Investigated the professional development experiences of effective literacy teachers, highlighting what they knew and understood about literacy teaching and examining professional development experiences contributing to their effectiveness. Effective teachers had opportunities, beyond those provided in school, to extend and develop their knowledge…

Suggests that scoring criteria should be used in order to reduce teacher subjectivity in scoring classroom assessments. Describes scoring criteria as specific expectations made clear in task instructions used to evaluate student work. Provides an example assessment task for high school geography and addresses three common teacher errors. (CMK)

Describes an analysis of children's performance in the 1997 mathematics test taken by all 7- and 14-year-olds in England and Wales. Identifies and places the correct answers and errors made on the tests on a Rasch scale ranking the children's ability. Includes references. (CMK)

Describes successes and problems of the European Schoolnet Multimedia Project, highlighting one project, the Learning School, which researched teachers' needs and uses of information and communication technology in the classroom in Portugal, Belgium, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The article examines issues related to pedagogy, demands on…

Traces the progression of professional development via formal degree programs from preservice through doctoral study. Interviews with doctoral students highlighted their motivation for undertaking doctoral studies and perceptions of the impact of doctoral studies on professional development and opportunities. Students recognized the benefits of…

Presents a self-study of the effects of one reading methods course on the quality of lessons that teachers deliver to their ethnically diverse "at risk" students. Shows that robust teacher preparation can have positive effects in terms of both content and pedagogy. Identifies some of the general principles about student learning that teachers…

Analyzed the collaboration of a first-grade novice teacher and her mentor teacher while the novice learned to teach mathematics in China. Found that the mentor contributed to novice teacher's progress by implementing a clear, consistent focus; modeling, analyzing, and reflecting on mathematics teachers; and defining and refining the zones of the…

Offers guidelines on how to run effective classroom exercises focusing on two aspects of planning the exercises: (1) developing a clear plan of action; and (2) preparing instructions for the students. Discusses strategies for implementing exercises and states that instructors should practice continuous improvement. (CMK)

Describes ways early childhood caregivers can facilitate children's spiritual development by observing the "canto hondo," the deep song. Discusses characteristics of the canto hondo as a metaphor for caring for the souls of children and their uniqueness, including safety, celebration, respect, acceptance, dreaming, and laughter. (KB)

A good question is one of the most important tools in a staff developer's repertoire. Questions that cause thinking can produce more learning than telling. This paper describes how to develop questioning skills using word banks and scaffolds. It explains why mediative questions are important and which mediative questions are the most valuable. (SM)

Analyzed the impact of autonomy and collegiality on elementary teachers' professional development. Data from interviews, questionnaires, document analyses, and observations indicated that autonomy and collegiality appeared in various forms in relationships among the teachers, with certain forms of autonomy and collegiality, and certain…

Describes the experiences of a successful high school English department that illustrate how teacher collaboration and interdependence can support teacher-driven growth and new instructional behaviors. Some of the department's guiding principals include destratifying, empowering, collaborating, unfettering, and recognizing. Important elements that…

Peer coaching empowers teachers as change agents when integrating innovative practices. This paper describes a model for peer coaching that encourages collegial interaction. Strategies for application include the following: selecting coaching teams, observing, describing implementation procedures, designing an observational instrument, monitoring…

Focuses on the way norming sessions can function as sites of professional development that generate both individual classroom-based inquiry and group inquiry among teachers. Explores the effect of a site-based and rhetorically based model of assessment that attempts to engage teachers in continuous collaborative inquiry directly related to their…

Explores the evolving perspectives of six school members who served as tutors (three first-grade teachers, two Title I teachers, and the school principal) on professional development, classroom language arts instruction, and school-wide literacy curriculum. Describes how the program shifted to teacher development and curriculum reform as school…