The quality of an educational institution is determined by the quality of its faculty. The first professional position will mold the attitudes and abilities of the young professor. Recently, new professors were surveyed as to their experiences as novices, and their responses are discussed. (JN)

Identified and compared the seriousness of problems reported by beginning and experienced business education teachers in small and large schools. Both groups identified instructional problems concerning student characteristics as most serious. First-year teachers indicated greater concern about instructional media and methods problems. Also noted…

Presents the reflections of beginning music teachers taken from 20 interviews. Focuses on the biggest challenges they faced, successful teaching strategies and methods, mentor programs and social support systems, effective professional growth experiences, important aspects of teacher preparation, and their views of the future. (CMK)

Offers to help new teachers adjust to a first job. Proposes bringing to the job the most complete and practical body of knowledge possible, including knowledge of the subject, the situation, and the self. Suggests areas in which the new teacher must seek out information about policies and resources of the particular school. (DK)

Reports a study that examined the types and amounts of assistance desired by beginning teachers. Surveys of beginning secondary teachers suggest that mentors must consider beginning teachers' desires when determining the types and amounts of assistance provided. Data support the need to vary the quantity and type of assistance for novices. (SM)

Discusses how teachers learn to teach through direct experiences and participation as students and beginning teachers. Direct experience provides cause-and-effect inferences about what works; as time goes on, teachers use the knowledge acquired to improve their teaching. Strategies for school improvement work in much the same way. (SM)

Integrated portfolios can establish accountability for novice teachers and support professional development for novice and experienced teachers. Comprehensive portfolios for evaluating novices and critical incident portfolios for evaluating experienced teachers are described, and procedures for their review are discussed. Illustrations of their…

To determine beginning teachers' reactions to Florida's Beginning Teacher Program (BTP), a one-year teaching experience, education graduates who had experienced the BTP were surveyed. Participants were fairly positive regarding the support they received from the program, which may facilitate new teachers' adjustment to the teaching environment.…

Offers brief excerpts from oral history interviews with eight National Council of Teachers of English leaders on a variety of topics, including: formative years; becoming interested in teaching; experiences as a beginning teacher; teaching writing; being an African American teacher; literature and humanness. (SR)

This multiple regression study analyzed the percent of variance in teacher efficacy of 106 student teachers and novice teachers in agricultural education in Ohio explained by selected variables related to perceived support (utilizing a mentor, supportive principal behaviors, collective efficacy), teacher preparation quality, and student teaching…

This paper explores the perceptions of three groups of teacher education trainees in Ghana--those beginning training, those completing training, and those with two years' experience in schools. A structured instrument was used to assess responses to statements about the status of teachers and teaching, teacher control, preferences for posting and…

This study was conducted to determine the importance of parent involvement as perceived by beginning and experienced teachers. A review of the research yielded a wide range of school policies and classroom practices that influence student achievement; parental involvement was shown to be directly linked to student performance. An instrument was…

The pedagogical development of teachers has been described in five stages: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. This study sought to determine if a survey instrument called the Method Acceptance Scale for Teachers (MAST) would be useful in revealing differences among teachers in different stages of development with regard…

The themes of teacher autonomy, practical experience, and program rigor are manifest explicitly and implicitly throughout these papers prepared for the National Commission for Excellence in Teacher Education. Both the problems and resolution approaches presented under each theme suggest what can and must occur in teacher education to enhance the…

The purpose of this booklet is to give beginning or first-year teachers in rural Alaskan one- or two-teacher schools some practical, effective, and useful suggestions and guidance in their teaching and living situations. Those individuals who are currently training and studying to be teachers in rural Alaska might also benefit from the…