Connections Between Theory and Practice in Teacher Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Nabi Bux Jumani
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Theory Practice Gap ◽  
The Relationship

A fundamental component in professional education is the link between theory and practice. However, students in professional education programmes experience a lack of coherence between theory and practice which is often described as theory practice gap. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between theory and practice in MA Education Programmes offered by International Islamic University and to contribute with knowledge about how to bridge the gap between theory and practice in teacher education programme. Data were obtained through focus group interview with 40 MA Education female students who completed their four months teaching practice in December 2011. Data reveal that student teachers are quite satisfied with their pedagogical preparation and find difference in theory and practice in teacher education institutions and practice schools in Pakistan. Data indicate that student teachers were not allowed by schools to implement their learnt teaching strategies.

Listening to the Experiences and Concerns of Pre-Service Teachers During Teaching Practice Programme

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Darshana Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Teacher Education Programme ◽  
Practice Teaching

Teaching Practice is widely recognised as the sine-qua-non of any teacher education programme. It is a component in the teacher preparation programme where prospective teachers are provided with an opportunity to put their theoretical studies into practice, get feedback, reflect on practice and consequently further improve their teaching skills. As teaching practice is an important component of a teacher education programme, considerable attention must be given to make it more effective and fruitful. This paper is based on a research study conducted to know pre-service teachers' experiences of the quality of teaching practice and the common concerns they have during teaching practice. On the basis of focussed group discussion a total of five themes were identified, these are (1) usefulness of teaching practice (2) experiences/concerns with pupils' behaviour (3) experiences/concerns with own behaviour (4) experiences/concerns with supervisors' behaviour (5) experiences/concerns with institutional and personal adjustments. The outcome of the focussed group discussion was used to prepare a structured questionnaire. Among other things, the study recommended rigorous practical training in lesson planning, demonstration lessons by teacher educators, simulated teaching before the commencement of practice teaching, school orientation programmes, a separate internship of two weeks and writing a journal by student teachers during teaching practice.

scholarly journals Student teachers’ conditions for professional learning on and across the learning arenas of teacher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 105-116
Author(s):  
Finn Daniel Raaen ◽  
Kirsten Elisabeth Thorsen
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Theoretical Line ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Theory Practice Gap

Teacher education is supposed to be able to offer student teachers professional learning that will enable them to deal with the academic and social needs they may be confronted with in school. This calls for teacher education based on a coherent and meaningful division of labour between the learning activities that take place on campus and in placement schools. This has proved difficult to achieve. Research shows a significant gap in the way teacher education is organised. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the development of a theoretically grounded account of the so-called “theory-practice” gap in teacher education, which can move us beyond the simple dichotomies that currently seem to annoy much research and practitioners’ interest in this field. We argue that achieving such an account will require the expansion of more equal and mutually negotiated professional learning in teacher education, that can contribute to enhancing student teachers’ professional learning, on and across the various learning arenas of teacher education. We seek to achieve this objective by following a theoretical line of inquiry, supported with empirical data. Our theoretical rationale is based on socio-cultural learning theory, where coherence, transboundary translation, and re-contextualisation are important subordinate theoretical-analytical terms.

scholarly journals Abstracts: Teacher education

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 358-360
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
School Level ◽  
Teaching Beliefs ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
The Impact

07–615Dogancay-Aktuna, Seran (Southern Illinois U, USA), Expanding the socio-cultural knowledge base of TESOL teacher education. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Multilingual Matters) 19.3 (2006), 278–295.07–616Gonçalves, Maria de Lurdes (U Aveiro, Portugal) & Ana Isabel Andrade, Connecting languages: The use of theportfolioas a means of exploring and overcoming frontiers within the curriculum. European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 30.2 (2007), 195–213.07–617Kurihara, Yuka & Keiko Samimy (Ohio State U, USA), The impact of a U.S. teacher training program on teaching beliefs and practices: A case study of secondary school level Japanese teachers of English. JALT Journal (Japan Association for Language Teaching) 29.1 (2007), 99–122.07–618Poulou, Maria (U Patras, Greece), Student-teachers' concerns about teaching practice. European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 30.1 (2007), 91–110.07–619Santoro, Ninetta (Deakin U, Australia), ‘Outsiders’ and ‘others’: ‘Different’ teachers teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 13.1 (2007), 81–97.07–620Vacilotto, Silvana & Rhoda Cummings (U Nevada, Reno, USA; [email protected]), Peer coaching in TEFL/TESL programmes. ELT Journal (Oxford University Press) 61.2 (2007), 153–160.

scholarly journals ‘Learning walks’: Dialogic spaces for integrating theory and practice in a renewed BEd foundation phase curriculum

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Zinn ◽  
Deidre Geduld ◽  
Aletta Delport ◽  
Christina Jordaan
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Knowledge Domains ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Curriculum Framework ◽  
New Vision ◽  
Learning Walks ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

In teacher education, the integration of theory and practice is perhaps best manifested in work-integrated learning (WiL), which entails the merging of academic and professional knowledge domains (CHE 2011). The redesign of current BEd programmes at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) to align with the Faculty of Education’s new vision and mission started in 2011. Rigorous interrogation of previous and current paradigms and practices led to uncomfortable awareness of the lack of relevance of teacher preparation programmes in relation to conditions in the majority of schools in the country. Furthermore, the undesired schism between theory and practice was clearly exacerbated by the existing teaching practice model. The primary challenge was to design integrated, coherent new BEd programmes, to be responsive to the realities of the majority of South African schools, and to facilitate the connection between theory and practice in the teacher education programme. The study described in this article responded to this challenge through the application of a humanising curriculum framework that had been co-constructed within the Faculty. It led to the implementation of ‘learning walks’, the name given to the dialogic spaces which were created to develop and inform a new model of WiL.

The theory/practice gap in B2B marketing: reflections and search for solutions

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 619-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert Gummesson
Keyword(s):  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Grand Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
B2b Marketing ◽  
Range Theory ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Theory Generation ◽  
Theory Practice Gap ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to suggest pragmatic ways of dealing with the business-to-business (B2B) theory/practice gap. Design/methodology/approach – Reflecting on experience both as a researcher and practitioner. Findings – B2B marketing is characterized by complexity. There is no straight way to harmonize the relationship between its theory and practice but there are ways to make the two benefit from each other. A dilemma is that academics and practitioners are rewarded for different types of achievements. Research limitations/implications – Scholars can be made aware of the need for close involvement through action research and case theory to secure access to high-quality data in a complex B2B reality, and to their mission to contribute better real world based theory. Practical implications – The article can make practitioners aware of the value of grand theory to improve the pragmatic use of mid-range theory as it materializes in models, checklists and heuristics. Originality/value – The simultaneous emphasis on explicit and tacit knowledge in both theory generation and practice, and a framework of theory generation that sorts out substantive, mid-range and grand theory relationships.

scholarly journals CRITICALLY ANALYSIS EXAMINING THE TEACHING PRACTICE UNIT OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN BACHELOR OF EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF BENAZIR BHUTTO SHAHEED UNIVERSITY LYARI, KARACHI

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadim Hussain Dahri, Abdul Jabbar Dahri, Mir Hassan Dahri
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Bachelor Of Education

The study aims at to examining the teaching practice unit of the teacher training program (TPUTTP) at Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, Karachi Sindh. It further tries to find out what is BBSUL teacher trainees’ perceptions about teaching practice? The specific objectives were describing the nature of teaching practice preparation as recognized by the BBSUL student-teachers, and to find out the difference on perception about (TP) based on the areas of specialization. The study has utilized quantitative research design with descriptive survey to investigate the teaching practice unit of teacher Education program in Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) at Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University lyari, Karachi, Sindh. The sample size of the study was (106) student-teachers who had completed teaching practice. The study sample was derived through a stratified random sampling and Simple random sampling techniques. An online questionnaire with open ended and closed ended items was used to collect data from respondents. The results showed that both B.Ed. Arts and Science students had moderate perception about (TP) preparation at BBSUL Education department while there is low perception about (TP) among the B.Ed. Science students but moderate among B.Ed. Arts students. The study further found out no statistical differences in perception about (TP) preparation and actual (TP) experiences between (B.Ed.) Arts and (B.Ed.) Science students. Finally, the study suggests that without proper (B.Ed.) teaching practice, the classroom teaching become fruitless, unexciting, and monotonous at different academics’ level.

Role of Feedback for Bridging Theory- Practice Gap in Teaching Practicum

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-159
Author(s):  
Faiza Masood ◽  
Dr. Malik Ghulam Behlol
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Pre Service Teacher Education ◽  
Theory Practice Gap ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Incorporating theory into practice is not a simple rather dialectical and complex process of observing, scaffolding, reflecting, and coordinating prospective teachers. It has been observed that interaction in the form of academic feedback between CTs and PTs is missing in the teaching practicum. The present study aims to investigate the perceptions and practices of PTs and CTs about Feedback in teaching practicum to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the Pre-service Teacher Education Program. It is an exploratory investigation applying survey method and semi-structured interview to collect data from PTs and CTs to answer the investigation inquiries about the role of Feedback practices in bridging the theory-practice gap. Purposive and Criterion sampling techniques were applied to select the participants of the study. Findings reveal that the CTs are working as mentors without any professional training and recognition in their department and universities for their contributions in teaching practicum. They are lacking to perform their role effectively in providing written and oral Feedback to PTs for their professional development. School Practicum is suggested to be regular, well organized, and structured instead of a command-based component of the Pre-service Teacher Education Program. Keywords: Feedback, Teaching practicum, Cooperative teacher, Prospective Teacher

scholarly journals A Finnish model of teacher education informs a South African one: A teaching school as a pedagogical laboratory

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Loukomies ◽  
Nadine Petersen ◽  
Jari Lavonen
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
African Context

In this study, we examined student teachers’ learning during their teaching placement period in Finland and South Africa. The setting of the inquiry in both countries was a ‘teaching’ school, affiliated to a university teacher education programme. The teaching school is also referred to as an educational innovation that was transferred from the Finnish context to the South African context. Data were collected through an interview protocol. The findings show that the students, like many of their counterparts in different parts of the world, focused on teaching tools and methods as well as classroom management as a gateway to their teaching career. The extended teaching placement period at both the university teaching schools was expected to yield some findings about the intersection of teaching practice and its supporting theories because of the close collaboration of the schools and the universities. Some of the findings satisfied this expectation while other parts did not, confirming that initial teacher education may be regarded as a platform for learning to be teachers, but it has its own limits even in a pedagogical ‘laboratory’. The transfer of the educational innovation was regarded as successful.

scholarly journals Using eportfolio to address professional standards in a teacher education programme: The student voice

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Lewis ◽  
Philippa Gerbic
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Learning Context

Electronic portfolios are presented in the literature as a technological tool with significant potential for professional application (JISC, 2008). Since the introduction of Graduating Teacher Standards (GTS) by the New Zealand Teachers Council in 2007, all pre-service teacher education programmes are required to demonstrate their achievement through programme design. Eportfolios are an ideal vehicle for evidencing such achievement through their potential to support synthesis of theory and practice in self-appraisal against standards (Strudler & Wetzel, 2005), facilitate reflective practice (Stefani and Mason, 2007; Lin, 2008), demonstrate professional growth and development over time (Barrett, 2005). Furthermore, eportfolios have been conceptualized as both a process and a product (Darling, 2001) thus meeting the dual expectation of supporting and facilitating learning as well as showcasing end-product artefacts. In New Zealand the introduction of eportfolios is a recent innovation, and not much is known about the ways in which learners view this technology or the ways in which it might support their learning and development, particularly against professional standards. The aim of this research project was to explore student perspectives of learning through eportfolio in a Bachelor of Education programme at AUT University. A small self-selected sample of students from two consecutive cohorts participated in the 2009/2010 project. Questions related to GTS were embedded in two of the research questions: (1) How does an eportfolio help students to learn? and ((2) How does the eportfolio contribute to growth and development of students as emergent professionals? Philosophically the research was located within the Interpretivist paradigm. Drawing on conceptions of naturalistic inquiry (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000) where reality is recognised as complex, influencing students both individually and within a broader social learning context, the researchers sought to collect participant views through focus groups and interviews. This qualitative data was analysed through an inductive approach of categorising and seeking themes. The first finding suggests authentic assessment related to Graduating Standards provides reassuring evidence to pre-service student teachers of their growth and development towards beginning teacher status. Secondly, eportfolio activities can support a range of thinking skills linked to achievement of Standards such as purposeful goal-focussed thinking, evidencing and relating, reflecting and appraising. Thirdly, eportfolios and Standards are perceived by pre-service students to have value for employability and in supporting their transition to the workplace. We contribute to current debate by arguing against a 'tick-box' approach to Standards which might signal surface learning. We argue for deep learning through a holistic approach which utilizes the potential of eportfolios to shift pre-service students towards greater professional autonomy through self-assessment against Standards.

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