Two policy options for improving teacher competence, inservice training and regular classroom supervision, were studied through a survey of approximately 400 rural primary schools in Thailand. Results do not indicate improvement resulting from inservice training but do show improvement resulting from intensity of supervision. Implications for…

Reports a study of eight teachers identified as empowered or having become more empowered, focusing on influences on and the developmental process of teacher empowerment. Journal entries, interviews, and observations as teachers conducted reading and language arts instruction demonstrated that gaining empowerment was a spiraling process. (SM)

The paper argues that it is not wise to encourage reflective teaching in general without first establishing clear priorities for the reflection that emerges out of a reasoned educational and social philosophy. It does not accept the implication that exists throughout much of the literature that teachers' actions are necessarily better merely…

A study outlined the processes through which two beginning elementary teachers in the San Francisco Bay area learned to overcome institutional constraints which tended to standardize ethnically diverse students' responses to literature. The study focused specifically on the changes in one teacher's instruction which freed her third/fourth grade…

A practicum was implemented to train teachers working at a Montessori Learning Center to individualize instruction at the preschool, primary, and intermediate grade levels. The primary goal was to educate teachers about the importance of meeting the individual needs of each child. A 9-month staff training program was developed that provided the…

Guidelines for effectively teaching minority students, Grades K-6, are presented in this manual, which is divided into six sections. Each section presents a different teaching principle, explains the rationale behind it, and provides a list of suggestions and/or comments from teachers. The six principles are: (1) Every child can learn if you have…

The module is the fifth of a series of seven discrete modules designed to assist elementary school teachers in the development of a career education program or to enrich an already established program. Module 5 may be used separately or in conjunction with the other modules. In module 5, infusion of career development concepts is explained, and…

This report presents data collected about the impact of the Research Utilizing Problem Solving (RUPS) instructional system on the classrooms of teachers trained in two RUPS workshops, which were part of the Improving Teaching Competencies Program at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The report is divided into four chapters, the first…

This workbook, which accompanies eight audio cassettes, offers strategic advice and inspiration to support beginning elementary teachers. Information comes from roundtable discussions with four experienced teachers. Chapter 1 "Teacher as Decision Maker" discusses the decision making process, how to correct decisions, and when to seek wise counsel.…

This report describes a program for improving inconsistent reading comprehension. The targeted population consisted of first, third, and fifth grade classrooms in a diverse middle class community located in Illinois. The problems of low academic achievement were documented through teacher observation, reading comprehension test scores, and low…

This program is a self-guided professional development experience that explains how to use multiple intelligences (MI) theory to improve teaching, learning, and achievement in elementary classrooms and schools. The program consists of one manual and six VHS videos, each of which corresponds to one of the six modules listed in the table of…

Examined how elementary school administrators' and curriculum coordinators' views of subject matter related to their leadership strategies. Found that relative to reading, leaders' agendas for improving literacy instruction focused on teachers' input and applying literacy skills to several academic subjects. Strategies for improving math…

Explored efforts, within an action research study of a 3- year Inservice Education and Training (INSET) program, to implement reflective approaches in training unqualified and underqualified elementary teachers in Namibia. Results found that western approaches to teacher reflection could not be used productively with Namibian teachers unless there…

American and New Zealander education majors completed an exchange program that included student teaching abroad. Student journals and interviews after the experience indicated that, through their international experiences, students gained more appreciation for their home school culture and acquired new attitudes and beliefs to test against the…

The University of California's Developmental Teacher Education program uses Piagetian developmental theory and research for preparing elementary teachers. The article describes the two-year postgraduate program, which features small student cohorts, multiple diverse student teaching placements, coursework that addresses key topics repeatedly and…