Undergraduate students and recent graduates of an urban teacher education program met regularly to discuss becoming reflective, effective teachers. Qualitative analysis of conversations highlighted the complex learning involved in teaching and factors in teacher education and schools that supported and hindered new teachers' work. The study…

A study examined the experiences of 10 physical education student teachers who completed their student teaching in groups of 5 at two secondary schools. Participants expressed positive responses to the cohort practicum in six areas. Having several student teachers in one department created a supportive learning environment that fostered reflective…

The present study inquired into the varying kinds and degrees of reflectivity that ensued as first-semester secondary education preservice teachers' revisited their teaching actions and confronted peers' evaluation of their performance in a microteaching experience. The study sought to ascertain: (1) the recurring themes of reflectivity in the…

This study examined reflective writing as a vehicle for learning through the use of dialogue journals to synthesize relevant classroom materials and help students examine multicultural issues. Thirty-one elementary education students enrolled in a course titled "Foundations of Education in a Multicultural Society" participated in the…

The goals of this research project included noting the importance that primary teachers placed on student ideas in planning and delivering science lessons for the topic of snails, and comparing the importance teachers afforded student ideas-and instruction based on student ideas-with the perception their students had of the importance of their…

The purpose of this study was to examine reflective thinking as it related to instructional and personality characteristics of an effective teacher. During semistructured interviews, 42 first-year teachers identified the characteristics of an effective teacher and compared their own professional development to these ideal images. Comments from…

This case study examined the extent and nature of the critical reflection and critically reflective teaching evident among three secondary preservice teachers, noting factors that hindered and supported the instructor's attempts to promote critically reflective teaching and discussing social reconstructionist factors. The paper emphasizes the…

Reflective Teaching (RT) is an alternative to the present field-based and campus-based laboratory teaching experiences. This paper briefly describes the initial development and field testing phase of a study of the effectiveness of RT in a variety of instructional settings. Reflective Teaching has the following chief characteristics: (1) small…

For the past decade, the federal government has supported comprehensive school reform as a way to improve under-performing schools (US Department of Education 1998). Thousands of schools across the country are now implementing scores of different whole school reform models with the hopes of improving school culture and raising student performance.…

This paper is a report of a middle-school teacher's study of classroom management. The teacher/researcher was interested in how some of the techniques in the Kovalik Integrated Thematic Instruction model of training would influence the teacher/researcher's classroom management; the effects of direct instruction within a community circle; the…

Although early childhood education (ECE) teachers frequently use the concept of the "teachable moment" (TM) when they reflect upon their teaching experiences, there is a lack of discussion in the professional literature regarding what a TM is or how teachers construct the notion of TM-oriented curriculum practice through their…

This paper compares the professional beliefs and teaching behaviors of traditional and nontraditional/adult teacher candidates during their student teaching experience. Data for the study came from 45 elementary student teachers' structured, weekly autobiographical critical reflections written during their student teaching. Participants were…

Reflecting upon and learning from one's working experiences in order to inform future practice is a mark of any professional. The dynamic structure of the early childhood classroom with its focus on the child within the broader context of the family and community makes the reflective process essential for all staff. This paper reports the outcomes…

School documents, interviews, and observations were used to examine the development of middle school teachers' reflective thought. Highly reflective teachers showed greater a greater sense of efficacy in their work and ownership within classrooms and schools, always seeking innovation. Less reflective teachers emphasized classroom practice and…

A longitudinal study examined developments in preschoolers' understanding of literacy and numeracy, comparing learning models based on adult-child interactions or on children's learning processes at preschools with varied reflectivity levels. Children's understanding of symbols related to literacy and numeracy. Developments in their understanding…