Section archive - Beginning Teachers

This study examines the knowledge of PA instruction of 223 first-year teachers initially certified in special education, early childhood education, and elementary education. Results indicate that significant numbers of beginning special and general education teachers in this sample appear to be inadequately prepared with respect to PA instruction. They have limited knowledge of PA, confuse PA with phonics, are generally unable to select task-appropriate materials or activities, and lack skill in analyzing written words into phonemes.

The goal of the current study was to explore the alignment of beginning teachers' beliefs and practices, in comparison to an experienced, exemplary teacher. To further explore relationships between teachers' beliefs and practices, the authors also explored aspects that might help beginning teachers become more effective. Participants included six beginning primary school teachers and one experienced teacher. Teacher beliefs, classroom practices, and student engagement data were coded from theory-driven and data-driven perspectives.

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in preservice teachers’ understanding of the nature of science (NOS) as a result of four activity-based interventions. These interventions represent three instructional approaches used in a middle grades science methods course. 10 participants’ understanding of NOS and their perceptions about the activity-based interventions were investigated.

This article is about the experiences of beginning teachers in turning theory learned in universities into practice in the workplace. The article argues that, despite long-standing awareness of the theory-practice gap as a central issue faced by beginning teachers, attempts by teacher educators to address this issue remain thwarted. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of 1st year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education program.