Understanding how people learn is the foundation of informed teaching, yet it is difficult for teachers to articulate and effectively use. This study investigated how two preservice teachers' conceptions of learning theories transferred to their decisionmaking during student teaching. This paired-sample case study examined Research-Based Framework…

Most teachers have been good students. Some students are fast learners and attain the required knowledge and skills easily; others are obedient, hard workers. In either case, teachers are likely to believe that if students really try, they will do well. Listening to students over many years, the author has learned that this is probably not true.…

This paper explores the concept of reflection and reflective practice in teacher education. Teaching is a complex achievement that brings together a number of conceptual, practical, and physical resources in an individual's professional practice. Achievement in teaching is an amalgam of at least four different discourses--science, craft, art, and…

This study addressed changes in teachers' perceptions of their teaching skills after completing the portfolio requirements in the first field test for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification and their reactions to the certification requirements. Background information on the National Board, descriptions of the…

This book offers a variety of forms to help the college instructor obtain feedback concerning instructional quality and improve instructional effectiveness. Two preliminary charts match specific forms to specific instructor concerns and compare the forms for sources of input, value, and limitations. Each form is introduced by a discussion of the…

After 10 years of teaching rule-driven, procedure-based, algorithm-oriented mathematics, an elementary teacher describes how she began to rethink her teaching style after returning to school for a graduate degree. Her rethinking is based on the first of four student teaching events that spanned an entire school year in which she used the…

This paper reviews the background of and compares three particular approaches to reflective professional development, specifically as used by Far West Laboratory: case methods, the Peer Assisted Leadership process, in which peer partners observe each other, conduct reflective interviews, construct leadership models, and explore alternate ways to…

In this book, an experienced elementary school teacher recounts how she and three other teachers of grades 4, 5, and 6 decided to relax the compartmentalization of learning into subject areas and shuffle subject matter into new patterns to offer students a voice in their education. The book describes how the teachers created a multiage…

This handbook explores the issues-centered curriculum for social studies teaching and how student performance reflects an intellectual capacity to address public issues. The book is divided into 11 parts with essays to address specific aspects of the approach. The foreword, written by Shirley Engle, establishes a context for issues-based…

This monograph explores practical and theoretical issues in use of case studies for college faculty to reflect on and improve instruction. Six chapters: (1) describe teaching case studies, with an overview of how and why they are used; (2) explore the rationale for their use within the frameworks of scholarship and professional development; (3)…

Teacher educators routinely encourage preservice students to be reflective while learning to teach through dialogue journal writing and supervisory discussions. Likewise, they encourage teachers in the field to engage in action research and analyze and reflect upon their teaching through critical self-study. This paper describes a study that took…

Intended primarily for preservice elementary classroom teachers, this book focuses on preparing teachers for literacy education as it is practiced today, giving them the background knowledge, will, and wisdom to find other and better ways. The book is based on three assumptions: teachers must participate in examining and defining their philosophy…

This paper describes the use of electronic journals (e-journals) and technology portfolios as an instructional strategy in preservice teacher education technology courses. Introduction to Media and Computers in Teaching is an introductory level, two-credit, preservice teacher education course offered at the University of Virginia. In this course,…

This article examines the learning experiences of 3 teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) as they attempted to encourage productive thinking in 36 preservice student teachers by increasing creative, critical, flexible, and reflective thinking. They also sought to make the student teachers more assertive and less shy. These changes were…

Multimedia computer technology and modified case methodologies were used to encourage and facilitate the process of reflection by beginning teachers. A computer-based multimedia system was developed and tested that features prespecified cases for analysis, facilities for linking various aspects of one case to other cases, and capabilities for…