Presents stories describing one teacher's knowledge in practice, arguing for the epistemological role of caring in teaching. The teacher's narratives describe what she knows from having caring relationships with her students and how that alters her pedagogy. The paper suggests that complex relationships between caring and knowing involve constant…

This exploratory study used interviews, essays, and survey data to examine efforts of 212 college students studying elementary education to think reflectively through the process of constructing portfolios based on their experiences in a community service-learning program. Recommendations include encouraging student ownership and individual…

The article outlines the use of reflective journal writing to help develop preservice teachers as reflective practitioners. Journals allow students to determine their own focus and what they want to understand, and to have their ideas seriously valued as knowledge being personally constructed. The importance of collaboration is examined. (SM)

This paper contends that a preservice course in school change must tap into practitioners' lived experiences, recommending a case-based learning experience where practitioners reflect critically on their own practice and develop a rationale for change. The paper examines key aspects of the change process, noting how the process should look. (SM)

Examined the timing of reflection-on-action on the beliefs of 36 Dutch elementary student teachers using self-directed teaching methods. Data from student teacher questionnaires administered at four different times indicate that reflection after student teaching may be more effective in promoting attitude change than reflection-oriented learning…

Explored efforts, within an action research study of a 3- year Inservice Education and Training (INSET) program, to implement reflective approaches in training unqualified and underqualified elementary teachers in Namibia. Results found that western approaches to teacher reflection could not be used productively with Namibian teachers unless there…

This study compared the effects of an extended, systematic on-campus laboratory experience with a similarly extensive, systematic field-based experience for preservice teachers. Results suggested that laboratory teachers, but not field experience teachers, improved their ability to reflect on teaching and facilitate desired instruction. Results…

To explore the implications of recommendations from national reports on teacher education reform, a university course was designed for teachers using practical inquiry to structure the use of craft knowledge, collaboration, and reflection. Participating teachers reported that they gained confidence in their teaching choices through the course.…

Many disadvantaged students show incipient excellence underlying perceived errors in literacy performance. The paper examines research on helping teachers think more generatively about increasingly diverse student populations. Preservice teachers can be taught to handle multicultural classrooms by interpreting problematic student performance in…