Examines use of portfolios as a major assessment tool for students in the field of English Education. Discusses how professional portfolios encourage students to use their meta-cognitive skills and find their own unique themes as well as encouraging teachers to become collaborators and co-creators with students. Describes advantages and…

Explores what both staff and students consider to be elements of good teaching through a two-phase study. Constructs of good teaching were determined using repertory grids and the resulting survey was given to 204 English lecturers and students. Reveals a single concept of good teaching for students and two categories (pre-existing and reflective)…

Reflective teachers look at classroom problems from many perspectives and consider others' viewpoints when they choose instructional strategies. Reflection is beginning to be treated as an essential part of a teacher's repertoire. Sidebars recount an exercise in reflection. (MLF)

This article is an account of my search for professional identity as a new university lecturer through the use of the peer observation of teaching (POT) techniques. Through a synthesis of selected theoretical literature, associated critical reflection, and my own experiences of professional development through POT, the paper presents a conceptual…

Some of the recent debates and discourses about higher education have embraced the development of shared aims and values within the professional context. The opportunity to engage in critical reflexive pedagogy is being widely acknowledged as an important element in the continuing professional development in the sector. In this paper a case study…

Graduate teaching assistantships began in the late 1800s as a means of attracting individuals to graduate studies. Initially, stipends were awarded to students without the expectation of service; however, after World War II graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) were expected to function as graders and, ultimately, classroom teachers. Over 100 years…

This paper argues that instructors can enhance the effectiveness of oral instruction through attention to both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of their teaching. After defining and offering 2 means of achieving effective speaking, the paper discusses how lecturers should analyze their delivery, and makes 32 recommendations for improving delivery,…

Suggestions are offered for developing teaching and learning centers or faculty support programs to improve college teaching. Suggestions include: develop a faculty partnership, be discipline specific, allow time for divergence, offer variety, provide a smorgasbord, focus on both planning and teaching, translate research findings into classroom…

An emphasis on improving the teaching of geography at the undergraduate level can result in an increase in geography majors at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Therefore, the discipline must develop and disseminate new approaches to teaching geography and must supply current information to faculty. Since the first contact many students have…

This paper is devoted to clarification and amplification of 10 human encounter principles, focusing on undergraduate teaching. (Author/PG)

Faculty need to be aware of the new developments in the field, content on emerging theories in social and behavioral sciences, and refinements in methods of teaching in professional education. (Editor/KE)

Recent financial stringencies in colleges and universities are generating pressures for more efficient use of available faculty resources. Proposes the creation of formal organizational entities oriented toward public service. (Editor/PG)

Contends that student evaluative questionnaires should be designed by instructors themselves to help improve their classroom performance and therefore should contain only questions that students are capable of answering objectively and not, for instance, questions about the relevancy of the course. Contains a sample questionnaire. (GH)

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…

To equip new faculty members with all the necessary tools to begin their careers as highly effective and productive college teachers, formal training in pedagogy was made available for all graduate teaching assistants at Texas A&M University. Twenty-five graduate level instructors in college and public school settings or who expressed interest…