MOFET ITEC - Professional Development

This article examines the experiences of one career change student teacher, Michelle. Furthermore, the article explores the ways in which she constructed her new professional identity as a student teacher. Findings were analysed and discussed with reference to Lave and Wenger’s (1991) framework of legitimate peripheral participation and Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice, and with recourse to the relevant literature.

An Inquiry Learning Partnership (ILP) for professional development (PD) was formed between a university, science centre, and two urban school districts. The purpose of ILP was to offer 4–6th grade teachers specific science content and pedagogical techniques intended to integrate inquiry-based instruction in elementary classrooms. Results indicate that teachers increased their science content knowledge, reported implementing inquiry practices in their classrooms and their students experienced modest gains on 5th grade standardized science achievement exams. While some teachers were transferring knowledge/skills gained in professional development to their classrooms, others encountered barriers to implementing PD.

The current research focuses on Estonian university students' emerging teacher identity and their interest in becoming teachers. Five hundred and sixty-five first, third and fifth year students participated in the survey. The results suggest that pedagogical reasons for entering teacher education and clear motives for studying are significant indicators of teacher potential. The article elaborates the pedagogical reasons for entering teacher education or the teaching profession and the wish to function as a change agent in the society.

The purpose of this study is to understand teachers' perspectives on their roles in higher education, and their views about the adoption of a social-constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Furthermore, the study aims to understand the integration of online collaborative learning in blended learning environments in higher education from a cross cultural perspective. The authors interviewed 60 Chinese teachers from Beijing, China and 30 Flemish teachers from Flanders, Belgium.