Search Results for
"Teaching"

Most professional educators agree that K - 20 educators have difficult jobs. However, there has been little research conducted on whether the work ethic of teachers of the different grade levels is common to all levels of teachers. Knowledge of any differences could affect training strategies and educational practices. The science of pedagogy implies that all teaching structures and curriculum are the same for teaching children. However, this chapter shows that there are significant differences between teachers of kindergarten through sixth grade from their counterparts teaching seventh grade through twelfth grade. Specific components that are the result of a factor analysis reveal definitive work ethic constructs that differ between levels of teachers. This information could be used to develop more appropriate curriculum for teachers at all levels of teaching. © 2013, IGI Global.

A three phase Sequential Mixed Method Design was utilized to propose and test a research-based model explaining the relationships between technology integration in Elementary Schools and a defined set of teacher and school-related factors. In the first phase, interviews were conducted with 20 elementary school teachers to identify critical factors influencing their technology use. The qualitative findings guided the development of a survey instrument in the second phase. In the final phase, the survey was administered to 1030 classroom teachers in eight districts of Ankara, Turkey. The direct and indirect effects of these factors on technology integration were explored. Factors included years of teaching experience, years of computer use, principal support, colleague support, technology competency, attitudes and beliefs toward using technology, and lack of time. The model showed technology integration as a complex process involving many interrelated factors, with particular importance placed on competency, support, experience, and attitudes. This comprehensive model of technology integration in elementary schools will be especially useful for practitioners and researchers in developing countries as they face the challenge of adapting instructional technologies in their frequently evolving curriculums and education systems. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The purpose of this study was to reveal barriers encountered by Turkish primary school teachers in the integration of ICT, to propose potential enablers to overcome those barriers, and to compare the current status of ICT integration (in 2011) with the status of ICT integration in 2005. Part of the data for this comparison was gathered in 2005 as part of a doctoral study by Goktas (2006). A survey design was used to investigate the barriers and enablers. Data were collected from 1373 teachers from 52 schools in 39 provinces. The results indicate that 'lack of hardware', 'lack of appropriate software materials', 'limitations of hardware', 'lack of in-service training', and 'lack of technical support' were the most important barriers. The highest ranked enablers were 'allocation of more budget', 'allocation of specific units for peer support', 'allocation of support offices and personnel for teachers', and 'offering higher quality pre-service training for ICT'. Other leading enablers were 'supporting teachers to enable effective ICT use', 'having technology plans', 'offering higher quality and more quantity of in-service training', and 'designing appropriate course content/instructional programs'. Analysis of an independent t-test revealed that most barriers showed significant differences and most enablers showed moderate or low differences between teachers' perceptions of their situation in 2005 and in 2011. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[No abstract available]

The objective of this study was to examine undergraduate health science students' attitudes toward interprofessional learning using a web-based interprofessional education package. METHODS: A before and after study of student attitudes toward a web-based interprofessional education package was conducted using the 17-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Students completed the RIPLS before and after the educational package. RESULTS: Forty-six students commenced the study with 2 students failing to complete. The group contained mostly females with a mean age of 22.6 yrs. A statistically significant change was found for RIPLS subscale one, "shared learning," p=0.035. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a web-based interprofessional education package did appear to have an impact on undergraduate students' attitudes toward interprofessional learning. © 2013 Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, Wash., DC.

Apprenticeship in developed and industrialised nations is increasingly understood and practised as learning which connects workplace activity and formal study. The concept of 'expansive apprenticeship' defines frameworks for workforce development where participants acquire knowledge and skills which will help them in the future as well as in their current roles; 'restrictive' apprenticeships limit opportunities for wider, lifelong learning. In developing world economies, apprenticeships are a traditional route to learning and employment, but tend to reflect a restrictive approach characterised by narrowly defined roles and weak educational outcomes. This paper examines the apprenticeship opportunities in a large scale Access to teaching Scholarship in Malawi. The programme's study materials and support structures are designed to move participants from restrictive to expansive contexts for learning and to develop hybrid roles as students, community workers and apprentice teachers. The authors examine data from the first cohort of participants and consider the extent to which the Scholarship offers an innovative model of expansive apprenticeship to address barriers to female continuing education and chronic teacher shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa. © 2013 Copyright The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

The aim of this article is to explore the phenomenon of gifted migrants in vocational training and education. To date, migrant apprentices have been predominantly discussed from a deficit perspective. Special attention has been given to competence insufficiency and underperformance, as well as to migrant adolescents' lack of professional and educational attainment. However, recent research points to a social group of migrants who are successful educational and professional achievers. The article at hand discusses five theoretical models commonly applied to explain underachievement among migrant adolescents. It then examines these models' explanatory power to predict migrants' educational success. To conclude, the research parameters and theoretical framework of a Swiss longitudinal study designed on the basis of these findings is presented. Educational research has increasingly focused on migrants, as well as on vocational education and training. However, what resulted from existing research is a predominantly unfavorable image of migrant apprentices that exclusively portrays them as so called “educational losers” of socio-economically and culturally disadvantaged backgrounds. Based on theoretical explanatory models, a number of assumptions were extracted to show how educational success among migrants could be explained and whether resilience factors play a role in it. From the resilience perspective, professional success of migrant apprentices is likely to result from a stable, long-term attachment figure or mentor who served as a role and identification model and was of significant importance in the adolescents' workplace, for example as professional mentor. Furthermore, it is expected that educational facilities, in particular vocational training institutions, must have excelled in demanding high educational achievement, providing clear organizational and management structures, and high teaching quality as well as good instructor-learner relationships. As has been shown, educational research has increasingly focused on migrants, as well as on vocational education and training. However, what resulted from existing research is a predominantly unfavorable image of migrant apprentices that exclusively portrays them as so called “educational losers” of socio-economically and culturally disadvantaged backgrounds. This implies that educational and professional success is not attainable for youths from disadvantaged families. On the other hand, successful migrant careers have been exemplarily portrayed; systematic research however is scarce and virtually non-existent in German-speaking academia. The lack of educational policy debate about successful migrants is probably a result of this research gap. © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Placements have the potential to contribute more effectively to the quality of higher education. The aim of this article is to discuss how placements can be made more worthwhile for individual students, while also contributing to the overall quality of teaching and learning at HEIs as well as to the development of workplace cultures that are conducive to learning. Work experience opportunities help students to build substantive relationships and apply what they are learning. Students' overall view of their learning experience becomes more positive, their identification with their intended profession strengthens and academic performance improves, as do graduate employment rates. Introducing placements in the curriculum does not, however, guarantee these positive effects. Learning is likely to be greater if the experience is 'intentional and recognised' and tightly knit into the curriculum. Using evidence from research on workplace learning is one way to improve the quality of placements, as exemplified by a scholarly approach to the development of placements for pharmacy students at Uppsala University. HEIs' interaction with employers through placements enriches both parties. Academics gain insights into practice which may inspire teaching on campus, e.g. by generating real life examples that trigger students' motivation and by informing curriculum design. Practitioners supervising students on placements are often excellent educational development partners. Placements may also contribute to organisational development. Developing a reflective, deliberate approach to learning in the workplace may be as useful for the employees as for the students. Also, students may carry out projects of value to the employer, while also keeping the university informed of current practice. An increased engagement in students' work experience opportunities may improve the student experience, and contribute to bridging the academy-practice divide in a way that is as much about influencing the rest of society as being influenced by it. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to argue for the incorporation of ethics into the coursework of culinary schools, utilizing the value chain analysis as a theoretical framework to explore and confront food ethics concerns. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a review of the pertinent literature, this conceptual paper offers a theoretical framework whereby ethical issues relevant to the food industry can be tackled and then incorporated into the training of culinary professionals. Findings: To illustrate the usefulness of the suggested framework, the paper provides a systematic analysis of ethical concerns related to the production, distribution and consumption of food. Practical implications: Food ethics education is likely to have a positive impact on the credibility of the culinary arts' profession, at a time when there is a shift toward sustainability and ethical awareness; it is also likely to impact favorably on the opportunity of recruiting culinary professionals as agents of change regarding pressing moral challenges. Social implications: Including ethics in the curricula of culinary schools has various positive social implications, including the development of future professionals with acknowledged ethical responsibilities toward society. Originality/value: Despite the upsurge of ethical concerns and the controversies associated with the food industry, hitherto culinary schools have paid little attention to ethics within their curricula. In view of that, the article introduced a value-chain perspective for integrating food ethics into culinary arts curricula. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

This article addresses key issues in pre-service teachers' professional learning. The argument explores pre-service teachers' learning and practice, which is both informed by technology and which uses technologically enhanced practices in classrooms as learning and teaching strategies. The article is contextualized by current international debates regarding technicist and rational post-modern professional learning cultures, performativity and national standards. The article positions pre-service teachers as potential agents of change for schools. © 2013 Copyright International Professional Development Association (IPDA).