Some thoughts concerning a FELA project Renate Valtin

Suggestion Not to diversify too much! To develop a broad frame with specific aspects, f.i. reading teachers knowledge and belief. What should reading teachers know (about early literacy, reading instruction, new literacy) What do teachers know about …. What are teachers beliefs (learning process, best methods….)

Possible EU-funding: Lifelong learning programmes LLL The general objective is to contribute through lifelong learning to the development of the Community as an advanced knowledge society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, while ensuring good protection of the environment for future generations. In particular, it aims to foster interchange, co- operation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community so that they become a world quality reference.

Comenius Comenius focuses on the first phase of education, from pre-school and primary to secondary school, and it is addressed to all members of the education community in the broad sense – pupils, teachers, other education staff, but also local authorities, parents' associations, non-government organisations Objectives Comenius has the following goals: To encourage language learning, innovative ICT-based content, services and better teaching techniques and practices To enhance the quality and European dimension of teacher training To improve pedagogical approaches and school management

Tempus The Tempus programme funds cooperation projects in the areas of curriculum development and innovation, teacher training, university management, and structural reforms in higher education. It puts special emphasis on the mobility of academic and administrative staff from higher education institutions, both from the EU and the partner countries.

Rationale for a project (LLL) Reading competence is a key factor of lifelong learning. While reading competence, reading motivation and habits are the outcome of a complex socialisation process (individual factors, home background, peers, school experiences) instruction plays a crucial rule in developing reading competence Teachers have an impact on reading competence and reading motivation and habits. One possible project: Knowledge and belief systems of (future) teachers are investigated as key factors influencing student achievement.

State of art From international studies we know a lot about scholastic achievement of pupils and their motivation Research about teachers knowledge and beliefs are rare and mainly related to mathematics teaching Examples: - Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century (MT21) - Learning to Teach Mathematics – Teacher Education and Development Study (TEDS-M), International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement

Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century (MT21) 6 countries: Bulgaria, Germany,Mexiko, Südkorea, Taiwan, USA. Sample: future teachers in their last year of training (in about 3 institutions) Questionnaire about knowledge, beliefs and opportunities to learn

TEDS-M (IEA-study) TEDS-M is a comparative study of teacher education with a focus on the preparation of teachers of mathematics at the primary and lower secondary levels. Participating countries: Botswana, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Georgia, Germany, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland (German speaking cantons), Thailand, United States.

TEDS-M has three components studies of teacher education policy and its cultural and social context (Teacher education institutions) studies of teacher preparation routes, programs, standards and expectations for teacher learning, (Educators of future teachers) studies of the mathematics and related teaching knowledge of future elementary and lower secondary school teachers (Future teachers)

PIRLS about teachers PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia: A guide to reading education in the forty PIRSL 2006 countries (reports by national experts). Topics: Language and Literacy in the Country Structure of Education System Reading Curriculum in the Primary Grades Teachers and Teacher Education (f.i.Components Prescribed by Language and Reading Curriculum) Examinations and Assessments

PIRLS: Requirements to Become a Primary Grade Teacher

Information from PIRLS 2006 Teacher report about instructional materials, strategies and activities –Cognitive stimulation: direct instruction, teaching strategies –Variety of methods and reading materials –Individual support Results of a latent class analysis (Lankes & Carstensen 2007)

LCA-L ö sung hier Datum eintragen (Ansicht/Master/Folienmaster) Cognitive stimulation Variety of methods Individual support

Results from Lankes & Carstensen 2007: Type 1: Teacher directed instruction in the whole class without individual support (30 %) Type 2 : Individualized child-centred instruction, seldom whole class instruction (22 %) Type 3: Whole class instruction with little cognitive stimulation and little variety in methods, without individual support (20%) Type 4: Variety of methods with high individual support (16%) Type 5: Highly stimulating whole class instruction with didactic materials (13%)

Lankes&Carstensen: Distribution of types of reading instruction ) Type 1 : Teacher directed instruction in the whole class without individual support (30%) Type 2: Individualized child-centred instruction, seldom whole class instruction (22 %) Type 3: Whole class instruction, little cognitive stimulation and little variety in methods, without individual support (20 %) Type 4: Variety of methods with high individual support (16 %) Type 5: Highly stimulating whole class instruction with didactic materials (13%)

PIRLS There are different approaches to reading instruction in European countries. Possibly these differences are due to differences in reading teachers knowledge and beliefs.

State of art regarding teaching education No systematic analysis about teacher education institutions, curriculum…. Little is known about reading teachers knowledge and beliefs (professional understanding)

Possible topics for a FELA-project Teacher training institutions: structure, goals, content, courses… Teachers‘ knowledge: - What do they know? - What should they know? Developing of criteria –(content knowledge): written language, reading process, how children learn to read… –(pedagogical content knowledge): diagnosing of learning level, difficulties, reading methods, remedial measures… – (general pedagogical knowledge) – beliefs: constructivist view, professional dedication…

Possible target populations and methods Teacher education institutions: structure, goals, content, courses (interviews with experts) Educators of future teachers (interviews/questionnaires) Teachers (questionnaire)

Example: a Comenius project: “Indicators on Inclusive Education and Classroom Practice in Europe” “DESCRIPTION: Currently, there are a very few qualitative or quantitative indicators available regarding SNE at the European level. The objectives of this project are to develop indicators for Inclusive Education and Classroom Practice to be used (1) by the European countries for monitoring their own developments in country based policy and practice (this would be through the use of a wide set of indicators), and (2) by the Agency (European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education ) for collecting data on country developments. This will be done by using a specific small number of key indicators agreed upon by the Member Countries to be used for the Agency wide data collection. The project outcomes, i.e. a set of indicators, will be provided in English and prepared for translation into all other Agency's Member State languages (18 languages at the time of writing this application) and made available to all Ministries of Education to stimulate take up. This will be accompanied by a presentation and discussion of the project results in a meeting of all National representatives nominated by the Ministries of education of the Agency's member countries from the policy and practitioner levels. Through consideration of these indicators, the field of Inclusive Education and Classroom Practice - viewed by most of the European Member countries as being of crucial importance for meeting special educational needs - will be opened up for constructive comparison and mutual learning from successful approaches. Indicators will also provide each participating country with a tool to monitor their own developments in policy and practice.”