The research study was developed to consider the influence of reflection as an element in bridging life experiences and decision making in professional contexts. The researcher wanted to find out what the reflective process looks like and how this practice might relate to the professional development and personal growth for professionals.…

Metacognitive instructors incorporate awareness and timely self-regulation in their teaching practice to support their current students' learning. This exploratory study, using mixed methods, gathered empirical data to extend the work on student metacognition by documenting teacher experiences with metacognitive instruction, the impact of…

As teachers are examining methods to improve their practices due to teacher evaluation systems that incorporate student growth, a renewed focus has been placed on teacher effectiveness. Because reflective teachers have been shown to be more effective, this qualitative study examined the understanding of reflection among five secondary school…

The purpose of this reflective essay is to encourage the discussion of community-engaged scholarship (CES) that does not progress as planned. Insufficient attention is given to lessons gleaned from missteps and outright failures experienced by scholars in the field, which results in a paucity of documented cases and recommendations for…

Dewey (1916/2009) viewed democracy as a "path or journey." This suggests that there is no mutually agreed upon end. Similarly, in teaching and teacher education, if viewed as a learning problem, the end is the process according to Ritter (2010) "[t]eaching others how to teach for democratic citizenship represents a process that…

The study was an exploration of how participants in lay formation mission and identity programs on three Jesuit higher education campuses understand their experiences of the programs; what competencies were developed as a result of participation; and how the programs helped participants understand the cultural context of Jesuit higher education.…

Through "teacher research", teachers engage in the systematic study of their own practice to answer questions they have about teaching and learning, and their own effectiveness. This book explores what teacher research in the early childhood setting looks like, why it is important to the field of early childhood education, and how…

This article describes the changing culture of a public school as members of its community explore new ways of being accountable to progressive ideals in an age of skills-based learning and standardized testing. Using documentation makes adult and student learning visible in and outside the classroom, supporting three forms of accountability: (a)…

How can teacher educators encourage preservice teachers to develop an awareness of disability issues? How do they prepare them to look beyond labels to appreciate the individuality, strengths, and potential of each student they will encounter in their classrooms? This article describes a service-learning course at Bowling Green State University in…

Job embedded professional development in the K-12 education setting has long been discussed and debated. This study builds on standards of critical reflection and thinking using the National Institute for Excellence in Education's Teacher Advancement Program's master teacher model as a conduit between theory and practice. A study of professional…

Observation and documentation are integral to the early childhood classroom. Observation provides the information necessary for adults to build meaningful relationships with individual children. Documentation panels including photographs, teacher's notes, transcriptions, and artifacts, artfully and prominently displayed, serve as a visual archive…

This paper gives an overview of the ideas generated in a course taught by a Canadian academic to American students on the subject of teaching in the post-9/11 period. The four major topics discussed are the technological context in which modern societies are situated, particularly the evolution from agrarian to industrial and now knowledge-based…

Goal-directed reflection (GDR) is a strategy that targets the contemplative examination of specific aspects of teaching. The GDR process can be used by a PETE program that uses a systematic approach to supervision. The process consists of identifying specific teaching behaviors, aligning these target behaviors with Praxis III/Pathwise domains,…

This article examines in detail the Ohio WINS (Writing Institute Network for Success), a program whose goal is to provide continuing education for teachers. The aim of the program is to use up-to-date research to help teachers improve students' critical thinking and to better prepare them for both the rigorous Ohio Graduation Tests (OGTs) and…

Despite technological advancements intended to enhance teaching and learning in the 21st century, numerous teacher and school factors continue to impede quality classroom technology use. Determining the effectiveness of educational technology is challenging and requires a detailed understanding of multifaceted, complex, contextual relationships.…