How happy are you about teaching science? Building on similar work from the Leverhulme Primary Project and the Primary Horizons, the authors pursued this question with 303 head teachers, science coordinators, and class teachers across England in a recent questionnaire survey. The findings point to very real progress being made in many areas of…

The article argues that preparing to be, in Shulman's words, "ready, willing and able" to teach with ICT can be supported by an integrative framework of teacher professional knowledge which recognizes connections between subject domain knowledge, the didactic relation with information and communications technology (ICT), and an openness…

Stresses the concern for individual standards which pervades the Plowden report. Suggests that some of the report's professional advice, regarding inservice education, inspection and diagnostic testing, is more timely and relevant now than when it was first offered. (Editor/RK)

Preservice teachers were assessed for their beliefs about the use of nonverbal activity in the classroom and for their awareness of their own nonverbal classroom behaviors. Findings are discussed. (Author/MT)

Subject-centered conventional education of teachers in the U.S. should be augmented by the growth open to teachers in the informal and innovative atmosphere of teacher centers that develop talents and confidence in the individual and emphasize the more child-centered view that is held in British schools. (JD)

This paper discusses the problems associated with identifying incompetent teachers and it examines the lack of effort in defining incompetence and the corresponding absence of imagination in prescribing desirable traits in instruction. Described is the Teaching Competence Project, a 2-year research project undertaken in England that studied the…

Claims that there is a "down-drift" in the teaching of science, with even preschools now obligated to teach science content. Investigates (through one teacher's diary) how primary teachers interact with scientific teachings and how they can best be inducted into the teaching and learning of science. Concludes that incorporating personal…

This paper describes part of a Teaching Competence Project in which a national sample of head teachers (principals) in England supplied information about their experiences with incompetent instructors. The information was gained through interviews and questionnaires, which focused on the head teachers' experiences and roles in dealing with…

Examining trends in technology and learning, the author suggests that tomorrow's teachers must learn to cope with rapid change and to manage the learning environment. She considers the role of Local Education Authorities in this training. (Part of a theme issue on the future of teacher education in England.) (SJL)

A three-day school-based in-service course for heads of secondary German department is described. Participants' reactions are noted. (SJL)

This set of standards describes and defines characteristics of basic skills work in Britain. An introduction describes the structure of the standards. A chart displays the standards, phases, units, and elements. A glossary is provided. Following a format used in National Vocational Qualifications, the standards are based on an analysis of the…

A key issue centering on the status of college-trained entrants relative to that of post-graduate entrants to teaching has been arguments over the merits and demerits of consecutive and concurrent courses. Attempts to chart the ebb and flow of such arguments since Plowden and to relate them to the continuing debate about the professional status of…

A number of ideological, economic and demographic changes are necessitating radical and substantial changes in the education system in England and Wales. Foreseeing a teacher shortage throughout primary education well into the 1990s, alternative forms of entry to the profession have been explored. However, the largest potential source for…

This publication is intended to help teachers of young children in the informal preschool setting, particularly infant school teachers in England. Details of what 48 selected nursery and infant school teachers did and said during classroom "free time" periods were recorded by trained observers. This data is included in this book to…

Three articles address various issues concerning staff development. Topics discussed include challenges facing professional development in higher education; who has responsibility for staff development; and implications for staff development based on a survey of Non-Advanced Further Education (NAFE) in England and Wales. (LRW)