The set of papers collected in this anthology were developed from presentations given at the 16th meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA), November 5-8, 1994, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These papers provide conceptual explorations of dimensions of teacher change such as…

Argues that student teacher portfolios are a viable, effective, appropriate tool for documenting teacher growth and development and for promoting reflective practice. Traces the unique paths of two pre-service foreign language teachers who constructed a professional identity from the historical and cultural conditions of their classroom…

Presents a case study of how a pre-service teacher addressed the complexities of supporting the literacy learning of students in a learning-disabled class and a regular class setting. Suggests the pre-service teacher was a reflective practitioner with high expectations for her students' success and a high focus of control regarding her…

Three education professors returning to the classroom as students in a graduate course on research methods analyze the experience through a collaborative project in which they examined themselves as researchers. Recommendations are offered about the use of such collaborative reflection as a means of professional development. (MSE)

Features and contingencies of the teacher self-assessment process are described as the process operates in classrooms. Gaps in knowledge about this process are explored. Teacher self-assessment is linked to reflection, theorizing, self-understanding, and the analysis of educational practice. (SLD)

Brain research must be carefully examined before the implications for education emerge. Getting new neuroscientific information into schools and shifting from traditional educational models is an almost impossible feat. A direct extrapolation of brain research to current educational practice is inappropriate. Also, superseded mental models of…

Investigates what constitutes good reflection. Describes how one instructor used the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) to explore her responses to the reflective writing produced by preservice English teachers. Concludes that the MBTI can provide insight into and improve how instructors assign, respond to, and evaluate student reflection.…

Describes use of a strategy adapted from the American Association for Higher Education's Peer Review of Teaching Project, the "reflective memo," to provide backward and forward view of post-tenure reviews in the chemistry department of the University of Wisconsin (Madison). The approach served as a guide in review of research, teaching,…

Through a three-stage thematic model this research has examined the evolution of the Senior Practitioner, a term introduced by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Surestart Unit, which advocates the promotion and recognition of the importance of staff with advanced and specialist skills, knowledge and experience. This status is…

Secondary science methods students' thinking on coteaching practice was studied for the development of conscious elements of practical teacher knowledge supporting the use of structured inquiry. Reflective dialogue on practice in an electronic forum was analyzed for elements of formal learning and biography (past and present) that informed…

Nurturing reflective teaching and improving critical-thinking instruction are two important goals in teacher education, but these are only achievable when teachers-in-training are provided with opportunities for building professional knowledge and for exhibiting reflective teaching practices. A computer simulation program (CS-TGCTS) was therefore…

Beginning teachers in Northern Ireland and the United States conducted structured inquiry projects in which they investigated elementary children's understanding of history and social studies. Interviews with the teachers and analysis of their written assignments indicate that these investigations challenged their beliefs about children's prior…

This is the final paper in a four-part series by two pre-service teacher educators. The authors define self-study of teacher education practices and outline their research methodology. They then draw on excerpts from their written reflections to examine how self-study of teacher education practices can enhance the reflective dimension of action…

This paper sets out to show how some theoretical concepts derived from Lacanian psychoanalysis might be put to work in the business of reflective practitioner research in education. It seeks to offer a more sophisticated, reflexively produced account of researcher identity built out of the narrative generated within a research enquiry. It…

The main aim of this article is to explore the ways in which teacher educators can improve levels of reflection in postgraduate student teachers. The author argues that postgraduate student teachers are able to reflect on their practice in schools, and that the insights gained are useful in clarifying their own beliefs about teaching and learning.…