Implementing Inclusive Education In Early Childhood Settings: The Interplay and Impact of Exclusion, Teacher Qualities and Professional Development in Ghana

Inclusive education (IE) in the early years enhances young children’s learning, socialization, and development; yet, children with disability are one group that is often isolated, excluded, or marginalized in early childhood education. This paper examines jointly the perceived exclusion practices, teacher qualities, and professional development and the interplay and impact of these factors on effective inclusive early childhood education. Drawing on data collected from individual interviews with teachers and headteachers in a large early childhood and school setting in Ghana, findings of this qualitative study indicate the exclusion practices of teachers. The findings suggest that resistance to IE limits learning, engagement, and social opportunities for children, especially those with disability. The findings also identify that effective teacher qualities and professional development enhance the provision of quality inclusive early childhood education. The study reinforces the need for improved support for teachers and to make sure that they are placed at the center of IE policy and practice.

Leadership in the teacherʼs professional activity

The article substantiates the features of leadership in the professional activity of a teacher. It is emphasized that leadership is a specific type of management relationship, which is based on social interaction, and the leader in this situation is an innovator. The functional differences of a leadership (regulation of interpersonal relations in the team, spontaneity) and management (organization of official relations of the group as a certain social organization, purposefulness, control of various elements of social structure) are determined. It is argued that a person's leadership qualities mean a set of their psychological qualities, abilities and features of intragroup interaction that ensure the success of their leadership functions. Important leadership behavioral qualities of a leader: responsibility, cooperation, personal development, resilience, awareness, integrity. The organizational and managerial qualities of a teacher-leader (professional competence, moral qualities, ability to work, culture of taking into account different points of view, etc.) are systematized and the differences in the activity of a teacher-functionary and a teacher-leader are determined. It is noted that the effectiveness of leadership is determined by the teacherʼs ability to perceive and satisfy the specific needs of the group at each stage and choose the appropriate style of influence, harmoniously combining individual and group needs while providing the necessary conditions for completing the assignment. The main problem of leadership is to maintain consensus and unity of the staff of the educational organization on the basis of common goals and values, the implementation of a specific approach to reveal the individual potential of staff. It is concluded that the training of a teacher-leader should be aimed at developing his analytical skills, at the formation of design and modeling competencies, at stimulating the individual to a possible solution of the problems in difficult and uncertain situations, at the ability to respond not only quickly but also on the basis of various strategies behavior. Keywords: leadership, teacher, qualities of a leader, professional competence.

De ethiek van het onderwijzersberoep rond 1900

The ethics of the teaching profession around 1900 Around 1900, lively discussions arose on the teaching profession and its ethics, in remarkable simularity to actual discussions on this subject. Was the best education to be seen as moral education, whether and how in combination with the cognitive basics; and on the outcome of that, what kind of teacher qualities were to be required, and how to be developed? Disputes hereon were mixed with the pressing question: must pedagogical quality be defined and prescribed by scientific reasoning, or by teachers themselves on their own terms and insights? This article compares three positions in these discussions, traced in then influential pedagogical journals: Herbart-followers, as defenders of science based teacher quality; their fierce adversaries in the upcoming teacher union, led by Theo Thijssen; and educational reformers striving for nuanced or deliberatly doubting viewpoints on all this. This third position was favoured by Jan Ligthart and other authors in the journal he drifted. Interestingly, all parties declared the teachers personality of the uppermost importance for educational quality. In Thijssens circle however, this personality was depicted as a real male, autonomously leading his classroom without ethical fuss. While around Ligthart, good teachership sprang from the capacity to empathize with pupils – including their unwillingness to be educated – but enriched by self-insight in ones own personal development, with the inevitable conflicts and doubts thereabouts. This perspective, gradually growing in Ligtharts writings, was otherwise mostly expressed by female authors. The article leads to persistently awkward discussion points, including gender questions, regarding the teaching profession.

A Survey on Needs for English Academic Course for Doctoral Candidates

Teaching of English for Academic Purpose (EAP) has caught great attention to developing the academic literacy of doctoral candidates. Therefore, it is a necessity to investigate their learning needs towards EAP courses. The paper did a survey on 105 doctoral candidates from 9 dimensions to investigate their overall situation of EAP learning needs. Teaching implications on EAP course concern teacher qualities, curriculum design and teaching practice.

Sustaining Multilingualism in Chinese Universities: Uzbekistani Students’ Demotivation While Learning Chinese

This paper reports on a mixed method study exploring demotivation among Uzbekistani students while they are learning Chinese in a Chinese university. In the study, we conducted a survey among 67 Uzbekistani students, and interviewed 30 of them about their experiences of learning Chinese. The analysis of the data revealed that a lack of self-confidence, insufficient learning opportunities, a lack of learning support, and teacher qualities were the most salient factors affecting Uzbekistani students’ demotivation while learning Chinese. In light of the findings, we put forward suggestions for language educators and educational administrators in order to enable them to enhance language learners’ interest in and enthusiasm for learning Chinese, so that they will sustain their learning efforts and Chinese universities can achieve sustainable multilingualism.

Examining Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Differentiated Practices, Student Engagement, and Teacher Qualities

The purpose of this study was to compare students’ and teachers’ perceptions of differentiated practices, student engagement, and the qualities of an effective teacher by fostering student voice. Participants included 802 students and 867 teachers from Northern Sydney government schools in Australia. The researcher used a convergent parallel mixed methods design, including online questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Years 5 to 12 gifted students ( n = 38) from four schools acted as co-researchers at the methodological level. The student co-researchers co-designed and disseminated the student survey, and interviewed their own teachers. Significant differences were found between the students’ and the teachers’ perceptions of differentiated practices, student engagement, and the qualities of an effective teacher. The study’s findings highlight the need for a shared understanding of perspectives by both teachers and students to foster schoolwide optimal learning and teaching processes.

The Problems оf Formation оf Language Competence in Future Foreign Language Teachers

The article is devoted to the problem of the formation of language competence, which is considered as an integrated property of a person possessing a complex of professionally meaningful for the teacher qualities. The concept of language competence of the teacher is determined. The questions of level of scientific-theoretical and practical training of employees of higher educational institutions and effective interaction with students in the process of pedagogical cooperation are revealed on the basis of introduction of European experience for achievement of high results. The proposed research substantiates the stages of professional development of the teacher, which is the basis for successful adaptation to the world educational and informational processes. Also, during the scientific work, the criteria for the teacher's professionalism were determined: profound professional knowledge and theoretical skills, a set of practical skills and abilities, skillfully applied in practice. The structural components of the teacher's language competence and the conditions aimed at increasing his language competence are highlighted.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

<p>In order to get qualified teachers and meet the needs of teachers in schools, it is necessary to establish a teacher recruitment system. Teacher recruitment is an important step in teacher management because from this process teachers will be screened and then later placed in school. Qualified teachers from this process will ensure the quality of education in the school. There are two paths of recruitment for public school teachers: through government test (CPNS) and schools internal recruitment. The purpose of this research is to examine whether these two processes produce different teacher qualities and be able to get teacher who can comply with the requirement specified by the law.</p><p> </p><p> </p><center><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license"><img src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a></center><p> </p>

The impact of quality teaching on student achievement

Institutions seek out the best teachers, because quality teaching is an important factor in student achievement. It is related to the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and dispositions that teachers bring into their profession. The South East European University strives for the highest quality in every faculty and department and sees quality improvement as an individual and collective responsibility. The university supports effective staff performance through announced and unannounced observations, student and staff evaluations, and internal and external opportunities for professional development and training. This study explores teacher and student perspectives on issues related to the teacher’s effectiveness, role and impact on student achievement. Language teachers are found to encourage interaction in the classroom, have a positive attitude towards changes and are open to new teaching situations. Based on the observations, quality teaching depends on knowledge of subject matter and teaching skills—factors that have a positive impact on students’ academic achievement. Keywords: SEEU, quality teaching, teacher qualities, student achievement.