This study examines the theory-and-practice connection model in mentor preparation in the context of two mentor preparation programmes in Hong Kong. The 30- and the 60-hour mentoring support development (MSD) programmes share a common conceptualization of mentoring--with the improvement of teaching and learning as the core of mentoring--yet they…

The purpose of this article is to identify the perceptual skills of expert teachers and offer suggestions for teachers to learn to see like an expert. Being able to perceptively read the critical cues in a learning environment allows teachers to recognize present problems, anticipate potential problems, link immediate problems with previously…

This article primarily focuses on the representation of the manner in which the activity is presented to the students, both in terms of how it is structured as a set of experiences and of the actual tasks that students learn.

This article builds a case for generating a new metaphor for teacher education that will sustain and nourish teacher intelligence. This intelligence requires that teacher educators prepare their students to be highly sensitive to dynamic classroom relations, to be aware of their positions as teachers, and to develop purposeful educational…

Algebra is no longer just for college-bound students. After a widespread push by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and teachers across the country, algebra is now a required part of most curricula. However, students' standardized test scores are not at the level they should be. NCTM's seventieth yearbook takes a look at the…

In this article, the authors reply to the arguments of Professors Nagel and Ladwig on the article "The logic of convergence and uniformity in teacher production". Professor Ladwig's review of their article is particularly valuable in two respects. First, it highlights the need for an institutional level of analysis to explain fully and…

In this journal issue, the authors of the focus articles have provided a suite of very stimulating and thoughtful articles. The overarching purpose of this research is to explore the application of principles derived from the view of validity proposed by Kane (2004) to their research on issues related to the measurement of mathematical knowledge…

The authors of this volume's stimulus papers have taken on the challenge of developing measures of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). This task involves multiple decisions and considerations, including: (1) How does one specify the body of knowledge being assessed? What warrants are offered for those choices?; (2) How does one…

This paper questions the widely held assumption that acquiring knowledge of child development is an essential part of teacher preparation and teaching competence, especially among teachers of young children. After discussing the influence of culture, parenting style, and teaching style on developmental expectations and outcomes, the paper asserts…

Educational foundations programs remain ill-defined despite generations of discussion. A review of the literature over the past three decades indicates that foundational studies are frequently subject to criticism and devaluation as irrelevant, serving no useful purpose, lacking a rigorous body of knowledge, and in general, poorly taught. Students…

Two job analyses were conducted to define knowledge domains for newly certified chemistry and physics teachers, respectively, to perform their jobs competently. The results of the job analyses will be used to develop test specifications for the Praxis II Series subject Assessments in Chemistry and Physics. Initial draft domains were prepared for…

This digest provides a framework for professional development of outdoor educators. Outdoor and environmental educators share similar principles of outdoor learning. Thus, the performance standards recently drafted by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) can serve as a useful guide for outdoor education generally.…

A common belief among teacher educators is that different academic backgrounds may influence student entry level and rates of matriculation through the curriculum. This report describes a study using a "pretest/posttest" method to evaluate student academic progression, and to determine variance in scores between two groups of graduate students…

A course inventory and a graduate student survey showed that while higher education has addressed violence and abuse issues in professional programs, efforts have not always kept up with changes in society. The inventory of postsecondary courses reported 925 courses dealing with issues of violence and abuse along with other aspects of professional…

Preservice teachers must see appropriate instruction in action; they must see content in conjunction with process. Content, process, and active student involvement are necessary for the creation of new cognitive structures that are congruent with the view that reading is an interactive-constructive process. Three types of literacy course…