This study compared the narratives of three groups of advanced speakers of Spanish with different learning backgrounds. The first group was made up of heritage speakers; the second group was composed of missionaries that had recently returned from a two-year sojourn in a Spanish-speaking country; and the third group comprised students who had…

In its second year, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) invited 2006 state superintendents of the year to gather in Denver, Colorado, for a rare opportunity to spend three intensive days talking and learning with their colleagues about leadership's impact on student achievement, public schools and the global economy, and about…

As teacher-educators, we designed and implemented a small study that mapped teacher-education students' understandings of their own identities and how they made sense of ethnicity and class differences among their secondary students while on teaching rounds. While we didn't set out to "teach" our research participants, it was during the…

A college teacher of both freshman English and English as a Second Language (ESL) recounts the addition of computer networking to her ESL classroom and its effects on student attitudes and performance. When computerized instruction and networking capabilities, already used in freshman composition, were added to the ESL class, a variety of expected…

An educator participating in a community college Puente class as both participant and observer analyzes the structure and experience of one writing assignment representative of the program's objectives. The Puente program combines teaching, counseling, and mentoring to California community college students as a means of promoting learning,…

This paper chronicles a process of structural change in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Data for the study were derived from interviews with 40 of the participants, plus archival material collected from the college planning office. The paper summarizes some of the historical context surrounding the change and…

This paper explores some forms of inquiry that are becoming influential within teacher education. In particular, the document focuses on forms of inquiry variously called "stories,""narratives,""personal knowledge,""practical knowledge," or in one particular genre "personal practical knowledge."…

This paper, in presenting a view of curriculum as praxis, contends that empowerment is neither allowed nor given. Rather, it emerges as curriculum practitioners engage in a process which consciously seeks to be empowering. The view of curriculum as praxis develops from reflections of curriculum studies taught in higher education programs, and from…

This book presents a framework for discussing the action of teachers in public elementary schools as the 21st century approaches. An educator with almost 30 years of teaching experience speaks from the perspective of teacher and parent. He tells tales about his family and his life as a teacher; he shares his social and moral philosophy and what he…

This paper explores the idea that writing and reading, the creation and interpretation of text, provide a model for the study of teacher education and research. It examines the development of one teacher educator who creates a community of third- and first-person voices through the re-examination of one of his published papers. Reflective writing…

The life story of Esther Burnett Horne records the memories and experiences of a Native woman born in 1909, who was both pupil and teacher in Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools. An introduction by Sally McBeth examines methodological and cultural concerns of collecting and co-authoring a life history. In Chapter 1, Essie begins with oral…

A history teacher in a girls independent high school set out to examine her own teaching process in order to revitalize her work and to understand more about how her students learn. She began to keep a journal of her observations of classroom work and, with the help of a colleague, to analyze the observations. In addition, she set aside class time…

Beginning teachers' learning is complex and personal: they learn about themselves as teachers; they fight with newly revealed selves endeavoring to change; and they engage in a struggle that is both emotional and intellectual. This report presents narratives, based on both journals and taped conversations, of the learning experiences of six novice…

The workbook, designed for use by adults learning to read, contains a series of brief personal narratives with photo illustrations and related comprehension and extension exercises. The first section's narratives focus on family relationships and description of the personal characteristics of seven individuals. The second section contains stories…

The paper reviews literature on three orientations to teachers' reflective thinking (cognitive, critical, and narrative). The cognitive approach includes studies of teachers' information processing and decision making, emphasizing how teachers make decisions. The critical approach has its roots in problem framing and ethical and moral reasoning.…