This commentary highlights findings from two reviews of research on the preparation and continuing development of regular classroom teachers to teach English language learners. Since both reviews use my "central tasks of teacher learning" framework, the commentary also assesses the framework's usefulness in highlighting areas where…

Confronted with the reality of the limited exposure to human diversity among their students at two Christian universities, two African American professors relate their efforts to prepare students to teach in the twenty-first century. This article is a reflective report on the strategies and events that occurred as a result of challenging students'…

The racial and cultural naivete of the pool of preservice teachers entering into many teacher education programs presents a challenge, one that is both daunting and transformative. To counter the negative idea of urban schools, teacher education programs in the U.S. must commit to new teacher education strategies that will ultimately prepare…

Worldview acquired through individual circumstances affects how teachers think about diversity. Five ways preservice teacher education can address attitudes toward diversity are increased length and selectivity of programs; increased self-reflection; questioning existing social conditions; keeping generalizations from becoming stereotypes; and…

The major focus of the paper is devoted to describing a five-year study of the initial implementation of a nationally adopted integrated curriculum course as it was implemented in one university teacher education programme in Indonesia and, subsequently, the challenges faced in developing a field-based course that built on the university course.…

This paper promotes the increased use of literature in preservice special education programs to address beliefs and attitudes of students. Discussion points out the limitations of textbooks and the power of literature to portray character, convey knowledge, and foster experience-based learning. A table identifies teacher education needs and shows…

Discusses the ethnographic interview as a strategy in foreign language teacher development. Excerpts from preservice teachers' reports on an ethnographic interview assignment provide evidence that the process of conducting the interview facilitates the development of the requisite understanding and awareness. (Author/VWL)

Reflects on previous articles in the same journal that address preservice teacher education for special education teachers. The conflicting views, disagreements about instructional strategies, and increasingly broad views of how special education interfaces with other education enterprises, are believed to distract from core principles of the…

Comments on previous articles in the same journal that address preservice teacher education for special educators. The differing viewpoints are seen as potential strengths that will contribute to the growth of special education as it moves toward the future. Urges support of diverse viewpoints. (CR)

In this article, I examine my teaching within a social foundations teacher educations course. Using the tenets of culturally relevant teaching and the concept of the teacher as transformative intellectual as both conceptual frame and instructional guide, this self-study delineates my attempt to match my beliefs about socially just forms of…

Examines how teachers' pedagogical practices shape them as educators and alter their belief systems about students. A teacher describes her own pedagogy, noting how she made her practices consonant with her beliefs and discussing the changes in her attitudes when she changed her course from pass-fail to letter grading. (SM)

Argues that the basis for communications between teachers and between teacher and student lies in the beliefs that teachers hold about mathematics and problem solving. Proposes a framework for teacher education curricula that describes seven dimensions on which primary mathematics education can be developed. (MDH)

Attempting to address the following central question, How might literacy educators learn to recognize, promote, and capitalize upon the rich cultural resources of students in diverse classrooms in the United States?, the authors provide a list of belief statements to serve as the foundation for positive changes in the ways in which the literacy…

This paper looks at issues subsumed by the phrase "learning to teach" that have implications for the design and conduct of teacher education. The first section lays out a temporal perspective by examining the times and places of learning to teach. The second section brings together disparate strands of research on the learners of…

This paper proposes a way to professionalize teaching based on internal change and six knowledge bases of professional teaching. Key features of this approach are: (1) it proposes professionalization from within through active involvement from schools and districts; (2) it includes the knowledge base in generic pedagogy (composed of communication…