Teaching the Nature of Science (NOS) in elementary schools and in higher education institutions has become the focus of the science education research community because there is a need to redefine teaching methods and practices. Studies have shown that elementary teachers' views and attitudes towards teaching the NOS are not always compatible with…

This article describes a seminar process in which poetry is used with student teachers to provide a focal point for reflection and introspection. Through this reflection process, students have been able to reflect deeply and personally on their student-teaching experiences, on their own personalities in the context of those experiences, and on…

Critics encourage the process of "reflection" as a prerequisite for professionalizing how teachers behave in the classroom. Reflection helps in recognizing areas in need of improvement. Self-reflection is hence one of the teacher's most important skills in order to work constantly on one's teaching and how to improve it. However, the…

The aim of the current study was to provide descriptions of the nature of pre-service primary teachers' reflection during their student teaching experience. The principal research question that guided the investigation was "what do these pre-service classroom teachers reflect on during their teaching and how is this reflection related to…

During the course of pre-and in-service teacher education programmes, reflection can happen in a number of ways, for example: reflective journals, personal stories and pair/group co-operative discussions, professional development portfolios, and blogs and electronic portfolios. The aim of this paper is to examine various technologies such as…

A review of the academic and lay literature concerning Cyprus reveals that homophobia is prevalent throughout society. This research aimed to investigate homophobia through the narratives of educators. Twenty-three teachers were randomly selected out of the pool of volunteers in a training project. Aspects of homophobia previously reported in…

In their Bachelor degree, Early Childhood Pre-service teachers undertake art(s)making and online journaling (blogging) to chronicle the process and thinking through the problem of themselves in relation to their world. They express and challenge their own thoughts and ideas regarding their daily lives and those of the children in their future…

In this article, we synthesize existing theory-to-practice approaches within the student affairs literature to arrive at a new model that incorporates formal and informal theory, institutional context, and reflective practice. The new model arrives at a balance between the rigor necessary for scholarly theory development and the adaptability…

The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of two written journal techniques used to encourage teacher candidates' inquiry-based reflection regarding course textbook content. Ninety-six participants were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions, journaling with Questions, Quotes and Reflections (Double Q R) or…

This paper presents and discusses findings from a European project concerning strengthening the teacher's voice in defining professional quality. In the project tools were developed and evaluated to help teachers reflect on their professional quality. Twelve countries participated and twelve tools were tested with help of student teachers,…

The author explores the reflective components of observation, listening, wondering, and response. Together, these components invite parents to discover who their babies are as well as to understand the importance of nurturing relationships, past and present, to development, growth, and change. Of equal interest, reflective practice offers Infant…

The introspective, cognitive act of reflection is linked with professional growth for teachers (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2010; National Council on Teaching America's Future, 2009; Learning Forward, 2009). However, current federal, state, and local mandates, policies, structures, and procedures in schools do not always…

This article discusses a process of self-inquiry that took the form of a narrative journey of transformation. The process included reflective practice deepened by focusing on the lived experience of being a teacher, and as the process unfolded I sought to discover more about classroom events as lived experiences for teacher and students. The…

This contribution explores the relationship between teaching practices, teaching discourses and teachers' implicit representations and mental models and the way these dimensions change through teacher education (T.E). In order to study these relationships, and based on the assumptions that representations underlie teaching practices and that T.E…

This study responds to the need for glocally informed discourses on diversity and equity that draw upon internationally situated, local narratives to contribute to larger analyses. Such work is vital so that cross-national educational discourses do not become infused with PISA score comparisons or globally dominant perspectives alone. This local…