May 9 | International Portal of Teacher Education

May. 09, 2016

Dear subscriber,

MOFET ITEC Portal Newsletter

Dear Subscriber,

We are delighted to be sending the monthly newsletter of the International Portal of Teacher Education, containing the latest articles on teacher education, pedagogy, and instruction that have been published in academic journals.

On Wednesday, May 18, we invite you to participate in the webinar "Reading in the Digital Era" by Prof. Yoram Eshet.

Recent years have witnessed the dramatic expansion of digital reading technologies alongside a shift to the use of digital media such as e-book readers and tablet computers for learning purposes in schools and academia alike. This shift prompts a wide range of questions pertaining to the similarities and differences between these two reading modes: the traditional reading mode from print and the new reading mode from digital displays. During the meeting, Prof. Eshet will discuss the cognitive and ergonomic challenges that these two modes pose to learners, present an overview of our knowledge regarding the differences between print and digital reading, and foreground the pivotal role of self-regulation and learning strategies in effective digital reading.

As usual registration is free of charge, click here for details.

Wishing you interesting and enjoyable reading,

The MOFET Portal Team

May 9, 2016

International Portal of Teacher Education

Please note: a complete list of recent additions to the portal follows the Featured Items.

May 2016

Featured Items

Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Learning of Science in a Methods Course: Examining the Predictive Ability of an Intentional Learning Model

The aim of this study was to identify the factors that help preservice early childhood teachers benefit most from an empirically tested conceptual change orientated instructional intervention. Results suggest that use of metacognitive strategies facilitated preservice teachers’ use of deep-level cognitive strategies, which in turn promoted their scientific conceptual understandings of the cause of the moon phases. Overall, results provided evidence for the predictive ability of the hypothesized model of intentional conceptual change in explaining the change in conceptual understandings of the cause of the moon phases.

Using iPads as a Learning Tool in Cross-Curricular Collaborative Initial Teacher Education

This paper reports on a pilot study developed to support collaborative working between the English and science pre-service teachers, working together to produce an e-book based around a field trip to the seashore. The participants used mobile technologies to extend their interactions outside the classroom, using iPads in authentic, fieldwork situations. In conclusion, this pilot study has prepared the ground for a larger, international collaboration on the use of mobile technology in initial teacher education and the authors invite those interested in such a study to contact them.

Looking Back on Experienced Teachers’ Reflections: How Did Pre-service School Practice Support the Development of Self-efficacy?

This study investigates how Estonian teachers with more than 25 years of professional experience recall and describe their pre-service teaching practice experience. This study indicates that supportive professional communication is essential for developing self-efficacy. The majority of the interviewees emphasised, either explicitly or implicitly, the importance of cooperation between student teachers and supervisors in the form of discussion and feedback. Both positive and negative experiences during their school practice contributed towards meaningful experiences becoming the catalyst of self-reflection. Many participants seemed to have experienced at least one particular feature in common, such as low perception of a sense of community within the school.

Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs and Knowledge about Multiculturalism

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a multicultural education course and its efforts to provide pre-service teachers with knowledge about and experience with issues related to diversity and multicultural education. In particular, this study sought to compare pre-service teachers’ entry and exit point knowledge in a multicultural education course. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers’ understanding of issues related to multicultural education increased significantly after taking a course in multicultural education.The data provide evidence that these pre-service teachers’ beliefs about their preparedness to teach minority students had evolved. They felt more confident, enthusiastic and optimistic about teaching children from diverse backgrounds after taking this multicultural education course.

Effect of Faculty Member’s Use of Twitter as Informal Professional Development During a Preservice Teacher Internship

The purpose of this study was to identify preservice teachers’ attitudes regarding Twitter as an informal professional development tool during their internships. The results reveal that preservice teachers who followed a Twitter account as an informal professional development medium during internship viewed the experience as helpful, particularly with respect to learning about new classroom resources, classroom strategies, and classroom technologies.