When teachers view their mission as one to "save" children, the possibility then exists that they might not "save" them all. In fact, it is not uncommon that a teacher utters the words, "I can't save them all." The mission, however, of the teacher is not to "save." Rather, the mission of a teacher is to…

Learning to teach is a highly complex and multidimensional process. This self-study, conducted collaboratively by a preservice teacher and a teacher educator, traces one preservice teacher's development and growth over a 2-year period. The study examines the complexities of learning to teach, as well as the complexities of assisting preservice…

A learning environment survey can be easily used in the science classroom to evaluate new instructional approaches, to spark enthusiasm, and to produce evidence showing that science teachers are indeed becoming a reflective practitioner. Conducting learning environment research in the classroom is personally rewarding as well. It allows science…

The learning opportunities for student-teachers in practicum settings has long been acknowledged and studied in considerable depth. However, the learning opportunities for cooperating teachers, while celebrated and extolled as an important reciprocal benefit, have not been verified to the same degree. Drawing on the concept of reflection, and…

This article, written from a North American perspective, illustrates that the beginning special educator needs more than just a behavioural "bag of tricks" to help her or him develop confidence in managing the learning environment. Chris Blake and Elizabeth Monahan work from the premise that all teachers need to be systematically trained to use…

An effective mode of reflective practice and reflexivity is through personal professional narrative and story exploration. All professional and personal experience is naturally storied; telling or writing stories are prime human ways of understanding, communicating and remembering. Narratives of vital or key areas of professional experience can be…

This essay reexamines pedagogical practice and its normative assessment in the American university system by employing an approach derived from Michel Foucault's knowledge/power nexus. While a systematically applied curriculum such as Gerald Graff's "teaching the conflicts" has the potential to democratize higher education, it may be ineffective…

All changes of the character of education and improvement of its quality depend, in our view, particularly on the teacher. To be able to do their work efficiently, teachers have to be equipped with professional skills and dispositions, with "teachers' competence". For their professional growth, we consider indispensable competence in reflection,…

This article explores the idea that teachers can improve their practice through reflection and action research. The author discusses the constructivist and socio-constructivist roots of action research. The case study explores the use of a project to improve learner autonomy and cooperation. Students made key decisions about the project content,…

What happens when standards, teaching for understanding, research based strategies for improving student achievement, and teacher inquiry become a whole? Power Teaching results. A prototype in development at an urban, elementary school in the South, power teaching connects the dots of state standards, Harvard Project Zero's teaching for…

Although action research is a common feature of courses of initial teacher training, the evidence as to its efficacy, in encouraging reflection among trainees, is mixed. This article discusses cases of action research assignments carried out by three trainees into their own practice in relation to (a) behaviour management, (b) monitoring and…

The current study compared the effects of video-based reflection versus a memory-based reflection (i.e., no video) on scores for written reflections of preservice teachers who were completing a special education method course. The results of a counterbalanced design show that the use of a videotape was associated with slightly higher mean scores…

Including reflective practice in tertiary learning design is one way of working towards making effective learning possible for students. This article considers how elements of reflective practice in teaching delivery and assessment have been successful in satisfying principles of effective teaching in the context of the study of law at first year…

Standards-based education, including over-packed curricula and high-stakes assessments, is here to stay--at least for the next decade or so. If this approach to teaching and learning is a reality that everyone must deal with, how can everyone leverage what is positive and reduce some of the negative aspects? In this article, the author discusses…

The author's mother has taught advanced classes at a small Catholic elementary school. She also does private tutoring for at-risk students from neighboring high schools and colleges in an affluent suburban area. The author teaches at a large public, urban university. Her mother tutors Algebra through Calculus in a fairly traditional lecture-style…