Many teacher training programs, including MATESOL programs, encourage their trainees to be reflective practitioners. The MATESOL program at The American University of Sharjah (AUS) is no exception and offers the students many opportunities for reflection. This article discusses my experience with a recent cohort's reaction to being asked to…

Using Singapore as an illustrative case study, this paper discusses the attempts by the Singapore government to improve schools through reflection for teachers. The paper points out that the conception of reflection advocated by the state and practised in schools is explicit and systematic in nature and focuses on specific and proximate matters…

During summertime, before school ends and the hard physical labor begins, it is best to reflect on the touchups and renovations that need to be done to a teacher's classroom instruction. This article presents two innovative lesson ideas that will inspire teachers to rethink, retool, and recharge as they decide what some of their summer renovations…

Making research count in the education sector is often difficult to achieve as people, quite properly, question its relevance, purpose and impact. One of the significant barriers to research supporting practice in the lifelong learning sector is that funded research carried out in higher education institutions is frequently privileged above…

In this article, the author provides several ideas on how individuals who work in the field of early education can make their visions come true. She suggests that one should incorporate self-reflection in their practice. She also offers questions that will help guide educators to explore lifelong professional development opportunities and…

This study investigated the following question: To what extent and in what ways might using video help interns reflect on their discussion-based teaching in a more complex manner than when they use memory-based written reflection? Three elementary interns participated in the study. Findings suggest that video-supported reflection enabled interns…

In this article I recount my experiences with a series of encounters with the catwalk task and reflect on the professional growth that these opportunities afforded. First, I reflect on my own mathematical work on the catwalk task, including my efforts to fit various algebraic models to the data. Second, I reflect on my experiences working with a…

This report outlines a study which examined certain approaches to- and practices of peer observation of teaching. Participants observed and free-form evaluated the effectiveness of two different teaching scenarios. These were evaluated both before and after identifying their own dominant perspective on teaching and attending a workshop which…

Using reflective journals to promote learning has been a common practice in the teaching profession. How learners present reflections in what are judged to be high-quality reflective writing remains under-researched. This paper explores the discourse features of teaching practicum reflective reports written by six pre-service student teachers of…

Transformational learning, according to Mezirow (1981), involves transforming taken-for-granted frames of reference into more discriminating, flexible "habits of mind". In teacher education, transformative learning impacts on the development of students' action theories, self-efficacy and professional attributes. Although considered…

Universities need to work with teachers to dispel the belief that research is disconnected from practice and teachers must be open to the benefits of action inquiry. This study examined the process and impact of conducting action research on teachers' perceptions of practice and professionalism. Twelve teachers enrolled in a master's level course…

In this case study of an undergraduate internationalized general music course, I examine the content of the curriculum with the central question: How can teacher educators prepare future educators to recognize diverse arts cultures and communities, know how to learn about, and incorporate these bi- and multi-lateral perspectives into instruction?…

To investigate benefits and challenges to engage teacher candidates in Japanese lesson study, defined as a collaborative, reflective, and iterative teacher development process, we analyzed reflective papers submitted by 60 teacher candidates studying at an Ontario faculty of education, engaged 20 practicum associate teachers in a group discussion,…

Quality teacher education programs recognize the importance of field experiences in preparing teacher candidates. A field experience planned during the first days of school is invaluable to the success of a new teacher. The School of Education faculty at The University of Mississippi took on the challenge of implementing a first days of school…

This article presents a case study of one pre-service secondary school mathematics (PSSM) teacher taken from a larger study within an English-speaking Caribbean context. The major goal of the larger study was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the PSSM teachers as they explored the graphing calculator and mathematics software in…