Rice University has created a team-taught interactive biology course for nonmajors with a focus on cutting edge biology in the news--advances in biotechnology, medicine, and science policy, along with the biological principles and methodology upon which these advances are based. The challenges inherent to teaching current topics were minimized by…

"The good teacher" is an archetypal concept; a topic of discussion in various philosophical and educational theories which expresses an ideal, while in reality is composed of many qualities and a variety of contents. This study is unique in its investigation of the similarities and differences in the perception of the good teacher among…

Virtual schooling, or the practice of offering K-12 courses via distance technologies, has rapidly increased in popularity since its beginning in 1994. Although effective interaction with and support for students in these environments requires a unique set of skills and experiences, teacher education programs rarely include teaching and…

This paper describes an innovative pilot project at the University of Canberra aimed at providing pre-service early childhood teachers with the skills, confidence and ideological change required to include technology-enhanced learning as part of the early childhood curriculum. The impact of the project was evaluated through participant…

This paper aims to explore the issue of multicultural education in Cyprus and how it is treated within school environments. It explores attitudes from and towards non-indigenous pupils and perceptions that exist within the indigenous population. A case study approach was used to achieve these goals. Teachers completed a semi-structured…

The Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 97,160 surveys were sent out in 5,320 envelopes; 60,206 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the SEOI packet envelopes was 84%. The Instructors' reports were provided to academic,…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 90,045 surveys were sent out in 4,433 envelopes; 54,174 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 60%. Instructors' reports were provided to academic,…

This article attempts to clarify some of the problems and challenges currently met by the teaching profession in special education, in particular those relating to why students choose to study special needs education and what they expect to learn. There are two major reasons why students choose to become a "special needs" teacher: to…

The purpose of this study was to describe student ratings of teaching effectiveness for faculty in the College of Education (COE) at a Research I institution in the Southern United States. Student ratings of teaching effectiveness were analyzed for the 190 tenure-track faculty in this study based on race (White, Black, and "Other" racial groups…

Teachers have an important role in classroom communication, classroom behavior management, and the achievement of teaching aims. The settings in which effective and successful classroom management is conducted are bound to make a contribution to students' success. A lot of research has dealt with classroom management and teaching skills to…

Students learn more and gain greater understanding from one-to-one tutoring. The preferred explanation has been that the tutors' pedagogical skills are responsible for the learning gains. Pedagogical skills involve skillful execution of tactics, such as giving explanations and feedback, or selecting the appropriate problems or questions to ask the…

Teacher instructional efficacy is an essential part of the mathematics learning process. When a mathematics teacher possesses a high level of instructional efficacy they can effectively influence a mathematics student's skill acquisition. This researcher examined what extent 5th-grade mathematics students perceive teacher instructional efficacy to…

A simulation was designed and evaluated that permitted teacher trainees to experiment with varied conditions of specificity of objectives. Findings indicated that effects of the simulation could be replicated and trainees' statements concerning the value of objectives could be affected in favor of specific objectives. (Author)

Cook School District is a Web-based simulation designed to allow teacher candidates an opportunity to explore connections between their actions as teachers and the learning and engagement of simulated students. The simulation provides a setting in which to practice the processes inherent in teacher work sample methodology (TWSM). The outcomes of…

This study describes practices and techniques employed by 25 college teachers who are acknowledged as outstanding. The efficacy of the practices and techniques was validated narratively by 200 students. This study identifies variables that characterize effective college teaching and suggests opportunities for further study and analysis. Major…