University educators are encouraged to be innovative in their teaching practice, and are often recognised and rewarded for these innovations. However, the effective dissemination and consequent adoption of such innovations is still relatively ineffective, despite the development of diverse dissemination frameworks and strategies. The literature…

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the characteristics of high quality teachers. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information from a purposeful selection of people directly identified as high quality teachers by their principals. This study employed processes of data collection…

Meta-teaching is the knowledge and reflection on teaching based on meta-ideas. It is the teaching about teaching, a teaching process with practice consciously guided by thinking, inspiring teachers to teach more effectively. Meta-teaching is related to the knowledge, inspection and amendment of teaching activities in terms of their design,…

Course curriculum design using a research-teaching connection and reflective teaching is presented. The research-teaching connection is expanded to a three stage research-teaching-research cycle and reflection is expanded to include both faculty and students. Traditional disciplinary educational research was used to inform the design of the…

For the inclusive education indicated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to occur at the high school level, teachers must be prepared to teach students with multiple ability levels and learning profiles in one classroom. Since the passage of IDEA, large numbers of students with mild to severe learning needs have been placed…

This article focuses on the educational strategies that can be used to support female students of African descent in their persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. STEM careers have historically been White male and White female dominated, which has yielded an underrepresentation of those of…

The purpose of this concurrent mixed-method study was to explore how special education intern teachers, placed in an urban secondary special education school setting developed an ability to implement content literacy strategies after completion of a professional development graduate seminar and internship experience. This was done by studying both…

Pasifika learners, along with Maori, continue to experience high disparities in New Zealand's education system. Furthermore, it is predicted that over the next few decades, the majority of students in New Zealand primary schools will be Maori and Pasifika. The implications for classroom teachers are enormous. In reviewing a range of literature,…

There is nothing more baffling than the art of teaching. Day in and day out, teachers move through classrooms and courses, lectures and discussion groups. What have students seen teachers do that has made a difference for them? What pedagogical behaviors, values, and attributes earn teachers praise from the population they work so hard to serve?…

Effective professional development is a key component in improving teachers' practices in the educational setting. Although there is current literature related to professional development, there is limited information on teachers' perceptions of reflective practices as forms of professional development. The purposes of the study were to identify…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on superintendents' knowledge of the characteristics of high quality teachers. Current research findings offer evidence teacher quality is an important school variable related to student achievement. School district leaders are faced with the problem of identifying the characteristics…

With the enactment of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," administrators have faced extreme pressure to provide professional development to teachers to enhance their skill and knowledge base, make school improvements, and increase student achievement. Research indicated that critical reflection leads to lasting school change and…

This paper presents an assessment of a biology education seminar for science graduate students. It describes how this seminar emphasized pedagogy "and" reflective assignments to help students identify and explore novel instructional strategies, discover who they are as teachers, focus on student learning, and acknowledge the challenges…

The major premise of this article is inspired by Viktor Frankl's words: "The truth is that as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged--survival for what? Ever more people today have the "means" to live, but no "meaning" to live for." Thousands of students who have come through the author's college courses during the last…

The research objectives were to identify the middle level mathematics teachers' conceptions of mathematics teaching and learning and ascertain changes in their conceptions and instructional behavior at the end of a three-year professional development (PD) project. These changes were studied through the qualitative analysis of their reflective…