Presents a rationale for the self-study of professional practice and illustrates how the inquiry process can help make sense of professorial practice in education. Excerpts are included from life history interviews, individual and collective reflective writing, and electronic mail exchanges to explore the role of questioning in developing…

The author proposes that the unique benefit of self-evaluation for college faculty is the close involvement it gives the teacher in considering the effectiveness of their own teaching. Different methods of self-evaluation are considered, and a technique involving keeping a course log that has been found successful is explained. (Author/MSE)

Discusses ways in which college instructors can use the Internet to share their teaching experiences, frustrations, and advice with colleagues. Reviews several electronic mail lists that address issues in teaching history and provides directions for joining them. Notes concerns and hopes regarding the use of the Internet by educators. (DSK)

Portfolios are an effective method to encourage teachers to evaluate their abilities and enhance their skills. Portfolios contain written documentation of planning, content or curriculum, organization and presentation method, type and extent of interactions with students and parents, assessment uses and methods, classroom-management approaches,…

The author, a (British) science teacher, explains his changing perceptions of teaching and learning in science over a 30-year period. He illustrates effects of a personal conversion to an active teaching strategy by referring to the teaching and learning of ecological concepts in younger children and in elementary teachers in training. (39…

Seeks to understand how one preservice elementary teacher's experiences within the context of reflective science-teacher education influenced the development of professional knowledge. Contains 36 references. (DDR)

Presents a case study of one fourth-grade teacher researcher. Documents the teacher's initial reticence toward teacher research, how being part of a group was central to her participation, and how her preferences for methods of data collection and methods for presenting teacher research findings differed from the preferred methods of the group…

Presents three research stories from participants in Project ASSIST (All Students in Supported Inquiry-Based Science with Technology), an effort designed to improve the achievement of students with disabilities in the general science curriculum in grades K-6. Describes the project's attempts to bridge the gap between research and practice through…

Identifies and explains the metaphors of carnation and reincarnation that provide a visual portrayal of sharing, teaching, and practicing leadership for art educators. Highlights other metaphors in which women holding leadership roles are discussed. Conveys the importance of community and mentors in the creation of leaders. (CMK)

Over 800 American teachers responded to an open-ended questionnaire by identifying and describing characteristics of principals that enhanced their classroom instruction and what influences these characteristics had on them. The data revealed 11 strategies and 2 effective-leadership themes: talking with teachers to promote reflection and promoting…

Addresses the documentation of children's work to build reflective practice, aid memory, and support teachers' discourse. Identifies favorite sources for theory, illustrates moving from data to theory, notes that knowledge needs to be indexed for accessibility, recommends combining technique and knowledge, and calls for knowledge exchange among…

Surveys of European teacher education institutions examined the conceptualization and use of reflective practice in preservice and inservice teacher education. The varied responses showed similarities in teaching methods, lack of generic and explicit curriculum for reflective practice, and tendency toward a more formal approach in inservice versus…

Those who expect consultants to solve problems for schools operating under the traditional model of fragmentation and teacher isolation will be disappointed. The key to using consultants effectively is developing systematic processes that engage staff in the work of a professional learning community as they consider the ideas presented to them.…

Summarizes a study focused on three major components of Texas Centers for Professional Development and Technology: visions of professional development, enactments of PDS models, and the models' effects on experienced teachers, university faculty, and preservice teachers. Due to the program's collaborative nature, study participants learned from…

Explores how social foundations might inform the core required educational psychology course in teacher education, describing undergraduate students' common perceptions of social foundations as required but insignificant, illustrating how this might occur in educational psychology as students are engaged in the normative and critical perspectives…