Section archive - Instruction in Teacher Training

The purpose of this study was to better understand prospective elementary school teachers’ motivations for working with fractions before and after taking a course designed to deepen their understanding of mathematics, as well as what instructional practices might be related to any changes detected in their motivations. 85 education students were given a motivation questionnaire at the beginning and end of the semester, and observations were made of the 9 days when fractions were taught.

This paper examines a 2-year process of integrating Lesson Study—a form of teacher-led professional development—into an introductory course on the principles of teaching for students majoring in early childhood education. The course is taught in conjunction with beginning practicum work in area schools.

In this study, the authors examined 32 teachers' learning in an informal learning environment. The authors analyzed changes in conceptions and behavior regarding students' active and self-regulated learning (ASL), and relations with the teachers' learning activities. Few relations were found between observed changes in behavior and learning activities.

In places in Canada, increasing numbers of teachers are leaving after only a few years of teaching. In this article, the authors take up questions about the stories teachers tell of their leaving. Furthermore, the authors examine what they can learn about their work as teacher educators from listening to, and inquiring into, teachers' stories.