This paper provides a review of "Reconstructing 'Education' through Mindful Attention: Positioning the Mind at the Center of Curriculum and Pedagogy" by Oren Ergas. The review examines the central argument of the book, namely that present educational theory and practice avoids substantial self-inquiry, paying lip service to reflective…

This research introduces a method to construct a unified representation of teachers and students perspectives based on the actionable knowledge discovery (AKD) and delivery framework. The representation is constructed using two models: one obtained from student evaluations and the other obtained from teachers' reflections about their teaching…

This dissertation is a contemplative narration of my lived experience of bringing mindfulness into my teaching. The dissertation first portrays the process of entering into the dialogic space of mindfulness as a Buddhist concept intersecting with the scientific, educational, and public domains. I then describe the contemplative reflection process…

Two different strands of evidence coalesce to give rise to the issue of concern in this paper. Firstly, proposals for educational reform assert that teacher-agency is necessary for "effective" reform. Indeed it is argued that it is agency which drives the construction/reconstruction of professional knowledge, to influence and transform…

In this article, we treat language teacher identity as foundational to educational practice and see Foucault's (1983, 1997) notion of ethical self-formation, and its adoption in teacher education research by Clarke (2008, 2009, 2010), as providing a potential vehicle for understanding the development of teacher agency and critical identity work.…

The Teaching for Metacognition project, a hybrid model of PD, integrates the "training model of PD" with sustained support for teachers to integrate knowledge gained from the PD into their classroom practice. This paper is based on the work of the teachers in the project in two-tier communities of practice. It examines the perceptions of…

This publication and its companion, "Personal Competencies/Personalized Learning: Lesson Plan Reflection Guide," were created in response to a request for further development of the practical application of personalized learning concepts by teachers. Personalized learning varies the time, place, and pace of learning for each student, and…

Considerable attention has been paid across international contexts to structural factors affecting the sustainability of the early childhood workforce. While attention to these elements is vital, it can nevertheless overshadow less tangible elements that may contribute to, or assist in addressing, problems of workforce sustainability. In…

Professional development intended to change teachers' teaching practices is often unsuccessful. This article explores a case set in a developing country. Although some researchers have attributed failure to factors that are external to the teacher educators involved, this study explores the role that teacher educators themselves may play in…

This volume has offered both the theory and practice for a model of contemplative teaching and learning in community colleges--a way of teaching, of learning, of thinking that has often been missing in higher education. Contemplative teaching and learning, with its focus on community, reflection, and mindfulness--in short, on what it means to be…

This paper is a case study based on Habermas's theory of knowledge and human interest. We analyzed the written reflections of four teachers employed at a school and found that the teachers who had experienced advanced professional development tended to engage in practical and critical reflection, whereas those who had experienced average…

Contemplative teaching can offer both teachers and students a middle way between two reigning fundamentalisms: the secularist one of nonadvocacy, relativism, and equivocation and the forced univocity of fundamentalism. Its antidote is the depth, relatedness, and even transcendence of a contemplative teaching style. This chapter explores the…

This study describes how one teacher educator used metaphor as a self-study tool over an eight-year period. Several methods of eliciting metaphors are discussed and the effects of multiple metaphors on the educator's perspectives on practice are highlighted. The interplay among the metaphors and their meaning is described and used to provide…

Many teacher educators have enthusiastically embraced case-based instruction in teacher education programs. However, the research base is equivocal on whether preservice and in-service teacher educators' case-based reflections on educational issues are comprehensive and critical. This study explores the use of a metacognitive strategy--the case…

This article details how an action research/reflective practitioner approach added value to the efforts of participants who were engaged in developing their practice and working together within a New Labour area-based policy initiative. The process of reflecting and learning together in the project supported practitioners in thinking, learning…