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Self-Study: Tensions and Growth in Graduate Teaching Assistant Development
14-22Views:268Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) development is an important undertaking for many higher education institutions in the United States. During the GTA preparation process, tensions can arise when the supervisor challenges GTAs by engaging in critical reflection and pushing them to advance their pedagogical skills beyond their comfort zone. Guided by Berry’s (2008) framework of tensions, this self-study aimed to answer the research question: How do tensions that arise during GTA development contribute to the professional growth of teacher educators and GTAs in their teaching? Self-study was the research method, and the data were analyzed using the strategy of inductive analysis and creative synthesis (Patten, 2002). This self-study reports five types of tensions: telling and growth; confidence and uncertainty; safety and challenge; valuing and reconstructing experience; and planning and being responsive. The findings explain how these tensions pushed the supervisor and the GTA to reflect on teacher preparation, manage challenges, and improve teaching. While tensions place teacher educators and novice teachers in uncomfortable positions, this study shows that reflections on and articulation of tensions in collaborative dialogues can help both discover aspects of their teaching that provide opportunities for growth and lead both to transform tensions into teachable moments.
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Student Perception of Learning English Online
47-55Views:246The aim of this research was to highlight the impact of online education on teaching and learning English as a foreign language among students aged 12-19, and to research the importance of learner autonomy and motivation in the online teaching – learning process. In order to collect data from the 81 subjects, members of five different classes and age groups, a questionnaire created in Google Forms was used. The questionnaire was designed to provide information about the students’ attitude and motivation for studying English in an online context, autonomy and effort invested in the learning process. Student progress was measured using the end of semester grades of the first semester of the 2019/2020 year compared to those of the first 2020/2021 semester. Results reveal the importance of perceived choice as a factor that supports learner autonomy and learner motivation. The limitations of the study are due to the fact that the students’ level of English and their previous knowledge of the subjects studied online had not been tested beforehand as the current pandemic situation was not foreseeable.
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Teachers’ Practices in Fostering Children’s Critical Thinking at Pre-Primary Level in Kongwa District
1-9Views:21Critical thinking skills is one of the most important 21st century skills and one of the most vital indicators of the quality of education children are receiving. In enhancing these important skills, it is very important to unfold teachers’ practices in fostering children’s critical thinking skills. Therefore, this study investigated teachers’ practices in fostering children’s critical thinking skills in pre-primary level in the Kongwa District of the Dodoma Region, Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative research approach with a phenomenography research design. The total sample of the study was 35 respondents, selected through the criterion purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and classroom observation. Data analyses were done through the thematic analysis framework of Braun and Clarke (2021). The findings revealed that teachers’ practices which include teachers’ preparations, the use of instructional strategies, social activities, teaching and learning materials, and creating classroom learning environment helps children to think critically. The study recommends the quality assurers should maintain monitoring and supervision of teachers’ classroom practices in promoting the critical thinking skills of children.
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Pandemic and Education
1-10Views:811The emergence and rapid spread of the Coronavirus in the spring of 2020 has fundamentally changed our lives. The most important change has been the attempt to minimise face–to–face contacts everywhere in order to keep the epidemic under control. Public gatherings were banned, shopping malls were closed, and sporting events were also cancelled. As COVID–19 spread as easily among children as among adults, schools could not escape the restrictions. During the first wave of the epidemic, institutions had to switch to emergency remote education (ERE) at very short notice, which presented a number of problems for all participants. These problems and experiences of the switch should be collected at all levels of education, as they not only help to prepare for similar situations, but may also lead to conclusions that can be used to make the methods and solutions of classroom–based teaching more motivating, more effective or even more efficient. In this paper, we review both the challenges of the transition and the possible implications for the future teaching–learning process by reflecting on the lessons learned.
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The Importance of Student-Teacher Relationship in Romanian SEN Schools Among Hungarian Minorities
52-59.Views:119The research aims to investigate the status of special schools in Romania, with a focus on student-teacher relationships, attachment-based education, and the Hungarian minority. After a brief historical overview of special schools, the study covers two main directions. We start by outlining how special schools view the value of attachment-based education and sheltered workshop conditions. Then we will use quantitative methods to analyze the research findings of a pilot study with a sample of a total of 60. Our focus will be on children with special educational needs. We will emphasize the impact of segregated education processes and examine current practices and rights. Based on the findings of the study, educators who work in SEN schools have better knowledge of their students’ attachment patterns. These educators are responsible for teaching students with SEN and building safe attachments plays a crucial role in the educational process. Special education setting places great importance on fostering secure attachment in students.
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Learning English through Shadow Education: Exploring Participants’ Motives and Experiences
66-77Views:422Parallel to the institutionalised school system, in which no change in pedagogical attitudes has taken place (Einhorn 2015), there is a growing demand for learning languages in non-formal contexts, including out-of-school courses that not only complement students’ studies in formal education but also seem to make the process of learning languages as well as giving academic support to students more effective. The present study aims to explore the international and Hungarian literature on shadow education, which is widespread in Hungary but has little literature (Varga 2015), by presenting the characteristics of the phenomenon and highlighting its shortcomings. A qualitative study is also presented in order to examine the expectations and experiences of the students (and their families) participating in private tutoring. Data gleaned from interviews with students and their parents are analysed to identify their motives, expectations, the development of students’ additional skills and competencies, their career aspirations and the families’ financial background. The results of the study shed light on some characteristics of shadow education that have not been visible yet. Some factors that can potentially enhance the effectiveness of language teaching in the state school system will also be highlighted. Although the study is based on a rather limited sample, the results help us gain important insights into the hidden aspects of shadow education.