In the summers of 1997, 1998, and 1999, we gave attendees (N=44) at a workshop called Teaching Astronomy Conceptually a cognitive task: to rank 200 concepts often taught in "Astronomy 101." Prior to these workshops, we asked an expert panel (N=18) of Astronomy 101 teachers to also rank these concepts. Among the workshop participants, the…

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the methods that professional dancers use to engage fully into their work as artists. Participants (N=15) were professional dancers from five European nationalities, (7 females; 8 males), currently performing for three major Scotland-based dance companies, including two professional free-lance…

This study explores the musical content and human processes of improvisations of children and adults using the phenomenological lenses of time, space and responsivity. Paired improvisational performances of two late-career adult composers and two 7-year-old children were analysed considering a lifespan-related perspective involving the origins of…

In this study, the authors used two methods for analyzing expert data: verbal protocol analysis (VPA) and narrative analysis. VPA has been effectively used to describe the design processes employed by engineering students, expert designers, and expert-novice comparative research. VPA involves asking participants to "think aloud" while…

One of the most publicly celebrated figures in mathematics teaching during the last century was Jaime Escalante (dramatized in the film "Stand and Deliver"). The Escalante story aptly fulfills three prevailing myths about effective teachers: the Teacher is self-made, the Teacher is the expert, and everything depends on the Teacher. These…

What elements are critical in fostering the engagement of two individuals in a mentoring relationship? Based on this phenomenological research on the mentoring experiences of women faculty, a feeling of connection emerged as an essential attribute of these relationships. The findings suggest that HRD professionals should be engaged in providing…

The problem-solving processes and strategies of ten school principals with reputations for high effectiveness were studied. Verbal protocols were gathered through unstructured interviews while principals were working on a set of five cases. Analysis of the data was guided, but not constrained, by a set of processes and strategies for problem…

The development of comprehensive treatment services for intellectually disabled sex offenders has been slow in comparison with mainstream sex offender treatment services, which have now achieved Home Office accreditation within the National Probation Service. The author discusses some of the reasons for this failure to keep pace, focusing on the…

Reflection upon a field study of a corporate transformation provides insights into the application and integration of organizational learning theory and frameworks with local, corporate knowledge. In the corporate transformation studied this local knowledge came from consumer psychology, marketing campaigns and the use of media. When these ideas…

This paper is concerned with the craft knowledge of teaching, that is, the professional knowledge gained by experience which teachers use everyday in their classrooms but which is rarely articulated in any conscious manner. The notion of craft knowledge emerged as part of a wider study, which used life-history interviews to investigate the…

Policymakers and early childhood experts have long recognized the important role early childhood programs play in meeting the needs of young vulnerable children. Federal programs such as Head Start and Parts 619 & C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are specifically designed to target young, vulnerable children and…

The purpose of this study was to describe a process of preparing technology education teachers to teach engineering design concepts in the context of technology education. This process was identified through a study of professional development activities that were organized and conducted by technology teacher education partner universities of the…

Teachers are a critical mass of professionals whose growth within the teaching profession is of great consequence to the effective imparting of knowledge and skills to students. While previous studies maintain that superior subject matter mastery, the ability to relate well to students, and innovative teaching strategies are qualities inherent in…

More young children and their families have access to early years services than ever before in Britain. Within these settings practitioners and parents need to work closely together for the benefit of the child. Yet the relationships within the childcare and education triangle (child, parent, practitioner) are highly complex and sometimes fraught…

"Responding to the Crisis in College Opportunity" proposes short-term emergency measures and long-term priorities for governors and legislators to consider for funding higher education during the current lean budget years. This policy statement, developed from discussions of education policy experts at Lansdowne, Virginia, finds that in 2003 in…