Abstract:This study describes the perspectives of five pairs of preservice teachers and their experienced mentor teachers who engaged collaboratively in planning, implementing, and evaluating action research projects during a semester-long internship experience in their professional development school sites. The views of novice and experienced teachers about the costs and benefits of doing collaborative action research are presented, and the authors elaborate on the development of the mentor/mentee relationship between the preservice and experienced teacher pairs. The authors also offer guidelines for successfully engaging preservice and experienced teachers in collaborative action research. Keywords: action research; collaborative action research; preservice teachers; novice teachers; in-service teachers; mentor teacher; professional development schools; PDS Article:A growing body of research suggests that one way to improve teaching and learning in schools is to involve teachers in doing research in their own classrooms (Casanova, 1989;Darling-Hammond, 1996;Herndon, 1994;Lieberman, 1995; Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987). Some educational researchers have found action research to be an effective professional development tool that promotes inquiry, reflection, and problem solving that results in action or change (Casanova, 1989;Herndon, 1994; Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987;Rosaen & Schram, 1997). Educational researchers claim that teachers who conduct action research are better informed about their field (Bennett, 1993), begin to understand themselves better as teachers, and make better decisions and choices of behavior as a consequence of their engagement in action research (Ogberg & McCutcheon, 1987). Other studies indicate that action research also promotes continuous learning (Boyer, 1990;Rock, 1997;Shalaway, 1990), revitalizes teachers' practice, and motivates teachers by improving their self-confidence as professionals (Lomax, 1995; Reading/Learning in Secondary Schools Subcommittee of the International Reading Association, 1989; Rock, 1997).Teacher action research was defined by Lytle and Cochran-Smith (1990) as "systematic, intentional inquiry by teachers" (p. 83). Action research is also described as research that teachers do to investigate their own professional practice in an attempt to understand and improve the nature and specifics of their work and to develop a stronger voice when communicating about it (Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987). Critical action research, as defined by Kemmis and McTaggert (1988), requires teachers to engage in a cycle of questioning, planning, reflecting, acting, observing, reflecting, replanning, and often questioning further. Carson (1990) also identified planning, acting, observing, and reflecting as significant components of teacher action research because this process sets critical, reflective action research apart from ordinary problem solving. For the purposes of this study, we define teacher action research as systematic inquiry by teachers with the goal of improving their teaching p...
There are growing concerns among social studies professionals that social studies instruction is disappearing from elementary schools. These concerns have become more pressing as educational policies emphasize core curricula of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Questions arise as to how social studies can resume its traditional role as one of these core curricula. One possibility is to have social studies included in the accountability movement through testing. This article contemplates the role of testing in impacting social studies instruction in the elementary curriculum through a comparative analysis of data collected from a study of practicing elementary teachers in two states: one in which social studies instruction is tested and the other in which social studies instruction is not tested.
Rock, T.T. (2002). Using problem-based learning as a tool for learning to teach students with special needs. Teacher Education and Special Education, 25 (3) This article describes how Problem-based learning (PBL) was used as a pedagogical tool to help prospective teachers (a) define various disabilities, (b) learn teaching strategies for inclusion settings, and (c) value collaboration with other professionals. Qualitative and quantitative data are reported about the influence of the PBL experience on 44 preservice teachers during a semester-long PBL experience. Our findings indicate that engagement in PBL can help prospective teachers begin to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to work with children with disabilities in a problem-solving atmosphere that models and emphasizes peer collaboration. Article:Teacher educators employ many forms of pedagogy in order to foster the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prospective teachers need to be successful in diverse classrooms. Many of those methods focus on direct instruction but other forms of pedagogy can be used to engage learners more actively and to promote the application of knowledge gained to classroom practices. In our work with preservice general education undergraduates we felt the need to use methods that would help prospective teachers apply what they were learning in order to be better teachers of students with special needs. We also needed methods that would help teacher candidates who would not take a special education course develop important skills and positive attitudes for working with students with disabilities and for collaborating with other professionals to meet the needs of their students with disabilities.Problem-based learning (PBL) is one instructional approach that encourages teachers to apply their developing knowledge base to real-world issues as they try to solve complex problems and dilemmas related to teaching and learning (
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