Recently, the topic of reflection and the development of reflective practitioners have received a great deal of attention. Four elements are central to critical reflection: assumption analysis, contextual awareness, imaginative speculation, and reflective skepticism. Definitions of critical reflection often reveal differing theoretical…

This paper reports findings in a study of an e-mail discussion activity in an undergraduate methods course. Students were asked to contribute an e-mail message to the class discussion at least once every two weeks; they could write on any topic suggested by their field experiences or related class discussions and readings. Critical interpretative…

A teacher educator, engaged in ongoing practitioner inquiry to explore self as well as program, examines her evolution as a teacher of teachers through reflection, systematic inquiry, and collaboration. Relating autobiographically, she conjures up her professional stories and listens to her voice in an effort to define and refine her role, reflect…

Three essays on second-language instruction are presented. One describes a letter exchange between teachers as a means of exploring and understanding classroom and instructional issues; another (in French) describes a teacher's reflective examination of the immersion teaching experience; and a third reports on a classroom study of the…

Videotaped six groups of preservice teachers, each of which was solving the same mathematical problem but with different sets of materials, to determine whether videotape could be used as a reflective tool in elementary mathematics education courses. Found that using videotape influenced preservice teachers' conceptualizations of the effect of…

Reports a study that examined the use of story in an adolescent development course, reviewing the methodology employed, the problematics of storytelling in teaching, and the three patterns of storytelling that emerged. The discussion highlights the role of storytelling as a way of expanding experience and the analysis of experience for beginning…

Discusses how preservice and experienced teachers can utilize professional teaching portfolios. Explains three types of portfolios: (1) process-folios; (2) product-folios, and (3) process/product-folios. Also explains the procedures for creating a professional portfolio and what is included in a portfolio. Includes a table called "Common…

Examines the use of the case method to reform physical education teacher education. Reviews research on the use of cases in other professional preparation programs, and on multicultural education and case method, and technology-based cases. Offers suggestions on possibilities and pitfalls in using case method. (SM)

Describes how preservice teachers perceive their role and the practice of mathematics teaching during their teacher education. Data was drawn from a study on elementary school teacher preparation at a state institution. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Discusses the potential of technology to reduce isolation during student teaching and reports on a study that examined entries of secondary student teachers and faculty related to readings, projects, and daily experiences in schools through an electronic discussion group. Makes recommendations for increasing reflectivity and improving use of…

Describes the author's interactions with prospective teachers' resistances to books in the "Harry Potter" series and how she dealt with these situations. Recognizes that her role as a teacher educator includes honoring her students' beliefs, upholding the integrity of the academic discipline of children's literature, and adhering to the…

Indiana University's Teacher Education Laboratory replaces and supplements portions of the preservice program previously provided through field placements in area schools. This article describes the initial field test of a laboratory experience for secondary education majors. Surveys rating students' attitudes about the experience indicated…

This study examined effects of a self-assessment procedure on the behaviors and thoughts of 26 preservice student interns in a special education graduate program at the University of Florida. Analysis indicated that self-assessment had no impact on interns' teaching behaviors when compared to traditional supervisory practice but did help identify…

One teacher educator returned to a secondary classroom to test her mature understanding of teaching and learning with real students and gain insights to influence her teaching of preservice teachers. The experience highlighted the need for teachers to analyze students' learning or lack of learning and respond to that analysis. (SM)

Outlines the challenges that well-taught physical education poses during early years' education. Revises some basic notions of why such activities are deemed "good" for children's development and highlights significant difficulties that teachers encounter when faced with delivery of such material. Suggests a model of how teachers might…