Investigated the impact of a school-based teacher-education partnership on the professional development of elementary mentor teachers. Analysis of two mentor-teacher surveys indicated that mentors perceived benefits in the areas of teaching style, addressing student needs, and program influences. Mentor teachers became more self-confident,…

Outlines one struggling second-grade reader's abilities and reading strategies, and initial instructional efforts with her. Discusses how the author determined a mismatch existed between her teaching, the teaching materials, and the child. Shows how a change of materials--to the use of decodable text accompanied by reflective, systematic,…

Argues that partnerships between early childhood teacher preparation programs and public school teachers will strengthen the discourse on multicultural education and its institutionalization. Presents strategies for gaining a personal connection to multicultural education ideals, including developing cultural biographies, examining stereotypes and…

Discusses the influence of a reflective, explicit, activity-based approach to nature of science (NOS) instruction used in an elementary science methods course on preservice teachers' views of some aspects of the nature of science. Finds that participants made substantial gains in their views of some of the target NOS aspects. Advocates a…

Discusses how reflection through metaphor can be a means by which preservice teachers and practicing teachers can share the development and constant modification of their personal philosophies of learning and teaching science. (Contains 16 references.) (Author)

Investigated beginning teachers' beliefs about diversity issues. Interviews with beginning teachers graduated from a program that emphasized the development of critical reflection and moral decision making indicated that the confluence of field experiences in professional development centers, seminar-related discourse, and critical reflection…

Investigated the major characteristics of the professional development of traditional and nontraditional adult student teachers. Data collection over one academic year included observations, interviews, and autobiographical, critically reflective student teacher journals. Results indicated that the student teaching experiences were markedly…

A study examined the feasibility and desirability of assessing reflective practice in student teachers studying early childhood literacy. While the study reaffirmed the importance of developing reflective teachers, it also highlighted the difficulties of equitably or meaningfully assessing reflection. Use of alternative methodologies in future…

This paper explores the connections between teaching courses in social foundations and supervising the student teaching experience. Using personal narrative to describe experiences at Eastern Michigan University and its surrounding schools, the article notes the importance of this connection for both instructors and students. (SM)

Explored the views of beginning teachers who had graduated from an extended teacher education program which highlighted reflection, inquiry, leadership, diversity, and schoolwide leadership projects and action research in the fifth year. Periodic post-graduation interviews indicated that their preparatory experiences, particularly fifth-year…

Highlights best practices in teacher education, focusing on several University of Maryland Baltimore County programs that have in common an emphasis on: facilitating outstanding achievement (especially among minority students); encouraging service learning and hands-on experiences; promoting reflection; conducting continuous self-evaluation and…

Recounts experiences using portfolios as an instrument for professional development during a 1-year pre-service teacher education course for language graduates. (Author/VWL)

States that for faculty to make effective referrals to academic support programs, they should be knowledgeable about services and describe them to students in their classes early in the term, they must endorse the use of the service and repeatedly encourage students to attend, and they must make their referrals personal. (VWC)

This paper seeks to evaluate a specific implementation of a reflective approach to teacher education in a pre-service course in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) in a UK university. This implementation is the use of delayed debriefing (supervisory conference) after lesson observation, providing the student teacher with…

This article presents evidence that maths diagnostic assessments, consequent individualized learning programmes and face-to-face maths study support can combine to significantly increase maths related module pass rates and scores for undergraduate engineering students. It is argued that simply having a quiet, relaxed, supported study area,…