A successful professional development school (PDS) project, established by four elementary schools and a university, has four components: student teacher cohorts, close link between coursework and field experiences, close collaboration between university instructional team and PDS site personnel, and entire staff commitment to student teacher…

This article describes research with schoolteachers using participatory methods and reflective practice. These approaches have been used to enable teachers to establish their practice needs in relation to education for sustainability (EfS) and also maintain the integrity of their subject disciplines. The participatory methods are derived from…

As a profession language educators are paying more attention to teacher-driven research to help clarify and explain those phenomena occurring in our classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to explore the following question: What happens when teachers apply a teacher action research (TAR) strategy for improving their classroom practice? I will…

The purpose of my qualitative, action study was to gain a better understanding of the effects of an experimental college course in computer applications. This inquiry was made concerning both the teacher's and learners' points of view. A holistic, arts-based approach was used by the researcher/teacher in order to design, develop and facilitate a…

School-based professional development has been promoted by the government in England through its Continuing Professional Development Strategy (DfEE, 2001), however, the context and culture of the school in which the learning takes place is highly influential. Particularly important in teachers' professional development within secondary education…

This new book supports the professional development and training of Modern Languages teachers in higher education. It links insights from pedagogical and applied linguistic research to the practicalities of the undergraduate language syllabus. The aim is to interpret research for the classroom practitioner so that teaching can be based on sound…

This article is aimed at educators who find themselves facing the need to develop their e-teaching skills, with little or no formal training or institutional support. It explores how this can be achieved using the notion of "teacher autonomy" in combination with standard professional development measures for language teachers. The…

The qualitative inquiry reported here describes the particular sociocultural aspects of an urban elementary school serving as the context for an award-winning reading/language arts early field experience, and takes a close look at how the sociocultural factors of this urban elementary school contribute to the professional development of the…

This book for graduate teaching assistants (TAs) presents 15 essays regarding the place of teaching in the lives of those teaching at the university level, and the responsibilities of teachers at all points in their careers. The book offers practical classroom strategies as well as selections from current research on teaching and learning. The 15…

This journal issue, which is intended for individuals engaged in planning, providing, and evaluating learning opportunities in British further education (FE) colleges, provides a framework for selecting and evaluating teaching strategies for different learning situations. Among the topics discussed in section 1 are the following: key elements of…

This paper provides case studies in role change proceeding from description of a school-wide initiative to a teacher education methods class to individual students and their classroom teachers. All the case studies examine the changing roles of teachers, students, and professors within a climate of shared decision making, student/teacher…

Teacher training and development programs must adapt to shifting political, demographic, and program realities. This will require rigorous self-examination. Preparation of personnel to meet the needs of growing populations of language-minority students must include plans to address three distinct teacher audiences: bilingual educators;…

The discussion of reflective techniques for second language teaching is intended for teacher trainees and in-service teachers and focuses on practical applications of the reflective method. Each chapter presents an important dimension of teaching and poses questions for classroom observation, investigation, and critical reflection. The suggested…

Reflective thinking is important to young adolescents as they develop their thinking skills. Various instructional methods have been recommended to support reflective thinking, yet the nature of the underlying factors in these methods is unclear. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factors prompting reflective thinking. Results…

This paper reports on the learning outcomes described by experienced teachers attending a program designed to enable them to come together to engage in professional development through structured and systematic reflective practice. In the first part of the paper, we look briefly at some of the challenges of defining "reflective…