10 research outputs found
We are more than Numbers: African American Students’ Perceptions of Exemplary Mathematics Teachers
No full textVideo as a Means to an End
No full textHaving teachers who can demonstrate and document teaching effectiveness, ethical behavior, professional obligations, and willingness to embrace continuous learning is important to for the well-being of the field. Video serves as a viable means of addressing these concerns. In particular, use of video in teacher training promotes a disposition for reflection on and documentation of emerging practice. It also serves to document transfer of classroom based knowledge into teaching even as it provides a tool for the documentation of growth across time. The chapter provides an outline of best practices in the use of video in teacher training, focusing on problems and techniques of video production that support quality recording and production of videos in class and in the field. Various categories of video appropriate for use in Teacher Training programs are addressed and examples of use are provided. Directions for getting started are provided along with a process for implementation using both hard and soft scaffolding
Preparing to teach with flipped classroom in teacher preparation programs
No full textThe chapter outlines best practices in the use of Flipped Classroom to promote active and meaningful learning in higher education, specifically preservice teacher preparation courses. The theoretical foundation supporting the use of Flipped Classroom is reviewed as well as issues related to its use. Recommendations as to how to integrate Flipped Classroom are examined as well. Linkage to the goals of teacher preparation programs are made to assure the reader\u27s understanding of the recommendations that follow
Technology Integration and the Preservice Teacher: A Roadmap for Reflection and Observation During Early Field Experiences
No full textExploring Preservice Teacher Perspectives on Video Games as Learning Tools
No full textDespite their popularity with learners, many K–12 teachers are reluctant to use video games as learning tools. Addressing issues surrounding this reluctance is important since the educational use of video games is supported by learning theory and an emerging research base. Specifically, this study adopts exploratory research as a means to examine the perceptions of preservice teachers before and after using a set of video games as teaching and learning tools. A convenience sampling method was used with 41 preservice teachers. Data collected came from a researcher-developed survey instrument that queried participants’ perceptions of the value of videogames as learning tools. Findings indicated that although a majority agreed that video games can support many specific teaching and learning tasks, many remain skeptical of their value in classroom settings, with many of those participants also doubting their ability to successfully integrate video games into their teaching. In terms of willingness to use video games in their teaching, a small positive change occurred within the group reporting neutrality on the pretest. Given these results, a discussion of issues related to willingness to integrate video games is offered
From corporation to community: Culturally relevant pedagogy in an urban laboratory for school reform
No full textBackground/Context: Memphis has, in many ways, become ground zero for neoliberal-or corporate-reform efforts, including a statewide turnaround school district, proliferation of charter schools, and value-added teacher evaluation measures. Along with these reforms come models of schooling that undermine the concept of the community school, leading to different conceptions of schools, teachers, and students. In this reform context, it is challenging to implement culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in a way that is true to its three pillars: academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness. The challenges that those who desire to implement CRP face can be categorized as either conceptual-representing a lack of understanding of CRP\u27s conceptual underpinnings-or systemic-representing institutional barriers that impede the integration of CRP. Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this analytic essay is to outline particular challenges to CRP in a hyper-reform context and to propose a framework describing changes that must take place in the process of implementing CRP. Setting: The authors use Memphis as a model of hyper-reform and the backdrop for discussions of how CRP can be implemented in such a setting. Research Design: This paper is an analytic essay. Conclusions/Recommendations: We propose that effectively implementing CRP in a reform context is a process that requires a shift from a methodology of individualism to a methodology of collectivism. We align corporate reform with an individualist approach, while CRP, we argue, takes a more collectivist stance. The shift from individualism to collectivism also signals a shift in our conceptions of students, from trainees to successful citizens; teachers, from engineers to artists and activists; and schools, from corporations to community. A quick tour of the school reveals nothing out of the ordinary: Classrooms, desks, cafeteria tables, bulletin boards, posters with announcements, etc. But a closer look exposes several clues to the influence of local and national trends in educational reform. First, it is a charter school, a fact attested to by the student uniforms3/4plaid skirts and button-down shirts for girls, and khaki pants with shirt and tie for boys. Also, an observer would notice that each teacher\u27s door is decorated with the name and paraphernalia of her or his college alma mater. The local public university is heavily represented on these doors, along with a small number of other local or regional universities. However, sprinkled throughout the school are decorations reflecting the universities of the Teach for America corps members who are part of the school\u27s faculty: Syracuse, Valparaiso, Florida, Washington University, etc. In addition, a quick look inside each classroom reveals data walls, places to track student achievement over the course of the semester and school year. Similarly, an announcement on the television screen in the cafeteria announces the school\u27s distinction as a reward school, meaning that the school\u27s gains on the standardized achievement tests were among the highest in the state. In the same cafeteria is a bulletin board featuring examples of nonverbal classroom cues, snapping, and tracking with your eyes. The title of the bulletin board is, What\u27s the word on culture
