Online education is used for a variety of purposes in higher education. Two such purposes are improving one's performance over time and understanding one's professional development in the context of online teaching and learning. Relying on data from online staff development courses delivered in five Spanish universities, this article explores…

This article explores the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on the behavior of teachers and school leaders, specifically the centralizing, standardizing tendencies of the legislation, and juxtaposes their reactions to the types of teaching and leadership required to lead 21st-century schools. The authors argue that the isomorphic…

This paper builds upon previous research into the history classroom and explores the following questions: (1) How do teachers read and interpret historical texts? (2) How do they construct a "truthful" historical account from analysis of various sources? (3) How do they approach an epistemology of history? (4) How do teachers prepare for the…

This paper describes the analysis of teacher pedagogical content knowledge for the topics of heat, energy, and temperature. The results of the study of these (n=6) 7th and 8th grade teachers indicate that teachers may be weak in this type of knowledge despite their experience and pedagogical expertise. Specific information is provided about…

This study attempted to explore the relationship between elementary teacher candidates' conceptions of the nature of science and their consequent conceptions of teaching science. In order to measure patterns and trends in how elementary teacher candidates define the nature of science and the teaching of science, an open-ended qualitative…

This study was designed to investigate the effect on teachers and their students of a model of professional development that immerses teachers in scientific inquiry appropriate to their classrooms while modeling the use of reform-based pedagogical strategies for teaching science. The course was designed and team taught as a collaborative effort…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the changes in middle school teachers' planning of science activities during a teacher enhancement project that involved problem-solving instruction and classroom implementation of a problem-solving curriculum model. The model reflected the cognitive science perspective and integrated the…

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the changes in (n=8) inservice teachers' conceptions or knowledge structures of mathematics and subject specific pedagogy as the teachers participated in a two-year pilot professional development program and began teaching middle school mathematics. Data collection consisted of a questionnaire,…

The term "teacher enhancement" is recent; however, its underlying goal--to improve, broaden, and deepen the disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge of elementary and secondary teachers employed in public schools--has been addressed by educators and educational policymakers in the past, usually through the mechanism of inservice training. This…

This document is a series of charts and diagrams for a presentation on values in staff development. The presentation focused on content--what teachers teach and what teachers want students to learn; process--how to make things happen, the means for acquiring new knowledge and skills; and context--the culture or framework in which teachers work.…

California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) College of Education implemented a Single Subject Credential Program (Secondary Program) in the Fall of 1995. The first part of this paper reviews the program's two-year developmental process, which includes the program's history, vision, and planning. The following areas were determined to be central…

This paper reports on part of a five-year research study on the implementation of new industrial chemistry case studies into the curriculum for students majoring in chemistry in Israeli high schools. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on teachers' formal education in industrial chemistry and their attitudes toward teaching this…

This teaching guide focuses on Arctic-nesting shorebirds. The format of each section consists of background information, student activities, observation and research ideas, and key words. Basic information on how to use this curriculum and seven sections devoted to different aspects of Arctic-nesting shorebird life are provided. Sections cover…

This study examines how teachers' frameworks for human development, curriculum, and mathematics influence how they interpret children's mathematical thinking. The teachers in the study were participants in a professional development project to help them implement cognitively-guided instruction (CGI) in their mathematics instruction. Data on…

This brief presents the case for the reform of assessment systems as an essential component of systemic reform. The scope includes ways to share conceptual understanding among all stakeholders in the educational system, ways to evaluate the impact of systemic reforms in terms of student attainment of relevant goals, and ideas on how assessment can…