This article articulates a theory of "presence" in teaching and seeks to establish a theoretical foundation for presence that can serve as a platform for further research. It seeks to address the current educational climate that sees teaching as a check list of behaviors, dispositions, measures, and standards, and to articulate the essential but…

This article examines the hermeneutic, narrative, and social co-construction of cultural understanding as two educators shared their teaching and learning experiences in Japanese and Canadian schools. Our dialogic inquiry reveals how perceptions of practices in one culture--including curricula in non-core, academic subjects, stances on student…

Across the US, some schools are hallmarks of high academic performance. These schools display consistently high test performance, and their students are sought after by competitive colleges and universities. These schools are successful, with consistently above-average test scores, low dropout rates, high percentages of children attending college,…

This paper examines several questions about reflective thinking and its application in education as a way of extending the applications of the concept. An early section offers background on reflection from dictionary definitions and from philosophers such as John Locke and John Dewey. The next section examines educational practice and reflective…

This paper describes a study that involved 25 school administrators who participated in one of five administrator-preparation programs at four New England universities. The study examined participants' perceptions of job preparedness and the ways in which components of formal training programs (internships, mentoring relationships, reflective…

This publication provides practical, step-by-step guidance for teachers on becoming more effective in classroom management by using a positive and constructive, rather than negative and punitive, approach to foster prosocial student behavior. The publication is divided into an introduction and three parts. The Introduction examines why effective…

Beginning teachers' experiences in university-based teacher preparation are rapidly replaced by the norms and expectations of the school setting and teachers with whom they work. To interrupt this pattern by which new teachers are pulled from the practices they have learned at the university, teachers must be encouraged to reflect about their…

This paper describes part of a study (Kraus 1996) involving 25 school administrators who attended one of five administrator preparation programs at four New England universities. The study addressed research questions regarding perceptions of administrators' job preparedness and how components of formal training programs (i.e., internships,…

This study analyzed personal and collaborative reflective activities and their effect on the development of a graduate student as both a learner and a teacher. As a learner, the graduate student kept a reflective journal for 5 consecutive quarters (15 months). Collaboration with colleagues took place in both formal and informal settings and…

This paper discusses the results of three pilot projects in which portfolios developed by beginning teachers were used as the basis for the decision to award or deny a continuing teaching license. Highlights are outlined from each project: Project ACT, an alternative certification program through East Carolina University; Project TEACH!, a 3-year…

This paper invites science teachers to reflect on their own stories of teaching and learning, to build meaning from their personal stories, and to apply their fresh insights to better understand themselves and their teaching. The significance of the research lies in its ability to share authentic stories that represent the experiences of a…

Because change in mathematics teachers' instructional practices is fundamental to the vision of school mathematics education embodied in the NCTM Standards documents, it is critical that mathematics teacher educators develop a thorough understanding of the process of change in teaching practice. To date, the process of change has remained somewhat…

This paper focuses on Steve, a high school science teacher, and his philosophy, including his beliefs and practices, over a 1.5-year period in an attempt to understand his change process--how his beliefs changed as a result of his dissatisfaction with his teaching practices. The paper shares this teacher's struggle with change and his transition…

A study examined the interaction of teacher and student in a methods preparation course for undergraduate special education majors. The course was structured around several projects, two types of writing logs, and readings. Fieldnotes from an observer participant, records of a debriefing meeting, students' weekly entries on content learning logs…

The objective of this study was to determine the difference in teaching effectiveness between experimental and control teachers as a result of a coordinated inservice program. Subjects were 83 high school teachers of vocational agricultural and other vocational subjects. Results indicate that inservice programs with a substantial theoretical base…