Discusses the "state of the art" of second language teacher education through a review of recent research and presents an overview of current perspectives on the field's knowledge base. Concludes with a proposal for a reflective approach to the preparation of second language teachers that draws from the literature review. (Author/VWL)

Surveyed beginning teaches, support providers, site administrators, and program staff in local California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment programs regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of various program elements in fostering reflective teaching, examining policy intents, program goals, and teachers' understandings of their…

Examined the role that support from the school and colleagues played as one teacher developed during his first year as a secondary English as a Second Language teacher in Singapore. Data from observations and interviews indicated that the teacher considered collegial support the most important school-based support during that first year. The paper…

Hopes to better understand the perceptions of host teachers of their roles as mentors and the extent to which those perceptions were grounded in reflection on theory and practice. Considers to what extent supervising student teachers results in reflection on theory and practice and what cooperating teachers perceive as their roles in the mentoring…

Discusses benefits of inclusion in preschool and compares educational practices of high-quality inclusive preschools in the United States with those characterizing the Reggio Emilia approach. Offers recommendations for better serving children with special needs in inclusive settings, including viewing teachers as researchers, and using…

Focuses on the key mechanism of "puzzling" in Exploratory Practice (EP), a form of practitioner research, and the critical issue of sustainability in the context of volunteer teacher development work in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Investigated puzzles (concerns) of language teachers and grouped them into six categories; motivation, anxiety,…

Suggests that good fourth-grade teaching is an expert activity--a complex activity that is not amenable to scripted materials, standardized lessons, or any one-size-fits-all plan for the organization of instruction. Shows that the 30 exemplary teachers discussed produce superior educational gains as measured on standardized achievement tests--not…

Describes and illustrates how the Reflective Framework for Teaching in Physical Education (RFTPE) can be used as a pedagogical tool to facilitate reflection and connect theory to practice during field experiences. It also includes potential advantages of using the RFTPE, comments from preservice teachers on using the RFTPE, and hints for…

Describes an examination of a reading invitation (social learning experiences designed to help students think deeply and broadly about books they have read) that occurred in a multi-age and mixed-ability primary classroom at a rural public school. Analyzes this invitation from a reflective practitioner's point of view. Discusses implications of…

Book review recommends "Teachers and Teaching," edited by Tom Russell and Hugh Munby, to educators who envision a symbiosis of professional practice and research to promote teacher researchers, suggesting that the book's strength lies in its diversity of forms of enquiry--from narrative dialogs between educators, to case studies, to more…

Refers to a literature review on reflection, focusing on strategies that assist its development in preservice programs. The paper then outlines an Australian research project that defined and applied reflection to an analysis of student writing. A framework for types of reflection as a basis for further research development is proposed. (Author/SM)

Reports on a refresher training program that introduces experienced physics teachers to a reflective lesson-planning model and a more constructivist approach to physics teaching. Three instructional strategies developed by participants in the program and the corresponding suggestions made by their peers are presented and analyzed. (29 references)…

Investigates what two teachers learn from each other as they engage in the three-month coteaching of an engineering curriculum to Grades four and five. Provides direct and indirect evidence of teachers' knowledgability. Contains 34 references. (DDR)

Teacher educators must produce teachers who see their own learning as a lifelong enterprise. Successful models of lifelong learning partnerships between universities and schools must assert connections between thinking, planning, and practice through self-generated supported reflective work at multiple levels, which is appropriate to the lifelong…

Discusses how teacher educators can critically examine their own conceptual frameworks, teaching methods, strategies, and techniques, and how they can maintain dialog with colleagues to make more thoughtful decisions about their own teaching practices and to more effectively link course content and the learning process. (Author/KB)