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Eric.ed.gov – Prospective Mathematics Teachers’ Self-Referential Metaphors as Indicators of the Emerging Professional Identity

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Ideals play a key role in a student teachers’ identity work. They form targets to strive for and a mirror for reflection. In this paper, we examine Finnish mathematics student teachers’ metaphors for the teacher’s role (N=188). We classified the metaphors according to a model that identified teachers as subject matter experts, didactical experts, and pedagogical experts, with the addition of another two categories, self-referential and contextual. For the exploration of emerging professional identities, we studied the self-referential metaphors, which formed the most common category in the data. We observed that every third metaphor described either student teachers’ personalities or their incompleteness as teachers, or new beginnings or eras. Although these aspects were expected, they also inform us as teacher educators of the values and ideals that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Effective Coaching: Improving Teacher Practice and Outcomes for All Learners

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this brief is to synthesize research on coaching and to offer a framework of effective coaching practices. Part 1 provides general information on coaching, including the need for coaching and the goals of coaching. Part 2 describes critical coaching practices that are linked to improvements in teacher practice and learner outcomes. As these practices are most associated with such improvements, they are the recommended practices that should be central to the every-day routine of coaches working in general education or special education settings, as well in environments (e.g., homes, schools, childcare centers) with learners of all ages. Appendix A contains information about various coaching models commonly cited in research and applied in the field (e.g., literacy coaching, behavior coaching, math coaching). This brief is… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions of Out of School Learning within Science Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article examines what key aspects primary teachers highlight when they describe their use of out of school learning in the science subjects. The empirical study is made in the form of a semi-structured interview with primary teachers (N=15). Compared to earlier research in the area the results highlight the importance of clear learning aims for the outdoor sequence. The results show that teachers view outdoor education as an opportunity to study nature “for real”, which, according to teachers, increases the interest of the children. As aspects that obstruct outdoor teaching, teachers mainly describe different organizational-economic aspects. In their description of the learning content in the outdoor education, teachers mainly talk about the students’ interest (affective motivations) and the concrete activity or act (process-oriented motivations). The scientific… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strengthening the Math-Related Teaching Practices of the Early Care and Education Workforce: Insights from Experts. Policy Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: As a growing body of evidence links school success and early mathematical experiences, there is increasing interest in offering young children opportunities to bridge their informal understanding of mathematics with more formal concepts and processes. At the same time, many teachers and caregivers in the early care and education (ECE) field may not be adequately equipped to provide appropriate math-related experiences and instruction to young children age birth through five. The aim of this project, Strengthening the Math-Related Teaching Practices of the Early Care and Education Workforce, has been to identify promising practices and strategies for enhancing the ability of ECE practitioners to promote children’s mathematical understanding and competence. This paper summarizes the perspectives of nationally recognized experts in the field of mathematics and early care and… Continue Reading