We describe a model for new and senior faculty members, integrating a behavioral approach to enhancing teaching skills with research from the field of positive psychology on virtues and character strengths. The Teacher Behaviors Checklist (Keeley, Smith, & Buskist, 2006) identifies target behaviors amenable to modification, derived from…

This handbook describes Teacher Workshop. Teacher Workshop is founded on the idea that learning to teach is a great deal like learning to write. That is, learners need to be fully engaged in the process and learn the skills along the way as they are ready for them. Also like writing, the skills of teaching are developed over time with instruction,…

The purpose of this article is to describe how preservice teachers are prepared to make on-the-spot instructional decisions at the University of Northern Iowa. On-the-spot instructional decision making, also known as "improvisational" or "interactive teaching", occurs in three distinct episodes: an initial assessment of…

Skillful substitute teachers are critical to student achievement, especially in today's high-stakes accountability environment. Because teachers are absent from duty, some for short periods of time and others for lengthy time frames, schools may find it difficult to meet high academic and accountability standards without prepared substitute…

This article describes the experiences of a physical education teacher in an elementary school setting. Suggestions to better prepare physical educators for elementary schools are offered. (MT)

English is a main subject in Chinese English classes, which requires plenty of practice, needs cooperation between the teacher and students in class to jointly fulfill the verbal communication and the teaching-learning procedure. Classroom questioning, the skill of the elicitation method of teaching that is student-oriented and advocated today,…

The early childhood faculty at the University of Memphis developed the Early Childhood Education Behaviors & Dispositions Checklist for four main purposes: (1) The faculty needed a way to clearly communicate to students the expectations for their dispositions and the means of assessment; (2) It is a professional obligation in preservice…

There is so much more that goes into literacy coaching that we do not think about when working with colleagues. When we think about literacy coaching, we think about someone who comes into our classrooms and provides support for our instruction. High-quality literacy coaching requires that there be superior levels of overt assessment and covert…

This paper, highlights the forthcoming book "Educating for Democracy." The book articulates the conditions under which political teaching and learning in college is and is not legitimate, making the case that education for political development can and should be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the core values of higher education…

The 21st century has ushered in a set of challenges for education administrators. A greater emphasis on accountability for an increasing number of students requiring intensive supports is commonplace. Currently, the student population is changing, reflecting society's ever-increasing diversity. Many administrators need assistance responding to…

Most experienced high school science teachers are asked at some point to serve as a mentor to a novice teacher. While mentor-training programs have been established in many states, they often only focus on how the mentor can help new science teachers understand and negotiate the school culture, such as how the school runs and where supplies are…

Aggressive federal recruitment and training programs for teachers during the 1970s created a brief respite, but those programs ended in the early 1980s. Severe shortages of math and science teachers were rampant again by the 1990s and continue today. Especially in predominantly minority schools, many math and science courses are now taught by…

This paper describes an innovative pilot project at the University of Canberra aimed at providing pre-service early childhood teachers with the skills, confidence and ideological change required to include technology-enhanced learning as part of the early childhood curriculum. The impact of the project was evaluated through participant…

Principals want teachers to do more than profess high expectations for their students. Principals want teachers to have the knowledge and skills to realize their expectations for students by using strategies that increase students' attention to their achievement and responsibilities for learning. Current expectancy literature states that teachers…

The perspective of this article is that the purpose of the elementary physical education program is the development of a physically active lifestyle. We discuss the relative contribution of the development of motor skills, fitness, content related to encouraging participation, and the affective goals of the program to the development of a…