The purposes of this study were to discover if a list of 14 common experiences would be part of the student teachers' reflective process during their two 8-week practicums, and to evaluate how different mediums (written journals, telecommunications, and personal observation/conferences) would impact the student teachers' reflection process. The…

Suggesting that portfolios can be used much more effectively if teachers have firsthand experience documenting themselves as readers and writers, this book describes the process of keeping a portfolio, discusses how to get started and what artifacts to include, and offers examples as departure points for teachers to begin making sense of their own…

Professional knowledge created as teachers interact with the complexity of variables related to teaching and learning in active, thoughtful, reflective practice, is essential to expert teaching. This qualitative study is designed to describe and define the factors (processes) that are pertinent to the process of reflection as it is utilized by…

The paper argues that it is not wise to encourage reflective teaching in general without first establishing clear priorities for the reflection that emerges out of a reasoned educational and social philosophy. It does not accept the implication that exists throughout much of the literature that teachers' actions are necessarily better merely…

This paper addresses education reform efforts, specifically the need to improve schooling by improving the status, power, and working conditions of teachers through professional development programs. Two issues which continue to undermine the authenticity and social value of efforts to promote teacher development are addressed: (1) underneath the…

Preservice peer coaching is a collegial relationship between student teachers who provide reciprocal, in-class assistance to one another as they attempt to incorporate new teaching skills, strategies, and approaches into their teaching. The typical peer-coaching cycle includes a preview conference, during which the student teachers discuss the…

This paper reports on a 2-year study of changes that occurred in one instructor's teaching of an introductory undergraduate course on teacher education across four semesters. The study includes the voice of the instructor and four other participant-investigators. The course underwent three important modifications: (1) adding a technology emphasis,…

This book suggests that portfolios can become a new kind of credential of competent and effective teachers. The book includes 5 parts with 16 chapters. Part 1, "Prologue," offers: (1) "Portfolio Possibilities: Validating a New Teacher Professionalism" (Nona Lyons) and (2) "Teacher Portfolios: A Theoretical Activity"…

This book presents information on action research for teachers and administrators. Chapter 1, Reflective Professional Practice, discusses reflective professionals, urges active use of solitary dialogue and personal journals to enhance reflectiveness, delineates concerns of maturing educators, and summarizes meditative steps of reflective practice…

This monograph describes the Curriculum Inquiry Cycle (CIC), a professional development process that supports educators in making curriculum and instruction decisions responsive to state standards, local needs, and student characteristics. It is designed to improve learning and teaching, with the classroom as the central focus. The CIC has four…

The guiding of novices by experienced teachers is a principal component of the practicum in university-based teacher education programs, alternative routes to teacher certification, and programs of teacher induction and professional development. Novices learn by watching an expert teach and by being in turn observed and then receiving feedback on…

This model of student teacher supervision focuses on providing new lenses through which teacher candidates can view and interpret their own perspectives. The model further assists teacher candidates in broadening their vision to develop an increased awareness of diversity and a need for multiple teaching strategies. This supervision approach…

When student and novice teachers see themselves as learners or researchers and spend some of their energy trying to understand their students and their students' perspectives, they become less attached to pedagogical techniques and move quickly to a responsive and reflective way of teaching that is more commonly associated with experienced…

Brigham Young University (Utah) is developing a program to improve reflective thinking skills in preservice students. The beginning professional course includes the following reflective teaching components: (1) instruction on the theory and process of reflection; (2) participation in selected microteaching episodes; (3) reflecting on the classroom…

The practices of Reconstructive Reflective Teaching as discussed in the works of Schon, Smyth, and others can provide sound staff development for teachers at all grade levels, kindergarten through college. This review of the literature on the topic provides a definition and a detailed explanation of the assumptions, preconditions, and processes of…