Suchergebnisse

The author of this article presents Religious Education teachers continuing professional development in Poland in the context of political, social, economic, cultural and educational changes. During the last years, Poland has developed a national strategy for teacher training and introduced many new regulations. The aim of the new legal solutions is to prepare RE teachers as will be competent specialists in theology, accomplished in didactics and pedagogy and capable of caring for – and contributing to – the upbringing of pupils of varying needs; as well as organizers of social activities in class and school, also in effective cooperation with the local parish. Despite the many changes, RE teachers still have very difficult situation in Poland and face many challenges.

The purpose of this article is twofold: firstly, to discuss what teachers in Wales think about the Welsh Government's recent education (mainly school) policies and secondly, how the educational system in Wales might be improved. It is based on the findings from a general survey conducted by the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) Education. The views of 220 primary and secondary teachers and head teachers were gathered in 2014. The paper's central theme is that teachers in Wales generally welcome policies with a strong element of social justice but believe that there have been too many educational initiatives over recent years. They think the educational system in Wales can be improved through various means, including: reducing bureaucracy, increasing their professional autonomy, developing quality professional development and clear leadership. The findings are limited by the nature of a small-scale survey but reinforce conclusions reached in other research studies in the United Kingdom, regarding teachers' criticisms of the pace of curriculum change and initiative overload (Berliner, 2011; NUT, 2014) as well as general pointers towards more effective educational systems (OECD, 2014). For its part, the challenge for the Welsh Government is building consensus at a time when the performance of Welsh youngsters, relative to other countries, is poor.

Language practices around the world have experienced a significant shift in the last number of years (McDermott, 2011; Walsh, 2005). Communities that continue to speak minority or heritage languages, such as Irish Gaelic, have felt the effects of the various social, political and economic pressures that have gone hand in hand with globalization, resulting in a breakdown in intergenerational transmission (Anderson, 2011; Hornberger, 1998; Norris, 2004). In the Republic of Ireland, the education system has been set as the corner stone of Irish language revitalization efforts since the 1920s, thereby assigning much responsibility to Irish language teachers. Yet, there is a dearth of existing research that gives voice to Irish teachers, and their experiences and motivations to teach a language that just 1.8% of the population speak on a daily basis remain unclear (National Census of Ireland, 2011). In this study, I engage with teachers from both Gaeltacht (where Irish is spoken as a first language) and primarily English speaking parts of Ireland, in order to give a broader account of Irish teachers' experiences in different educational settings. In addition, I look to identify what implications a better understanding of teacher motivation could have for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs offered to Irish teachers, and situate these recommendations within the current educational policies that exist within the Irish education system. ; February 2017

The discipline Structural Considerations of Information explores the interests underlying communicational dynamics and information strategies, as well as the ways in which they correlate with messages. Considering this knowledge to be key in Communication Education, and having confirmed its close relationship with the dimensions of media competence, its presence is analyzed in the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) curriculum for teachers, whose training is crucial for the success of the process, developed by UNESCO, an organization that is a global referent in the field. A semantic content analysis reveals, from a quantitative perspective, a strong presence of thematic areas covered by the Structural Considerations of Information subject within the competencies and contents of the curriculum. However, at a qualitative level, there are fundamental weaknesses in its relationship with the structural approach to information. This occurs when the critical spirit of the text declines, starting with a definition of the media as sources of reliable information. The ubiquity of disinformation, and the key role played by stakeholders' knowledge, as well as the development of critical thinking to address it requires an update of this curriculum–the present review contributes to this development– highlighting the current necessity to address it from a structural vantage that fosters critical citizenship and a democratic process.

This study examined whether scaffolded lesson study might contribute to the emergence of a shared professional teaching knowledge culture among 4th grade social studies teachers. The study reports findings from a three-year lesson study professional development project that sought to develop professional teaching knowledge for problem-based historical inquiry among participating teachers. Participants included six 4th grade State History teachers from three different schools and three different school systems. Using qualitative data collected during three yearlong lesson study cycles, we present evidence that suggests that lesson study can be used to develop a shared professional teaching knowledge culture among 4th grade social studies teachers. We suggest, however, that a combination of factors might contribute to variations in teachers' participation in that shared professional teaching knowledge culture including the degree to which the teachers embraced the public nature of lesson study. These factors include the teachers' idiosyncratic views of teaching and learning, the teachers' individual tolerance for socially constructing curricula, and the degree to which teachers acceded to cultural obstacles within elementary schooling.

In order to enhance teachers' professional awareness, it is necessary to understand and value their subjective or personal knowledge and beliefs. This study investigated the change of science teachers' personal knowledge about teaching models and modelling in science within the context of educational reform in the Netherlands. The study followed nine experienced science teachers during the first years of the implementation of a new syllabus, which emphasises models and modelling. Data collection consisted of the repeated administration of a Repertory Grid instrument. From the results, three different types of personal knowledge concerning teaching models and modelling in science were identified, each of which showed significant change over time. Type 1 combined modelling as an activity undertaken by students with the learning of specific model content. In Type 2 the learning of model content was combined with critical reflection on the role and nature of models in science. Finally, in Type 3, the learning of model content involved both students' production and revision of models, and a critical examination of the nature of scientific models in general. Implications for the teachers' professional development are discussed.

<div><p><em>The study explored perceptions of secondary school learners of English on code-switching by teachers in the teaching of English. The qualitative inquiry focused on one rural day, and one urban boarding school. The study employed focus group discussions with groups of ten Form One and ten Form Three English learners per school. Results show that from the perspective of the learners, their ESL teachers code-switched from English to the learners' L1 as a teaching and learning tool, mainly to foster understanding among learners and between the learners and their teachers, and for other communicative functions. The majority of the learners expressed an appreciation of their teachers' code-switching but there were also negative sentiments. The study recommends that language policy planners revisit the English-only policy in the school and consider adopting the endo-normative rather than the exo-normative model of English for the education system. The study also recommends that the Ministry Education should hold workshops to sensitise teachers on how code-switching may best be employed as an instructional tool. Furthermore, the study recommends that ESL teachers be guided by the Postmethod pedagogy, a sense of plausibility as well as the notion of relativism in their decisions on code-switching. In addition, the inquiry recommends that the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council be sensitive to aspects of the local variety of English rather than set exo-normative models. Finally, the study recommends that further research be done on code-switching in school types which were not included in the sample for the present study.</em></p></div>

The problem under study was to review classroom assessment practices with special reference to national professional standards for teachers in Peshawar (Pakistan). This study will help to find gap assessments and provide useful information and guidelines for improvement. The population of the study comprised all boys' secondary school teachers working in the district of Peshawar. A sample of 392 (secondary school teachers, 148 from urban & 244 from rural) was selected through random sampling with the help of the Raosoft sampling calculator. The main objectives of the study were to determine the secondary school teachers' understanding of the national professional standards for teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To find out the secondary school teachers' classroom assessment practices in the light of national professional standards for teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A self-made questionnaire was used as a data collection tool, having a five point Likert scale by descriptive analysis and inferential analysis consisting of independent T-tests were used to summarize the responses. Most secondary school teachers needed more knowledge and understanding of the NPSTs and acknowledged their potential inadvertent non-compliance in the classroom. Although newly appointed teachers demonstrated more positive outcomes in terms of their familiarity and comprehension of national professional standards for teachers. It was recommended that for effective implementation of NPST, in-service teacher programs. To cope with new challenges in the field of education, NPST would review, improve and contextualize the latest trends and theories in the field of education.

APPROVED ; In recent years there has been an international resurgence in curriculum change. Intercontinental influences such as globalisation and international testing have resulted in a transformation of traditional educational approaches. These influences have been the catalyst behind the trends towards developing students with the skills required for a rapidly developing workplace where the only certainty is our uncertainty of their future requirements. This coupled with the digital revolution has changed peoples perceptions of not only how we learn but how we access information and what significance we place on knowledge. These challenges have resulted in a renewed effort across developed countries to implement curricular change which places the student at the centre of the learning experience and focuses on them becoming adaptable problem solvers. To achieve these aims, modern curriculum development has tended to follow a trend towards the deregulation of conventional prescriptive curricula. This new flexibility afforded to schools is often guided by a national curriculum that focuses on the learning outcomes of the student as opposed to the content of the learning. This model allows teachers and schools to design and tailor a curriculum to the needs of their students while also affording curriculum development bodies and governments influence over the national curriculum. However, this has resulted in a substantial change in the practice of teachers, often resulting in trepidation and resistance. Such opposition threatened the enactment of the changes in all but name and in some countries resulted in industrial action. Lines were drawn with curriculum developers and governments on one side and teachers and their unions on the other; the ensuing struggle threatened the very fabric of education systems. iv This thesis examines the complex and interwoven reasons behind why some changes are resisted and others embraced by teachers. This study primarily focuses on the factors that affect teachers decision-making towards curricula change in Irish post-primary schools. The overall goal of uncovering these factors is to provide stakeholders in education with an overview of how teachers make decisions about change. The thesis begins with an introduction to curriculum change and details the aims of this project. The literature review in this study explores curriculum structure, models, development and implementation from a national and international perspective. It examines existing literature on international curriculum trends and culminates in an overview of curricula reform in Ireland. The study then proceeds to develop a conceptual framework to explore the factors that may affect the decision-making process of teachers when faced with curriculum change. In this chapter, the author hypothesises the concepts that he believes may influence teachers decision-making, drawing on the fields of psychology, economics, behavioural economics, sociology and organisational change. The methodological approach to data collection encompasses three different methods: a survey, interviews and a Delphi study. All of these findings were analysed to assess the prevalent factors influencing teachers decision-making about curriculum change. Based on these findings, the main factors were organised into an explanatory framework. This framework comprises of three stages: the precognitive stage, the cognitive stage and the adjustment stage. Each stage consists of several factors that influence decision-making about curriculum change. Understanding these factors that affect Irish post-primary teachers decision-making about the change process can play a progressive role in the design and implementation of future curriculum change. It will also help teachers understand how they themselves make decisions about change.