The purpose of this article is to share the insights gleaned from the literature and our on-the-ground realities teaching practitioners to conduct educational research and evaluation. We focus on four areas we have found most important for teaching practitioner-scholars: (a) giving careful attention to andragogy versus pedagogy, (b) engaging the…

In recent years, the response to intervention (RTI) model has not only gained popularity as an alternate approach to identifying students with learning disabilities but also offered general education teachers a framework for problem solving at the classroom level. The model emphasizes ongoing progress monitoring of student performance to make…

Social work doctoral candidates and others without much or any formal teaching experience or training are frequently invited to teach a variety of graduate-level social work courses. This beginning teaching experience can be quite challenging both personally and professionally. Yet, it is seldom discussed in the literature, especially from a…

A teacher describes what happened when she discovered that a blind student had been mainstreamed into one of her fifth-grade art classes. (RM)

There is no end to the material available to teachers and teacher educators on topics related to the techniques of teaching. However, there is very little that connects the theories of education and the challenges of daily teaching practice in the classroom. These facts lead to the following questions: "What are the basics of teaching?" and "How…

This book presents the narrative of one educator's first year as a high school teacher. The teacher was a former lawyer who returned to college to get his teaching certification. The book uses the teacher's reflections from the journal that he kept throughout the school year. It is divided into weeks. It begins with a chapter about the day before…

The article presents guidelines for a preservice internship in the field of gifted education. A hypothetical timeline displays the scope and sequence of a comprehensive internship program. Rationale is given for the four basic program components: surveying local programs, matching intern placements, supervising interns, and providing an internship…

To establish meaningful links between preservice and inservice teachers' background experiences and abstract concepts, relevant research studies are simulated in teacher training sessions. A simulated research activity is described, using the example of helping teachers understand models of memory to better teach mnemonic strategies to handicapped…

The amount of instructional time lost to transitional activities by student teachers, and techniques to minimize this time loss, are discussed. Time lost is estimated to average 9 percent, varying with the individual teacher. Suggestions are given for teacher supervisors to help student teachers optimize their class time. (MSE)

A computer simulation can help music education students solve problems likely to occur in musical instruction. The system combines video portrayal of classroom situations with microcomputer control, which allows the student alternatives in deciding how to deal with a particular problem. (KC)

Guidelines are given for an enrichment program that uses preservice teachers as mentors to provide experiences for gifted and talented pupils in grades five through seven. Ratings of the program by 31 students are also included. (MLF)

Uses the curing and caring aspects of medicine as an analogy for what education can be. Observes that the divinity expressed through medicine's ability to cure and care for people also can be expressed through teaching when it attempts to eliminate ignorance, prejudice, and misinformation. (DB)

A teacher reflects on his experiences teaching American Indian literature and offers advice to other teachers: (1) clearly defining "Native American literature," noting diversity of Indian nations; (2) teaching works in their cultural context; (3) paying attention to continuance and Native time sense; and (4) being wary of translations. (SV)

Contends that prospective teachers' knowledge of what writing is and how it is taught is formed by their experiences as students. Describes a course that allows teachers transform their student experiences into appropriate teaching methods. Assesses how this curriculum was experienced by the teacher candidates. (DB)

A teacher discusses her transition to a new school and an innovative program based on Foxfire practices. Journal entries reflect the frustrations, self-doubts, and personal growth that resulted from her teaching experience. She attributes her personal growth to reflective journal writing, a core practice of Foxfire. (LP)