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…

Service learning adds instructional value to any curriculum area, and it is especially appropriate for education courses. Its benefits include development of critical thinking, deeper processing of course content, and practical related experience. Using action research, this article examines the impact of service learning on preservice teachers'…

This paper reports on a 2-year study designed to investigate the trajectory of change in an urban 5th grade teacher as she introduces science inquiry using the Web-Based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). Data for this study included videotapes and transcripts of classroom instruction, and audiotapes and transcripts of interviews conducted with…

In England school teachers and head teachers are faced with a myriad of challenges in coping with the pressures of managing the dynamic and diverse institution which is their school within an imposed, centralized, standards-driven change agenda. It could be argued that many of the national policies and initiatives over the last 15 years have…

This article details how an action research/reflective practitioner approach added value to the efforts of participants who were engaged in developing their practice and working together within a New Labour area-based policy initiative. The process of reflecting and learning together in the project supported practitioners in thinking, learning…

The two questions in this chapter are whether school restructuring promotes or constrains the professional development of teachers and which mechanisms for workplace learning appear to enhance the capacity of teachers to critically interpret educational reforms. To answer the first question, the implementation of structural changes and…

The study focuses on teachers' perceived certainty, a concept which is understood as being made up of didactic, practical and relational certainty, and its relationship with teacher collaboration, role ambiguity and job satisfaction. Analyses draw on data from 1,153 Norwegian elementary and junior high school teachers. Results indicate that there…