This paper proposes a process model of reflective practice for second language teachers, designed to facilitate a closer understanding of language use and interactive decision-making. The L2 classroom is portrayed as a dynamic and complex series of inter-related contexts, in which interaction is central to teaching and learning. An understanding…

The Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform model (TCSR) recognizes teaching context, teacher characteristics, teacher thinking, and their interactions as influential factors in attempts to implement classroom reform. Using the TCSR model, teachers' personal practical theories, and conceptual change as a framework, the authors of this article studied…

In this article, the author features the Family Literacy Center, a service-learning project at the University of Utah's English education program. For the author and her students, Family Literacy Center has become a place to investigate the role of teacher-student or mentor-student relationships in learning and literacy development. The goals of…

Reflection and professional development are two key practices that characterize an effective teacher and that are frequently overlooked in preservice training (Bowles, 2003; Halen-Faber, 1997; Patrick & Reinhartz, 1999). Reflection can be defined as the type of thinking that serves to challenge notions of prior learning (Halen-Faber, 1997), and…

If we are to change the pedagogy of teacher education, then teacher educators need to listen carefully to the students they teach. Drawing on a longitudinal study where prospective teachers talk about their learning across a 2-year teacher education program, this article seeks to illustrate and to interpret interview comments from five prospective…

Middle school educators face many challenges in today's education and political environment due to the focus on excellence as measured by achievement tests. This book discusses how middle schools can provide a strong standards-based academic program while, at the same time, remaining focused on the student-centered principles upon which the middle…

This study examined the effects of using expert models on the reflective thought of preservice special educators during classroom instruction. Nonintervention students completed seminars emphasizing Stalling's Active Teaching and Learning and Learning to Teach in Inner City Schools and the Diverse Populations curriculum. The seminars included…

Most teachers have been good students. Some students are fast learners and attain the required knowledge and skills easily; others are obedient, hard workers. In either case, teachers are likely to believe that if students really try, they will do well. Listening to students over many years, the author has learned that this is probably not true.…

This book offers a variety of forms to help the college instructor obtain feedback concerning instructional quality and improve instructional effectiveness. Two preliminary charts match specific forms to specific instructor concerns and compare the forms for sources of input, value, and limitations. Each form is introduced by a discussion of the…

This monograph explores practical and theoretical issues in use of case studies for college faculty to reflect on and improve instruction. Six chapters: (1) describe teaching case studies, with an overview of how and why they are used; (2) explore the rationale for their use within the frameworks of scholarship and professional development; (3)…

This paper describes the use of electronic journals (e-journals) and technology portfolios as an instructional strategy in preservice teacher education technology courses. Introduction to Media and Computers in Teaching is an introductory level, two-credit, preservice teacher education course offered at the University of Virginia. In this course,…

This article examines the learning experiences of 3 teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) as they attempted to encourage productive thinking in 36 preservice student teachers by increasing creative, critical, flexible, and reflective thinking. They also sought to make the student teachers more assertive and less shy. These changes were…

Multimedia computer technology and modified case methodologies were used to encourage and facilitate the process of reflection by beginning teachers. A computer-based multimedia system was developed and tested that features prespecified cases for analysis, facilities for linking various aspects of one case to other cases, and capabilities for…

The author, who is an award winning college professor, is often asked about her philosophy of teaching. She reflects upon her own undergraduate experiences when she considers what makes an effective course. In this article, the author shares and discusses five principles of teaching that define her teaching philosophy: (1) Be approachable; (2) Use…

A summative evaluation was conducted at the Ohio State University during the Spring of 1979 to assess selected anticipated outcomes associated with engagement in Reflective Teaching (RT), an instructional teacher education program that features peer teaching and evaluation. Fifty-five students were exposed to Reflective Teaching while forty-six…