For the past five years, colleagues in the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd have been designing and implementing a professional development program focused on enabling teachers to build their understanding of the complexities of reading. In developing this program, centered around what they call a "Reading Apprenticeship"…

This study examined elementary school students', parents', and teachers' reactions to instruction implemented by teachers participating in a special professional development program called Science: Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). Specifically, this paper focuses on students' perceptions of their science instruction and attitudes…

Comparative analyses of the scientific knowledge bases of/for the teaching profession in the different European cultural contexts highlight both a large number of persisting problems and a rich potential for solutions. Integrating different culturally-relevant solutions and recent insights submitted by educational sciences in general and different…

This position paper outlines the actions of a National Council for History Education (NCHE) conference. A six-part action plan was elaborated for offering students a solid and engaging study of history by enlarging the profession to include "scholars teaching history." The paper cites 29 points broken down into the following 6 sections:…

Any comprehensive scheme of teacher education must confront the fact that the purposes, content, and methods of college liberal arts courses may hold limited relevance to the subject matters of the school curriculum. It has become customary to divide the education of U.S. social studies teachers into two main parts: liberal arts courses and work…

Education provides the opportunity to face social change, and a teacher's role in this process is significant. Until recently, teacher expertise was defined only in terms of knowledge of the subject taught, and teaching itself was not considered a professional activity. This paper describes the entailment of a teacher's profession, examining the…

This study investigated 30 preservice teachers' journals for examples of the knowledge base for teaching, expectations for professional collaboration, and depth of reflectivity when discussing these issues. Content analysis was conducted on six journal questions intended to generate thought patterns in relation to professionalism in teaching.…

In order for standards to become the cornerstone of teachers' professional lives, they must first develop a keen understanding of the history and philosophy underlying standards, gain a working familiarity with standards documents, and engage in sense-making experiences that lead to personal meaning or internalization of the standards. This paper…

Ideal for students and NQTs, this practical and accessible workbook is designed to develop basic teaching skills, and increase teachers' knowledge and understanding of teaching citizenship. Filled with practical activities and materials to encourage users to analyze their own learning and performance and underpinned with research findings, this…

Considers the strategies of peer group review and concept mapping, both of which faculties in higher education might employ in partnership with schools to reestablish the fundamental role that subject matter knowledge has in science teaching. (DDR)

Five alternatives to traditional field experiences in special education are described and contrasted, including: infusion of experiences within content courses; traditional experiences offered during the summer session; working practica; roving practica; and specialized field-experiences. It is argued that these alternatives can provide…

A study investigated the interplay among language, culture, and disability in 112 children in inclusive preschools. Results found a lack of language goals on Individualized Education Programs, interaction of language with disability, the influence of communication skills on peer interactions, and the need for more training for service providers.…

Presents the tools and methodologies that underlie the ARIADNE framework for enabling open and distance education and enhancing more conventional training schemes. The ARIADNE concept relies on a distributed knowledge pool system that stores pedagogically indexed educational resources. The basic approach is one of share and reuse. (AIM)

Current interest in teacher competence often neglects theory about how teaching knowledge is acquired. Describes an approach to learning to teach, identifying nine dimensions of teaching and their hierarchically organized criterial statements, and a method of assessing teaching competence using performance indicators contained in the first two…

This exploration of the assessment of teachers' practical knowledge begins with a description of the characteristics of teacher knowledge and a discussion of the importance of teacher views and teaching as a profession. The possibilities and problems associated with assessing teacher practical knowledge are discussed. (SLD)