A Foxfire teacher describes student reactions to a democratic approach implemented in an undergraduate teacher education course and an inservice teacher workshop. Goal was for participants to develop methods and activities that would involve their future K-12 students in active and democratic learning. (LP)

Describes two pilot programs at John Abbott College (Quebec) designed to increase the success of Inuit and Cree students. Reviews the literature on Native learning styles and appropriate teaching styles. Reflects on the (non-Native) author's experience teaching Native college students, the importance of the teacher-student relationship, and the…

Retired Canadian educators' gave advice to beginning teachers and offered specific suggestions to a university regarding enhancement of its preservice program. The educators stressed the importance of teachers mastering a basic set of generic skills for classroom management and instructional dimensions of teaching, emphasizing the importance of…

This study investigated how teachers in two school systems, at different levels of instructional computer competence, thought about and used computers to support instruction. Survey results indicated teachers in both systems, at both levels, had similar perceptions of what it took to become effective instructional computer users. (SM)

The results of a survey conducted on the background, education, attitudes, and practices of North Carolina's elementary teachers to develop a statewide inservice program are presented. Elementary teachers' perceptions of teaching language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science; use of instructional materials; and experiences and needs for…

Presents findings from a survey of avocational teachers at the beginning and end of a three-year project to recruit and prepare volunteer teachers for a religious school. Reveals that participants joined to improve their children's education and enhance their own Jewish learning, and that the quality of the school improved. (DSK)

Finds that extended practicum experiences in elementary science teaching positively increases preservice science elementary teachers' (n=64) personal science-teaching-efficacy beliefs. Contains 17 references. (WRM)

This article reports perceptions of a first-year teacher of students with learning disabilities. First-year challenges are described, as well as views on assessment, accountability, and inclusion. Recommendations are made for new teachers and steps that teacher educators, school administrators, and experienced teachers can take to ensure the…

Finland's Reformative In-Service Education for Teachers was a one-year program that joined experienced and novice teachers in promoting change. Research on the resulting development of teachers' cognitions and on factors crucial to that development highlighted changes in beginners' craft knowledge concerning students, learning, knowledge, and…

Examines the question of Russian teachers' attitudes toward the profession and toward the work in a specific educational institution. Finds that teachers' sense of social well-being results from the perception of their social position, whereas their sense of professional well-being is discussed in terms of self-assessment of personal and…

Peer evaluation has been criticized as a threat to academic freedom and has been used, usually erroneously, as a justification for academic reappointment, tenure promotion, and merit pay. In recent years, scholars have recommended that peer consultation, which is primarily designed to improve teaching, be honored, but apart from evaluation. In…

Canadian and Japanese secondary teachers' conceptions of critical thinking were compared and contrasted. Significant cross-cultural differences were found. While Canadian teachers tended to relate critical thinking to the cognitive domain, Japanese teachers emphasized the affective domain. The quantitative data, effectively reduced through factor…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the attitudes of early childhood teachers towards computers and Information Technology (IT). The study examined whether or not attitudes are differentiated by a series of factors, such as: years of previous service, the use of a computer at home (with Internet access), inservice training, and…

Changes that occur in teachers' careers are typically conceptualized in research as occurring in several demarcated and sequential stages/phases. This study examines secondary schoolteachers' understandings of their careers and whether they could identify stages/phases in their career development. It is based on experienced teachers' recall of…

This study focused on the attitudes that elementary teachers have toward their English language learner (ELL) students' native languages (e.g., Spanish) and their use in instruction. A 27-item Likert-scale survey was administered to 152 first- through fourth-grade teachers from five school districts in Maricopa County, Arizona. These school…