This study explores difficulties that prospective elementary mathematics teachers have with the concepts of ratio and proportion, mainly when they are engaged in solving problems using algorithm procedures. These difficulties can be traced back to earlier experiences when they were students of junior and high school. The reflection on these…

Working reflectively with the whole self entails harnessing artistic talents alongside other talents. If practice itself is an art, then reflection upon it is also an artistic process (Bleakley 1999; Winter et al. 1999). Expressive and explorative writing relies on habitual communicating medium, words, gives validity, form and coherence over time…

This paper illustrates the themes of reflection and connection in teacher education by discussing the experiences and conceptions of one preservice teacher who was enrolled in a secondary mathematics methods course. Small groups of preservice teachers created hypermedia stacks to demonstrate their views on important issues in mathematics…

One method of determining teachers' beliefs about teaching is through investigation of their personal teaching metaphors. Delaware health and physical education teachers (N=391) were surveyed with 104 responding (26.6 percent) to "A teacher is like...". Additionally, two factors were also explored: grade level taught and accumulated teaching…

This study examined the influential factors toward conceptual changes in in-service teachers as they engaged in a summer professional development program. The program curricula attempted to challenge teachers over weaknesses in their pedagogical instruction, provide feasible teaching approaches, and cultivate their strengths and interests through…

This study investigated the use of Augusto Boal's model of participatory theater to analyze complex social issues within the context of teacher education coursework. Augusto Boal was the originator of the Theatre of the Oppressed. The study examined the multicultural realities of school and evaluated students' use of Boal to discover further…

The fields of instructional supervision, adult development, teacher education and mentoring, and ongoing professional development are synthesized in this text. Examples and case studies are drawn from local systems in North Carolina as well as state, national, and international public school/university consortia to identify emerging trends in…

Portfolio design is integrated as an early project in the teacher education curriculum at the University of Idaho. The project provides students with a first experience in gathering and organizing data for the purpose of tracking professional growth and development. It also provides faculty with an authentic assessment tool. The portfolio causes…

In this study, the implementation effects of a program for teaching coaching skills to Dutch primary school teachers acting as supervising or cooperating teachers for teachers-in-training are described. Coaching is a form of in-class support intended to provide teachers-in-training with feedback on their functioning and, thereby, stimulate…

This paper describes a 3-week summer science academy that helped student teachers experience hands-on, inquiry-based science in a realistic educational setting and promoted reflection. The academy involved master teachers, who oversaw and mentored groups of student teachers, who in turn facilitated integrated, science-based learning experiences…

In the years since its origin in 1997, the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT) project has become a wellspring of human stories about teaching and changing, about reaching across cultural and language divides to find deep conceptual and interpersonal harmonies that lead to reform. This collection presents chapters written by educators…

In order to determine preservice teachers' reflective thinking and concerns as they addressed the complexities of supporting and augmenting their students' literacy instruction through computer activities, a systematic qualitative inquiry was conducted. The study was conducted in three schools within the same school district in south Mississippi.…

This paper describes how the experience of carrying out qualitative research contributes to student teachers' development of reflective thinking, promotes constructivist approaches in teaching and learning to teach, and supports feminist perspectives in teacher education. Data was collected from a Research on Teaching class at an Israeli teacher…

This book explores the opportunities that technology provides to empower students to learn how to learn. Chapter 1 "Teaching and Learning the Structure of Information" covers information literacy, MAPping (Met-Web Information, Author, Purpose) the Internet, confusing technical mastery with critical thinking, and blocking versus access.…

Based on the experience of two early childhood teachers in a research-based collaborative effort to join a preschool class with a first-second grade class for various learning projects, this book offers a model for an approach to early childhood curriculum. The curriculum integrates art, science, gardening, celebrations, intergenerational program…