I clarify in this chapter what Iran can learn from Japan's experience of jugyou kenkyuu(lesson study) model, and what we can apply to the Iranian educational context. The chapter also discusses the process, progress and challenges of incorporating jugyou kenkyuu into Iranian teacher training. I examine how Iranian teachers and school…

According to exemplars in adult education, those inner qualities that facilitate the presence of themselves, their learners, and the subject content are the aspects of the genuine self that teachers need to express in the classroom to help bring about learning. This chapter examines what it means to be present, and how teachers develop or come to…

The principal aim of this study is to explore the self-perception of change in teaching practice by lecturers who have graduated from the Postgraduate Certificate in Third Level Learning and Teaching Course over a period extending from 2000-2003. A qualitative questionnaire was distributed to the 45 successful graduates of the course to establish…

"First wave" educational reform has resulted in various state and local incentive and pay-for-performance programs, such as Tennessee's career ladder program offering extended contract opportunities for teachers and administrators achieving a certain performance status. While the intent was to reward excellence, offer supplemental pay…

Teacher development is theoretically possible in those instructional supervision settings that emphasize collegiality. The paper reports and analyzes episodes taken from two cases in a larger study which investigated the different outcomes in teachers' classroom development associated with hierarchical and collegial approaches to instructional…

The classroom is at the heart of the often-mixed messages of school reform and school practice. Educators must make sense of these mixed messages in order to engage in the work of teaching. Viewing educators as social agents amid the complexity of educational discourse and practice provides a distinctly different lens on reform than those…

Prepared as part of the evaluation of the Bay Area Writing Project (BAWP), this report examines the National Writing Project (NWP) network, a group of teacher training projects designed to replicate the core model of the BAWP. The information provided in this report is divided into three sections. The first section summarizes information regarding…

Studies of the usefulness of student ratings of university teachers are often inadequate. The wide range of questions about how students use the other students' evaluations and how these evaluations can be used by administration and faculty to improve teacher effectiveness is a rich field for further research. (SLD)

Reviews and assesses major crisis conditions in science education. Cites specific findings from key status studies and reports. Proposes that goals be reassessed and that successes in science teaching be measured in terms of such goals. (ML)

A new staff development model postulates that teachers' beliefs and attitudes change as a result of changes in learning results, which in turn stem from changed classroom practices. Evidence supporting this model is summarized, and implications for staff development practice are discussed. (MCG)

Organizational change in educational systems' research has provided valuable lessons that address the improvement of schools. School-improvement programs specifically target schools with underachieving and high-poverty populations of students with the intention of improving educational inequities. While these and other current reform initiatives…

A methodology for designing rating scales which will maximize diagnostic feedback by students to college professors is presented. Mid-semester and end-of-semester administrations allow for judgment of changes in instructional strategies during the semester. (JMF)

Marginal teachers have three common behaviors that have questionable or negative effects on student learning: failure to create an appropriate classroom atmosphere, lack of personal insight and motivation, and unwillingness to accept responsibility for problems. When mentoring and improvement programs fail, collaborative programs with the right…

The videotape portion of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which captured "typical" mathematics instruction in Germany, the United States, and Japan, disclosed information about types of mathematics students encountered, teachers' role in developing concepts and lessons, and expectations for students. The…

As principals and other administrators increasingly find themselves being held accountable for various school performance measures, they must recognize the deleterious effects of poorly performing teachers and learn to evaluate all teachers more truthfully. Documentation will be effective only if it is honest, straightforward, and complete.…