School-university Collaboration Research Articles

Leveraging co-teaching in pre-service teacher education to enhance classroom management skills of pre-service teachers in China: effects and implications

PurposeThis study examines the impact of a novel co-teaching approach, involving collaboration between university instructors and school teachers, on pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) understanding of classroom management skills, addressing the practical challenges that often exceed the university classroom’s scope.Design/methodology/approachUsing a pooled cross-sectional dataset of 513 students from a Chinese teacher training university, the study employed descriptive statistics, factor analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis. Focus group interviews were also conducted to explore the mechanisms underlying the co-teaching impact.FindingsThe co-teaching team effectively integrates theory with practice, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. Most students appreciated the co-teaching format, which positively correlated with their recognition of classroom management and the teaching profession. The success of co-teaching was linked to the authenticity brought by school teachers, including exposure to real-life cases that encouraged PSTs to actively solve educational problems.Practical implicationsPre-service teacher education benefits from university-school collaboration. Inviting experienced school teachers to co-teach in university classrooms offers an efficient instructional approach, improving students’ learning experiences with less time and effort.Originality/valueThis study empirically demonstrates the utility of co-teaching in pre-service teacher education, particularly within China, enriching the literature on school-university partnerships.

A shared vision for a school: developing a learning community

ABSTRACT Background Developing a school as a learning community is a complex process necessitating active engagement from the entire school community. This paper reports on a study from Finland that focused on exploring learning community development grounded in a shared vision. Purpose We sought to investigate the development of a school community with a separate primary and lower secondary school as it progressed towards becoming a unified comprehensive school. The research involved close school-university collaboration to support the community’s transformative journey. Our particular interest in this paper is the relationship between the shared vision and learning community development. Method At the conclusion of the development project, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the school management team. Thematic analysis of the interview data was undertaken to identify their perceptions of how the shared vision was linked to learning community development. Findings The in-depth analysis revealed five major themes: (1) communication of the shared vision and transparency; (2) present and absent themes in the shared vision; (3) tradition and innovation; (4) the long-term nature of school development; and (5) the role of the vision in everyday school life. The analysis drew attention to how a school’s past and present influence a shared vision and school development. Conclusion This study provides insights into how the preconditions of a school community contribute to the implementation of a shared vision as a catalyst for change. Recognising the distinct needs and starting points of schools is crucial, emphasising the importance of understanding the pre-existing context in school development.

How to form shared objects to enhance university-school collaboration? A cultural-historical activity theory perspective.

University-school (U-S) collaboration has proven to be an effective approach for teacher professional development, but it could be hampered by the lack of shared objects. To understand how shared objects are formed in U-S collaboration, this research established a university-school collaborated Change Laboratory in W primary school based on cultural-historical activity theory, which is under the background of Chinese teaching research activity. Recordings of meetings throughout the year were transcribed into texts and coded, and then analyzed via the method of grounded theory and contradiction analysis. The findings reveal that, in comparison to previous studies regarding shared object formation process, this study identified an special phase named "experimental object," which highlights the significance of experimentation in U-S collaboration. Also, multiple contradictions are recognized as the driving force for shared object formation which would gradually transform into fundamental conflicts between tools. The main contradictions identified include those between scientific and daily concepts, university culture and school culture, as well as new experiment and old routine. The current study implicates that U-S collaboration is an expansive learning process to acquire unknown knowledge, which necessitates both parties engaging in exploration and experimentation together. Furthermore, shared object formation within U-S collaboration requires participants to focus on developing teaching tools while consciously undergoing changes in aspects such as logic of thinking, culture and routine.

Resisting the Chilling Effect of Censorship and Scripted Curriculum

This article details how English language arts teaching and a schooluniversity collaboration were censored by two different policies simultaneously: the adoption of scripted curriculum and restriction around teaching about racism.

Документация для оценки школьной системы и профессионального развития учителей: Совместное исследование университета и школы в Италии

The continuous professional development of the teacher (CDP) has long been considered a prerequisite for the career and also for economic progress. CDP must be compared to standards which also make it possible to construct validation systems for the teachers’ skills in progress. The issue of teaching professionalism emerges also in the Italian legislative debate. We outline the research “The continuous professional development of the teacher: from the Improvement Plan to the appraisal”, conducted with a group of 33 schools in Southern Italy, the University of Bari and Unione Cattolica Italiana Insegnanti Medi (UCIIM, teachers’ association). The research project investigated the documentation of practices (connected with school’s self-evaluation, teacher evaluation and appraisal procedures) to improve the quality of teaching and to develop teacher professionalism. Three phases of research training occurred: a) The first phase involved a specific document analysis of “Rav” and “PdM” (acronyms for Self-Assessment Report - Rapporto di Auto-Valutazione - and Improvement Plan – Piano di Miglioramento). These documents were presented to the teaching staff and served as the primary materials for self-evaluation and decision-making. b) In the second phase, referred to as "professional development," the skills audit and standards were introduced and collaboratively developed with the teachers. These documents formed the foundation of a teacher's professional development program. c) The third phase was dedicated to "merit appraisal." It focused on selecting and analyzing the best appraisal sheets, which were considered the primary documents for assessing merit and promoting teachers. The school staff involved over 300 people, including teachers and principals. The results of the study underlined: the impact of the documentary practices introduced by school evaluation system on professional development; the importance of university-school collaboration supporting school-based assessment and teachers' professional development, shifting from a top-down orientation to more teacher self-regulating initiatives; the methodological-educational choice of principals as teachers’ tutors.

Lower-secondary school teachers’ perceptions of professional development in university-school collaboration

This quantitative study used a survey to investigate lower-secondary school teachers' (n = 177) perceptions of their professional development (PD) in university-school collaboration. The descriptive statistics show that teachers' perceptions of university-school collaboration are slightly negative although there are individual differences. The results of regression analysis indicate that university-school collaboration has a positive relationship with the impacts of PD and feedback for PD, and a negative relationship with barriers to PD. These results contribute to understanding teachers’ diverse perceptions of PD and the impact of university-school collaboration on various aspects of PD in the implementation of the decentralized policy.

A school-university collaboration to promote school health and physical education in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

A school-university collaboration to promote school health and physical education in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Online teaching practicum procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish EFL context

This case study aimed to reveal the reflections of pre-service English teachers on online teaching practicum procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish EFL context. There were 20 participants, and the data were gathered through an online interview form. The interview items focused on course requirements, observation tasks, mentor-supervisor feedback, and benefits and challenges of online teaching procedures. The gathered data were subjected to summative content analysis and the results indicated that although the participants mentioned various professional gains, the challenges of online teaching practicum experiences outweighed its benefits. In light of the findings, it can be claimed that relevant stakeholders can be offered training about online teaching practices, and the existing infrastructure can be improved in the form of hybrid settings in order to facilitate transition to online educational platforms and to improve university-school collaboration in the future.

The Effects of High School-University Collaboration During Period for Inquiry-Based Cross-Disciplinary Study

The Effects of High School-University Collaboration During Period for Inquiry-Based Cross-Disciplinary Study

YEvo: experimental evolution in high school classrooms selects for novel mutations that impact clotrimazole resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Antifungal resistance in pathogenic fungi is a growing global health concern. Nonpathogenic laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are an important model for studying mechanisms of antifungal resistance that are relevant to understanding the same processes in pathogenic fungi. We have developed a series of laboratory modules in which high school students used experimental evolution to study antifungal resistance by isolating azole-resistant S. cerevisiae mutants and examining the genetic basis of resistance. We have sequenced 99 clones from these experiments and found that all possessed mutations previously shown to impact azole resistance, validating our approach. We additionally found recurrent mutations in an mRNA degradation pathway and an uncharacterized mitochondrial protein (Csf1) that have possible mechanistic connections to azole resistance. The scale of replication in this initiative allowed us to identify candidate epistatic interactions, as evidenced by pairs of mutations that occur in the same clone more frequently than expected by chance (positive epistasis) or less frequently (negative epistasis). We validated one of these pairs, a negative epistatic interaction between gain-of-function mutations in the multidrug resistance transcription factors Pdr1 and Pdr3. This high school-university collaboration can serve as a model for involving members of the broader public in the scientific process to make meaningful discoveries in biomedical research.

The Research–Practice Dialogue in Second Language Learning and Teaching: Past, Present, and Future

AbstractThis article explores ways in which a dialogue between researchers and practitioners can be bidirectional, effective, and beneficial for the two professional communities. We suggest concrete directions for second language (L2) research: (a) a collaborative mindset, (b) the nature of research, (c) venues for dialogue, and (d) institutional support. First, we argue that we, researchers and teachers alike, can develop a collaborative mindset and understand that the dialogue is established by equal contributions and benefits. Second, we discuss that if a researcher's intention is to impact practice, they need to consider the practice relevance of their studies. We propose practice‐based research, in which practitioners and researchers work together for development and implementation of research. Third, we explore venues where reciprocal contributions may be explored, including teacher‐training programs, professional development workshops, and university–school collaborations. Finally, we share our hopes that institutions (universities and schools) will provide support for researchers and practitioners that would help create and facilitate reciprocal relationships, such as time release and promotive incentives. Overall, we argue that researchers shoulder the lion's share of responsibility in paving a path for a productive research–practice dialogue in the future.

University–school collaboration as an arena for community-building in teacher education

ABSTRACT Background In many settings internationally, initial teacher education (ITE) relies on cooperation between schools and universities. When these institutions collaborate on teacher education, the shared work can form a basis for community building. This article focuses on experiences in Norwegian ITE of the Change Laboratory (CL), a form of participatory data analysis workshop, as an arena for such work, and hence community building, in teacher education. Purpose Contextualised within the framework of cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), the research aimed to understand participants’ experiences of collaboration in CLs, and how the CLs functioned as an arena for community building. We asked: in what way was the work in CLs during the first year of an intervention research project in teacher education experienced as community building? Method The research was conducted within a four-year teacher education research and development project involving two ITE institutions. We carried out focus group interviews with three groups engaged together in shared work: teacher educators in university (n = 10), teacher educators in school (n = 5), and student teachers (n = 20). Data were analysed qualitatively. Findings During the project, all participants gradually felt that they had a voice and were listened to. Their mutual engagement on the project work, and the use of CHAT also brought them together. Overall, the findings were encouraging and suggested that a focus on community building in CLs in the start-up phase of a project can lay the foundation for collaboration between teacher education and schools, contributing to the co-construction of knowledge, and to learning and development. However, the challenge of disseminating the work to colleagues in universities and schools was perceived as a hindrance. Conclusions The development and sustaining of collaboration in teacher education is an important goal, ultimately benefitting the entire learning community. Crossing boundaries can lead to joint learning, as in this project, and to further development and learning in teacher education.

Teachers’ professional development through the education practicum: A proposal for university-school collaboration

In this article we present the results of an investigation carried out in the 2019/2020 academic year whose objective was to understand how an inclusive and reflective practicum model can improve in teaching professional development as well as initial teacher training, in which the university, teaching practice students and school teachers all actively participated. For this investigation we have carried out a case study in which 2 schools of infant and primary education participated. This included a total of 9 teachers, 5 students of Primary Education Teaching and 2 research professors from the University. The data of the 3 discussion groups that were carried out with all the participants were analysed like so the practicum summaries of the students. The main results show the importance of schools with inclusive methodologies favour initial teacher training to have the theory-practice connection along with the improvement of personal and professional development.
 
 Keywords: Schools; University; Inclusive Methodologies; Internship Students; Teachers Training.

Providing in-service online language training for primary teachers of English as a Foreign Language

Abstract This report assesses the use of a Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) to provide an in-service language training programme for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a primary school in Shanghai, China. The 12-month oral English training programme featured unique in-depth university-school collaborations, tiered project management and flexible self-directed learning experiences by the participants. This programme was a piloting project aimed at exploring an effective way of workplace language training and usefulness of Moodle-LMS’ potential in providing a flexible and interactive learning environment for training primary school language teachers.

A case study exploring primary teachers’ experiences of a STEM education school-university partnership

ABSTRACT This paper explores the experiences and professional learning of a group of in-service primary school teachers, participating in a STEM education programme in Ireland. Four primary teachers from the same case school engaged in a two-year project to explore STEM teaching and learning. This STEM project was structured as a multi-tiered partnership involving these four in-service teachers collaborating with six STEM teacher educators and a group of pre-service primary teachers, working together to develop an effective school-university STEM collaboration. The project focused on developing and facilitating meaningful classroom-based STEM learning experiences for primary aged children in the school. This paper specifically explores the professional learning and experiences of the in-service teacher participants. The teachers engaged in co-creating and co-facilitating a series of STEM lessons over two years in partnership with, and supported by the university STEM Education faculty. The paper provides insight into the participating teachers’ professional learning in STEM education, as well as implications for school–university partnerships.

University-school cooperation: Perspectives of pre-service teachers, practice teachers and faculty members

The research aimed to determine the views and expectations of pre-service teachers studying in the field of classroom teaching, practice teachers in practice schools, and faculty members responsible for courses related to teaching practice regarding teaching practice processes. The research was designed as a case study from qualitative research designs. The study group consists of 36 female and 9 male, aged between 21 and 25, totally of 45 pre-service teachers; 16 female and 30 male, aged between 30 and 51, totally of 46 practice teachers; 4 female and 7 male, aged between 30 and 51, totally of 11 faculty members. The data was collected in writing with separate forms for pre-service teachers, practice teachers, and faculty members. The data was analyzed by thematic analysis. The results of the research suggest that the existing operation regarding the university-school collaboration is insufficient and those pre-service teachers have the expectation to increase the practice courses in terms of number and duration. It is thought that the interaction between the university and the school should be improved in all aspects. This research is expected to be a guide for revealing expectations of related parties and improving the process during the teaching practice.
 
 Keywords: Pre-service teacher, Teacher training, Teaching practice, University-school cooperation.

ＶＲ / ＡＲによる高大連携イベント―実施報告とＶＲ / ＡＲの効果―

ＶＲ / ＡＲによる高大連携イベント―実施報告とＶＲ / ＡＲの効果―

「総合的な探求の時間」に関わる高大連携の在り方:―「大船渡学」の実践をとおして―

「総合的な探求の時間」に関わる高大連携の在り方:―「大船渡学」の実践をとおして―

Autobiography writing instruction: The journey of a teacher participating in a systemic functional linguistics genre pedagogy professional development

Teaching writing has evolved from a focus on product to an emphasis on process. More recently, interest in genre pedagogy informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL) has emerged. This article reports on a narrative analysis of a 3rd grade teacher’s development of writing instruction. This teacher participated for 10 years in a school-university collaboration at a U.S. urban elementary school with a multilingual population. SFL genre pedagogy, instruction that draws content from SFL theory and instructional practices from the teaching and learning cycle (TLC) (Rose & Martin, 2012; Shi & Chen, 2020), successfully scaffolded writing instruction for bilingual students of different levels of English proficiency. Participation in a long term, whole school, collaborative professional development, with full principal support, allowed this teacher to evolve in the way he taught autobiography writing over the span of four years. Classroom observations revealed the steady transformation of instruction and the changes in the writing of four cohorts of bilingual students. This study adds to the extant research on the impact of SFL genre pedagogy on writing development and illustrates the value of professional development that is long term and gives agency to teachers to adapt SFL genre pedagogy to their students’ needs.

Imagination Into Action: A School–University Collaboration With a Design Thinking Imperative

An urban middle school goes through the transformation of becoming a university-supported lab school. Drawing upon design thinking principles, the planning team cultivates a sense of shared empathy, creative problem-solving, and an ethos of curiosity and learning in a collaborative environment.