Argues that teaching is a form of social activism and that teacher educators should encourage preservice teachers to think deeply and critically about teaching and consider infusing aspects of a multicultural, social reconstructionist approach within their own teaching. (SM)

Cooperation--between elementary physical education (PE) specialists, classroom teachers, students, and others involved in elementary PE--is the theme of this nine-article feature. Topics include professional recognition for PE, integration of PE into the elementary curriculum, PE and classroom teacher research, field day activities, and…

Reviews Maslow's hierarchy of needs and characterization of the self-actualizing personality, suggesting that since few people meet his self-actualization criteria, an educational system designed to produce such personalities may fail, with teachers attending only to the hierarchy's lower stages (self-esteem and self-actualization) which dilutes…

This paper argues that teachers' beliefs and attitudes affect not only their instructional decisions and human relationships, but also their willingness to seek professional knowledge, particularly when such knowledge contradicts their beliefs. Results obtained from a case study on K-5 staff development through inquiry are used to illustrate what…

This paper describes a collaborative action research project conducted by a university researcher and a group of elementary school teachers. It examines the role the researcher plays when educational change is initiated by practitioners and the nature of the relationship that develops between researcher and practitioners throughout the change…

The revised standards used by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) embody several departures from past standards. One difference is that they oblige units to focus on the knowledge bases pertinent to professional preparation for education. The concept of knowledge bases is explored, and implications for the construct…

A qualitative study of women elementary school teachers focused on the teachers' values, attitudes towards teaching, and how they negotiated their work interest with sex role and family expectations. Formal and informal interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents were conducted over a seven month period. Three perspectives provided the…

This "Fastback" focuses on avoiding boredom in schools. Following an introduction that explains the importance of teachers breathing life into subject matter, the booklet includes five sections. Section one, "The Nature of Boredom," defines boredom and explains that both teachers and students are responsible for beating…

Examines the urgent need to establish a conceptualization of teaching as professional practice that is characterized by ethical values, autonomous pragmatism, and pursuit of expertise. Suggests that conceptual, psychological, and epistemological weaknesses prevent England's current national vocational qualifications from accounting for these…

Suggests that it is time to increase the professional status of teaching by demonstrating to society that the differences between teaching and more traditional professions are not about gender. There must be positive social construction that allows women access to their rightful place among all levels of organizational hierarchy. (SM)

This article proposes a Greek elementary teacher education curriculum, which includes a four-semester, four-level practicum component. The overall program objective is preparation of reflective teachers through interweaving theory and practice in the curriculum. International trends in practicums, clinical schools, and use of technology-rich…

Using music, story, and prayer, this conference presentation describes the African American spiritual experience with curriculum, explaining what African American spirituality is, who African Americans are, why spirituality is critical to African Americans, and where this spirituality is found, then linking it to education. (SM)

In professional development schools (PDSs), personnel from two different cultures come together to form a new, hybrid culture. Sharing the same goals and parity among the participating professionals produce authentic collaboration and are essential aspects of this culture. When parity and sharing are absent, collaboration between schools and…

This paper addresses, from an ecological perspective, the idea that a system of education includes much more than schools, encompassing such elements as families, day-care centers, peer groups, television broadcasters, and workplaces. At the core of such an educational system are educative communities, of which schools are an important part. If…

Current research shows that the skills of listening, talking, reading, and writing are learned simultaneously. Children acquire these skills from their experiences of copying adults and interacting with other children. The term "emergent literacy" refers to the combination of the four skills in literacy learning. The whole language…