To succeed in 21st-century schools, teachers must dynamically respond to the ever-changing environment through a continually reflexive stance. Centered teachers are flexible and active participants in school decision making. They develop personal missions and participate in school missions, resolve conflict in appropriate ways, and use effective…

Many disadvantaged students show incipient excellence underlying perceived errors in literacy performance. The paper examines research on helping teachers think more generatively about increasingly diverse student populations. Preservice teachers can be taught to handle multicultural classrooms by interpreting problematic student performance in…

The purpose of this article is to describe how a collaborative partnership between a public school teacher and university teacher-educator positively influenced their thinking about effective literacy practices in schools. The collaboration began when the two attended a state initiative summer literacy project. During the workshop they engaged in…

This essay discusses the achievements of early childhood educator, Vivian Gussin Paley, preschool and kindergarten teacher for more than 30 years, and author of 12 books portraying her work in the classroom with young children. It begins with a description of seven narrative tools she developed over the course of many years that became the means…

Intended for instructors teaching a college course for the first time, this anthology contains short readings organized into four sections on: (1) introductory concerns, (2) course planning, (3) instructional methods, and (4) evaluation. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction. Included are the following articles: "It's a Myth: Nobody…

A content area literacy course is examined to assess how teacher educators might respond to prospective teachers' beliefs in light of the particular goals of a particular course or teacher education experience. Content Area Literacy is a methods course that emphasizes teaching strategies and the rationales underlying them. It is examined to reveal…

This English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) journal periodically devotes entire issues to specific issues. The theme of this issue is "Incorporating Context in Teaching." Articles include: "Learning Beyond the Classroom: Developing the Community Connection" (Tim Beard); "Smiling through the Turbulence: The Flight Attendant Syndrome and Other Issues of…

The conference recorded in this document covered a wide variety of themes and consisted of keynote addresses, research presentations, and workshops. The following workshop presentations are included: "Vocational Education in a Developing Country" (Theron); "From the Technical to the Critical: A New Agenda for Vocational Education…

In this article the author uses a socially situated view of identity to take a close look at how one male pre-service early educator shapes his professional identities during a fieldwork experience in a kindergarten classroom. In organizing his pedagogy and relationships this pre-service teacher simultaneously draws from his personal experiences…

A study was undertaken to develop and pilot an assessment model for an on-line, college-level, French civilization course. The model was applied to examine the effects of this instructional mode on teaching and learning, noting opportunities for faculty-student contact, speed and type of feedback, time on task, and concerns with learning styles.…

Noting that the growing crisis in the quality of early childhood programs is fueled partly by the lack of well-trained, knowledgeable, reflective teachers, this book details teaching cases that reflect typical challenges in teaching to be used as a tool for professional development. The cases provide a basis for discussing teacher decisions and…

On the premise that hearing other preschool teachers talk about their challenges in creating inclusive settings is a powerful impetus to reflect about one's own teaching practice, this book contains personal narratives by 18 teachers about their journeys toward inclusive, developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education. The…

The 26 papers in this collection from a British conference first provide an overview of group-based learning in higher education, offer a range of examples, and identify issues and trends. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction" (Roy Gregory and Lin Thorley); (2) "An Overview from Higher Education" (Diana M. R. Tribe); (3)…

This series of five short papers describes an interdisciplinary, community action research project in Newfoundland that sought to enhance and extend the traditional and technological literacy of adults. The papers were part of an action research project conducted by the directors and tutors which made computers available in community resource…

The quarterly theme-based publication "Focus on Basics" was launched in January 1997 as part of a multipronged effort by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy to connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education (ABE). The effectiveness of "Focus on Basics" as a means of professional…