This article describes the challenges faced by a first-year special educator of children with emotional disturbances. In addition to academic diversity and behavioral challenges, there were also issues related to working with a team of special educators and being the newcomer. These issues included instructional time, behavioral management, and…

Discusses changes that occurred in preservice teachers' thinking about and use of technology infusion and its role in student learning. Reports findings from a two-year evaluation study of a preservice teacher technology infusion project in which teams of teacher educators and K-12 teachers collaborated to infuse technology into their respective…

Recent research emphasizes the context-specific nature of professional knowledge and expertise, implying that developing novel practices in authentic environments is a prerequisite for teachers' professional development. The aim of this study was to find out how teachers develop their practical knowledge and expertise through shared planning and…

Working closely with others often gives rise to conflicts as each individual is driven by different and usually conflicting preoccupations and concerns. This article discusses the 3,000 year old 9-sided star-shaped paradigm known as Enneagram and how it is advantageous to early childhood professionals. This personality inventory purports that…

One of the most comprehensive studies to highlight the achievement gap between students in the United States and those in many other countries is the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). TIMSS showed that a handful of countries (with Japan near the top) consistently outperformed the others studied (including the United…

The purpose of this paper is to describe how and why a primary science methods classroom was conceived, designed, and developed for preservice and inservice teachers. Just as science educators believe that students learn best by constructing their knowledge of the natural world with the aid of a teacher and colleagues, science educators also…

This study investigated McREL's Rural Technology Initiative (RTI), an online professional development intervention that provides opportunities for teacher collaboration while delivering training to teachers and administrators on instructional improvement, including the use of technology for teaching and learning. The purposes of the study were:…

A technical assistance project in a rural Virginia school district included the goal of building professional learning communities among the district's teachers. Three instruments that measure various elements of a learning community culture were scheduled to be administered to teachers at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the 4-year project.…

This book describes the TYC21 project (Two-Year Colleges in the Twenty-First Century: Breaking Down Barriers), which provided a framework to implement reform in science, engineering, and physics education at two-year colleges via the cooperative efforts of faculty in cross-educational activities. The project sought to increase the quality of…

This action research study describes the perceptions of third through fifth grade classroom teachers and special services teachers who provided services to students needing special modifications in their instruction or interventions in order to succeed in regular classrooms. Participants indicated their level of agreement with 14 questions on a…

This study investigated gender differences in beginning high school English teachers' views of mentors' roles and positive mentor-mentee interactions. Using phenomenological analysis, the researcher interviewed male and female beginning teachers in public and private schools. Respondents identified good and bad mentors. Their significant…

Focuses on a collaborative form of teacher education--pair teaching in the preservice training of English-as-a-Foreign-Language/English-as-a-Second-Language teachers in Hungary. The results of a longitudinal study of the relationship between the principles of pair teaching and its realization in group work are discussed. Data were collected…

Collaboration is a complex issue that is crucial in education and teacher education. This paper examines factors important in collaboration (interactive exchange of resources, decision making, problem solving, conflict management, interpersonal communication, cultural influences, and systemic influences) and discusses benefits of and barriers to…

Examined three aspects of teacher identity (representation, preparation, and dedication) as barriers to collaboration. Oral histories of retired teachers revealed how teacher interpretations of professional identity had underlying assumptions and normative beliefs shaped by biography. When assumptions and beliefs were not acknowledged by…

Examined the evolution of a formal mentoring program, Mentor-Apprentice Collaboration, over 1 year, describing what the elementary-level beginning and mentor teachers learned from the experience. Participant interviews highlighted several productive mentoring strategies: sharing concerns and joys; building a sense of team; and establishing trust,…