In order to effectively meet the needs of families, this paper argues that there is a need for people working in the arena of family support to incorporate theory and research into their practice and to engage in a process of reflective practice. An inter-disciplinary cyclical model of training for experienced family support practitioners is…

This paper describes a series of attempts by a novice teacher educator to foster reflective talk among interns in a weekly seminar. Drawing on Dewey's dilemma of bridging the child's inclinations with the demands of the curriculum, the paper explores the challenge of connecting interns' needs with teacher educators' goals. The paper advocates the…

This article discusses the benefits of professional portfolios for educational diagnosticians throughout their careers as a means of documenting proficiency and experience in communication, assessment, time management, organization, community resources, and educational planning. Various purposes of the portfolio are considered; for gaining…

How many technology teachers reflect on their teaching each and every day? How many technology teachers ask themselves the hard questions surrounding student learning and their own teaching? How many technology teachers ask their students for feedback on a daily basis? In this article, the author shares her personal story about reflective…

This study investigated student engagement in class discussions in a university-level, literature-based writing class. The research questions were 1) Does multiple-source learning provide a new lens for the observation of reflective teaching and learning practices? 2) Is there evidence that shows that the practices adopted by one teacher actually…

Prospective teachers in their third year of a Bachelor of Education degree in secondary teacher education use a journal to respond to a range of questions about their experiences as learners prior to, during and after their first practicum. These stories are used as a source of data to analyze how 14 prospective secondary teachers understand the…

Teacher diaries have wide-ranging applications for professional development, as they give teachers an increased sense of responsibility and seek new ways of improving their teaching. This article shares my personal experience of undertaking three teacher diary studies at two-year intervals and reveals how my teaching methodologies and philosophies…

This article describes a process whereby faculty can self-assess their cross-cultural sensitivity as it relates to promoting a positive learning environment in our multicultural classrooms. This self-assessment measure encourages personal reflection and is intended to perpetuate professional growth that can use self-understanding as a foundation…

"Just as we 'do' laundry in a certain way...so, too, we 'do' school. As educators, we gather students, we sort them (by grade level, ability, or both), we teach them, we test them, and we grade them." --From the Preface. The 20 thought-provoking poems in this collection are meant to promote reflective conversation about how educators do school.…

This is a preliminary study that examines prospective teachers' reflective thinking as it is exhibited in their action research during the teaching practice experience. Different systems of analyzing reflective thinking are reviewed and criticized for their suitability for analyzing written journals rather than other forms of expressing and…

The Department of Mathematics at the University of Food Technology, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, has introduced the Computer Algebra System DERIVE into the Mathematics courses with a view to increasing student motivation and understanding of the material taught as well as the efficiency of the teaching process. With the aim of investigating the effect of…

One prominent issue in contemporary special education is that teaching techniques found by research to be effective in improving the educational outcomes of students with disabilities are not routinely implemented. One way to enhance teachers' use of research-based practices is to disseminate information on effective teaching techniques in ways…

Although academic provision has become associated with professional education, knowledge is delivered through standard classroom methodology associated with liberal arts education. Elsewhere, a "practice turn" has elevated experience as a basis for knowledge. This article shows how practice became detached from theory and how through praxis they…

This paper makes a contribution to the theory and practice of educational action research by introducing two theoretical and methodological resources as part of a personal review of sustained professional experience: "appreciative inquiry" and the "enneagram". It is more than a theoretical exercise, however, because it also…

Assessment is a critical component of educational practices and thus impacts educational reform efforts. This article reviews and considers assessment from 2 perspectives: a focus on accountability and a focus on continuous improvement. A class of preservice and practicing science teachers explored notions of assessment while experiencing peer…