浅谈一体化教学与职校教师的职业能力提升

实施一体化教学的首要条件是教师队伍的建设,其核心是教师职业能力的提升。现阶段职业学校教师职业能力仍有不足,尚未完全适应一体教学的需要。这些不足主要有理念不到位、教师一言堂、管理任务重、职业经历缺和企业深入少五点。针对不足,提出了营造氛围、注重反思、主配互换、剥离职能、培训多样、产学合作和强化考核七条操作性强的具体措施。     

Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs and perspectives on incorporating culture in EFL classes

ABSTRACT

Researcher and teacher beliefs towards culture and teaching culture have changed over the last decade. Nowadays, the main objective of language teachers has shifted from teaching communicative competence to intercultural communicative competence. The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs and perspectives of a number of Iranian EFL teachers towards incorporating culture teaching into their classrooms. More specifically, the study strived to reveal what Iranian EFL teachers thought about the concept of culture, what cultural information they focused on in their classes, and what obstacles they believed should be removed in order to allocate more time to culture teaching in their classes. The non-random purposive sampling method was used to select the participants for this study. A total number of 10 Iranian EFL teachers with a PhD degree in Applied Linguistics participated in this study. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and a closed-ended questionnaire based on a 5-point scale. The main finding of this study indicated that even though the Iranian EFL teachers favoured including cultural information in their classes, a number of obstacles prevented them from teaching culture in their English classes. Implications for further study have been provided in the article.     

School adjustment difficulties of immigrant children in Greece 1

This paper presents the methodology and main results of a longitudinal study in Greece that explored the learning and psychosocial difficulties of immigrant pupils, as compared with those of their Greek classmates. The ‘Teacher–Child Rating Scale’ (T‐CRS) and ‘Child Rating Scale’ (CRS) were used as instruments to measure the school adjustment difficulties of the sample, according to their teachers’ ratings. A total number of 3561 scales were selected, and completed in full (by teacher and pupil) for each pupil. The sample of the study consisted of 5th and 6th grade primary school pupils (10–12 years) of Greek‐origin families who came from the former Soviet Union (n ₁=1100). The control group consisted of Greek classmates of the immigrant pupils (n ₂=713). Also, teacher attitudes towards the effectiveness of current educational policies in Greece for immigrant pupils, as well as the difficulties they face during the teaching process, were explored through semi‐structured interviews (n ₃=165). Immigrant pupils were interviewed to gain a better picture of their attitudes towards the Greek school (n ₄=260). This paper presents some of the research findings that focus on learning and psychosocial difficulties. Finally, suggestions are offered for Greek educational policies pertaining to immigrant pupils.     

Accounting for Exclusion: Giving a ‘Voice’ and producing a ‘subject’

SUMMARY: This article examines a series of accounts of exclusion given by pupils and a teacher in interviews and a group discussion. It is argued that it is important to hear pupils' experiences. However, it is recognised that it is never possible to access an experience directly, since the process of research alway shapes the way an account is constructed. This does not invalidate the research, since it is argued that the way pupils relate to the interviewer and the way they talk about their exclusion seemed indirectly to reflect important differences in the way exclusion is experienced. Specifically, two ways of managing exclusion were identified by pupils: some pupils protested about being excluded and welcomed the invitation to tell their story. Others distanced themselves from the event, by speaking of their exclusion in objective and concrete terms. These styles of accounting are compared to the way in which the head teacher discusses the topic of exclusion.     

Conferring with Students in History Classes: Preservice Candidates Examine Instructional Practices Using Feedback Surveys

This article describes the use of student feedback questionnaires by history teacher license candidates in a classroom-based approach called “Conferring with Students.” During the past five years, at a large public university in Massachusetts, 125 teacher candidates wrote their own feedback surveys, received responses from more than 4,000 middle and high school students, reviewed the results, and used students' ideas and suggestions to consider and change classroom instructional practices. Surveys asked for feedback about two types of student-centered teaching methods, a “comfort” method (an instructional practice that the candidate was confident using to teach) and a “reach” method (an instructional practice the candidate was not confident using to teach). Initially, 90% of the candidates were reluctant, even afraid, to seek student feedback. However, after receiving comments about their teaching, the students' feedback propelled reflection and change of instructional practices with almost all of the candidates reporting that they would continue soliciting feedback from students as part of their development as full-time teachers.     

Educating Australia’s Jewish Communities about Child Sexual Abuse

It has been claimed that effective responses to child sexual abuse (CSA) must engage with the specific cultural, social, and religious contexts of the target communities. For Jewish communities in Australia, the program J-Safe was established to raise awareness, create cultural change, and empower the Jewish community to be able to prevent, recognize, and address child sexual assault within the school setting. This paper reports on the experiences of teachers in two Jewish-day schools who had participated in the J-Safe Project’s protective behaviors teacher training program. Participants’ accounts of the training indicate the Project builds teachers’ knowledge and supports teachers’ skill development in the areas of incidence, behavioral indicators and responding to disclosure suggest the training has relevance for the Jewish teaching context. However, the extent to which the training was successful at engaging with culturally specific norms within the Jewish community seems to have been limited, although it may be that the participants were not atypical from the wider group who participated in the J-Safe Project training.     

Two Teacher Educators Go to the Source: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Class in an Urban Charter High School

The authors of this article are two teacher educators who worked collaboratively to co-teach an interdisciplinary English and US history class to eleventh-grade students in an urban high school. They wanted to ensure the methods they were teaching preservice teachers were current and effective. The article discusses the foundational beliefs that influenced their teaching, the interdisciplinary curriculum they taught, some of the challenges they encountered, and a brief snapshot of the students' views of the curriculum. The authors discuss that putting their beliefs into practice outweighed the challenges they encountered—a culturally relevant, authentic, interdisciplinary curriculum can be effective in an urban classroom. The experience also assisted them in teaching their English and social studies methods classes.     

Towards congruence between teachers’ intentions and practice in intercultural education

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between teacher beliefs pertaining to cultural diversity and their actual teaching activities. Using a model-based approach, this study looks at beliefs regarding diversity issues at both the theoretical and empirical levels. At the theoretical level, we attempt to systematise the many meanings of ‘beliefs’ found in the literature. At the empirical level, we examine the link between theory, beliefs, and teaching activities relating to diversity, using integrated analysis tools. To accomplish this, we used a qualitative methodological approach to examine the relationship between theory and practice in education. The sample consisted of 45 in-service primary teachers. The first results showed a gap between what teachers tend to say and what they actually do. We argue that future research needs to focus on the effects of teacher beliefs on teacher practice, with special attention devoted to the reflective process.     

Service learning and the practice of social justice and care

The values of a social justice pedagogy in teacher education are assumed to be firmly established in South African higher education. This article discusses how serviced learning (SL) can provide practical experience of caring and serve the promotion of the ideals of social justice in two initial teacher education programmes. However, an analysis of data in this case study shows that, although SL practice has served as a platform for social justice and for care as two basic educational values, participants were not yet able to verbalize and theorize these values. They were also not able to embed these values in their reflection about service as an inherent component of education. With data from different role players in a number of SL projects, we show that the students’ discourse of what it means to be a caring teacher in a just society has not yet been developed despite the successful practical experience. It was found that, although the students had been building a practice ‘platform’ for service, they had not yet been able to articulate the conceptual intersect of care and social justice clearly. With this epistemological notion in mind, two main themes from the data analysis are discussed: 1) How SL shifted student learning from ideas ‘about’ service to implemented service, and 2) how the practical experience promoted reciprocity in inter-institutional and inter-generational communities of practice.     

'They are not like us and neither should they be': issues of teacher identity for teachers of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties

This article analyses notions of teacher identity for a group of teachers of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties. Teacher identity is analysed from the perspective of the role it plays in supporting the teachers' ideas of being separate and different from their teaching colleagues in mainstream education. For some of the teachers this is manifested in an identity to a cause, which is deep rooted and complex. It is argued that teacher educators need to be aware of the potential influence of teacher identity when planning and delivering initial teacher training and continued professional development. This is particularly pertinent in a context of supporting greater shared professional identity between teachers who work in segregated and mainstream contexts. It is also argued that the development of the discourses of inclusion needs to take account of the complexities of these issues. Whilst engaged in a doctoral research project exploring teachers' views of how pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities learn, issues of teacher identity emerged as an important element in the teachers' discussions about their work. This article focuses upon these issues, particularly in relation to professional development and a changing school culture that explicitly expects greater inclusive practice. It appears that the discourse relating to identity is about continua, tensions and boundaries that continually interplay. In my own developing understanding of issues of identity, I found the sociological paradigm helpful in offering an appreciation of identity that acknowledges the interplay between the individual and society. Notions of social identity, embracement and distancing offer a conceptual framework for appreciating the teachers' views in this study. Bakehurst and Sypnowich (1995) discuss the synergy of individual and societal influences on the development of identity: 'We are participants in our own construction and exercise some autonomy in the face of the forces of socialization. But conversely, the human mind is not just shaped by society, it is made by society' (Bakehurst and Sypnowich, 1995, p. 5, italics my addition). Jenkins (1996) suggests that changing understandings of identities coupled with changes and developments in society have created a tension and mismatch of identities in a social context:

The popular concern about identity is, in the large part perhaps, a reflection of the uncertainty produced by rapid change and cultural contact: our social maps no longer fit our social landscapes. (Jenkins, 1996, p. 9)

     

Elementary Preservice Teachers’ and Teacher Educators’ Perceptions of Financial Literacy Education

The authors conducted an online survey of elementary teacher education programs within a large midwestern state to assess preservice teachers’ and teacher educators’ beliefs about and preparedness to teach financial literacy. Very few preservice teachers had meaningful experiences with personal finance in high school, college, or personal decision making. No teacher educators reported ever teaching financial literacy in their higher education roles. Only 13% of teacher educators and 25% of preservice teachers thought that it was very important to teach financial literacy in elementary education. Most teacher education faculty and preservice teachers reported that they were not well qualified to use state economics standards or the JumpStart standards for financial literacy. Preservice teachers were more confident in meeting financial literacy standards than teacher educators. Both preservice teachers and teacher educators expressed openness to collaborating with other faculty members, members of the financial service industry, and parents to teach financial literacy. Follow-up phone interviews affirmed that elementary preservice teachers and teacher educators value social studies education (and financial literacy) less than reading and mathematics education. Qualitative results also suggest that elementary preservice teachers and teacher educators would like more easily accessible resources for teaching financial literacy.     

Evaluation of the In Touch training program for the management of alcohol and other drug use issues in schools

In Touch is a professional training program designed to develop staff skills and support structures so as to enable schools to manage alcohol and other drug (AOD) matters in a coordinated manner that maximizes beneficial outcomes for at-risk students, while at the same time maintaining school discipline and community relationships. This study is an evaluation of the impact of the program on alcohol and other drug (AOD) related knowledge, attitudes and activity of participating school staff, and on AOD management practice in their schools. Data from 53 intervention participants and 21 controls were compared at pre- and post-intervention. These data indicated a 46% increase in AOD knowledge among those who participated in In Touch training. Attitudes favorable to integrated, supportive management of AOD issues also increased significantly in this group, as did desirable practice. However, change in school practice was limited. Significantly more schools whose staff participated in In Touch training had a written drug policy at post-intervention, but schools' usual responses to AOD-related incidents were substantially the same. These findings indicate that professional training on the management of AOD matters can change the understanding and practice of individual staff, but if school structures and practice are to be substantially influenced, a broader program is required.     

A Multi‐method Approach to the Study of School Class Size Differences

This paper describes a multi‐method approach to data collection used in a large‐scale seven‐year longitudinal study of the effect of class size differences on classroom processes. There were five main types of process and the paper concentrates on the results from one of these: teaching interactions with pupils. It was felt that integration of results from quantitative and qualitative methods would help reconcile inconsistencies and limitations in previous research on this topic. Quantitative information was collected from systematic classroom observations and teacher completed time estimates to address relationships between class size and teacher time allocation, and teacher and pupil behaviour in class. But we also wanted a more qualitative assessment of relationships between class size and teaching through the use of methods that captured practitioners’ experiences, and through detailed case studies. Examples of integrated results from these four methods are given, along with some reflections on lessons learned.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHIATRISTS' COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING EXPERIENCE AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE PROFILE

A 28-item questionnaire was returned by 291 psychiatrists who bad completed training between 1962 and 1992. There were positive correlations between the amount of couple and family therapy training (CFTT) they received and the following: the extent to which graduate psychiatrists practice CFT; their involvement as supervisors, teachers, teaching program directors, or researchers; the extent to which they seek continuing education in CFT; their positive attitude toward CFT; and the extent to which they feel that their attitude to and interest in CFT has bad a positive effect on the milieu in which they practice and on their personal lives.     

Increasing access to higher education and employment,Ethiopian immigrants’ in Israel

In modern societies, where higher education serves as a significant vehicle of integration, the inclusion of immigrants within the realm of higher education is not a foregone conclusion. This is the result of cultural, economic, and social gaps. In some cases, the integration process is blocked prior to the stage of academic studies. This situation has resulted in the creation of a teacher education program for Ethiopian students in Israeli academic colleges of education for the purpose of bridging the gap between higher education and employment, and increasing the chances of the graduates’ admission into the field of teaching. The aim of the present study was to examine the success of the program, emphasizing the graduates’ integration into the teaching profession. It was conducted by means of Mixed Methods research. An examination of the data indicates that a substantial number of graduates were integrated into various educational settings. It also reveals the improving status of the graduates as well as the influence of the program on their personal and professional development.     

Effects on students of teacher training in use of a drug education curriculum

The study reported here examines the effects of differential teacher training in use of a drug education curriculum on students' knowledge levels, problem-solving and coping skills, attitudes towards planned decision making, behavioral intentions and tobacco and alcohol use. An experimental design was used to compare the effects of exposure to teachers who had either intensive staff development, in-service training or no training. The findings indicate a statistically significant difference between groups of students on the intention to drink alcohol. Students whose teachers had intensive staff development were less likely to intend to take a drink if offered than students whose teachers had in-service or no training. Possible reasons for a lack of significant results on other variables are the confounding influences of school, classroom and teacher effects.     

提升教员信息化弹药实践教学能力的思考

为满足信息化弹药人才培养的需要,分析了承训教员应具备的实践教学设计能力、实践教学组织能力和实践教学评价能力,提出从加强教员实践教学意识的培养、教学能力的培养和硬件条件建设等方面来提升承训教员的实践教学能力,以对信息化弹药实践教学起到较好地促进作用。     

Community Study for Social Studies Teachers

The absence of social studies curriculum is a problem because it undermines the essential purposes of schooling: to prepare participatory, contributing members of a democratic society. In this article, we argue that integrating the literacy and social studies curricula is one meaningful way to support such civic-minded social studies instruction in elementary classrooms. As 2 teacher educators working with teacher candidates placed in their final clinical before student teaching, we saw the potential to model meaningful integration in literacy and social studies. In this 2-year qualitative study, we highlight how 14 teacher candidates engaged in the integration of literacy and social studies during their yearlong placement in a professional development school program and what factors influence their implementation of integration. Findings from this study revealed that effective integration required a strong vision of the complexities of integration and the importance of intentional planning. To get past the constraints of traditional compartmentalized scheduling, teacher candidates needed high-quality modeling of integration within their clinical placement. We offer implications for teacher educators and school/university partnerships.     

Results of a pilot program for training bar staff in preventing aggression

One hundred and twenty-one staff from eight bars in Ontario, Canada participated in a three-hour training program that used a peer learning model to teach problem-solving skills regarding the prevention and management of aggressive behavior in bars. Participants showed significant positive changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding effective approaches to preventing aggression. The majority of participants reported that the training made them think about ways they handed problem situations and that they would change the way they handle problems in the future. Participants rated most aspects of the training as very useful, especially the group discussion. The program illustrates the potential for increasing skills and knowledge of bar staff in preventing aggression and associated injury.