A sad fact of teaching is that once the classroom door is closed, teachers are on their own under "normal" conditions. They are in charge of the teaching direction, the choice of materials, the pace of learning, the atmosphere created and the learning emphasis. Developing these skills requires expertise and experience and is aided by…

This book is a step-by-step guide for teachers interested in collaborating with their peers to promote their mutual professional development. The book integrates the principles of self-directed learning, cooperative learning, and critical reflection into a system in which teachers coach one another and collaborate in action research as the primary…

This document is comprised of volume 14 of the Harvard Education Letter, published bimonthly and addressing current issues in elementary and secondary education. Articles in the six issues of this volume include the following: (1) January-February--"Multi-Age Classrooms: An Age-Old Grouping Method Is Still Evolving" (Walser),…

The chapter was prepared for inclusion in a resource book for beginning teachers in Alabama. The author takes a "multiple roles" approach in analyzing the demands on and expectations for the beginning teacher. It is research-based and closes with a "Ten Prescriptions for Success in the Classroom." The author found it to be a…

The 21 papers in this collection address changes and reforms in the preparation of teachers and other personnel concerned with early intervention with children having or at risk for disabilities. The papers are: (1) "Ecological Perspectives on Personnel Preparation: Rationale, Framework, and Guidelines for Change" (Pamela J. Winton,…

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing educators of today is to create and sustain high-quality educational environments for low-income students and students of color. The Boston Pilot Schools Network, a network of eleven small, innovative schools within the Boston Public Schools, can be a model for other schools and districts as to how to create…

When the new superintendent of Orangeburg School District Five was appointed in 1992, he found that Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School graduates did not have the skills to enter the workplace and postsecondary institutions that require high-level academic skills. He identified these three things that Orangeburg would need to do to improve academic…

This collection of papers describes the processes of doing teacher action research. There are nine chapters in three parts. Part 1, "Ways of Doing Teacher Action Research," includes (1) "Action and Reflection: Narrative and Journaling in Teacher Research" (David Hobson); (2) "Action Research Rationale and Planning:…

From its beginnings 25 years ago, the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu (UH-West O'ahu) has strived to provide its students, mostly working adults with an average age of 32 years, with easy access to classes and advising by maintaining flexible class schedules and office hours. When UH-West O'ahu initiated a distance education program in 1981, the…

The "International Society for the Social Studies Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. It contains the following papers: (1) Teacher Perceptions of Authentic Pedagogy: A Case Study of Professional Development in an African American High School's…

The 20 chapters of this book on teaching students with disabilities in inclusive settings are arranged into four parts on curriculum and instruction, assessment, classroom management, and collaboration. Individual chapters and their authors are: (1) "Curriculum Considerations in an Inclusive Environment" (Cynthia D. Warger and Marleen C. Pugach);…

SUCCEED (Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education) is an eight-campus coalition of engineering schools formed in 1992 under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. In 1997, a faculty survey of instructional practices and attitudes regarding the climate for teaching on the Coalition campuses was designed…

In this paper we describe the design of a managed learning environment called MTutor, which is used to teach an online Masters Module for teachers. In describing the design of MTutor pedagogic issues of problem-based learning, situated cognition and ill-structured problems are discussed. MTutor presents teachers with complex real-life teaching…

Schools are complex social settings where students, teachers, administrators, and parents interact to shape a child's educational experience. Any effort to improve educational outcomes for America's children requires a dynamic understanding of the environments in which children learn. In "The Social Organization of Schooling", editors Larry Hedges…

A determined core of teachers and a dedicated vocational director at Hoke County High School, Raeford, North Carolina, made outstanding progress in raising student achievement despite economic, social, and demographic odds. The project was part of the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) High Schools That Work initiative. The first barrier…