program. There is however, no formal requirement for delivering peace education within the program. As a result, this thesis offers recommendations for the development of formal peace education training in OISE/UT’s pre-service program.

Abstract The purpose of this case study was to determine the value orientations of health and physical education students (HPE) in an Australian physical education teacher education (PETE) program. Additionally, I was interested in the sympathy or otherwise in the relationship between the explicit Queensland HPE curriculum values and the value profiles of a cohort of pre-service teachers. Values were measured with the Value Orientation Inventory-2 (VOI-2) developed by Ennis and Chen, (1993). The culture and the curriculum goals of HPE and health and physical education teacher education (HPETE), contribute to the socialisation and construction of value orientations (Solmon & Ashy, 1995). Descriptive statistics were compiled for all five-value orientations, along with t-tests and ANOVA’s. Participants (N=33) were recruited from the 3rd year HPE cohort at a large Australian University and were tested pre and post semester 2, 2007. Initial and final testing demonstrated a diverse range of value orientation profiles. This cohort of HPETE students emphasizes certain value priorities over others. 26 students within this study demonstrated a ‘Neutral’ or ‘High’ priority towards learning process (LP), additionally 22 students also have a ‘Neutral’ or ‘High’ disciplinary mastery (DM) priority. The students’ priorities towards social responsibility (SR) were very low, with two students in the ‘High’ category and eighteen in the ‘Low’ priority. Initial ‘High’ dispositions towards LP and DM are consistent with the findings of Solmon and Ashy, (1995). The SR results suggest that many PETE students’ values are unsympathetic with the values underpinning the Queensland HPE curriculum. This may be cause for concern to those interested in curricula orientated around the principles of social justice, equity, diversity, inclusiveness, and supportive contexts.

So many students enter college without the conceptual knowledge of mathematical principles needed in order to succeed in higher education. Pre-service teachers entering teacher education programs are not exempt from this dilemma. While training to be educators, many pre-service teachers struggle to understand the concepts behind elementary level mathematics. These pre-service teachers will then continue in the education field and teach mathematics to the future generation. Will they teach their students the way they were taught? The purpose of this study is to investigate how pre-service teachers view their past experiences with math during their K-12 education and to compare those views with their perceptions of how they will teach math in the future. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods through surveys, short answer responses, and interviews, this study examines 38 pre-service teachers currently taking math methods courses at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in order to find out (1) how pre-service teachers view their past experiences with mathematics during their K-12 education, (2) what pre-service teachers' visions of how they will teach mathematics to their students in the future are, (3) which appears to have more influence on pre-service teachers' perceptions of their own future math teaching practices: their past learning experiences or their current teacher preparation program, and (4) what pre-service teachers perceive as effective ways of mathematics teaching and learning. Findings revealed that pre-service teachers tend to view their past K-12 math education experiences as mostly consisting of steps and procedures they were taught to memorize, but they have strong feelings about teaching mathematics for conceptual understanding instead of focusing on memorization like they were taught during their math classes in K-12 education. The results from this study also revealed that pre-service teachers feel it will be difficult not to fall back on the way they were taught mathematics when encountering unfamiliar concepts they have to teach. The need for more field experiences and learning how to incorporate project-based learning and presenting diverse ways of problem solving also came out as ways to improve teacher education programs.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In this study a mixed methods approach was employed to investigate how exposure to a teaching strategy based on spiral revision, productive practice and a mainly direct expository instructional method would influence the mathematical competencies of procedural fluency and conceptual understanding of pre-service mathematics teachers at a South African university. A secondary concern of the study was how retention and transfer abilities of participants would be influenced if they experience mathematics through a teaching strategy underpinned by spiral revision and productive practice. A revised version of the taxonomy table of Anderson et al (2001) was utilized to classify learning and instructional activities in the study in terms of mathematical reasoning and knowledge requirements. In this revised taxonomy the cognitive processes are understood to operate on knowledge structures during the process of cognition (i.e. reasoning categories based on knowledge categories.). The categories of the revised taxonomy table were the main measuring instrument for the study. The findings of the study indicate that the competencies of procedural fluency and conceptual understanding were positively enhanced by the teaching strategy. Some categories however did not show the same level of positive enhancement. Arguments are presented as to why this might be the case and possible solutions are mooted. Findings also indicate that retention and near transfer abilities of participants were positively enhanced. Far transfer abilities were unchanged post intervention. Explanations are offered for this finding and possible resolutions are suggested.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study involves a group of pre-service teachers who are specialising in Science and Mathematics education at a university in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate perceptions about the earth in space held by the pre-service natural science teachers. A related aim was to create awareness among the prospective teachers about various views that people hold about the earth as against the scientifically valid view (Govender, 2009, Plummer & Zahm, 2010, Schneps & Sadler, 1989). To determine and improve the prospective teachers’ perceptions and awareness about the significance of the earth in space the study adopted the dialogical argumentation model (DAIM) and spatial modelling as a theoretical framework (Ogunniyi, 2013).Further, the study used pre- and post-test data based on the responses of the pre-service teachers to questionnaires, focus group interviews and reflective diaries. The data set was analysed using a mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative).Results from the study show that most the pre-service teachers involved in the study hold both scientific and alternative conceptions about the earth in space. However, they seem to suppress the latter because they believe them to be unscientific. In addition they believe that their role is to impart scientific knowledge to learners. As has been revealed in a number of studies, some of the prospective teachers did not have much background in geography.

The use of assessments and assessment results is critical to classroom instruction. Teachers use the information gathered from assessments to guide instruction within their classrooms and to otherwise inform their judgment in areas of the curriculum requiring individual and group-based responsiveness and differentiation. Much time and care go into preparing teachers to be able to instruct from the standpoint of a specific content area and age level. Unfortunately, this preparation does not always extend itself to understanding various assessment practices. The teaching of assessment practices should be a common experience in teacher education programs. This study aimed to determine what one large scale teacher education program situated in a large public university did to advance the skills of assessment knowledge among its elementary pre-service teachers. The focus was on the perceived exposure and attained knowledge levels of pre-service teachers on assessment topics. The perceived levels of exposure and knowledge were compared to the beliefs that elementary principals held on the importance of the same assessment topics. Surveys were given to student teachers and principals in a way that allowed the information to be compared. The analysis of the survey results found that the exposure levels reported by the pre-service teachers was lower than the importance levels placed on the respective topics by the principals. However, the pre-service teachers reported higher levels of knowledge on key assessment topics than the levels of knowledge that principals believed beginning teachers should possess on respective assessment topics. Principals felt strongly that it is important for beginning teachers to enter their teaching careers with knowledge of various assessment topics and skills. In many cases, there were misalignments between what principals identified as important and what pre-service teachers were exposed to. The schisms have implications for teacher education, as they speak to a potentially different way to design what assessment knowledge gets taught and how it gets taught at the pre-service level.

The rapid growth of technology undoubtedly has an impact on the education system and on the way knowledge is imparted to students. Teachers need to have sufficient knowledge and skills to integrate technology in a lesson. A challenge which pre-service teachers face is not having sufficient knowledge and skills to integrate technology in their teaching practice. This is due to their lack of exposure to electronic resources as well as skills and opportunities to experiment hands-on with educational technology. This study is a module analysis, regarding the preparation of pre-service teachers’ for educational technology integration in their teaching practice, at a university. Data was collected through an open ended survey which students had to answer based on their experiences of the module as well as a focus group interview conducted with the lecturers of the module regarding the management of the module. The study is based on the model, Synthesis of Qualitative Data: Preparing pre-service teachers for technology use, utilising the proposals of Jo Tondeur and Johan van Braak. The model states the various factors which need to be taken into consideration when designing a training plan for preparing pre-service teachers for technology use in the classroom. These factors include authentic experience, feedback, role model, reflection, instructional design, collaboration, training staff, access to resources, technology planning and leadership and cooperation within/between institutions. Each of these factors was reviewed, and premises were identified. The results demonstrated that for these factors to be successful, the premises need to be considered. The premises include teaching strategies, peer assessment, resources available, student learning, lifelong learners, technology challenges and learning about technology integration among others. The themes of the conceptual framework paired with the premises were utilized to establish guidelines. These guidelines were be split into two sections, namely; planning a module and preparing preservice teachers for technology use. These guidelines may be adapted to apply to other modules. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted