This report argues that the most effective way to raise academic achievement is for teachers to become inquiring professionals with action-research and reflective-thinking skills. The report defines effectiveness and examines the views of various stakeholders about what qualities they value in school, arguing that effectiveness is a complex…

Discusses the collaborative efforts of a team of elementary school and university educators working within the context of a professional development school (PDS) to foster culturally responsible pedagogy, inspire reflective practice, and enhance student performance. Concludes that the PDS experience increases teacher effectiveness and…

Explores the idea of critically reflective teaching in general, and in particular, teacher decision-making and classroom assessment. Asserts that in community college settings-the ultimate in diverse, open-entry, mixed-ability classrooms-critical reflection on core assumptions can ground teachers in a moral, intellectual, and political vision of…

Examined the consequences for 5 teachers of joining a school/university partnership to inquire into the routines of 13 of their colleagues in the same district. Sought to determine whether studying peers helped teachers conduct inquiries into their own practice and how the teacher-researchers used the findings from the original study to alter…

This paper explores the process of developing principles that fall into three main categories: Classroom management, maintaining a positive attitude in the classroom, and developing the big picture. The author explores the development of principles which emerge from the exploration of emotional reactions to interpersonal interactions with…

Although college mission statements related to promoting a sense of responsibility in students, fostering the desire to learn, and promoting critical thinking sound good, few people actually think about what the words mean or help teachers understand what practices might actually achieve those goals. Thinking skills taught in classrooms can vary…

This paper elaborates upon the idea of pedagogical content knowledge through close examination of a teacher's learning in science and addresses a question derived from Shulman's (1986) original work on teacher knowledge: "What is learning for teaching?" Pedagogical knowing is viewed as the practice of seeing into the subject matter through the…

Recognizing that reflective practice is an important approach for professional and staff development, this paper discusses the use of the teaching portfolio approach to improving reflection and reflective practices among early childhood education staff. The teaching portfolio approach involves collecting evidence of best practices; developing a…

This study used concept maps to investigate changes in beliefs regarding teacher effectiveness as students progressed through student teaching. Participants created maps at the beginning and end of their practicum, which enabled them to examine their beliefs and were helpful to their supervisor. Postmap, but not premap, characteristics moderately…

Describes and discusses perspectives regarding related theory and research on reflective teaching, focusing on conceptual alternatives and theoretical traditions of reflection, practical and empirical efforts on reflection in classroom and physical education settings, and methodological issues and recommendations for future research. (SM)

Presents a model for knowledge bases for teaching that will act as a mental map for understanding the complexity of teachers' professional knowledge. Describes the sources and evolution of the model, explains how the model functions in practice, and provides an illustration using an example of teaching in history. (CMK)

Believes that the idea of educating the reflective practitioner implies a transfer of focus from the objects of teaching to the subjects (the teachers). Explains that the claim for reflexivity in teaching entails a certain mode of knowing and acting in a changing world. (CMK)

States that teaching is a practice that aims to develop relationships between the mature and immature where the good teacher can balance the personal and impersonal dimensions of contact with students. Considers different experiences with students that concern the opportunities and dangers of conversation in a school. (CMK)

In this book, seven teachers analyze their own efforts to integrate social, moral, and political issues into the public school classroom. The volume weighs the possibilities for making classrooms more responsive to the need for social justice, critical consciousness, and democratic values. Through their personal narratives, these teachers reveal…

This study examines the attitudes of eight white teachers, plus the principle investigator, who characterize themselves as anti-racist and what experiences contributed to the development of those attitudes. The analysis reviewed present teacher education courses and cited research about alternative programs and at-risk students. The driving force…