In this collection, eight master teachers with extensive experience in small, rural Alaska schools describe some of the ways they have adapted instruction to rural Alaskan circumstances. These papers discuss: (1) the characteristics of effective rural teachers; (2) adapting the "Coping!" curriculum for affective education to the cultural…

Views of teaching assistants (TAs) concerning the significance and impact of the job are considered, along with their interactions with the college and students. Teaching competence, knowledge, facilitating learning, TAs' responsibilities to the student, and feedback to TAs are also covered, including first person comments of three TAs. (SW)

This handbook is designed to help student teachers and beginning teachers handle the "surprises" they encounter on the job. The scenarios in the book identify critical incidents and potential situations teachers are likely to face and offer help in keeping teachers out of unpleasant situations or suggesting courses of action when they find…

Two feature articles on the development of expertise in teaching physical education and in coaching are introduced by Paul Schempp. The first article (Steven Tan) describes eight critical characteristics of expertise. The second article (Martie Bell) focuses on acquiring and developing expertise, explaining the characteristics of each stage of…

Describes efforts by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a private, nonprofit corporation, to develop a national system of advanced, voluntary teacher certification based on accomplished practice. Discusses efforts to develop new, flexible criteria for measuring actual teaching performance. Reviews implications for private…

Discusses using the critical perspective as a methodology to teach a college sociology course. Examines the failure of this approach and looks at the determinants of student apathy. Concludes that failure is unavoidable, given the structure of higher education and the intellectual level of most students. Harvey Holtz and Richard A. Wright respond…

Offers strategies to help cooperating and supervising teachers give preservice physical education teachers the fullest student teaching experiences. Essentials include videotaping, lesson and unit plans, management journals, reviews of current trends, mock interviews, different teaching styles, and cocurricular experiences. A checklist of…

Considers the role of the cooperating teacher in the student teaching experience. Examines the preliminary interview, lesson planning, assimilation, teaching as a team, evaluation, and suggesting improvements. Discusses the importance of self-evaluation and cooperation within the triad of student teacher, college supervisor, and cooperating…

Recounts a college economics professor's attempts to explain macroeconomic concepts to a blind student. Considers how explanations of economics principles often rely on graphic presentations. Describes experimental tactile adaptation, using graphs made out of sandpaper, yarn, spaghetti, and other materials. Recommends developing prefabricated…

Reports the results of returned surveys of biology instructors (n=44), chemistry instructors (n=20), and personnel officers (n=19) in the North Carolina Community College System. The instructor survey concerned the type of courses taught, the academic preparation of the instructor, and the perceived value of secondary teaching. (PR)

A high school teacher describes student experiences of meeting resistance when attempting to learn more about community issues or problems. These negative encounters, although causing some anxiety and distress, taught beneficial lessons that enabled students to grow and learn. (LP)

Public schools have increasing numbers of its teachers fitting into one demographic, white and female, while the numbers of African American teachers decrease (Ladson-Billings, "Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms". San Francisco: Josey-Bass" [2001]). Furthermore, African American collegiates…

This study examined the perceptions of preservice teachers as they reflected upon teaching the writing process to second grade students over the course of one semester. Implications for teacher educators were identified based on the findings: Preservice teachers benefited from teaching writing on a consistent basis; preservice teachers learned and…

This volume in the Language Teacher Research Series (Thomas S. C. Farrell, series editor) presents research conducted by language teachers at all levels, from high school English teachers to English language teacher educators, reflecting on their practices. The countries represented in this book are Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,…

Classroom management and effective discipline are skills that all beginning teachers must learn. Classroom management refers to those procedures or routines a teacher uses to maintain a smoothly running classroom; discipline refers to those techniques or strategies a teacher uses to respond to specific acts of student misbehavior. This booklet,…