Educational Reasons Research Articles

Pedagogical reasoning ability: is it necessary for preservice chemistry teachers?

Teachers need to develop their teaching competencies, such as content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and basic teaching skills. An alternative approach for improving the ability of preservice chemistry teachers to teach is by developing their pedagogical reasoning ability. This research using a mixed method methodology. Preservice chemistry teachers initially demonstrated limited pedagogical reasoning ability, especially in transformation stage. The results show that the profile of preservice chemistry teachers’ pedagogical reasoning development continues to increase in the course of research.

Kimya Öğretmenlerinin Pedagojik Muhakemelerinin Öğretim Döngüsü Boyunca Değerlendirilmesi

Being regarded as a part of pedagogical content knowledge, science education research community has not reached a consensus about the ways how to measure pedagogical reasoning. As an early attempt to address that issue, the aim of this research is to evaluate chemistry teachers’ pedagogical reasoning during planning-teaching-reflecting parts of a lesson related to nature of equilibrium in chemical reactions. Data on pedagogical reasoning that underlies teachers’ instructional decisions and teaching actions were collected by pre- and post-observation interviews and stimulated recall interviews. Responses that teachers gave to interview questions were analyzed by evaluation criteria suggested to measure pedagogical reasoning, and results were scored accordingly. Results of this research show that the extent of chemistry teachers’ pedagogical reasoning is nearly 50 percent. As planning is the part that contributes the most to that value, reflecting is the part that contributes the least. Pedagogical reasoning dimensions in teaching and reflecting decreased from curriculum saliency to students’ understanding of science. However, pedagogical reasoning dimensions in planning did not show an important change. The lowest score gained by participants was students’ understanding of science dimension, and the highest one was the dimension of curriculum saliency. Recommendations for chemistry teacher education and pedagogical content knowledge and pedagogical reasoning research are presented.

‘How do I choose?’: mathematics teachers’ sensemaking about pedagogical responsibility

ABSTRACT Teachers’ decisions are often undergirded by their sense of pedagogical responsibility: whom and what they feel beholden to. However, research on teacher sensemaking has rarely examined how teachers reason about their pedagogical responsibilities. The study analysed an emotional conversation among urban mathematics teachers about what they teach mathematics for, given the many non-mathematical challenges they and their students face. The familiarity and simplicity of love and life skills narratives deployed to describe what it means to be a good teacher and to do good teaching may be comforting, but limit teachers’ engagement with other authentic forms of pedagogical reasoning about their pedagogical responsibility in complex sociopolitical contexts. The findings reveal the importance of opportunities to explore alternate possibilities ‘for what,’ especially within structured and supportive teacher collaborative groups.

TT-SET augmented with POT: a potential framework for academics’ pedagogical reasoning

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses academics’ perceptions of the use of teacher-tailored student evaluation of teaching (TT-SET) augmented with peer observation of teaching (POT) for promoting their reflection in the process of pedagogical reasoning. This constructivist qualitative case study involved 11 academics teaching English at a university in Vietnam. Data were collected through multiple data collection methods and analysed inductively and thematically. The findings suggested that the theoretical framework developed for this study helped explain the changes in academics’ pedagogical reasoning, particularly reflection, leading to academics’ new comprehension of practice, attempted changes to improve practice, enhanced self-efficacy, and improved collaboration and collegiality. Several challenges found during the implementation of the intervention suggested that contextual and cultural factors need considering in a revised framework for it to be successful.

History teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and the dynamics of classroom implementation in Ghana

The Ghanaian senior high-school history curriculum encourages teachers to guide students to explore, question and construct historical interpretations, rather than accept established historical narratives. This study investigates how those teachers conceive and implement the curriculum intent by exploring their pedagogical reasoning and classroom practices. The project described in this paper draws from a range of investigative instruments including in-depth interviews, classroom observations, post-lesson interviews and teachers’ planning paperwork from 15 public senior high schools in Ghana’s Central Region. This research found that teachers’ pedagogical reasoning was consistent with constructivist educational theory as well as responsive to the history curriculum, but that their stated understandings did not align with classroom practice. The findings indicate limited constructivist strategies in history lessons, as most teachers were didactic in approach and tended to teach history as a grand narrative.

Elementary school teacher’s problems in the process of pedagogical reasoning in proportion from the perspective of curriculum maker

Elementary school teacher’s problems in the process of pedagogical reasoning in proportion from the perspective of curriculum maker

The Role of L1 in Foreign Language Teaching Classrooms

In the language teaching classes; there may be more than one language as the language of verbal and written instructions, introduced by the instructor or through course materials, the questions directed to the instructor or the explanations of the instructor about subjects which are not understood, or about learner questions and statements. It is possible to divide these languages into three groups: target language, medium of instruction, and native language. In language teaching classrooms, determining the place, the order and the ratio of these languages (target language, medium of instruction, and native language) according to levels and language teaching contexts is one of the basic problematics in the development of pedagogical reasoning skills of instructors and management of teaching. This paper discusses, the place and function of the native language of the learners and what they should be, especially in the context of foreign language teaching among these problematics. In general, it is observed that instructional attitudes towards the use of native language are “complete prohibition”, “allowed as little as possible”, “consciously legitimize the use of certain situations”. This paper focuses on the role of native language of learner in foreign language teaching classrooms, presented data and views by means of literature review and supports the idea, “Native language; if threatens the priority of target language can be ‘the single biggest threat’ in foreign language class on the other hand, if it can be used in ‘systematic, selective and reasonable doses’ it can be ‘the most important ally a foreign language can have’.”

From rote to reasoned: Examining the role of pedagogical reasoning in practice-based teacher education

•Critics worry that practice-based teacher education focuses on teaching behaviors and not pedagogical reasoning.•Practice-based teacher learning experiences can be aimed at developing pedagogical reasoning.•Teacher educators use particular practices to highlight pedagogical reasoning when working on practice with novices.•We need more nuanced frameworks for describing, implementing, and studying teacher education pedagogy.

Doing math with mathematicians to support pedagogical reasoning about inquiry-oriented instruction

Given the prevalence of research in undergraduate mathematics education focused on student reasoning and the development of instructional innovations that leverage student reasoning, it is important to understand the ways undergraduate mathematics instructors make sense of these innovations. We characterize pedagogical reasoning about inquiry-oriented instruction relative to vertices of the instructional triangle (content, students, and instructor). Through this lens, we analyze conversations of twenty-five mathematicians who elected to attend a workshop on inquiry-oriented instruction at a large national mathematics conference. Identifying differences in talk between two breakout groups, we argue that deeper mathematical engagement in task sequences designed for students supported deeper engagement in students’ mathematical reasoning and engendered reasoning about instruction that was more frequently accompanied by rationale based in mathematics or students’ reasoning about mathematics. Importantly, deeper mathematical engagement was observed when the discussion facilitator prompted participants to engage through a mathematical lens rather than an instructional lens.

Teacher Planning Sessions as Professional Opportunities to Learn: an Elementary Mathematics Teacher’s Re-conceptualization of Instructional Triangles

Teachers’ decision-making and pedagogical reasoning often become visible in their lesson planning sessions. This study explores how the professional learning opportunities presented by teacher-facilitator interactions in planning sessions. By tracing shifts in teachers’ discourse in planning sessions, we examine the development of their pedagogical reasoning. The findings of this study illustrate that these interactions create four kinds of professional learning opportunities: (1) reflecting on students’ learning in past lessons; (2) attending to the details of the complexity of teaching; (3) negotiating and adjusting lesson goals and activities by making direct and informed decisions for teaching; and (4) anticipating specific features of instruction. This study also illustrates how refining and elaborating teaching complexity supports teachers in re-conceptualizing and expanding their teaching knowledge.

Going beyond defining: Preschool educators' use of knowledge in their pedagogical reasoning about vocabulary instruction.

Previous research investigating both the knowledge of early childhood educators and the support for vocabulary development present in early childhood settings has indicated that both educator knowledge and enacted practice are less than optimal, which has grave implications for children's early vocabulary learning and later reading achievement. Further, the nature of the relationship between educators' knowledge and practice is unclear, making it difficult to discern the best path towards improved knowledge, practice, and children's vocabulary outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to add to the existing literature by using stimulated recall interviews and a grounded approach to examine how 10 preschool educators used their knowledge to made decisions about their moment-to-moment instruction in support of children's vocabulary development. Results indicate that educators were thinking in highly context-specific ways about their goals and strategies for supporting vocabulary learning, taking into account important knowledge of their instructional history with children and of the children themselves to inform their decision making in the moment. In addition, they reported thinking about research-based goals and strategies for supporting vocabulary learning that went beyond simply defining words for children. Implications for research and professional development are discussed.

Developing Preservice EFL Teachers’ Pedagogical Competence through Lesson Planning

This qualitative case study explored how the lesson planning experience of eight EFL preservice teachers in a content class on critical literacy was intricately related not only to their reconceptualization of lesson preparation and teacher work, but also to the development of their pedagogical competence. Data were collected from multiple reflection papers, a one-time interview, the final lesson plan, and the researcher’s reflection log, and were qualitatively analyzed. The findings indicate that the preservice teachers’ engagement with lesson preparation promoted a renewed understanding of lesson planning as a complex and dynamic process requiring coherent pedagogical reasoning on the part of a teacher, building on an initial conception of technical knowledge alone. Devising a lesson plan further served to enrich their theoretical understanding of critical literacy and improve their abilities as critical readers. In addition, throughout the lesson planning phase, the preservice teachers engaged in an active process of searching for effective ways to represent the content for students’ successful learning, which contributed to the development of their pedagogical content knowledge. The findings of this study highlight the importance of engaging preservice teachers in planning practice during their initial teacher education to enhance their professional knowledge base.

Teachers’ Pedagogical Reasoning and Action in Technical and Vocational Education

Model Pedagogical Reasoning and Action (MPRA) is the process of teaching in the aspects of understanding, transformation, evaluation and assessment, reflection of teaching and understanding of new knowledge and competency of teachers. The survey was conducted on teachers of technical and vocational teaching practices in identifying the teaching practices through the process proposed by MPRA. The objectives of the study were to identify the level of knowledge and competencies of teaching, the differences of practices according to different technical and vocational subject and also the relationship based on the teachers’ demographic such as teaching experiences, courses attended and skills’ certificate. The quantitative approach through a set of questionnaire distributed to relevant teachers. The respondents involved teachers of technical and vocational teachers from various fields. 160 teachers from eight areas of technical and vocational subjects involved as respondents by using convenience sampling techniques. The findings demonstrate a level of competency and knowledge of teachers are at a high level. There have been differences of practice teaching according to the field and significant relationship between competency and knowledge with teaching experience. As a result, any model of teaching or pedagogical approach, teachers are able to apply their knowledge and skills in teaching and working experience in industry also can contribute a broader interpretation of knowledge and teaching in effective strategies for technical and vocational education field.

Pedagogical reasoning: the foundation of the professional knowledge of teaching

ABSTRACTMuch of the debate about that which comprises teachers’ professional knowledge has been important in the academic literature but does not necessarily reflect the reality of how they think as they construct the knowledge that underpins their practice. Typically, teachers are not encouraged to spend time talking about teaching in ways that are theoretically robust, or to unpack their teaching in order to show others what they know, how and why. Because they are busy ‘doing teaching’ they are not commonly afforded opportunities to ‘unpack’ their practice to explore and articulate the reasoning underpinning what they do. This paper argues that the essence of teachers’ professional knowledge is bound up in the teaching procedures they employ and that knowledge is accessible and demonstrable through the pedagogical reasoning that underpins their decision-making, actions and intents; all of which come to the fore when their pedagogical reasoning is examined. If teaching is to be more highly valued, it is important to more closely examine the nature of teachers’ pedagogical reasoning as it offers a window into the complex and sophisticated knowledge of practice that influences what they do, how and why.

Autoscopy in the process of training reflective professors

Objective: to understand how autoscopy, supported by the Model of Action and Pedagogical Reasoning, contributes to the formation of reflective professors. Methods: a qualitative and descriptive study, carried out with a Nursing professor, of the Nursing Technical Course. For the collected data, through interviews, non-participant observation and autoscopy, content analysis was used, with the results interpreted in the light of the referential theorist of Shulman. Results: the perceptions reported by the professor before autoscopy differ from the post-autoscopy findings, demonstrating advances in the new comprehension. The structure of autoscopy, following Shulman's Model of Action and Pedagogical Reasoning, made possible reflective professor exercise. Conclusion: the inclusion of autoscopy in teacher training processes can stimulate reflective posture, allowing for advances in teaching practices.

Reasoning about student written work through self-comparison: how pre-service secondary teachers use their own solutions to analyze student work

ABSTRACTAnalyzing and interpreting student thinking through written work is a key, often challenging, practice of teaching. It entails noticing students’ mathematical thinking and drawing on mathematical knowledge for teaching. This study investigates how pre-service secondary teachers at the beginning of their preparation reason about students’ written work. In interviews, participants solved mathematical tasks and the analyzed student written work in order to make assertions about student understanding. Analysis of participants’ assertions revealed three primary reasoning strategies: mathematical reasoning, pedagogical reasoning, and reasoning through self-comparison. Self-comparison involved participants comparing the student work directly with their own work on the task. This strategy showed promise, as it could be used to help make inferential assertions about student understanding. It also highlighted areas of caution around how beginning pre-service teachers might make use of evidence. This study contributes to the existing literature around noticing student thinking in written work by highlighting the significance of reasoning through self-comparison.

Insights from ICT-expert teachers about the design of educational practice: the learning opportunities of social media

ABSTRACTWith the permeation of the Internet in teachers’ personal and professional lives, teachers are going online to connect, share ideas and expand their learning opportunities. This qualitative study focuses on the use of digital applications that leverage opportunities for teachers in the design phase, that is, at the time they are developing and curating curriculum materials and designing learning sequences within their discipline areas before implementation in the classroom. Data drawn for this paper are part of a research project examining ICT-expert teachers’ approaches to their ongoing online professional learning. Semi-structured interviews of internationally recognised ICT experts, specifically from Australia, Europe and the United States, are the main data source. The findings suggest that each teacher leveraged their online social media as their first approach or starting point within their design activities, with a curiosity to investigate the pedagogical application of a ‘new’ tool. These teachers looked first to the expertise of the colleague for their recommendation of the tool, engaging in little pedagogical reasoning before implementation. Additionally, elaboration of the term ‘sharing’ is provided for deeper understandings of the ways in which teachers engage in their professional learning networks.

English language teacher learning in professional learning communities: a case study of a Chinese secondary school

ABSTRACTThrough a discourse analysis of the qualitative data collected in an ethnographic approach, this study investigates learning emerging in an English teachers’ professional learning community (PLC) at a Chinese secondary school in Shanghai. It explores the discourse features of situated interactions in two types of typical events occurring regularly in this PLC, participant roles in the interactions, and how learning occurs in the community. This study reveals that different foci and functions of the meetings largely determined the discourse features, and that community members tended to take different roles and demonstrate different aspects of their identity. Despite the differences, the two meetings both had a high percentage of episodes of pedagogical reasoning(EPRs) and low rate of distributed participation per episode. It is implied that both meetings were conducive to teacher learning, but the learning foci (topics covered in the two meetings) were different. More distributed participation may be needed to encourage collaborative learning.

The essence of being a teacher educator and why it matters

ABSTRACTThe teaching of teaching is sophisticated work although it is often viewed simplistically. To challenge simplistic approaches to teacher education, teacher educators need to actively articulate the specialist knowledge, skills and abilities that underpin expertise in teaching and to do so through their practice with their students of teaching. In schools, teachers do not commonly experience a workplace culture whereby the explicit discussion and critique of pedagogical purpose and reasoning occurs. Therefore, it is all the more important that teacher educators bring such thinking to the surface in their teaching about teaching. Teaching is not just about the “doing” of teaching, it is also about the “why” – which leads to the development of informed and meaningful practice to enhance student learning. This paper considers some of the principles that underpin thinking about teaching as more than transmission and therefore shapes what teacher educators need to know and are able to do.

EXPLICATING THE ELUSIVE ‘PEDAGOGICAL REASONING’ OF EXPERT TEACHERS OF SCIENCE

Quality teaching that enhances student learning and engagement in science is a focus for all educational systems. Whether fuelled by the results from international studies, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), or from what is already evident from the research, highly skilled teachers can greatly improve the educational outcomes of students (MOURSHED, CHIJIOKE & BARBER, 2010). It is this fundamental principle that underpins the recent development and implementation of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APSTs), which identify explicitly the qualities that teachers are expected to demonstrate in each of four career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2012). Underpinning teacher quality in at least four of these standards is the elusive tacit or pedagogical knowledge that is held and used by ‘expert’ teachers of science in their teaching. The study discussed in this paper set out to explicate the knowledge or ‘pedagogical reasoning’ brought to a teaching context by expert teachers as they plan to teach science. The three-year longitudinal study incorporated two cohorts of teachers representing elementary and high school teachers of science (N = 40) in one state in Australia. Data were collected from audio recordings of pairs of teachers as they designed units of work, interviews with pairs of teachers, and other ad hoc data collected during workshops conducted with the teachers throughout the study. Analyses of these data revealed non-linear, complex, and rapid interactions between five distinct, but richly connected focal concepts that comprise teachers’ pedagogical reasoning. The five focal concepts were termed: Big Ideas; Student Engagement; Quality Learners and Quality Learning; Contextual Constraints and Opportunities; and, Teacher Personal and Professional Identity. The study illustrates the rich web of professional wisdom and pedagogical reasoning that underpins the classroom practices of expert teachers of science and why this knowledge is crucial to understand if we are to nurture our next generation of teachers of science.