Factors for Choosing Teaching as a Career - Research Paper Example

Monitoring and Evaluating Research Name Institution Course Lecturer Date The themes discussed through the evaluation of research based on education centers on the role of teachers. Teachers are central in learning, shaping students attitudes toward learning and wide-range fields of studies and promoting continuity and sustainability in the communities. The reviews have therefore looked at motivational factors to teaching career, potential impact of teachers in the use of ICT in schools, mentoring practices to pre-service teachers, developing professional learning communities and a progress from a student identity to teacher identity. The different methods used are discussed on their relative importance and particularly with the study. Each article has its important contribution to learning in particular and education system as a whole and is provided after each critical review on the study. Factors for choosing teaching as a career The article by Richardson & Watt (2006), discusses a range of motivation, decisions and choices for individuals entering the teaching career in Australia. The explanations are deemed necessary as they can be effectively applied during recruitment of teachers. By considering the factors that have undermined teaching as a career which has been prevalent in the general public and media, the participants provides a profile that establish the factors influencing the teaching career choice. The research is very relevant considering the evidence that teachers can immensely make a difference in pupils and students lives due to their orientation in learning. It can equally be acknowledged that the government around the world can use the criteria of teaching career choice for its recruitment campaigns, and ensure development and retention of intelligent, qualified and informed workforce in learning institutions. Furthermore, such a workforce would result to inform citizenry who contribute effectively to the capital and social infrastructure in the country. The study problem was based on an analysis of the difficulties experienced by Australia, US, UK and many countries in attracting as well as retaining effective teachers. A number of disciplines including Mathematics, foreign languages, technology, computer science, science and early childhood are affected and particularly considering less rewarding salary scales. The study used the ‘Factor Influencing Teaching (FIT) Choice’ as a framework. The systematic investigation was built on motivational literature in relation to teaching career choice. Factors such as perceptions about demand and reward were some measures of career commitment and satisfaction. The study further employed factors like socialization models, self preconceptions, task perceptions and values as first order constructs. Salary, personal utility value, perceived status and task return consisted of higher order factors (Richardson & Watt 2006). The teachers in early childhood, primary and secondary levels were main determinants of the way most participants chose the career. It was observed that, the domination of most school institutions with female teachers continued to reflect in the future career choices where most female opted for teaching while they were still in early school. There a number of recommendations this emphasizes for policy change in education system and an ongoing research for male motivation in teaching careers. The sample and setting was quite objective considering that participants were enrolled in education programs in three Australian universities which were selected on the basis of they are the largest teachers providers in Victoria, NWS and Eastern Australian States. A total of 1,653 participants were included. The universities are among the intensive research institutions which attract the first preference selections in teaching course (Richardson & Watt 2006). To gather the opinions, feelings and issues pertinent with teaching career, qualitative method was employed. The method strongly influenced the participants to point out career issues in a wide-range manner. The study would then comprehensively deal with the problem as in all cases; there were similar themes that guided the questions. However, the methodology is quite inadequate to generalize as it would not sufficiently replicate in a different environment. Teachers’ role in ICT and learning The study was based on integration of ICT in schools to understand the way computer based technologies influences learning opportunities. Based on diverse public schools, it describes and examines the manner in which teachers, in wide-range settings utilize ICT in classroom practices in order to mediate the students’ learning experiences. The study was build on the problem that is highly prevalent among the politicians, policy makers, teachers, parents and school leaders in order to critically understand the issues related with integration of ICT in schools. The high cost which is associated with supply and maintenance of the technologies and slow uptake of ICT by the teachers was founded as major reasons for the study (Hayes 2007). The research drew upon qualitative methods in examining the way teachers across schools utilized ICT in mediating students learning experiences. Six participating schools were chosen with each school having eight classrooms visited. To overcome the difficulties caused by complex activities that simultaneously occurred in a classroom, researcher worked in pairs in observation process. The approach was highly effective as the researchers had visited the schools and selected the choices after consultation with teachers, researchers and a number of stakeholders in education. Different types of schools were included by use of geographical location, socio-economic status and school type. This approach ensured a balance and highly generalized research. There were views established about the teacher’s attempt to integrate ICT. Most teachers did not cite any fundamental improvement of change in the way they used to teach as well as the way they design the learning experiences in a classroom context. Teacher thus incorporated the computers that were available in the existing practices to supplement their existing learning designs. On the other hand, the teacher promoted students interdependence in task performance and improved their accuracy in assessing as well as planning the learning experiences. Majority of them did not indicate any impact of ICT to their teaching. The varying functionality and limited availability of ICT leads to unsatisfying results for students and teachers (Hayes 2007). This limits the total substitution of the common and existing practice where students and teachers continuously use black-boards, overhead projectors, pens, and exercise and text books. The article recommends that the teachers highly require support in order to develop some effective approaches toward teaching and a greater access to a reliable technology to develop powerful ICT learning environments. The study can effectively change the teachers, students, policy makers and stakeholders to proactively influence the classroom practices to support and supplement the classroom activities through the ICT. Core activities in use in the current schools need to shift by initiating and sustaining ICT integration and effectiveness. Teachers Mentoring Practices Hudson (2010) study is based on mentors’ reports on their applied mentoring in mathematics and science. There are differences shown by mentors on how they mentored the students in different subjects. The issues related to mentoring which is effectively applied along with classroom teaching was related to professional development, enhanced skills, increased quality and quantity of future mentoring in teaching practices. The study was unique as it applied mixed method through a two survey five Likert scales and written responses from the questionnaires. It was preceded by preliminary investigation to design the survey instrument. The method was effective in combining a good deal of qualitative and quantitative approaches to establish the extents and factors that promoted mentoring practices. The number of teacher who applied their mentoring skills and the regular manner they used it was quantitatively assessed while the motivating factors were established through the Likert tests. The qualitative part of the study presented the mentors reports on how they mentor pre-service teachers in mathematics and science. The questionnaire focus provided wide-range information on mentors’ rapport creation, successful strategies of mentoring, aspects that lead the mentee to feel unsuccessful and ways of enhancing their mentoring skills (Hudson 2010). The results indicated insights to into mentoring practices of pre-service teacher in mathematics and science. The responses compared with five mentoring factors including personal attributes, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, system requirements and feedback. Mentors agreed that they provided motivational support in mathematics than in science. The study can support an education revolution by implementing a national curriculum based on mentoring. The enactors of reforms can be empowered through learning to combine motivational skills and apply them to ensure that students’ capacities are responded to. Consequently, professional development can be ensured as teacher and pre-service teachers ensure a reach environment of implementation of learning as a national agenda. The processes can be applied to reform the education system by focusing on in-service education for the existing teachers as well as pre-service teachers’ education. Professional Learning Communities Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace & Thomas (2006) argues that, it has been proved internationally that the progress of educational reforms is dependent on the individual and collective teachers’ capacity and a link with school capacity in promoting pupil’s learning. In such a case, building the capacity is critical where a blend of motivation, positive learning, skill, culture and organizational conditions, support and infrastructure as important. When the capacity is applied in the learning institution by individuals, school communities and groups the power can initiate and sustain learning over time. The study therefore can promote an understanding of professional development among the learning communities through capacity building towards sustainable improvements. The study topic looked at the ways of creating and sustaining completely and effective professional learning communities. The essence of the study was based on broad questions that were set in review. Accordingly it demonstrated what professional learning communities are. The factors that make the professional learning communities to be effective as well as factors that create and develop such an effective community are looked into. In responses to the experiences challenged, it has analyzed the factors which hinder the creation and progressive development of effective learning communities. Sustainability of learning community is also an issue that is considered. The study is highly comprehensive as it widely analyzes different factors and related issues in real learning practices. Shared vision and values, collective responsibility, collaboration and continuous inquiry are highlighted to promote effective activities (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace & Thomas 2006). There are recommendations established such as ensuring individual orientation to change at early learning, ensuring networks of professional groups to facilitate a continuous learning and providing the necessary government, institution and individual support at different level in complex ways. The usefulness of such as study is to provide with practical and relevant knowledge with reviewed contexts of application. The departments, individual classroom teachers and school evaluation would then promote integration of knowledge. The communities that are effective in learning can then adopt a systematic approach to collect analyze and use data and evidence in ongoing work through students’ examination results, inspection reports and value-added data. Student Identity to Teacher Identity Joseph & Heading (2010) observes that, teaching is a highly skilled and a complex profession and those teachers who have not entered fully in the service require a series of attributes in practice to relate to the pedagogy, student learning, content, ability to engage in learning reflection and classroom management. The study uses a reflective narrative to share the manner in which educator prepares the pre-service teachers to effectively engage, explore and experience in learning. It is oriented in putting the theory in practice through the use of knowledge, skills, continued support and understanding of professional learning. The teacher can then create a professional identity by progressing from student identity. The research and its findings are useful particularly as the country continue to develop national curriculum and implement them. The tertiary educators can be prepared to equip the pre-service teachers with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding for them to teach in all curriculum areas. The study has used a reflective narrative where a teacher who put theory into practice is taken as a sample. Precisely, the study has some strength as in study of an ideal case; it is easy to generalize for the whole population. However, a study based on a narrative approach is limited due to differences in context of teaching; personal attributes as well as support structures prevalent in an environment (Joseph & Heading 2010). The study thus is highly limited to generalize. The importance of the study and the method in use can effectively allow other teachers to compare their practice and increase effectiveness in different fields of learning. References Hayes, D. N 2007, ICT and learning: Lessons from Australian classrooms. Computers & Education, 49(2), 385-395. Hudson, P. B 2010, Mentors report on their own mentoring practices. Australian journal of teacher education, 35(7), 30-42. Joseph, D., & Heading, M 2010, Putting theory into practice: moving from student identity to teacher identity. Australian journal of teacher education, 35(3), 6. Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. M 2006, Who chooses teaching and why? Profiling characteristics and motivations across three Australian universities. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 27-56. Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S 2006, Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of educational change, 7(4), 221-258. Read More