93 empirical studies on learning to teach were reviewed in order to establish what is currently known about how people learn to teach and to critique the quality of the reporting of that research. Among other observations concerning teacher education, the review highlights the tensions between the hopes and expectations of teacher educators and the expectations and experiences of beginning teachers. While this review supports the findings of others that many traditional programs of teacher education have little effect upon the firmly held beliefs of the beginning teachers, it also provides examples of successful programs. Such programs typically build upon the beliefs of pre service teachers and feature systematic and consistent long-term support in a collaborative setting. It is concluded that this body of research has advanced the field in significant ways, offering new directions for research and program reform. The critique of the papers themselves reveals that authors need to pay more careful attenti...

https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/1170752

A Critical Analysis of the Research on Learning to Teach: Making the Case for an Ecological Perspective on Inquiry

In this article, professional development in the context of the current reforms in science education is discussed from the perspective of developing teachers' practical knowledge It is argued that reform efforts in the past have often been unsuccessful because they failed to take teachers' existing knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes into account Teachers' practical knowledge is conceptualized as action-oriented and person-bound As it is constructed by teachers in the context of their work, practical knowledge integrates experiential knowledge, formal knowledge, and personal beliefs To capture this complex type of knowledge, multimethod designs are necessary On the basis of a literature review, it is concluded that long-term professional development programs are needed to achieve lasting changes in teachers' practical knowledge In particular, the following strategies are potentially powerful: (a) learning in networks, (b) peer coaching, (c) collaborative action research, and (d) the use of cases In any case, it is recommended that teachers' practical knowledge be investigated at the start of a reform project, and that changes in this knowledge be monitored throughout the project In that way, the reform project may benefit from teachers' expertise Moreover, this makes it possible to adjust the reform so as to enhance the chances of a successful implementation © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc J Res Sci Teach 38: 137–158, 2001

Professional development and reform in science education: The role of teachers' practical knowledge

A critical review of research on teaching beliefs and practices of university academics revealed that the espoused theories of action of academics have not been distinguished from their theories-in-use in some studies. It is our contention that research that examines only what university teachers say about their practice and does not directly observe what they do is at risk of telling half the story. Our review revealed several unsupported claims about university academics’ teaching practice, raised concerns about data gathering and analysis methods, and found that research on primary and secondary teachers’ beliefs has been used infrequently to inform research in tertiary settings. The review identifies implications for understanding university academics’ development as teachers and provides direction for further research.

Telling Half the Story: A Critical Review of Research on the Teaching Beliefs and Practices of University Academics

Participatory action research and social change

us confess that the schools have never built a new social order, but have always in all times and in all lands been the instruments through which social forces were perpetuated. If our new curriculum revision is to do better, it must undertake an acceptance of the profound social and economic changes which are now taking place in the world. (Horace Mann Bond, 'The curriculum and the Negro child' , 1935: 68) This quote comes out of a tradition that seems quite disconnected from many common understandings of action research. Yet for me it raises issues that are at the core of action research practices. It demands recognition of the essentially 'conserving' function of schooling , and highlights the need for educational responses to profound structural changes in society. It also comes out of a long-standing tradition of African American academic literature that has refuted the dominant narrative of educational history which claimed education as a major vehicle for social advancement of disempowered peoples. It also embodies major questions that have haunted me for many years, as to what extent and in what ways action research in educational work can play a role in building a 'new social order' (Counts, 1932/1978) – one in which economic and social justice are central aims. A major part of this chapter addresses these issues, by examining the multiple practices of action research, both historically and conceptually. Action research has long been part of research in education, as well as in multiple social science fields. But even a brief look at the literature reveals important differences in the processes as well as the purposes of the research. Some forms highlight new strategies for data collection and analysis which correspond to varied theoretical frameworks underpinning the research, while others look remarkably similar to 'traditional' forms of empirical/analytic or interpretive research. Some focus on relatively narrow aspects of classroom work, while others seek connections to larger social visions and social movements. In much of my work over the past 20 years, I have sought to understand these varied meanings and practices dimensionally, in terms of their histories and in terms of their underlying assumptions. In this effort, Sandra Harding's (1987) definitions of 'method' , 'methodology' , and 'epistemology' have been very useful. In her distinctions, a 'method' is a technique or process by which evidence is gathered. In contrast, a 'methodology' , encompasses both the role …

Professional, Personal, and Political Dimensions of Action Research

Images: A Way of Understanding the Practical Knowledge of Student Teachers.

Experience is the Best Teacher; or is it? An Analysis of the Role of Experience in Learning to Teach:

Conversations with student teachers — enhancing the dialogue of learning to teach

A case for the “person” in curriculum deliberation

Many action research projects initiated to bring about certain outcomes in classrooms are externally funded and managed. The tensions brought about by such circumstances are discussed in this paper. The points raised are illustrated by a case study of a project funded to explore the construction of gender in the early years of schooling. Although the aims specified for the project were achieved, some members of the project management committee had expectations of the participants in the project which resembled a technical approach to action research and a top‐down approach to the management of change. The difficulties brought about by the external funding and management of the project relate to the choice of topics for investigation by the participants, the time line for the project and the nature of the end product specified by the project brief.

Sue Johnston

Papers

Images: A Way of Understanding the Practical Knowledge of Student Teachers.

Experience is the Best Teacher; or is it? An Analysis of the Role of Experience in Learning to Teach:

Conversations with student teachers — enhancing the dialogue of learning to teach

A case for the “person” in curriculum deliberation

Action Research—who owns the process?