Teachers In Years Research Articles

«Vi henter litt her og stjeler litt der og setter sammen»

This is a small-scale qualitative study investigating what influences teachers' design of beginner reading and writing instruction. Research on teachers’ planning practices and their use of teaching aids are scarce in research literature (see Bremholm & Skott, 2019; Gissel & Buck, 2020). This study aims to contribute to more knowledge on these matters. Seven teachers in year 1 are interviewed to shed light on the research question: How do teachers report their design of initial reading and writing instruction? The study points out that teachers have comprehensive, ready-made teaching packages (schoolbooks and other resources) at their disposal when teaching reading and writing. However, packages like this have no significant place in the planning practice described by the teachers in this study. Instead, the teachers describe a “pick and mix”-practice, where they combine elements from a range of learning resources (including textbooks) and methods. This way of designing instructions can be described as a hybrid practice (Rasmussen & Lund, 2015) and an eclectic teaching design (Aashamar et al. 2021). This study shows what elements the teachers include in their practice and discusses possible implications.

Maintaining Program Fidelity in a Changing World: National Implementation of a School-Based HIV Prevention Program

Large-scale, evidence-based interventions face challenges to program fidelity of implementation. We developed implementation strategies to support teachers implementing an evidence-based HIV prevention program in schools, Focus on Youth in The Caribbean (FOYC) and Caribbean Informed Parents and Children Together (CImPACT) in The Bahamas. We examined the effects of these implementation strategies on teachers’ implementation in the subsequent year after the initial implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 79 Grade 6 teachers in 24 government elementary schools. Teachers completed training workshops and a pre-implementation questionnaire to record their characteristics and perceptions that might affect their program fidelity. School coordinators and peer mentors provided teachers with monitoring, feedback, and mentoring. In Year 1, teachers on average taught 79.3% of the sessions and 80.8% of core activities; teachers in Year 2 covered 84.2% of sessions and 72.9% of the core activities. Teachers with “good” or “excellent” school coordinators in the second year taught significantly more sessions on average (7.8 vs. 7.0, t = 2.04, P < 0.05) and more core activities (26.3 vs. 23.0, t = 2.41, P < 0.05) than teachers with “satisfactory” coordinators. Teachers who had a “good” or “satisfactory” mentor taught more sessions than teachers who did not have a mentor (7.9 vs. 7.3; t = 2.22; P = 0.03). Two-level mixed-effects model analysis indicated that teachers’ program fidelity in Year 1, confidence in the execution of core activities, and school coordinators’ performance were significantly associated with Year 2 implementation dose. Implementation of FOYC + CImPACT was significantly associated with improved student outcomes. Teachers maintained high fidelity to a comprehensive HIV prevention program over 2 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future program implementers should consider additional implementation support to improve the implementation of school-based programs.

Exploring the experience of Year 10 South Korean students’ English language learning in immersive virtual reality.

A prescribed English language textbook often directs classroom teaching practices in secondary school classes in EFL contexts, such as in South Korea. The textbook is often accompanied by multimedia resources which are delivered to students as input at a regulated pace with limited opportunities for communicative interaction or spoken output. Such opportunities are further limited in the community outside of the English classroom. Immersive virtual reality (i-VR) has the potential to situate learners in a real-world context for authentic application of textbook language learning. English teachers in the formal classroom focus on linguistic competence development within time constraints by teaching new vocabulary and grammatical items in decontextualised forms. By comparison, i-VR environments focus on learning to construct meaning in communicative events in contextualised, real-world settings based on students’ existing linguistic knowledge and ability. In a small-scale pilot study, two teachers of Year 10 English classes in Seoul implemented four i-VR language learning modules in their classes: one as a self-directed learning experience that extended beyond formal classroom learning, and the other as a teacher-facilitated learning experience within the formal classroom. Both teachers were interviewed after the two-week implementation to seek their views on their perceptions of the value of such i-VR learning for their students. Beyond the motivational and entertainment value, the teachers viewed the i-VR experience as capable of incorporating pedagogical structures using the embedded multimodal resources that is not possible in other immersive forms of language learning. Moreover, the teachers believed that incorporation of authentic conversations and interactional opportunities could further enhance the learning potential.

The essence of being a year nine teacher

Year nine students present a perpetual problem to schools and teachers alike. Typically aged 14 or 15 years old, year nines simultaneously experience puberty and adolescence. These converging life stages result in students’ whom teachers have described as being lost, disengaged and, more alarmingly, in never-never land. A largely unrecognised group of schools and teachers in Victoria, Australia, have chosen a novel approach to engaging year nine students through specific schooling structures and targeted curriculum—I term these approaches year nine programmes. These programmes typically involve different structures to mainstream schooling, including residential components, a greater focus on learning through experience and the use of an integrated curriculum. This paper shares the stories of six teachers who work on one such programme. The stories of the teachers are shared using phenomenological found poetry in search of the ‘essences’ of being a year nine teacher. Through the presentation of these essences, I argue that teachers of year nine programmes are required to have an accoutrement of skills, in addition to the skills needed by teachers who work in more mainstream settings.

Enhancing mathematics teacher professional learning through a contextualized professional development program

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impact of a year-long professional development (PD) program on mathematics teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practice. The PD program of the study was designed to connect mathematics teachers’ learning and teaching practice through integrating situated aspects of the teaching profession and teachers’ reflections. Data was collected from three cohorts of teachers across three program years. Results from repeated-measures ANCOVA show changes in self-efficacy, epistemological beliefs, and math pedagogical knowledge. Teachers’ content knowledge decreased in the first-year group but increased for teachers in Year 2 and 3 cohorts. Teaching practice improved about one standard deviation along the indices measured. Multiple regression results show that teachers’ self-efficacy and epistemological beliefs influenced their practice. The discussion includes assessing links between PD design and its effectiveness in influencing knowledge, belief, and practice change, as well as making the case for future PD programs to consider targeting multiple interconnected teacher outcomes.

Demography as Destiny: Explaining the Turnover of Alternatively Certified Mathematics Teachers in Hard-to-Staff Schools

Background: To stem the tide of teacher turnover and prevent shortages, teacher turnover interventions and policies often focus on new and novice teachers because evidence suggests that teacher turnover is particularly high among these teachers. In addition, researchers continue to investigate the root causes of the high teacher turnover observed in many low-income, high-minority schools and whether this is due more to school demographics or poor working conditions. Purpose: This article examines New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) teachers’ risk of leaving their first school in their first 9 years. It both describes the patterns in leaving and examines how school demographics and school climate predict these leaving patterns. Participants: The study follows 608 teachers: two cohorts of secondary mathematics NYCTF teachers who entered the classroom in New York City in 2006 or 2007. Research Design: This is a quantitative study of survey and retention data that were collected as part of a longitudinal research project on NYCTF mathematics teachers. Data Analysis: We use an event history analysis (including a life table and hazard function graphs) to describe patterns in teachers’ timing of leaving their first school. We also use a discrete time hazard model to estimate the relative relationships between the predictors of interest (school demographics and school climate) and teacher turnover. Results: The findings from this study provide evidence against the general hypothesis in the field that teachers leave their first schools at the highest rate during their first 1 to 3 years. Second, we also found that the turnover of alternatively certified teachers who began in low-income, high-minority urban schools was driven by both student demographics and school climate conditions, including teacher collegiality and student behavior. Third, we found evidence to support our hypothesis that teachers’ individual perceptions of their school environment are stronger drivers of their turnover compared with the perceptions of their colleagues. Conclusion: The results from this study add to our understanding about the timing of teacher turnover among secondary mathematics NYCTF teachers, illustrating that teacher turnover may remain higher later in beginning teachers’ careers than currently assumed. This suggests that teachers in Years 3 to 5 in their careers may be good targets for supports. Our findings support the theory that improving school climate can help retain teachers but also provide a cautionary tale for a complete focus on school climate; stemming teacher turnover may require addressing larger economic forces (e.g., the global trend toward temporary work) and more insidious social forces, such as structural racism and inequality.

Classroom control methods and Students’ learning, Science Teachers’ perspectives; Soran City high schools as an example

Abstract This study aims at investigating the methods of classroom control by teachers and their relationship with high school students' learning from the perspective of teachers of science courses in Soran city. The study samples included 102 high school science teachers in four sub-districts of Soran city (48 females and 54 males) who were selected by Census method in 25 schools. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire. In order to design a researcher-made questionnaire, through an open questionnaire form, interviews were conducted with 15 teachers of scientific courses in four high schools about control methods. Based on the findings of the interview, a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was prepared, and it is validity and reliability were confirmed. Data analysis was performed by SPSS software. The results showed that "pre-class preparation and strengthening of scientific information" this method is the highest common method of classroom control used by science teachers in Soran city, and the most related item to students' learning (correlation coefficient = 0.31 and average = 4.85). The item of method "Student Advise" has a negative significant relationship with the student learning level (β = -0.167). Moreover, the results revealed that there is a significant difference in the use of control methods between male and female science teachers. In the end, there is also a significant relationship between classroom control methods and teacher's years of Experience, science teachers with less work experience seem to expel the students from the classroom more, and teachers with high work experience seem to avoid such behavior. It is recommenced for the teachers and managers to pay attention to these results and to use the appropriate strategy to strengthen the control and management methods.

Scaling up Action Schools! BC: How Does Voltage Drop at Scale Affect Student Level Outcomes? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Action Schools! BC (AS! BC) was scaled-up from an efficacy trial to province-wide delivery across 11 years (2004–2015). In this study we: (1) describe strategies that supported implementation and scale-up; (2) evaluate implementation (teachers’ physical activity (PA) delivery) and student’s PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) within a cluster randomized controlled trial during years 2 and 3 of scale-up; and (3) assess relationships between teacher-level implementation and student-level outcomes. We classified implementation strategies as process, capacity-building or scale-up strategies. Elementary schools (n = 30) were randomized to intervention (INT; 16 schools; 747 students) or usual practice (UP; 14 schools; 782 students). We measured teachers’ PA delivery (n = 179) using weekly logs; students’ PA by questionnaire (n = 30 schools) and accelerometry (n = 9 schools); and students’ CRF by 20-m shuttle run (n = 25 schools). INT teachers delivered more PA than UP teachers in year 1 (+33.8 min/week, 95% CI 12.7, 54.9) but not year 2 (+18.8 min/week, 95% CI −0.8, 38.3). Unadjusted change in CRF was 36% and 27% higher in INT girls and boys, respectively, compared with their UP peers (year 1; effect size 0.28–0.48). Total PA delivered was associated with change in children’s self-reported MVPA (year 1; r = 0.17, p = 0.02). Despite the ‘voltage drop’, scaling-up school-based PA models is feasible and may enhance children’s health. Stakeholders must conceive of new ways to effectively sustain scaled-up health promoting interventions if we are to improve the health of students at a population level. Clinical Trials registration: NCT01412203.

تصورات معلمی الریاضیات عن مدخل العلوم والتکنولوجیا والهندسة والفن والریاضیات STEAM

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى استقصاء تصورات معلمي الرياضيات بالتعليم العام حول التعلم والتعليم بمدخل STEAM، وتحديد مستوى الاختلاف في تصورات معلمي الرياضيات بالتعليم العام حول التعلم والتعليم عن طريق مدخل STEAM وفقا لخبرة المعلم والمؤهل التعليمي والنوع، والمرحلة الدراسية التي يقوم بالتدريس فيها، وعدد البرامج التدريبية التي حضرها. واستخدمت الدراسة استبيان الکتروني وفق تقسيم ليکرت الثلاثي، من 31 مفردة، من محورين، المحور الأول التصورات المتعلقة بمدخل STEAM من 14 مفردة، والمحور الثاني، متطلبات التدريس باستخدام مدخل STEAM من 17مفردة. وطبقت الأداة الکترونيا على مجموعة من 103 معلم ومعلمة. وأشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى ارتفاع تصورات عينة الدراسة عن مدخل العلوم والتکنولوجيا والهندسة والفن والرياضيات STEAM ومتطلبات تدريسه وأنها ذات مستوى عال، وأنه لايوجد اختلاف في تصورات معلمي الرياضيات بالتعليم العام نحو مدخل STEAM وفقا وفقا لسنوات خبرة المعلم والمؤهل التعليمي والنوع، والمرحلة الدراسية التي يقوم بالتدريس فيها، وعدد البرامج التدريبية التي حضرها، وقدمت الدراسة مجموعة توصيات ومقترحات منها: ضرورة تدريب معلمي الرياضيات والعلوم أثناء الخدمة على توظيف مدخل STEAM في التعليم والتعلم، وضرورة إعادة النظر في المقررات التي تطرحها کليات إعداد المعلم لتتضمن التدريس باستخدام مدخل STEAM.، والاهتمام باستخدام مدخل STEAM في التدريس، وضرورة توفير المختبرات والأدوات والأجهزة التعليمية اللازمة لتطبيق مدخل STEAM بجميع المدارس على اختلاف المستويات التعليمية. واقترحت الدراسة مجموعة من البحوث المقترحة منها إجراء دراسات مشابهة أخرى على معلمي الرياضيات والعلوم في مراحل تعليمية بعينها، وقياس أثر تطبيق وحدة مقترحة في الرياضيات قائمة على مدخل STEAM على التحصيل الدراسي والمهارات الحياتية لدى المتعلمين، وقياس أثر برامج تدريب معلمي الرياضيات على مدخل STEAM في تنمية الکفاءة الذاتية لديهم. Abstract: The study aimed to investigate mathematics teachers’ perceptions in public education about learning and teaching through STEAM approach, and to determine the level of difference in mathematics teachers’ perceptions of general education about learning and teaching with STEAM approach according to the teacher's experience, educational qualification, gender, and the grade level in which he teaches, and the number of training programs he attended. The study used a Likert's scale electronic questionnaire, with 31 items, in two axes, the first axis perceptions of the STEAM entrance from 14 items, and the second axis, the teaching requirements using the STEAM entrance of 17 items. The questionnaire was applied electronically to a group of 103 male and female teachers. The results revealed that the study sample's perceptions of the STEAM and the requirements for its teaching, are high but there is no difference in the mathematics teachers' perceptions of public education towards STEAM according to the teacher's years of experience, educational qualification, gender, the stage which they teach in it, or the number of training programs he attended. the recommendations and suggestions were including: training mathematics and science teachers to employ the STEAM approach in teaching and learning process, reconsider the courses offered at teacher Education colleges to include STEAM Approach in teaching and Learning, Also, the necessity to provide the necessary laboratories, tools and educational devices to implement STEAM in schools. The study suggested a set of proposed research, including conducting other similar studies on mathematics and science teachers in specific educational stages, a proposed unit in mathematics based on the STEAM approach and its impact on academic achievement and life skills, and studying a training program for mathematics teachers on the STEAM entrance and its impact on developing their self-efficacy.

The Use of Local Literary Texts as Reading Materials in English Language Classrooms: An Analysis of Teachers’ Perspectives

. It is common for Malaysian primary school pupils to have difficulties in reading English texts. One of its factors concerns text selection. Hence, a careful selection of the text is needed to ease their reading experience in ESL (English as Second Language) classrooms. This study explored teachers’ perceptions on literary text selection for Malaysian primary schools. An online questionnaire was distributed to gauge teachers’ perceptions on the current materials in terms of its impact on the students and lesson effectiveness. Respondents were 34 teachers of Years 4 to 6 in primary schools in Terengganu, the east coast Malaysia. Data analysis revealed that the teachers perceive local materials as more relatable to pupils in comparison to the foreign texts. The local texts are also perceived to have greater impacts on the students and lessons despite doubts remaining within the autonomy of this selection. This study is hoped to be helpful to the Ministry of Education and the teaching community in improving text selection in the future.

Historical Trajectory of Men in Nursing in India.

IntroductionDuring 100 BC, the world perceived that the nurses are meant for rendering care to the sick individuals. During 600 to 700 BC, the nurse was considered as the one who attends to the patient, is pleasant in his or her demeanor, does not speak ill of anybody, is attentive to the requirements of the sick, and follows the instructions of the physicians. The men who were wise and passionate to help the sick were trained by a medical teacher for years together who later became a doctor. India is the pioneer country in developing the formal nursing curriculum. With the emergence of British and establishment of East Indian Company and Imperial Government, the nursing education became more formalized. No men came forward to nursing. Only women have opted nursing and were employed as nurses. Very few men were trained as nurses informally and were sent for war field to take care of the injured soldiers. It took several years to elevate the standards of male nurses.MethodsThe data were retrieved from the records of Tamil Nadu Archives and Historical Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The written permission was obtained from the commissioner for collecting the data retrospectively. All the collected data were checked for its consistency by matching the data again with the retrieved database.ResultsGreat British Government has brought the reformations in bringing up the working standards of male nurses. The reformation and renaissance of male nurses started in 1938, and it reached a level of recognition in 1950. The male nurses were recruited in 1938, but they reached the position of a head nurse by 1950.ConclusionThe male nurses had a long journey to overcome the hurdles in their practice and professional advancement. In recent years, the male nurses are identified for their extraordinary contribution in the delivery of health care.

How Do New Zealand Teachers Assess Children’s Oral Language and Literacy Skills at School Entry?

Teachers of year 0/1 students in English-medium schools in New Zealand (1896 schools) were invited to participate in a survey focussed on assessment of new entrant children’s oral language and emergent literacy skills, with an estimated 21% response rate (N = 745). Teachers indicated using a variety of methods for assessing children’s skills at school entry, from standardised measures to informal teacher judgements. In response to open-ended questions several dominant themes were identified: (a) concerns regarding the skill development of many new entrants; (b) a desire for tools to assess oral language and phonological awareness; (c) preferences for tools that were current, efficient, user-friendly and appropriate for use with young children in New Zealand; (d) the need for more time outside the classroom for assessment and reflection on assessment results; and (e) interest in professional learning and development, and teaching resources to support oral language competencies.

Longitudinal Impacts of Home Computer Use in Early Years on Children s Social and Behavioral Development

This study presents a pattern for of Home Computer Use (HCU) and its relation to children’s social and behavioural development during primary education. This study answers whether and how HCU (either educational or recreational) during primary school is related to children’s social/behavioural development such as self-regulation, anti-social behaviour and pro-social behaviour. To do so, information about types and frequency of HCU from nearly 2000 children were analysed using hierarchical linear regression and path analysis on children ranging from 3 to 11 years old. Hierarchical linear regression was applied to study the main effects (i.e. direct effects) and the path analysis was used to investigate mediating (i.e. indirect effects) of HCU on children outcomes. The results showed that the use of HCU for playing games has a linear and negative association with children’s Pro-social behaviour as reported by class teachers in Year 6, while the effects of other background characteristics were partialled out. Two other social/behavioural outcomes – anti-social behaviour and self-regulation – were not associated with children’s HCU over and beyond what can be predicted based on children’s prior social/behavioural profile and their demographic background characteristics. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

الاحتياجات التدريبية لمعلمي المواد الاجتماعية بمنطقة الباحة من وجهة نظر المعلمين المشرفين التربويين

هدفت الدراسة إلى تحديد الاحتياجات التدريبية لمعلمي المواد الاجتماعية بمنطقة الباحة من وجهة نظر المعلمين والمشرفين التربويين، وقد استخدم الباحث المنهج الوصفي باستخدام المسح، وکانت الاستبانة أداة للدراسة في تحديد الاحتياجات التدريبية لمعلمي ومشرفي المواد الاجتماعية، واشتملت الدراسة على ثلاثة مجالات هي: تخطيط التدريس، استراتيجيات التعليم والتعلم الحديثة، تقويم التدريس. وتکونت أداة الدراسة من (24) عبارة تمثل الاحتياجات التدريبية المراد دراستها. وتکون أفراد الدراسة من (194) معلما، و(8) ثمانية مشرفين تربويين. وأظهرت نتائج هذه الدراسة حاجة معلمي المواد الاجتماعية للتدريب في جميع مجالات الدراسة بدرجة (کبيرة). کما أظهرت نتائج الدراسة عدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية تبعا للمتغيرات التالية: العمل الحالي، والمؤهل العلمي، وسنوات خبرة المعلم. The study aimed to identify social subjects teachers' training needs from the point of view of teachers and educational supervisors in ​​Al-Baha Region. The researcher used the descriptive method, using the survey. The questionnaire was an instrument of the study to identify the training needs of teachers and supervisors of social subjects. The study included five areas: planning teaching, modern teaching and learning strategies, teaching technologies, educational, enrichment, creative activities of teaching, and teaching assessment. The study instrument consisted of (24) statements, representing the training needs to be studied. The study sample consists of (194) teachers, and (8) eight educational supervisors. The results of this study showed the social subjects teachers' need for training in all fields of study, with a (high) degree. The results of the study showed that there are no statistically significant differences according to the following variables: current work, scientific qualification, and teacher's years of experience.

Self-reported teaching styles of Australian senior physical education teachers

The main purpose of this paper was to present the findings of research completed on the reported teaching styles (based on the work of Mosston and Ashworth 2002) that 110 teachers of Queensland Senior Physical Education believed they used, and to establish how often they believed they used them. Participants included 110 secondary school physical education teachers of years 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Queensland. Data were collected using an adaption of the Kulinna et al. (Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 7(1): 25–41, 2003) and the Cothran et al. (Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76(2) 193–201, 2005) instrument which required participants to read 11 scenarios describing the teaching styles from the Spectrum of Teaching Styles introduced by Mosstion and Ashworth above. The teachers in this study reported using a range of styles from both the reproduction and production clusters. The findings of this study indicate that numerous factors may influence teachers' reported use of teaching styles, and that further research is necessary to confirm if teachers are able to accurately report on the teaching styles they use.

Competencies and career choice motives: characteristics of high school students interested in teacher education programmes

In contrast to other career choices, the teaching profession seems familiar to those interested in teaching because they have had the chance to observe teachers for years. This phenomenon is known as the apprenticeship of observation and manifests in naïve ideas and expectations of teaching among teacher students. Therefore, characteristics of students interested in becoming teachers are important for early teacher education and counselling. These characteristics include competencies and motives, but nothing is known about their relationship to each other. Following international teaching standards and the expectancy-value framework, this paper analyses associations between both. Three competencies (i.e. planning, communication and cooperation) and seven career choice motives were examined using a paper–pencil survey of 907 high school students. Altogether, 463 students were able to imagine becoming a teacher and were included in the analyses. SEM analyses showed that (1) of all the competencies, communication had the most associations with motives, (2) the motive ‘low difficulty of study’ is positively related to planning, (3) the findings regarding extrinsic motives are ambiguous, and (4) gender differences are marginal. Practical implications for early teacher education and counselling are discussed.

Education for citizenship in South Australian public schools: a pilot study of senior leader and teacher perceptions

ABSTRACTPreparing students for informed and active citizenship is a core goal of education and schooling in Australia. The ways schools educate and prepare young Australians for citizenship involves a range of processes and initiatives central to the work of schools, including school ethos, mission, extracurricular activities and community‐based participation. With regard to the formal curriculum, the recent introduction and implementation of the first ever Federal Australian Curriculum includes provision for a new subject – Civics and Citizenship. Research evidence from other nations suggests that schools understand, approach and enact education for citizenship in a multitude of ways, yet how Australian schools construct this aspect of their work is currently under‐researched. In this context, and drawing on data from interviews with school leaders and teachers of Years 6–8 (11–14 year olds) students in a small sample of South Australian primary and secondary schools, we explore perceptions and current approaches to education for citizenship. Our findings suggest (1) that while school leaders and teachers value education for citizenship, they do so for different reasons; (2) that schools place values as central to education for citizenship; and (3) that community involvement is typically understood as occurring within rather than beyond the school.

Mr. Quass and the Crustaceans

Mr. Quass and the Crustaceans Aimee Nezhukumatathil (bio) Whales the color of milk have washed ashore in Germany, their stomachs clogged full of plastic and car parts. Imagine a creature half as big as a football field—the magnificence of the largest brain of any animal—modern or extinct. I’ve been trying to locate my fourth grade science teacher for years— Mr. Quass—who gave us each a crawfish he found just past the suburbs of Phoenix, before strip malls licked every good desert with a cold blast of Freon and glass. Mr. Quass who played soccer with us at recess, who let me observe my snappy crawfish in the plastic blue pool before class started. I’d place my face to the surface of the water and check if it still skittered alive. I hate to admit how much this meant to me, the only brown girl in the classroom. How I wish I could tell him how I’ve never stopped checking the waters— the ponds, the lakes, the sea. And I worry because I’ve yet to see a sperm whale, except when they beach themselves in coves. How many songs must we hear from the sun-bleached bones of a seabird or whale? If there was anyone on earth who would know this, Mr. Quass, it’s you. Even bottle caps found inside an albatross corpse can make a tiny ribcage whistle when the ocean wind blows through it just right. I know wherever you are, you’d weep if you heard this sad music. You first taught us kids how to listen to water—I’m grateful for each story in its song. [End Page 135] Aimee Nezhukumatathil Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s collection of nature essays, World of Wonder, is forthcoming with Milkweed, and her fourth book of poetry, Oceanic, is forthcoming from Copper Canyon. She is poetry editor of Orion and is professor of English at the University of Mississippi. Copyright © 2017 Center for Literary Publishing

Teachers’ Perspectives on Classroom Management: Confidence, Strategies and Professional Development.

The issue of behaviour management is one that is consistently reported as a concern facing teachers in today’s classrooms. This study, which surveyed 110 teachers of Year 1 to Year 4 students, examined the behaviour management training teacher respondents had received both pre-service and inservice, as well as the behaviour management strategies they perceived as useful. The results of this survey indicate a requirement for a comprehensive classroom behaviour management programme to be utilised (particularly for teacher trainees). This type of training can assist in ensuring that positive reinforcing skills and strategies are enabled to provide the best-possible learning environment for students and teachers alike.

Teacher and student reflections on ICT-rich science inquiry

Background: Inquiry learning in science provides authentic and relevant contexts in which students can create knowledge to solve problems, make decisions and find solutions to issues in today’s world. The use of electronic networks can facilitate this interaction, dialogue and sharing, and adds a new dimension to classroom pedagogy.Purpose: This is a report of teacher and student reflections on some of the tensions, reconciliations and feelings they experienced as they worked together to engage in inquiry learning. The study sought to find out how networked ICT use might offer new and different ways for students to engage with, explore and communicate science ideas within inquiry.Sample: This project developed case studies with 6 science teachers of year 9 and 10 students, with an average age of 13 and 14 years in three New Zealand high schools. Teacher participants in the project had varying levels of understanding and experience with inquiry learning in science. Teacher knowledge and experience with ICT were equally diverse.Design and Methods: Teachers and researchers developed initially in a joint workshop a shared understanding of inquiry, and how this could be enacted. During implementation, the researchers observed the inquiry projects in the classrooms and then, together with the teachers, reviewed and analysed the data that had been collected.Results: At the beginning of the project, some of the teachers and students were tentative: inquiry based teaching supported by ICT meant initially that the teachers were hesitant in letting go some of the control they felt they had over students learning, and the students felt insecure in adopting some responsibility for their own learning. Over time a sense of trust and ease developed and this ‘control of learning’ balance moved from what was traditionally accepted, but not without modifications and reservations.Conclusions: There is no clear pathway to follow in moving towards ICT-supported science inquiry in secondary schools. The experience of the teacher, the funds of knowledge the students bring to the classroom, the level of technological availability in the school and the ability of the students are all variables which determine the nature of the experience.