A web site for an online graduate course in Earth systems science for middle school teachers was designed to affect teachers' knowledge about Earth systems science and resources and their use of constructivist teaching practices, particularly collaboration, rubrics and the use of journals. In the 16-week course 44 teachers experienced…

In this paper, I draw together a corpus of findings derived from two sources: studies of students using computers to learn mathematics, and research into the use of mathematics in professional practice. Using this as a basis, I map some elements of a theoretical framework for understanding the nature of mathematical knowledge in use, and how it is…

This study described an evaluation model designed to evaluate the use and impact of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in teacher education. It employed quantitative and qualitative data and was flexible enough to be used by practitioners in both education and training and development. Data were collected via observations, interviews, and…

This book presents papers by teacher educators who describe how they foster the integration of service learning into their teacher education programs, with the eventual goal of institutionalization. The papers are: "Introduction" (Marty Duckenfield and Kevin J. Swick); "An Experiment in Implementation" (Bill Yost);…

This document describes ways to meet professional development needs of vocational and academic teachers preparing to engage in school-to-work transition activities. Section 1 presents 13 professional development themes: involving students in workplace experiences, gaining work experience, visiting the workplace, taking coursework, participating in…

This paper describes current efforts to collect data on classroom instructional processes and to recommend ways to advance those efforts. The paper begins with a review of current survey methods for gathering such data; it continues with an evaluation of their appropriateness for use in the Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) (Schools and Staffing…

Case-based teaching in some fields offers competition experiences as prestigious professional benchmarks and development experiences in professional preparation. Case-based team competition in teacher education can offer possibilities for preservice professional growth and development. Case-based teaching also has a natural fit with constructivist…

This book examines issues related to problems in workforce education for Latinos and Latinas in the United States. Chapter 1, "The Landscape of Latinos, Education, and Work," presents an introduction and background information. Chapter 2, "The Politics of Workforce Education," discusses current legislation that has negatively…

This paper draws on the experiences of the author during the past 15 years of working primarily with school, college, university and health librarians, but with occasional forays into the public and special library domains. It is written by an educationalist and teacher trainer with an interest in library development; someone who has never run a…

This paper outlines a study involving the use of portfolios by first-year teachers after their experiences in a 10-month preservice teacher education program in which professional portfolios were implemented. Data were gathered from a questionnaire administered to teacher candidates at the end of their program, as well as from 2 sets of interviews…

This study focused on the problem of deaf and hard of hearing learners who have very low English literacy levels compared to their ability levels. Participants in the study were deaf and hard of hearing adult learners in the Adult Basic Education Program of the Center on Deafness in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This mixed urban-rural population had…

This paper reports on an on-going action research study of the elementary school science education courses at the University of Victoria. The Department of Social and Natural Sciences requires that professors evaluate their teaching effectiveness annually using a variety of methods including student evaluations, peer observations, course outline…

Data from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) were used to explore how learning environments within bilingual classes where students perform very well on the Spanish version of the TAAS are shaped by forces surrounding the TAAS and how this shaping process affects teachers. Four elementary schools were selected based on the high…

This qualitative study of community college faculty, based on classroom observation and interviews of 257 instructors and 60 administrators at 32 community colleges across the country, was undertaken to explore what "teaching looks like in a teaching college." The researchers were especially interested in the collective nature of teaching: the…

This paper reports the results of a 2-year study investigating the types of experiences and support necessary for in-service teachers to effectively integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their teaching/learning environments. The complex nature of GIS software prompted the authors to ask whether GIS can be a useful tool in the…