Discusses how James Gray, founder of the Bay Area Writing Project and later the National Writing Project, began with a simple idea--successful teachers are the best teachers of teachers. Describes how James Gray laid a foundation for what has become a national network with 175 sites across the nation, providing a professional home for thousands of…

Offers strategies teachers can use to keep their teaching fresh. Discusses what gives teachers energy and what takes away energy. Notes that when teachers had strong emotional connections with colleagues their teaching energy was high. (SG)

This book examines the issues involved in creating reflective learning environments and raises questions that will help guide individuals' development as facilitators of learning. Section 1 looks at reflection as the core of learning. Section 2 describes the three stages in the reflective process: creating, observation, and analysis of the…

Examines how Bloom's Taxonomy can be used by Montessori teachers-in-training as an explanation for the level of proficiency exhibited by supervising teachers. Focuses on the process of becoming a skilled Montessori teacher in the context of the taxonomy and how supervising teachers and training programs can guide student teachers to deeper…

Noting that teachers' research is found in personal journals, professional conversations, computer networking, formal research studies, and publications or presentations, this paper answers, in outline form, a series of questions on the expanding role for special needs educators. These questions are: what "teacher as researcher" means;…

This book supports primary teachers' early professional development and learning, tackling key questions and concerns that new teachers might face in their early careers, such as: How will I get through the first term? When will I feel like a "real" teacher? What can I expect from my first years in teaching? Drawing on the experiences of beginning…

Designed for adult educators in various settings who are seeking to improve as teachers, this book describes a process adult educators can use to examine their beliefs about teaching and current teaching behavior in depth. It is intended to guide them through an exploration of who they really are as teachers, and then, through experiential…

Presents strategies from six schools and two districts that won this year's U.S. Department of Education Model Professional Development Awards. Some of their strategies include teacher collaboration to plan professional development; teachers as leaders of learning for themselves and their peers; external partners providing expertise and resources;…

Presents four articles about professionalism in early childhood education: "Early Childhood Education as an Emerging Profession: Ongoing Conversations" (Stephanie Feeney and Nancy Freeman); "Voices in Search of Cultural Continuity in Communities" (Marion Cowee and others); "Early Childhood Professionals: Current Status and…

An instructional module designed to help prepare college-level teaching assistants (TAs) for their duties in second language instruction is presented. The purpose of this module is to assist TAs in integrating what they are learning about teaching methods, language acquisition, and the nature of the profession. There are five parts, each…

How can a principal create opportunities for teacher learning that really work to support teachers with different needs and preferences? There is wide agreement that the best teacher development is informal, diverse, democratic, school-based, and continuous. The best programs ignite and sustain teachers' excitement in learning, growing, and…

The fields of instructional supervision, adult development, teacher education and mentoring, and ongoing professional development are synthesized in this text. Examples and case studies are drawn from local systems in North Carolina as well as state, national, and international public school/university consortia to identify emerging trends in…

Showcasing the "Downey Walk-Through"--a method developed over a 40-year period, tested and refined in real-world schools and classrooms, and described in the pioneering book, "The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through," this innovative multimedia presentation provides trainers and staff developers with a complete resource answering the questions…

Preservice peer coaching is a collegial relationship between student teachers who provide reciprocal, in-class assistance to one another as they attempt to incorporate new teaching skills, strategies, and approaches into their teaching. The typical peer-coaching cycle includes a preview conference, during which the student teachers discuss the…

This guide is designed to assist professional development facilitators responsible for helping Virginia's adult literacy practitioners develop and implement the professional development plans that constitute a key component of the state's professional development system for paid and volunteer literacy training providers. The following are among…