Discusses various aspects of in-service training sessions in science for British elementary school teachers, including who attends and kinds of sessions they prefer. Stresses the need for head teachers and consultant teachers to take more in-service training. Recommends school-based in-service training for all staff members. (JN)

Describes an action research inquiry conducted by a primary science tutor, focusing on his work with preservice and inservice teachers. The paper examines parallels between the research process and the researcher's approach to teaching adult learners. Both were underpinned by explicit epistemological assumptions based on a constructivist view of…

Improving the quality of management is widely cited as one of the keys to school improvement. In the United Kingdom, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) identifies the quality of management at the headteacher and middle-management levels as an essential area for development. This book supports the personal and professional development required for…

Describes the United Kingdom's National Writing Project, examining schools in Berkshire that emphasized writing to teach secondary school students science, math, design, and technology. Results suggest teachers need more knowledge about writing for learning in school subjects if they are going to stress the role of writing across the curriculum.…

Reports the results of a two-year longitudinal study that examined the development of primary teachers' understanding of force and energy following inservice education. The approach used constructivist strategies and analogical reasoning to promote qualitative learning of science concepts. Interviews, questionnaires, and drawing tasks indicated…

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is now a cornerstone of education policy in the UK and elsewhere. If policy aspirations translate successfully into practice, then (funded) CPD opportunities will abound and teachers will be 'developed' in a logical and structured way from the moment they enter the profession until retirement. As a result…

The author, who is Director and Deputy Head Teacher of a newly established Department for Education and Skills training school, examines the origins of the successful bid for training school status, the proposed changes to professional practice and informed discourse, and the enhanced expertise which it will bring to all involved, and how already…

Schools and universities in the United Kingdom are coming to accept performance appraisal as a fact of life. The first part of this paper discusses appraisal policies as "negotiated ambiguities." Ambiguous criteria concerning wording subject to misinterpretation has created reservations on the side of the National Union of Teachers. This…

The focus of this article is on leadership in primary schools and the author argues and provides some evidence that the leadership of the headteacher can make a dramatic difference and raise standards in a school. This is in sharp contrast to the rather tentative conclusions of previous academic research. The author also argues that school…

A study of the efficiency of faculty of the six schools of the Open University of the United Kingdom was conducted through informal interviews. To review methods of developing new packages of course materials, 20 topics were focused upon, and the interviewee was encouraged to talk freely and fully. The interviews may have given the opportunity for…

Depicts the current state of professional development of teachers in England and Wales, identifying pertinent issues and describing the INSET (Inservice Education and Training for Teachers) program. The paper discusses the status of the teaching profession in the United Kingdom and presents an agenda for teacher education in the 1990s. (SM)

A review and bibliography of staff development in higher education in several countries is presented. Contents are as follows: Australia by Geoff Foster and Ernest Roe; Britain universities by John Nisbet and Ray McAleese; Britain polytechnics by Harriet Greenaway and Derek Mortimer; Canada by Bruce M. Shore; Denmark by John Conrad; The Federal…

Notes that rapid introduction of information and communication technologies in United Kingdom schools, along with government-mandated curriculum requirements, has not been matched by growth in practitioners' understanding of appropriate ways to use the technology. Examines the successful implementation of technology in early childhood settings…

This publication is one in a series of 12 giving the recommendations that were made for a broad and balanced education program in science for young people. Section one of this guide is concerned with science teaching in a multicultural society. Section two looks at the perceptions held by young people on the multi-cultural nature of science and…

Reviews research literature on efforts in the United Kingdom to address racism and the needs of a multicultural society through INSET (Inservice Education of Teachers). Notes recent developments in school-focused work emphasizing action research and teacher participation. Comments on Racism Awareness Training (RAT), problems in all-White areas,…