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Eric.ed.gov – An Examination of Technology Training Experiences from Teacher Candidacy to In-Service Professional Development

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of in-service teachers concerning the effectiveness of technology training from a teacher education preparation program to in-service professional development. The findings of the study revealed that inservice teachers have had varying degrees of technology experiences from their teacher education preparation programs to professional development training ranging from no experience to applicable experiences to help foster transition into classroom teaching and learning. An effective training system in teacher education programs should be implemented to ensure that, with the presence and introduction of new technology in the classroom, the teachers are equipped with newly developed skills. The technology skills that in-service teachers placed the most value on achieving related to the technology tools associated with their discipline of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Emphasis of Inquiry Instructional Strategies: Impact on Preservice Teachers’ Mathematics Efficacy

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Using a Mixed Methods approach, this study investigated changes in levels of self-efficacy among elementary preservice teachers following a semester course on teaching elementary students’ mathematics. Participants in this study included 347 preservice elementary teachers at a mid-size regional university who had just completed an elementary mathematics methods course. The data were collected from several semester groups. The instruments used were the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument, interview data, and observation data collected during the clinical experience. The focus of this study was to compare the changes in teacher self-efficacy following a methods course that emphasized hands-on mathematics instruction with manipulatives by means of the 5E instructional format. The results of the paired-samples t-test indicated that there was a significant difference in the preservice elementary teachers’ self-efficacy… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Designing Spaces for Creativity and Divergent Thinking: Pre-Service Teachers Creating Stop Motion Animation on Tablets

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In recent years, tablets have been shown to serve as incredible teaching tools in classrooms around the world. In mathematics education, divergent thinking, creativity, and play may play a key role in formation of adaptive thinking and math achievement. This qualitative, participatory action research investigated the use of an instructional model that provided minimal instruction in the use of tablets to create stop motion animation movies. This study focused on the themes and patterns that emerged as pre-service teachers integrate a design thinking philosophy as they explore creativity and divergent thinking through the creation of stop motion animation movies. This study employed a participatory action research design that examined the use of an instructional approach informed by design thinking that utilized tablets to enable preservice teachers to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics in Early Childhood: Teacher Educators’ Accounts of Their Work

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: While early childhood practitioners have long been asked to have complex understandings of child development and provide rich, meaningful educational experiences for children, focusing on mathematics marks new terrain. Consequently, teacher educators are now tasked with figuring out how to communicate new ideas about early mathematics education to early childhood practitioners, yet we know little about their work. This paper examines what early childhood teacher educators have to say about their work. We found that there were only small differences in how they described: (1) what they teach; (2) how to teach it; (3) resources they draw from; and (4) what informs their work. When there were differences in their approaches, these often were reflective of whether the teacher educators had more of an early childhood or… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Pre-Service Teachers’ Lived Experiences with Taking Courses through Learning Management Systems: A Qualitative Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Learning management systems (LMS) are web-based platforms used for enhancing and supporting classroom teaching or delivering online instruction. Much of the earlier research has focused on their technological features and implementations into instruction. However, investigating what and how teachers and students think about and experience with LMS based on their actual usage is needed to realize educational potential of these systems. This study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers’ lived experiences about taking courses through Moodle LMS. The research was designed as a qualitative study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through content analysis technique via Nvivo 7.0 software. The sample included 25 college students majoring in Computer and Instructional Technology Education at a state university in Turkey. Majority of the participants indicated that Moodle was… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – An Exploration of Preservice Teachers’ Reasoning about Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Research indicates that many English learners (ELs) have not been effectively supported in meeting their academic learning goals. This explains, in part, the growing interest and corresponding research on the essential teacher knowledge-base for teaching ELs. Despite the attention paid to this issue, research on preservice teachers’ reasoning and instructional decision-making, especially regarding teaching mathematics to ELs remains underexplored. For this reason, we examined–through the use of authentic teaching scenarios–how ten preservice mathematics teachers, at the end of their teacher training, chose to present mathematical concepts to their EL learners. We also studied, in depth, the rationale behind their choices. Qualitative analyses of these data revealed that pre-service mathematics teachers’ instructional decision making was grounded in their perceptions of ELs as either a homogenous or a markedly… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Perception of Math and Math Education in the Rural Midwest. Working Paper No. 37

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Using the qualitative research method known as folknography, the authors led a research team to the heart of Illinois farm country to ask the question “What are the perceptions of the people of the Midwest concerning math and math education?” A review of the literature includes Canadian and Australian references on the topic, as well as information from the United States, and the targeted geography and population is described. Research followed the pattern of a similar study conducted in Appalachia in 2004. A preliminary survey was planned to gather benchmarking statistical data and to open respondents up to the possibilities of a folknographic interview. Folknographers entered the field in May 2006 to perform focused and intensive field research. Findings include: (1) belief that young people can not… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Interpretation Awareness of Creativity Mathematics Teacher High School

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purposes of this study are: a) to investigate high school math teacher creativity equality, b) to investigate what factors can inhibit their creativity consciousness. The subjects of this study consisted of two high school math teacher who had a different experience academically. The results of the qualitative research show the relationship between creativity and high school math teacher is focused on procedures and not on the product, presents the conception refers to the creativity in the perspective of learners. The observation of classes conducted by researchers for two weeks in a row can be used as an indicator that in teaching mathematics, high school teacher who observed indirectly applying creativity in teaching math though their confidence is lacking. They give an opportunity to him to be… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Snacks: Using Animations and Games to Fill the Gaps in Mathematics

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Math Snacks animations and support materials were developed for use on the web and mobile technologies to teach ratio, proportion, scale factor, and number line concepts using a multi-modal approach. Included in Math Snacks are: Animations which promote the visualization of a concept image; written lessons which provide cognitive complexity for understanding; and active, situated learning activities to facilitate memorable experiences to deepen comprehension. This pilot study compared pre-post test gains for 460 sixth and seventh grade students enrolled in nine different classrooms. In five of the nine classrooms, teachers utilized the “Teacher Guide: that corresponded with the five Math Snacks animations and one game and in four classrooms teachers used the same Math Snacks animations and one game, but were free to develop their own lessons… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Perceptions of Preservice Teachers about Adaptive Learning Programs in K-8 Mathematics Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Adaptive learning programs are frequently used in the K-8 mathematics classroom. These programs provide instruction to students at the appropriate level of difficulty by presenting content, providing feedback, and allowing students to master skills before progressing. The purpose of the study was to seek to interpret how preservice teachers’ experiences influence their perceptions and plans to integrate adaptive learning programs in their future K-8 mathematics classroom. This was a qualitative study with 17 participants who were enrolled in an undergraduate teacher education program. Data was collected and analyzed from archived journals the participants completed as a part of their K-8 Math Methods course, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. The findings from this study indicate that the participating preservice teachers perceive adaptive learning programs to be beneficial for… Continue Reading