A four-phase reflective cycle can help teachers better attend to student learning: (1) presence in experience; (2) description of experience; (3) analysis of experience from multiple perspectives; and (4) experimentation (taking action). Teachers should also solicit structured student feedback to distinguish between what they think they are…

This study explored classroom teachers' roles as reflective decision makers, surveying 260 K-12 teachers about professional development, teaching strategies, textbooks, testing and measurement, and mechanisms they used to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful teaching methods. Results indicate that nearly all of the teachers think about…

Describes a collaborative model in which college instructors work together to support and assess teaching innovations. Basic principles of a clinical-based method of supervision were adapted for the three-phase process (planning conference, classroom observation, feedback conference). Provides examples of collaboration and participants' feedback.…

Portfolios are an effective method to encourage teachers to evaluate their abilities and enhance their skills. Portfolios contain written documentation of planning, content or curriculum, organization and presentation method, type and extent of interactions with students and parents, assessment uses and methods, classroom-management approaches,…

Investigated the nature of professional interactions of two teams of middle school mathematics teachers involved in a schoolwide professional development project centered around increasing teachers' collegial discourse in order to improve practice. Findings indicated that the collegial interactions had little impact on one team but drastically…

Based on a longer report with the same title, this digest summarizes what college faculty can do to improve their teaching. It maintains that faculty need to stop viewing college teaching as "covering the content" and start viewing it as "helping students learn." To help faculty achieve such an instructional transformation,…

This report presents a collection of teaching models to help college faculty improve their teaching. Six categories of teaching models are presented: (1) assessment and feedback models, including the Classroom Assessment model created by Angelo and Cross and already widely used among community college faculty; (2) discussion and sharing models,…

Recounts experiences using portfolios as an instrument for professional development during a 1-year pre-service teacher education course for language graduates. (Author/VWL)

This book and its accompanying video highlights three interpersonal approaches to instructional improvement, observation skills, and the complete reflective clinical supervision process. Based on the principles of reflective practice, the kit is a professional development tool for educational leaders and staff members. Chapter 1, "Cycles of…

Words Work! is an approach to improving literacy outcomes for children through teacher development and parent engagement. In this article the authors describe the pilot phase of the project. The staff at Words Work! created an assessment system that aligns curriculum with assessment and collection of student data and teacher planning. Teachers use…

Two teachers' experience with using reflective journals to help both teachers and students reflect on the teaching and learning processes is described. The technique was implemented in English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) classes in a Japanese university. Specific guidelines were established for students, and the journal format was a worksheet…

This volume of the 30th annual proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference presents: plenary panel papers; research forum papers; short oral communication papers; and poster presentation papers from the meeting. Information relating to discussion groups and working sessions is also provided.…