While collaborating on separate sections of the same introductory teacher education course, university educators saw an opportunity to strengthen their class and support the students in becoming culturally relevant teachers. Modelling for pre-service teachers a deep dive into the history of one university, educators discovered the life of a…

Entrepreneurship is taught in diverse settings addressed to various audiences. The role of creativity is generally thought to be beneficial for innovation; however, certain concerns may emerge depending on the context in which entrepreneurship is taught. For example, critical questions may arise in classrooms where entrepreneurship is encountered…

Explicit and reflective teaching of communal goals forms connections between STEM content and practices, providing in- and out-of-class opportunities to reflect on how communal goals relate to class activities. This lesson integrates the concepts of "prosociality" (science helps others and gives back to the community) and…

As recommended by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the first author regularly relies on her first graders' writing to assess their reasoning about important math concepts. Their writing serves as a culminating activity that allows her to better assess the depth of each student's understanding following class activities and…

"Children as Researchers in Primary Schools" is an innovative and unique resource for practitioners supporting children to become "real world" researchers in the primary classroom. It will supply you with the skills and ideas you need to implement a "children as researchers" framework in your school that can be adapted for different ages and…

The majority of the teacher candidates in my methods classes come from a background that is different from the primarily African American students at my professional development school. Because these teacher candidates continue to be predominantly White middle-class females, the gap between their cultural comfort zone and their students' cultural…

Recollects the author's teaching experiences during the attacks of September 11, 2001. Relives the events that took place in his classroom discussing "White Angel," a short story by Michael Cunningham, in light of the fact that they had no idea what was happening in the area until class was over. Notes that the morning's lesson took on…

How many technology teachers reflect on their teaching each and every day? How many technology teachers ask themselves the hard questions surrounding student learning and their own teaching? How many technology teachers ask their students for feedback on a daily basis? In this article, the author shares her personal story about reflective…

Reading, writing, and reflecting can be used as tools during teachers' professional development opportunities. Various forums and activities that support an evolving view of professional development tend to encourage active participation and decision-making, reflective practice, and constructing knowledge based on discussions and readings. Book…

Presents diary excerpts that emerged from two separate teaching experiences with fifth and second graders. Reflects on the author's efforts to communicate the wonder of language and imagination to students. Concludes that by taking account of his own lessons as well as the students' responses to the exercises, the author discovered in a new light…

A view of construction from the window of a first-grade classroom was the catalyst for a multi-grade, multidisciplinary curriculum project at St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School in Washington, DC. This article provides background information on the school and the project, and details the students' work. The project description includes how the…

Describes 8 activities the authors have used in their teacher education courses that help prospective teachers develop the self-reflection and self-analysis; build an effective value base for teaching; integrate their personal and practical knowledge into a coherent system of values that will serve them in their profession; and construct personal…

Describes a teacher in-service class that was planned and implemented to address needs revealed in a case study. Looks specifically at the reflective journey the teachers and the research took together in the staff development course. Notes teachers increased comfort with peer coaching. Presents eight reflections on the inservice course. (SG)

Classroom strategies and techniques can help novice teachers break with traditional ways of thinking about teaching English and begin the process of becoming reflective practitioners who see teaching as a complex activity that requires creative solutions to teaching problems. Research on pre- and inservice teachers on their metaphors for teaching…

Tim O'Keefe, Rise Reinier and Kevin Gallagher, Bruce Morgan, Julia Lopez-Robertson, Donna Santman, JoAnn Wong-Kam, Sharon Hill, and Linda Christensen provide short essays describing their personal visions of possibility about literacy and how they maintain that passion and vision. Across a range of contexts, they reflect on the ways in which their…