Productive pedagogies (PP) is an influential framework for teaching and learning that has featured well in current reforms of teacher education. The present study was designed to examine principles of PP adopted by a cohort of beginning mathematics teachers. A networked online learning environment, WebCT[TM], facilitated the teachers'…

A review was done of how teacher training programs teach prospective teachers. After searching the literature for research on secondary English methods classes and finding none, the study solicited syllabi from over 300 universities across the country. Syllabi from 81 universities were received. Through analysis of the syllabi the study identified…

This teacher's guide is to enable the teacher to promote thinking through the use of geography. The book lays out the rationale in learning theory for an issues-based, question-driven inquiry method and proceeds through a simple model of progression from identifying key questions to developing generalizations. Students study issues of geographic…

This study examined the evolution of the accuracy and thoroughness of novice through expert teachers' recall of their own and their students' specific classroom behaviors. Elementary school teachers were observed teaching in a natural setting. Their classes were audiotaped, and detailed notes of the teachers' and students' specific classroom…

This book introduces the concept of leadership as the facilitation of constructivist reciprocal processes among participants in an educational community. Chapter 1, "Learning and Leading Theory: A Century in the Making," (Deborah Walker and Linda Lambert) traces the dynamic history of learning and leading during this century, concluding…

Long used in the professional fields of business and law, cases and case methods of teaching represent a relatively new and promising approach in the education of teachers. This digest, organized into two sections, presents definitions of cases and case methods, explores the purposes of using case studies, and suggests avenues for further research…

Although college mission statements related to promoting a sense of responsibility in students, fostering the desire to learn, and promoting critical thinking sound good, few people actually think about what the words mean or help teachers understand what practices might actually achieve those goals. Thinking skills taught in classrooms can vary…

The level of reflection achieved by preservice teachers (N=21) at the end of their Master of Education program is analyzed in this exploratory study. Data were collected from class sessions and field experiences during three quarters. Subjects engaged in reflection by writing in journals about readings, class discussions, and field or student…

This study examined whether expert-novice differences exist in the ability to engage in self-analysis, a form of reflection about one's own teaching performance. Expert (N=6) and novice (N=5) sixth-grade teachers were videotaped while teaching and were interviewed after viewing their own lessons. Expert teachers, in comparison to novices,…

This study compares the reflections of preservice teachers when they are considering pedagogical issues in general methods courses versus content knowledge combined with pedagogy in social studies methods courses. The paper presents a theoretical framework for the study conducted among 44 Master of Education preservice teachers of a large…

This paper addresses the importance of the preparation of qualified bilingual teachers and the need for certified, qualified, well-trained bilingual special education teachers. Specifically, it identifies and discusses competencies needed by bilingual special education teachers, discusses the need for reflective practice in the preparation of…

This paper presents a reflection on how the research program conducted in the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP) informs the evaluation of the project. Three sections present an overview of the MCTP and the MCTP research program, a review of the literature on evaluation and research, and reflections on the use of MCTP research…

This paper elaborates upon the idea of pedagogical content knowledge through close examination of a teacher's learning in science and addresses a question derived from Shulman's (1986) original work on teacher knowledge: "What is learning for teaching?" Pedagogical knowing is viewed as the practice of seeing into the subject matter through the…

The opening section of this paper describes the author's first experience with collegial attempts at curriculum reform through practical inquiry, illustrating a process in which ideas are tested and developed in action. It is pointed out that this form of teacher-based practical inquiry is a characteristic feature of a certain kind of curriculum…

This paper discusses email journaling for those hoping to become a teacher. The author discusses an innovative format she designed for journal entries that revolutionized her field experience supervision practices and those of other supervisors with whom she has shared this format. It has vastly improved the quality of the teacher-candidate's…