In the first section of this monograph, the reasons why the personal nature of teaching makes it relatively impervious to outside influences are explored. It is suggested that change in education occurs only when the individual teacher changes. Educational innovation is viewed as a matter of facilitating and sustaining modification in the…

Discusses movement toward interagency cooperation for service delivery for handicapped, emphasizing importance of preservice education. Describes special education course at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Course designed to encourage communication of knowledge, attitudes, and coordination of skills in service delivery. Suggests new directions…

A two-year study of teachers' attitudes about professional voice involved discussions among groups of colleagues about professional issues, addressing three areas of concern about dialogue: teacher interest, administrative support from the teacher's perspective, and constraints. The paper examines the importance of personal narratives to encourage…

As K-12 schools acquire equipment for videoconferencing, they often experience limited usage of the equipment. The purpose of this study was to identify specific concerns of educators currently involved in videoconferencing. The primary data for the study was 400 discussion posts from 34 educators in an online class about videoconferencing. Data…

This article considered the presentations, discussions, and group directions that focused on both methods and content of instruction and curriculum, for both the special educator and the art educator. (Author/RK)

This study examined the influence of participation in school-based professional study group activities on both general and personal teaching efficacy. It also examined teachers' perceptions of changes that occurred in their teaching performance as a result of participation in the study group sessions. Participants were elementary teachers who…

The beginning of the year is the right time to establish a climate of kindness, caring, and sharing for a teacher's group-time meetings. Group time is often a teacher's first "formal" introduction to the children, and a time when a teacher sets the stage for creating a sense of community. By demonstrating a teacher's loving acceptance for all…

This collaborative research project sought to determine the attributes, skills and expertise/knowledge needed by distance language teachers. The first phase of the project explored tutor perspectives using discussion groups, questionnaires, interviews and a yoked-subject technique. Statements and categories of expertise were identified, elaborated…

A self-study is reported in which the researcher explored the possibility of using a university course on action research to promote the development of professional community, an examination of power relations, and a sense of recognition among teachers enrolled in the course of their own expertise. Approximately 20 participating teachers in each…

A study was conducted of teacher perceptions of classroom student speaking opportunities at Cook Junior High School in Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. during the spring of 1995. Fifty-four academic teachers of language arts, reading, math, science, and social studies were given a questionnaire to answer according to their attitudes concerning…

This study analyzed personal and collaborative reflective activities and their effect on the development of a graduate student as both a learner and a teacher. As a learner, the graduate student kept a reflective journal for 5 consecutive quarters (15 months). Collaboration with colleagues took place in both formal and informal settings and…

To give teachers help in understanding themselves better and in relating more positively to their students, small discussion groups were organized to provide maximum opportunities for teachers to express thoughts and feelings about themselves and about problems they were facing in the classroom that prevented them from relating positively to their…

The dilemma articulated in small group and en masse discussions produced the theme, "Through a Glass, Darkly," for the 1971-1972 edition of "Classroom Practices." This document is a collection of essays espousing various methods of teaching English. One predominant concern of all English teachers is the issue of priorities in education. English…

Using Lave and Wenger's framework of legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice, this case study explores the experiences of three novice teachers engaged with more experienced teachers in a teacher study group during their first year of teaching. The study illustrates how, over time, the novices moved from more peripheral to…