Search Results
Abstract
Quality teachers matter and quality teachers depend on the quality of their education. This chapter examines the question of what quality teacher education means. I draw on existing international literature, taking the Portuguese legal framework as an example to discuss how quality is understood. While there may be consensus about the key importance of quality teacher education, there is less agreement on what quality entails and how it is to be assessed. Therefore, any analysis of quality as a dynamic and contested concept must, among other things, consider the voices of the various stakeholders and the broad political, social and cultural environment in which teacher education is situated. It is argued that quality should be problematised, particularly in the context of teacher education reform, and that consideration needs to be given to a shared frame of reference as well as to specific features of the local settings.
Abstract
In this chapter I look at major trends in becoming and being a teacher in Portugal and Spain in adverse times. Even though I take into consideration existing international literature, I will focus on some of the key aspects that characterise the teaching profession and teacher education in Iberia by drawing upon empirical work carried out in both countries. The intention is not to do an exhaustive literature review nor to undertake a state of the art. Rather, my aim is to look at major trends characterising teaching and teachers’ work as well as teacher education in terms of current challenges in order to identify possible directions. Contradictory trends may be identified in the ways in which teacher professionalism has been defined as well as in real conditions of teachers’ work in schools and classrooms with implications for teacher education.
Abstract
In this chapter I look at major trends in becoming and being a teacher in Portugal and Spain in adverse times. Even though I take into consideration existing international literature, I will focus on some of the key aspects that characterise the teaching profession and teacher education in Iberia by drawing upon empirical work carried out in both countries. The intention is not to do an exhaustive literature review nor to undertake a state of the art. Rather, my aim is to look at major trends characterising teaching and teachers’ work as well as teacher education in terms of current challenges in order to identify possible directions. Contradictory trends may be identified in the ways in which teacher professionalism has been defined as well as in real conditions of teachers’ work in schools and classrooms with implications for teacher education.
Abstract
This chapter reports on findings from a broader piece of research focusing on the views and experiences of leadership from the point of view of school principals and teachers. Data were collected through focus group and interviews. Findings point to the increased complexity of the principals’ role, ambiguity in the use of the terms principal and administration team and the need of the school principals to deal with competing demands situated in different logics around issues of performativity, bureaucracy and democracy. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Abstract
In this chapter we investigate how quality is influenced by national level policies related to professional status, initial education, recruitment and transition into work of teachers in Finland, Portugal and Poland. We evaluate current literature on teacher quality and focus on the connection between teaching and teacher education. Comparison of national policies for recruiting and educating teachers in these three European nations finds common challenges, for example how to manage the transition of beginning teachers from initial teacher education programs to become established in the profession. However, responses to such challenges vary considerably and the analysis identifies implications for improving teacher education and recruitment in the three contexts. The chapter ends with conclusions, which are of relevance for policy, practice and research on teacher recruitment and education.
The Bologna Process has introduced a number of changes in Higher Education institutions, namely in curricula restructuring and in new methodologies of teaching and assessing, amongst others. Also of importance is the need to improve student achievement which has to focus not only upon the development of technical competencies, but also upon the development of transversal competencies. This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on impact assessment of Project-Led Education (PLE) on students’ learning, and its contribution to the improvement of teaching and learning in Higher Education. It is based on a longitudinal approach with first year Industrial Management and Engineering students, who participated in PLE experiences. For this, the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme (Stufflebeam, 2003). Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative research methods, according to the four dimensions of evaluation in CIPP. Findings suggest that the CIPP Model provided a broad understanding of the evaluation process, thus linking the evaluation and decision-making processes. Data collected from students, in regard to PLE processes and outcomes, showed a stronger articulation between theory and practice, which improved learning and increased student motivation. The project was considered a good way to develop not only technical skills, but also important transversal competencies such as project management, problem solving, communication skills and teamwork. Greater involvement of students in the assessment process and the need to clarify and share a common understanding of the tutor’s role, mostly amongst tutors themselves, were some of the key issues for further improvement that emerged from the data collected.
The Bologna Process has introduced a number of changes in Higher Education institutions, namely in curricula restructuring and in new methodologies of teaching and assessing, amongst others. Also of importance is the need to improve student achievement which has to focus not only upon the development of technical competencies, but also upon the development of transversal competencies. This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on impact assessment of Project-Led Education (PLE) on students’ learning, and its contribution to the improvement of teaching and learning in Higher Education. It is based on a longitudinal approach with first year Industrial Management and Engineering students, who participated in PLE experiences. For this, the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme (Stufflebeam, 2003). Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative research methods, according to the four dimensions of evaluation in CIPP. Findings suggest that the CIPP Model provided a broad understanding of the evaluation process, thus linking the evaluation and decision-making processes. Data collected from students, in regard to PLE processes and outcomes, showed a stronger articulation between theory and practice, which improved learning and increased student motivation. The project was considered a good way to develop not only technical skills, but also important transversal competencies such as project management, problem solving, communication skills and teamwork. Greater involvement of students in the assessment process and the need to clarify and share a common understanding of the tutor’s role, mostly amongst tutors themselves, were some of the key issues for further improvement that emerged from the data collected.