• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.191-206
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to find an implication for a direction to improve professional development in mathematics by exploring elementary school teachers' perception of the need for professional development in mathematics. To this end, 4 elementary school teachers were organized into one focus group, and group discussion materials were collected and analyzed based on cases of mathematics professional development needs. As a result of the study, the elementary school teachers' perception that the need for professional development in mathematics is both unnecessary and necessary. The perception of unnecessary was influenced by the easy level of elementary school mathematics content and the ease of teaching. Also, the perception of necessary factors were considering various aspects of mathematics teaching, changing the accumulation of failures in mathematics classes, maintaining authority of students, demand for class improvement due to social change, the impact of school work, the influence of the community of professional development and peers in school, and efforts to grow as teachers. Based on these results, the author discussed ways to promote teachers' participation in mathematics professional development by considering elementary school teachers' perceptions of the need of mathematics professional development.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2008

We investigated the characteristics of lesson session and the professional development of teachers who conduct good teaching science subject. Seven teachers' were selected the finalists at the elementary school science and teaching competition. The study was based on a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews. To prove validity of the study, the collected data were verified by subject teachers for feedback. The results showed that the teachers believed that their lesson contents and methods were superior to other teachers. To enhance professional development in their lessons, they are only being made through help from colleagues and personal efforts, and a systematic development was involved with necessary situation. As a plan for enhancing an effective quality enhancement of lessons, open classes and conversation between colleagues were proposed. An organization or a group that can motivate teachers and provide systematic support for quality enhancement of lessons by teachers is needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.437-451
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• 2013

This study was conducted as a part of the project to establish professional development system(PDS) for teachers in Korea. This study aimed to provide a case of running a professional learning community(PLC) of teachers in science education based on the collaboration of a national university of education and its affiliated elementary school, in search of learning by participants and implications for professional development of teachers as well as for science teaching in elementary schools. Teachers and researchers who participated in the PLC were able to accumulate meaningful experiences through 11 rounds of meetings. It was not easy to secure enough time for meetings, but they were able to boost their self-confidence for science teaching and enhance the quality of lessons through these gatherings. Participating teachers had a chance to share instructional design, planning, strategies and practices, which include cases of guiding free-choice research activities among students, thereby to be motivated for improved science teaching for the future. The researcher participating in this PLC was also able to understand the identity of an elementary school, especially the affiliated school, and identify the reality and difficulties related to science teaching in schools. Experiences of participating in PLC are expected to help improve the quality of science teaching in affiliated elementary school and pre-service teacher education of the university.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.535-544
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze the elementary teachers' professional performance about science teaching practice according to their personal variables. For this study, professional performance test was modified based on Woo's 'framework for progression and learning in the professional development of elementary teachers' science teaching practice', which included 6 elements such as 'lesson plans', 'creating the learning environment', 'inquiry', 'conceptual understanding', 'practical application', and 'assessment'. And then it conducted to 79 elementary teachers. The collected data were analyzed by the statistical package SPSS. The results of this study were as follows: There was statistically significant difference in the sub-domains of professional performance according to teachers' career, experience of training program, deciding method of exclusive subject. But there was almost no significant difference in other personal variables, such as gender, major, etc. Findings suggest that there are needs of further study about interaction effects of personal variables affecting teachers' professional performance of science teaching practice in detail.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.43-51
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• 2011

Recently, increasing demand for teacher professional development and significant advances in information and communication technologies has led to a proliferation of online professional development. In spite of online professional development's popularity and advantages, research indicates that there is a concern of considerably high dropout rates of online learners. Therefore, to reduce the dropout rates of the learners, this paper is designed to help teachers identify professional development opportunities that are tailored to their needs as well as successfully complete these learning experiences. To achieve the purpose of the study, the paper explores the considerations for evaluating the characteristics of online learners and online professional development. Using these evaluations, this paper provides practical strategies for helping elementary and secondary education teachers successfully complete online professional development without dropping out an online course.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.99-108
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• 2012

This study investigated the characteristics of preservice elementary teachers' science PCK through a mentoring program. Their perceptions of the mentoring program were also examined. The participants of this study were 33 preservice elementary teachers who prepared science lessons in small groups. A mentoring program was implemented in the processes of science lessons planning and evaluation to support their professional development. The characteristics of the preservice elementary teachers' science PCK exhibited through the mentoring program were as follows: They showed poor understanding of instructional models and logical connections of each instructional step. They also had problem in setting a clear learning goal for their science lessons. This was related with their poor understanding of the curriculum. They seldom considered students' misconceptions, and their perceptions of assessment were quite restricted. The analyses on their perceptions of the mentoring program revealed that the preservice teachers thought it was helpful for their professional development in several aspects. Mentoring could play an important role to examine and improve preservice elementary teachers' science PCK.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of good science teachings regarded by preservice elementary school teachers. It also aimed to suggest a direction of peer teaching practice to help preservice teachers' professional development. Adjacency pairs were adopted to analyze the characteristics of good science teachings. The results showed that pre-service elementary teachers were accustomed to adjacency pairs. Almost of their discourse were organized by adjacency pairs. 'Question-Answer' and 'Request-Accept' were mainly used in science classes by pre-service elementary teachers. Based on the findings, the study suggested science teacher educators to provide chances to analyze exemplary science teachers' science class or chances to analyze their science teachings in terms of competence of science classroom discourse.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to discover and develop any implications which may arise in relation to science teachers' professional growth and development by investigating the difficulties experienced by elementary school teachers in science classes. 196 elementary school teachers were requested to write an anecdotal report regarding their science lessons. 30 science teachers in middle school also answered the same questionnaire. By means of inductive categorical analyzing, the difficulties were grouped into several categories. The results were as follows: (1) The difficulties elementary teachers experience in their science lessons fall into three categories; 'professional science knowledge(9.8%)', 'science laboratory activities(78.3%)', 'teaching methodology(11.2%)'. (2) Science teachers in middle school experienced similar difficulties. However, distribution differed from that of elementary school teachers; 'professional science knowledge(39.0%)', 'science laboratory activities(35.6%)', 'teaching methodology(27.1%)'. (3) The causes of these difficulties were identified as follows; a lack of time to prepare for science classes, insufficient substantial pre-service teacher education, and a lack of adaptive support to elementary school teachers.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.465-482
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to explore how pre-service elementary school teachers participate in a course specifically designed to help them learn how to analyze instruction in terms of the levels of cognitive demand of mathematical tasks. This paper describes what prospective teachers learned while reading the cases of "implementing standards-based mathematics instruction", analyzing all tasks of one unit in one elementary mathematics textbook, observing master teachers' mathematics instruction as well as their colleagues during the practicum period, and developing their own cases on the basis of the design and implementation of instruction focused on mathematical tasks. This paper includes various reflections of the prospective teachers.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.47-61
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to suggest a professional development system for elementary teachers who wish enhance mathematical teaching. The learning community on elementary mathematical teaching was composed of fourth grade teachers in a elementary school and an expert from education university. The activities was processed as establishing of objectives and contents of the learning community, discussing and seeing good lesson video, planning the lesson in collaboration with members, practicing the lesson, and reflecting on activities. To analyze these activities, record materials of meetings, lesson videos, member's writing were used. The results reported that the learning community lead teachers to search the method of professional development and showed itself as the effective media to enhance elementary mathematical teaching professionalism.