This article brings together an overview of ideas about teacher learning from both teacher education and workplace learning literature, and examines what and how newly qualified secondary school teachers learn in the early years of their career. We discuss the types of knowledge new teachers encounter and present a typology of teacher learning.…

Drawing on a research project which focused on the role reflective learning tools have in bringing about change to practice, this paper describes how nine practitioners from four different professions enhanced their professional practice by contributing to a collaborative journal. An analysis of the journal revealed four key themes:…

Action research is, quite often, the method of enquiry employed by undergraduate and postgraduate students in higher education who are studying for accredited courses. In recent years, students studying for taught doctorate (EdD) degrees with their focus on practical aspects of education are also adopting action research as a method of study. This…

By exploring the question of whether teaching begins and ends in contemplative thought, this essay suggests that conceptions of teacher thinking must be expanded beyond planning and decision making. People's ordinary conception of thinking includes imagining, remembering, interpreting, and caring. In order to understand the full scope and meaning…

This qualitative multicase study explored the perceptions of three special education teachers of students with learning disabilities who had themselves received special education services for learning disabilities. Specifically, the study focused on how participants' past experiences with receiving special education influenced their current…

This paper examines the evolutionary path of the university and its impact on the quality of education it provides to people, industry and society. The authors first analyse the (Kantian) paradigm of reason, the (German Idealists') paradigm of culture and the current dominant techno-bureaucratic paradigm of excellence. They then argue that the…

As reflective teaching has been a major concern in education with the movement for increased teacher professionalism and involvement in all aspects of school decision-making, the 10 articles in this volume address reflective practice in the social studies with an emphasis on how reflection and inquiry can contribute to both teacher and curriculum…

The purpose of the paper is to examine potential reasons for the lack of influence that reflective inquiry has had on social studies theory and to suggest an alternative perspective. The first two sections of the paper discuss the reasons for reflective inquiry's failure to impact on practice and include: (1) the interpretation of the inquiry…

This study examined the relationship between formal program statements and actual practices in one sophomore class in a preservice teacher education program. Specifically, the study evaluated: possible inconsistencies between what is explicitly stated and what is actually done; whether such inconsistencies are intentional or unintentional,…

Using case study methodology, this article describes the consultation process with an urban first-grade teacher who had many students experiencing difficulties with beginning reading. Core components and phases of the consultation process are described. The consultation process is discussed in terms of teachers' craving for concrete suggestions…

Scholars working from various perspectives are beginning to define teaching as a decision-making process. Research shows that teachers are reflective and connect knowledge to situations through observation, understanding, analysis, interpretation, and decision-making. This paper provides empirical evidence to show the relationship of…

The journals of six special education graduate students were examined in order to define operational categories of reflective thought. The development of reliable and operational definitions for classifying, coding, and evaluating written journals of preservice teachers is described. Past research on the importance of reflective teaching is…

This Northern Illinois University College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) initiative represents the authors' first attempt to prepare engineering and technology professors for teaching to improve student learning and the Scholarship of Teaching. This college portfolio is nontraditional in that it combines a learning paper approach…

From 1988 through 1995 a group of researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education collaborated with teachers from nearby schools on research to address questions about teaching for understanding and linking research with practice. They describe the theoretical foundations underlying the Teaching for Understanding framework, the process and…

Outlines the implementation of a collaborative project between a college visual arts program and an academic staff development unit. Asserts that the project was conducted according to a model of clinical supervision specifically modified to suit a studio environment. Includes sample student opinions about the project. (CFR)