The third theme that emerged was that the preservice teachers felt the pedagogical approaches of university lecturers delivering the subjects were important for developing the preservice teachers’ confidence. The final-years claimed the lecturer’s modelling of “constructivist approaches to learning” (Maree), “teaching strategies” (Beryl), and “group work and cooperative learning activities” (Vona) assisted the preservice teachers to gain a better understanding of effective approaches for learners in the middle years of schooling.
My confidence was increased by lecturers who modelled the strategies and approaches that we should be doing in our classrooms. By observing and participating in such activities, I felt confident I could use those strategies too.
Four of the five participants claimed that practical activities provided by particular
lecturers and tutors assisted to build their confidence for the classroom. Indeed, the points noted were again practical middle years activities that could be applied to early adolescent learners. A typical response came from Vona who stated:
The practical activities that the science lecturer took us through that included higher-order thinking, integrated planning, engaging students in the classroom, and real-world experiences. He modelled for us the sorts of things we should be doing in our classrooms and this really helped to develop my confidence.
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Three of the participants cited “hands-on experiences” as being particularly useful in developing confidence to teach in the middle years classroom. Learning by doing was a familiar response throughout the interviews with the participants claiming that once they had experienced the concept they could apply it to the classroom. Beryl stated:
I found subjects where the lecturers and tutors used hands-on activities such as in art and literacy helped to increase my confidence. We actually did the activities like creating the artworks and deconstructing texts and it made me think about how I could do this activity in the classroom.
Similarly, Maree said:
I thought the activities that employed hands-on type activities were the best. Some lecturers made the activities so much fun and they showed us how we could make learning in the middle years classroom interesting and fun. That’s the sort of teacher I want to be.
As well as the lecturers’ approaches to teaching being a vehicle to build confidence, the preservice teachers commented on the incorporation of visual aids and technologies in the lectures and tutorials. They claimed that, by observing the lecturers using such techniques to engage the learners, they gained confidence for implementing these ideas into their own teaching. It appeared that approaches to teaching that are modelled effectively by
university lecturers can facilitate preservice teacher development. As summarised by Vona:
Those lecturers that used related pictures and resources, Youtube clips and multi- model type presentations with interactive whiteboards and activities such as robotics kept us engaged and these would keep middle years learners engaged too. Seeing how they used them gave me confidence that I could use them too.
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The final sub theme that emerged was the way the lecturers designed and implemented the assessment for their subject. The preservice teachers commented on the value of
completing well-designed coursework assessments as a way for understanding how assessments can be devised for the middle school years. Just as there was value in the lecturers modelling suitable teaching strategies, the modelling of different types of assessments with task sheets and assessment rubrics gave the preservice teachers knowledge about how to undertake assessment strategies in their own classroom. They found additional value in assessment tasks that could be used specifically for teaching in the middle years, such as devising teaching resources and unit plans, as illustrated by the following interviewees:
I gained confidence in assessment from looking at how my lecturer constructed the middle years assessment tasks. The task sheet and rubric was easy to understand and the real-world nature of the task made me feel motivated to complete it.
The task sheets for the unit of work were so explicit; I thought I could use something similar in my classroom. I think completing assessment you know you can use in the classroom such as that unit of work for science, gives you more confidence than a meaningless essay.
The second aim of the research sought to analyse the university experiences included in their teacher preparation that made the middle years preservice teachers feel confident for teaching. From analysing the responses of the preservice teachers, it is evident that
confidence increased as a result of different school contexts in their practicum experiences, some core university subjects, and the middle years subjects. Furthermore, the modelling of middle years practices was not only valued when demonstrated by their mentor teachers but also by their university lecturers and tutors. Subject content, combined with
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opportunities to observe, implement and experience middle years practices in a range of contexts were perceived to increase confidence for teaching in the middle years classroom.
5.3.3 Enhancing middle years teacher preparation.
In alignment with the third aim of the research (Section 3.2), the preservice teachers were asked to comment on the areas of their teacher preparation course that could be enhanced to better prepare them for teaching in the middle school. Two themes emerged from this question with related sub themes:
Theme 1: More time should be spent in schools that included: (1) Further field studies /practicum experiences; (2) More school experiences linked to university subjects; and (3) Greater access to a variety of middle years classrooms; and
Theme 2: A more practical teacher education course that included: (1) More hands-on experiences.