Gaps, barriers, boundaries and walls are words often used to describe the separation between educational research and practice. They account for the differences that are said to exist between the 'two cultures'; the members of which appear to occupy different worlds, have different mindsets and express themselves in different discourses. The…

Personal teaching efficacy is associated with a teacher's effectiveness in the classroom. To enhance this efficacy in a computer-simulated training program, both personal traits and guided practices need to be considered concurrently. In this study, it was hypothesised that the interactive effects from the coupling of personal traits with guided…

In this reflective essay, the author describes her continuing search for a pedagogical path. She explains how she came to reject authoritative answers and packaged educational ideologies, and describes the questions that have unfolded for her about her own teaching. In closing, she writes about her search for a faith--a set of principles to guide…

Tim O'Keefe, Rise Reinier and Kevin Gallagher, Bruce Morgan, Julia Lopez-Robertson, Donna Santman, JoAnn Wong-Kam, Sharon Hill, and Linda Christensen provide short essays describing their personal visions of possibility about literacy and how they maintain that passion and vision. Across a range of contexts, they reflect on the ways in which their…

The powerful role of prior experiences and cultural schemata in guiding novice teachers' conceptions of how to teach is hardly contested. We report on a "reflective practicum" at the very beginning of a pre-service teacher education course that interconnects prior beliefs, reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and that, in principle,…

Describes the value to the author of taking notes on students at work in her third-grade classroom. Uses the analogy of "Footprints In The Snow" (from her daily morning walk) as a way of thinking about the importance of note-taking in teacher research. (SR)

Many faculty enter academia without any formal preparation in pedagogy. This study describes perceptions of ten university professors, from a variety of ranks and disciplines, as they reflect on their development as teachers and the faculty and instructional development services that enabled their development. (Contains 24 reference.) (PGS)

A high school teacher describes his educational philosophy, which he feels would result in his ability to take the opportunities he missed with his high school students to teach future classes with the new philosophy in the mind. He also hopes that it would allow him to develop teachers who would be able to give more consideration to "the…

This article describes an action-learning project that helped teachers to rethink their approaches to children who challenge. The project enabled and encouraged teachers to reflect critically on why and how particular children challenged them and then to use their critical reflections to strengthen their capacity to work with those children. The…

A high school teacher outlines 11 nontraditional expectations for new teachers. Teachers should empathize with students; create partnerships with school community members; account to others; embrace adversity; take the long view; demonstrate competency and interest in others; keep believing in students; maintain high performance goals; share…

La Trobe University has a system of quality assurance in which each subject is systematically reviewed and enhanced by those teaching it. It incorporates student evaluation of teaching, but focuses on the subject teachers' reflection and recommendations for improvements. (SK)

Ponders F. Scott Fitzgerald's essays about his "crack-up" and relates them to the many complex aspects of the struggles of a teacher using post-structural literary theory and teaching two-year college students. (SR)

Suggests that good fourth-grade teaching is an expert activity--a complex activity that is not amenable to scripted materials, standardized lessons, or any one-size-fits-all plan for the organization of instruction. Shows that the 30 exemplary teachers discussed produce superior educational gains as measured on standardized achievement tests--not…

Refers to a literature review on reflection, focusing on strategies that assist its development in preservice programs. The paper then outlines an Australian research project that defined and applied reflection to an analysis of student writing. A framework for types of reflection as a basis for further research development is proposed. (Author/SM)

Discusses how teacher educators can critically examine their own conceptual frameworks, teaching methods, strategies, and techniques, and how they can maintain dialog with colleagues to make more thoughtful decisions about their own teaching practices and to more effectively link course content and the learning process. (Author/KB)