On-site Teachers Research Articles

How do on-site teacher educators approach professional development? A study of insider/outsider hybridity

ABSTRACT In-service professional development is important for improving teaching. However, little research has examined how the roles, beliefs, and backgrounds of the individuals providing professional development can best be leveraged to create effective professional development programmes. A particularly understudied group are community-based On-Site Teacher Educators (OSTEs) who can serve as the bridge between university-based faculty and school employees. OSTEs are aware of the realities of classroom spaces, yet work outside of them, giving them a hybrid capacity to support teacher learning. In this exploratory qualitative multiple case study, the perspectives and practices of three OSTEs are examined as they supported elementary science teachers (n = 119) in multi-year professional development. Findings indicate that OSTEs have strong alignment between their professional development practices and their beliefs about knowledge and learning. OSTEs revealed that they are introspective about managing the gap between university faculty and classroom teachers. Cross-case analysis revealed that OSTEs identify a tension between affirming teachers as professionals and productively challenging teachers’ assumptions. To address this, they use modelling, co-teaching, and dialogue inside a stance of teaching as intellectual work. In sum, this research suggests that professional development provided by OSTEs can lead to transformative change in schools.

Understanding interpersonal interaction characteristics in a blended synchronous classroom: a multimodal discourse analytic perspective

ABSTRACT One measure of the effectiveness of a blended synchronous classroom (BSC) is the quality of interpersonal interactions. However, qualifying the complex dynamics requires more than frequency analyses of verbal behaviours. This study used a multimodal discourse analysis framework to describe the dynamic coordination of interpersonal interactions in a BSC. The results showed that task ownership types affect the conversion between different interpersonal interactive modes. Moreover, giving equal attention to remote students, as a quality evaluation indicator of BSCs, needed to consider the interaction of teachers at both ends. Moreover, LS.RS and RS.LT interactions drove the healthy development of interpersonal interactions. In addition, the on-site teacher’s eye gaze at the remote student, combined with rhythmic gestures, not only acted as a visual cue to indicate important linguistic information to attract students’ attention but also modulated the salience of semantic feature words in the accompanying discourse. Thus, on-site local teachers should consider the appropriate interaction modes and the synergy of nonverbal behaviours to construct highly engaging learning environments.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic universal prevention program for both internalizing and externalizing problems in children: two feasibility studies

BackgroundThe present study examined the effectiveness of the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2) for internalizing and externalizing problems for children aged 9–11 years.MethodsWe used two feasibility studies. The Up2-D2 entailed 12 sessions delivered by teachers; each session was developed based on cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological interventions. In Studies 1 and 2, 58 elementary school children aged 9–11 and 73 elementary school children aged 10–11 attended the Up2-D2. The teachers in Study 1 received 1.5 h of on-site teacher training for learning rationales for interventions, how to run the program, and received ongoing supervision by professionals with mental health expertise. In contrast, the teachers in Study 2 were given self-learning DVD materials in place of on-site training and ongoing supervision.ResultsMixed models revealed that general difficulties, which is total score of both internalizing and externalizing problems, decreased in Study 1 but not in Study 2. Additional analyses for children with subclinical general difficulties revealed that general difficulties, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems decreased in Study 1, whereas in Study 2, general difficulties and internalizing problems decreased, except for externalizing problems.ConclusionsThese results suggest that on-site teacher training and ongoing supervision are imperative for improving general difficulties in children at a universal level. In addition, universal preventive interventions by classroom teachers without on-site training and continuous supervision might be efficacious for reducing general difficulties and internalizing problems for children with subclinical difficulties.

Unexplored Potential in Online In-Service Teacher Professional Development towards Teaching with Technology: Teacher Perceptions, Challenges and Spill-Over Effects in Kenya

Online courses can provide a worthwhile alternative to on-site Teacher Professional Development (TPD) especially in developing countries such as Kenya. This study was based on a training intervention which helped teachers to cope with the sudden turn of events that came after the government closed schools as one of the COVID-19 containment measures. A private university in Kenya designed and launched an online in-service course to respond to the needs of teachers amidst the pandemic. The university’s Teacher Enhancement Programme (TEP) realized that the training proved to be a game changer for the group of teachers who participated. The online training intervention enabled the teachers to get in touch with learners who were otherwise inaccessible. This study is a descriptive survey with both quantitative and qualitative data from a post survey questionnaire and a focused group discussion. The outcomes of the study indicated that online teacher enhancement programmes are an uncharted potential option for TPD even though there were challenges. The training intervention boosted teacher confidence in using technology to teach, and encouraged them to venture and discover more technology-based teaching tools on their own. The training intervention also led to improved teacher performance in the employment of emergency remote teaching within their learning institutions.

Developing a Disaster Management Education and Training Program for Children with Intellectual Disabilities to Improve “Zest for Life” in the Event of a Disaster - A Case Study on Tochigi Prefectural Imaichi Special School for the Intellectually Disabled –

In this study, we first discuss the current status and issues of disaster management education in the context of special support education in Japan, in view of the casualties of those with disabilities during major past earthquakes in Japan. We highlight that there are very few examples of practical implementation of, instructional material for, or previous studies on disaster management education for disabled children, or an established systematic instructional method. As a result, disaster management education tailored to the specific type of disability has been implemented on a school-to-school basis among Special Support Schools for children with disabilities. In many cases, teacher-led evacuation drills have been considered disaster management education. This is an indication that the disaster management education currently practiced in Special Support Schools is inadequate to achieve the goal of “fostering the attitude of acting on one’s initiative” as set forth by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). In view of the situation in Japan, where casualties due to natural disasters continue to occur frequently since the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is urgent that we promote practical disaster management education to foster the Zest for Life among disabled children. This paper is a case study of disaster management education that targets those with intellectual disabilities, which is the largest reported disability type among children enrolled in Special Support Schools in Japan. We applied the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) process in instructional design to develop an earthquake disaster management program designed to heighten the capacity of disabled children to foresee and circumvent danger to themselves, so as to protect their lives from large earthquakes which occur frequently in Japan. Specifically, the objective is to apply the earthquake disaster management education program, developed by the authors in a previous study, to children with intellectual disabilities. To this end, we implemented the program at the target school and verified its educational effect while taking into consideration the degree or condition of disability and the learning characteristics of the intellectually disabled and developed a valid program for intellectually disabled children. The program allows the teachers of Special Support Schools to practice disaster management education in the context of daily classroom study with students without the need to dispatch a disaster management expert to the school each time a program is implemented. Additionally, the program can be customized by the onsite teacher for individual schools, which can lead to a systematic program in disaster management education. In addition, we propose a framework to establish a network of stakeholders, including disaster management experts or organizations and educational institutions to effectively and strategically promote disaster management education. This framework makes it possible to implement the present program the most impactful way, and to maximize the benefits to the schools in Tochigi prefecture.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pediatric Long-term Care Facility Staff Regarding Infection Control for Acute Respiratory Infections and Influenza Vaccination

We surveyed clinical staff and on-site teachers working at pediatric long-term care facilities regarding prevention and control of acute respiratory infections and influenza in staff and residents. We uncovered knowledge gaps, particularly among teachers and clinical staff working <5 years at sites, thereby elucidating areas for targeted staff education.

초등학교와 중학교 교사의 교육과정 정보수집 방식에 대한 사례연구

With the introduction of the “Study on the Activation of the Modification System of Curriculum” on-site teachers’ continuous inspection of the contents of each subject’s education has become significantly important than before. This is because the policy presumes that teachers frequently reflect on the requirements raised through ongoing checks of training content in the field. In other words, it is necessary to pay attention to the on-site teacher’s requirements for the curriculum, since ongoing checks on educational content can be powered by on-site teachers who are curriculum practitioners. In this study, we look at the methods of collecting data on the curriculum of on-site mathematics teachers according to these needs. This will in turn reveal the teachers’ needs in this process. To this end, the present study conducted preliminary interviews with one teacher of elementary and middle school, and then developed a meeting plan based on this. Under the established interview plan, the FGI was conducted for two elementary school teachers and three middle school math teachers. The number of interviews was one basic interview per group and one additional interview, if necessary. Through this research, we were able to collect information when math teachers needed materials related to the curriculum and the type of data they always refer to. It was also found that there were different requirements in teachers’ curriculum data depending on their sensitivity to the assessment. This is a basic study that provides a basis for research on the development of materials related to the curriculum that can help teachers’ in classes, as suggested by future researchers.

Concentrating efforts on low-performing schools: Impact estimates from a quasi-experimental design

This paper presents the impact evaluation results of the Colombian program Todos a Aprender (Everyone Learning Program, ELP), a multi-level intervention targeting low-performing schools. The main objective of the program was to increase math and language test scores of these schools through on-site teacher training, principal training and textbooks for students. Using census data from public schools containing detailed longitudinal information since 2010, the starting year of the program, and taking advantage of targeting rules based on dropout and grade repetition rates we fit a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to estimate program impacts. We also fit a difference-in-difference matching model as well as blocking with regressions to estimate the ATT impact of the program, based on observed characteristics used in the targeting process. Overall results indicate no significant impact of the program on test scores, grade repetition nor dropout rates. Additional analyses from a representative sample of 400 schools collected in the field suggest that deficiencies in the program's design and implementation could explain the lack of significant program impacts.

Exploring the Process of Teaching Professionalism Through on-site Teacher Education: A Case of Global Citizenship Education

Exploring the Process of Teaching Professionalism Through on-site Teacher Education: A Case of Global Citizenship Education

유아 체육 관련 교육과정의 안전 영역 도입에 따른 운영 방안

This study was conducted with the aim of finding an effective and substantial method of teaching in the safety areas of the athletic and curriculum, according to the introduction of the Safety Zone of the Physical Education Course. The following results were obtained through analysis of education courses, foreign cases, and advanced research. First, the training institutions that train their prospective physical education teachers need to establish a curriculum to improve the level of sophistication and professionalism required for the sports safety education. Training in safety training for the sports safety training of on-site teachers is required, rather than training in general first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Second. The traditional forms of education are being changed to learners and problem-solved learning. It is required to increase the importance of physical education when budgeting unit schools. Third, training and manuals for sports safety education should be produced and distributed urgently to establish the identity of the safety areas in the physical education process.

Pendekatan Pelatihan On-Site dan Step by Step untuk Optimalisasi Fungsi Guru dalam Pembelajaran

Remoteness of programme content from teachers' real work situation and unsuitability of approach employed were suspected as main reasons contributing to the failure of many inservise teacher training programmes. A step by step, onsite teacher training (SSOTT) model was tried out in this experiment to study if the weakness of inservise programmes could be rectified. As it was tried out in relation with kindergarten mathemathics it was then called SSOTT-MTW (Step by Step Onsite Teacher Training-Methemathics Their Way) model. Eighty four kindergartens were involved, in which 84 teachers and 877 pupils were recruited as experimental subjects. The teachers were devided into three group. One group was instructed by using One Period Teacher Training (OPOTT-MTW) model, second group was trained with SSOTT-MTW model and the last group was given no training (NTT) at all. Result of the experiment showed that the other groups. It was also shown that pupil and parents participation in teaching-learning activities also significantly improved.

Challenges to early childhood education in rural China: lessons from the Hebei province

This research study examined the challenges faced by early childhood education (ECE) in rural China based on a qualitative study of 217 kindergarten classrooms in a large agricultural, rural province. This study utilised onsite teacher surveys, interviews, and observational field notes. This investigation's findings revealed important information in regard to (a) enrollment, class size, and student–teacher ratios; (b) facilities, basic furnishings, and materials; (c) teacher qualifications; and (d) curriculum and pedagogy. Kindergartens in the rural province of Hebei, typical of Chinese provinces with economically disadvantaged students and inadequate ECE funding, were found to be of poor quality across every ECE indicator measured. For the future improvement and well-being of children and their families in rural China, the authors recommend reform policy to increase ECE quality by affiliating quality kindergartens with existing elementary public school structures and to improve teacher quality by advancing teacher benefits, professional status, and professional development opportunities.

Trying to Reach More Children: Videoconferencing in the Spanish Foreign Language Elementary School Classroom

Given the need to expand the offering of language classes to all elementary students, elementary schools have looked for innovative ways to teach young learners one or more languages while mitigating the costs. This study analyzed a Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program in an inner-city elementary school in the Southeastern United States that was designed to help underserved students experience the benefits of early language learning. This article describes a yearlong case study of a fifth-grade class participating in the technology-enhanced Spanish instructional program, comparing student and teacher language behavior in each context. The FLES program offered daily Spanish instruction through videoconferencing, videotaped lessons, and an on-site teacher. Although student language production and student-to-student interaction were minimal in all three contexts, student interviews showed other benefits of early Spanish study, including enthusiasm for learning other languages and experiencing other cultures, a feeling of success in second language study, and increased awareness and knowledge about and appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world. This article concludes by offering suggestions for further research and the development of FLES programs, especially in areas where it is difficult to have a full-time language teacher.

어린이집의 자유놀이에서 놀이 틀 유지와 변화를 위한 유아의 또래관계 전략들

이 연구는 놀이 참여자들의 놀이 특징에 대한 이해를 바탕으로 놀이 틀 유지와 변화를 위한 유아의 또래관계 전략을 살피고 그 의미를 이해하기 위하여 실증적 방식을 지양하고 유아의 생활세계인 어린이집의 만 5세반 자유놀이 시간을 참여관찰 하였다. 이를 위해 2012년 3월부터 10월까지 매주 1-2회에 걸쳐 현장을 방문하였으며, 수집된 자료는 연구자의 관찰기록, 참여자 면담, 참여자 기록물 등이다. 연구결과, 유아는 놀이 틀 유지를 위해 '거절하기', '무력화시키기', '동의적 해석해주기', '놀이의 규칙 바꾸기'와 같은 전략을, 놀이 틀 변화를 위해 '이르기', '내편으로 만들기', '제 3자 받아들이기'와 같은 전략을 사용하였다. 이와 같은 놀이 틀 유지를 위한 유아의 전략들은 유아가 선택과 배제의 변증법과 경계의 떨림이라는 삶의 의미를 경험하는 존재임을 드러내었다. 이 연구는 놀이 틀 유지와 변화를 위한 유아의 구체적인 노력을 드러냄으로써 그동안 부정적인 것으로 인식되어 오던 '사회적 배척'에 대해 유아의 관점에서 이해할 수 있는 시사점을 제공한다. 또한 관련 현장의 교사들이 유아의 또래관계에 개입할 때 유아의 관점을 이해하고 보다 구체적인 개입을 할 수 있도록 도울 수 있을 것이다. This study, based on understanding the play features of the participants, explores early children's peer-relation strategies of maintaining and altering play frame and understanding the meaning of the strategies. Free play of 5-year-old children's was observed. The child-care center was visited 1 or 2 days a week, from March to October, 2012. The data collected were based from field notes, interviews with participants, their workbooks and more. The participants used strategies such as 'refusing', 'incapacitating', 'interpreting in a way to sympathize', and 'changing the rules of play' to maintain the play, whilst 'tell-on', 'being on the same side', 'accepting 3rd party' features were used to alter play frame. Participants using these various play-frame strategies experienced life implications of 'dialectic of exclusion and selection' and 'quiver of boundary'. This study, specifying efforts of the children to maintain and alter the play frame, will provide an understanding of perception of "social exclusion" to children, which has been viewed negatively in the past. It will also benefit on-site teachers in helping them understand peer-relationship within children and provide a more in-depth intervention for peer-relationship issues.

Theorising on-site teacher education: Philosophical Project Knowledge (PPK)1

Working within the general framework of Habermas and Shulman, the research reported here probes new directions of teacher education and school–university partnerships. The paper presents preliminary evidence of the theorising of teaching practice by pre-service teachers and university staff as they work together with the praxis inquiry protocol and preliminary data regarding the generation of Philosophical Project Knowledge. The project attempts to open up the question of epistemological equity for lower socio-economic children in particular by describing and theorising practice involving pre-service teachers so that communities of practice are established in all classrooms. The research stance is one of democratic practitioner research so that generalised ideas emerge from professional practice and are embedded in the reality of classroom problems and experience. In adopting a general research methodology of autoethnography, the authors critically reflect on, analyse and change their own practice without being judgemental of others. Reported examples of practice are paraphrased and de-identified with protocols regarding privacy and confidentiality followed. Ongoing discussion of ethical conduct is a central aspect of self-critical professional practice.

Tara Goldstein, Two languages at work: Bilingual life on the production floor. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1997. Pp. xvi, 277. DM 198.00.

For readers who are interested in learning how and why speakers select among competing language varieties, Goldstein's critical ethnography of immigrant factory workers in Toronto provides compelling documentation. She was employed as an on-site teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) at Stone Specialities, a manufacturing company that hired large numbers of Portuguese-speaking workers from the Azores. The workplace ESL classes were less successful than expected, so she undertook an in-depth ethnographic study to determine why.

Yirrkala : Aboriginal Studies

Daynawa Nurruwutthun is 20 years old and a teacher at Yirrkala Community School. She belongs to the Munyuku clan and is of the Yirritja Moiety and Narritjan sub-section.She attended school at Yirrkala and started teaching in 1975. During 1976 and 1977 she completed the 1st Year of the On-site Teacher Training Program at Yirrkala.After attending the Bilingual Conference in Darwin in 1976 and talking with other Aboriginal teachers she returned to Yirrkala determined to begin an Aboriginal Studies Program for the Infant School.After discussions with other Aboriginal teachers, four areas of study were developed. These have now been extended to the six following areas: bush food and sea food; natural science; Homeland Centres; old ways; bush medicine; culture, i.e. social organisation and behaviour.