A public school district in Colorado initiated a study which addressed the issue of how to insure good beginnings for new teachers and provide direct assistance and intervention to develop the skills of competent professionals. The approach discussed here is a beginning teacher induction program, which includes a Professional Development Seminar.…

Meaning constructs are aspects of a person's cultural worldview. They are those aspects that philosophers often write about as a means by which to make sense of the world. Teachers carry their worldviews and meaning constructs into the classrooms with them. Similarly to teachers, reflective teaching proponents hold meaning constructs that are…

Current research continues to attempt to determine factors, or combinations of factors, which influence efficacy in problem solving behaviors. This presentation combines several viewpoints regarding the most important component, or combination of components, needed for the most successful problem solving behaviors to occur. Quantitative literature…

This article discusses theories of teaching that are part of teacher education programs and the teacher education experiences that best realize these theories. Various top-down and bottom-up approaches to teaching are compared. Top-down approaches, for example, may apply educational research to classroom teaching or use a methods approach based on…

This study explored secondary preservice science teachers' attempts to implement a constructivist approach to science teaching in a practicum setting. Described is the secondary science education program at St. Francis Xavier University. Interview excerpts are presented as data. Results indicated: (1) student teachers went through two…

In this paper three different meanings ascribed to reflective teaching are examined. The first, Cruikshank's Reflective Teaching Model, sees reflective teaching as the ability to analyze one's own teaching practices. Schon's "Reflection in Action," on the other hand, argues that the professional practitioner is one who can think while acting and…

To meet Ohio state standards, Ohio State University offers an inservice education course for cooperating teachers. During sessions of the course, students and teachers learn together and practice their communication and conferencing skills. The course includes opportunities for teachers to try reflective teaching exercises. Topics assigned for the…

This study investigated whether training in reflection improves the quality of beginning preservice teachers' pedagogical thinking. The most problematic element for the reflecting student is becoming aware of essential aspects and evaluating action. The study compared the effects of two types of reflective training on two groups of students. One…

The question posed in this study was whether university reading methods courses influenced student teachers' instructional choices through a process of reflective judgment. It also examined the students' actual practices as they related to the complexity of their reflections, and whether reflective judgment could be improved by using journal…

This paper outlines some of the issues that emerged from guiding student teachers through the experience of conducting action research. Action research was used a a way of working toward a student teaching experience that would provide opportunities and structures to facilitate and enhance the students' development as reflective teachers. Several…

This monograph presents abstracts of research studies conducted with the support of grants provided by the Queensland Board of Teacher Education. The following studies are summarized: (1) "The Effectiveness of Induction Programs for Beginning Teachers in Queensland State Primary Schools" (Elspeth Davis); (2) "The Development and…

How can a principal create opportunities for teacher learning that really work to support teachers with different needs and preferences? There is wide agreement that the best teacher development is informal, diverse, democratic, school-based, and continuous. The best programs ignite and sustain teachers' excitement in learning, growing, and…

Written for the general classroom teacher whose class includes English language learners (ELLs), as well as for ELL teachers working in general classrooms, this book portrays ELL students in grades 3-6 who learn essential reading and writing skills and are full members of the classroom community. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize the…

There is a growing, but frequently unrecognized, group of nontraditional students in teacher education programs today, defined as people entering such programs after a prolonged absence from formal education and/or people changing careers. This paper presents two teacher educators' reflections on their failure to recognize such student diversity…

This book offers beginning teachers daily step-by-step plans for the first 4 weeks of school. It is based on a survey of first year teachers that examined their problems, concerns, needs, and feelings. It is also based on a task force of preservice and inservice teachers who set an agenda and tasks to find out more about beginning teacher needs.…