This book examines the nature of teacher professionalism, the continuing professional development of teachers, and the contexts in which this occurs. Using a range of international research and development work, the book discusses how personal and professional contexts promote and inhibit improvement in teaching. It examines the effects of school…

This collection of papers examines how the changing social and academic context of language education in the United States impact the future of the discipline. After "Introduction" (Terry A. Osborn), the 10 papers include the following: (1) "'Our Patriotic Duty': Insights from Professional History, 1890-1920" (Deborah M. Herman); (2) "The…

This paper describes the first year of a 3-year project to identify the specific skills of expert special education teachers. The project has three objectives: (1) to develop a knowledge base of identified expert special educators who work with culturally and linguistically diverse students with mild/moderate disabilities; (2) to field-test…

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…

Presents structuralism as an empirically based way of teaching students how to think not only about art but also about life. Suggests that teaching art aesthetically and pragmatically will help students to not only make sense of art itself but will allow them to understand their own lives as well. (VWC)

Clinical supervision as inquiry encourages teachers to reflect upon their teaching and develop and test hypotheses about what is effective and why. The paper discusses two models of thinking (the multiple intelligences theory, and identification of habits of mind) that enrich the clinical supervision experience, and makes recommendations for staff…

Discusses the advantages of creating teaching portfolios. Portfolios help teachers examine how and why they teach, how they change, whether they evaluate, and whether they get and give feedback. The self-reflective statements must be supported with personal materials, student and colleague feedback, and excellence in teaching products. (SM)

Describes a developmental framework constructed to portray different ways teachers express their vision of fostering elementary students' interpersonal competence and skills in classrooms. Presents a case study and details four developmental awareness dimensions that can help in studying how teachers view their roles when working with students on…

Five articles examine key factors involved in the process of building and maintaining outstanding physical education programs in six school districts (supportive teacher relationships, teacher knowledge and reflection, program credibility, administrative support, and enabling factors). Each article is coauthored by a researcher and one or more…

The underlying premise of infusion is that information about individuals with disabilities must be more systematically integrated throughout an entire curriculum. This article describes the infusion approach to teacher development, explaining three central premises, providing sample program applications for each premise, and discussing brain…

Describes a model used in Santa Cruz (California) for supporting and assessing beginning teachers that moves away from traditional inservice education and staff development into ongoing teacher development. The program's emphasis on collegial partnerships, personal inquiry and reflection, and ongoing self-assessment is described in relationship to…

Describes creation and evaluation of a middle level teacher certification program for both undergraduates and graduates at Maryville University in St. Louis. Notes four conceptual strands flow through the program: developmental, curriculum and instruction, school and society, and inquiry and research. (EV)

This article examines social presence in virtual asynchronous learning communities among foreign language teachers. We present the findings of two studies investigating cross-institutional asynchronous forums created to engage participants in online dialogues regarding their foreign language teacher preparation experiences in and out of the…

Stanford's preservice Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) undertook a self-study to investigate how its credential candidates who had previous teaching experience perceived the value of returning for formal preparation. Using a semi-structured protocol, 23 STEP graduates were interviewed from 1999 and 2000, asking them about their teaching…

This evaluation-research feasibility study piloted the creation of a technology-mediated managed learning environment (MLE) involving the implementation of one of a new generation of instructionally driven management information systems (IMISs). The system, and supporting information and communications technology (ICT) was employed to support…