Technology is not in the forefront of teacher education program thinking and planning. Yet, it is the tool dramatically changing education. Internationally, the role of technology has evolved from the role of assisting the teacher in personal management to using technology for instruction. To respond to this need, universities are altering courses to infuse the introduction and utilization of technological tools to enhance instruction. The end product is that pre-service teachers should graduate with the skills to seamlessly integrate technology to advance student learning. This study looks at a large comprehensive university's available data on pre-service teachers regarding their utilization of technology. The focus of the study was to (a) document the technology skills within the university's capstone project, (b) examine the capstone project data to confirm or refute the premise that pre-service teachers integrate technology, and (c) review other internal data to assess pre-service teacher competencies on technology.Keywords Assessment . Technology . Teacher education . Teacher work sample As technology has expanded from an optional tool to a necessary device in the world of work, schools have spent millions of dollars equipping classrooms with computers, high-speed Internet access, printers, software products, and many other resources. With the rapid evolution of technology, pre-service teachers need training to enter the classroom with the necessary strategies and skills to integrate technology into effectively leading instruction. To respond to this international need, universities are altering current courses and adding technology courses that include technological tools. The end product is that pre-service teachers should graduate with the skills to seamlessly integrate technology to advance student learning.
Executive coaching has become increasingly commonplace in both the corporate and non-profit sectors as a means of improving professional effectiveness but there is a dearth of empirically-based protocols geared specifically toward the growth needs of school principals. This qualitative case study explores the implementation of a principal coaching protocol using a theories of practice framework based on concepts originally articulated by Argyris and Schön (1974) and further explicated by the authors in previous publications. This study examined the extent to which a coaching protocol based on theories of practice enhanced principals’ self-perceived capacity for reflection and effective instructional leadership. Findings suggest that principals valued the structure, feedback, and reflective dimensions of the protocol and found their confidence level about an important instructional leadership problem - how to support and assist struggling teachers improve their teaching practice - was greatly enhanced. Implications for further iterations of the coaching protocol, as well as future directions of research on principal professional growth, are discussed.
Recently there has been increasing emphasis on co-teaching experiences for teacher candidates. Despite the significance of collaboration between cooperating teachers and student teachers, limited empirical attention has focused on student teachers' co-teaching experiences. The following study utilized survey data to ascertain if student teachers' use of different co-teaching strategies changed over the course of their student teaching semester, as well as, compared student teacher use of co-teaching strategies in elementary, middle, and secondary program areas. Pilot Study Survey data revealed that approximately one-fourth of the student teacher's time is spent teaching alone. However, the Student Teacher Survey data indicated that the Team Teaching co-teaching strategy increased more than any other co-teaching strategy in all program areas. The study concludes that as teacher education programs seek to maximize the benefits of the co-teaching model, student teachers and cooperating teachers need additional training in ways to utilize all the co-teaching strategies to maximize student learning.
The Math and Technology Leadership Academy (MTLA) was a three-year initiative awarded by Toyota USA Foundation to advance elementary teachers’ instructional techniques in mathematics, leadership, and technology. Over the three years, fourteen teacher participants of grade levels spanning from kindergarten through sixth grade engaged in three mathematics pedagogy courses and monthly seminars. Teacher participants then implemented the innovative math strategies into their classrooms. This paper will discuss the design of MTLA and the research plan and results. The study found significant results from the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI) in the Self-Efficacy construct. After three years of participation in MTLA, the teachers in the MTLA demonstrated significantly higher self-efficacy than their control teacher of elementary mathematics; however, both groups of teachers demonstrated similar beliefs about outcomes expectations or the belief that effective mathematics instruction can affect student learning outcomes.
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