Between 2001 and 2007 I conducted a self-study action research enquiry into my practice as a primary school teacher. The research had a collaborative aspect to it, in so far as my pupils and colleagues were invited to participate in the research, although I was the focus of the enquiry. I was unhappy about my teaching: I felt I dominated the…

In analogy to the circular flow model of economic exchange, the author develops an instructional paradigm which is based on Parsons and Luhmanns theories of generalized interaction media. Concludes with a discussion of the implications of the new paradigm for educational research and classroom teaching. (Author/JDH)

Discusses Martin Buber's I-Thou dialectic as a pedagogical method, a process in which the teacher encounters the student and engages in an authentic dialogue. Presents Buber's dialectic as a humanizing teaching model that allows the student to gain a sense of relatedness between self and others. Contains 22 references. (VWC)

This essay draws on insights from studies on learning to explore the role of formation in the classroom. Studies of intellectual development, learning styles, and the physiology of learning are reviewed. Methodologies and models for encouraging formative learning in seminary classrooms are explored. This essay was written to address one of the…

In considering how a teacher can assert authority without giving up the benefits of classroom interaction, two premises should be acknowledged: students of a multi-ethnic classroom or with a wide range of writing skill deficiencies require more authority; and teachers should take responsibility for modeling acceptable patterns of discourse and…

States that through his detailed elaboration of the ways in which dialog might be developed through educational and textual relations, Paulo Freire extends ideas found in Martin Buber's works. Provides a discussion on each of the two educational theorists' philosophies regarding the relationship between student and teacher. (VWC)

This response by the original author to six commentaries on his paper concerning the scaffolding metaphor for learning disabilities highlights common themes (such as the basic dynamics of meaningful learning) and revisits arguments for and against the utility of the metaphor. Suggestions for broadening the metaphor to address related issues such…

Describes a dispositional conception of thinking, presenting a view of what good thinking dispositions look like and what they are made of. The article compares different models of teaching (teaching as transmission and as enculturation) and examines the extent to which they provide adequate guidelines for teaching thinking dispositions. (SM)

In this paper I will explore three contrasting teaching and learning environments, including one in which students engage in a "dance of agency". I will move from a consideration of classroom practices to a contention that our work as researchers of mathematics education should pay more attention to teaching practices. Further, that understanding…

This journal provides 12 brief articles focused on open education. Topics explored include (1) open education and reading, (2) mainstreaming, (3) characteristics of an open teacher, (4) administration of an open concept school, (5) an existential methodology in the language arts, (6) social studies in open education, (7) open education in early…

Examples from related case studies illustrate possible consequences of a social constructivist approach to learning and teaching mathematics. Discusses student tasks that promote flexibility in mathematizing subject matter; constructive versus Euclidean geometry approaches; working with real-life mathematics problems; and product versus process…

Presents the problem of teachers who are unwilling to examine critically their teaching practices, evaluate their efficacy, and make changes where necessary in the face of criticism, and suggests that part of the problem lies in the way teacher educators model teaching styles. (JC)

This book suggests that professional knowledge (knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and pedagogy) is not sufficient for becoming an exemplary teacher. It must be combined with interpersonal knowledge (relationships with students and with the educational and local communities), and intrapersonal knowledge (teachers ethics, dispositions, and…

Beginning with general observations on the human element in excellent teaching that often goes unnoticed by researchers, this speaker provides a wide range of suggestions for making more effective use of class time. These suggestions pertain to monitoring time on and off task, classroom organization and planning, making assignments, clarifying…

Considers: (1) research by George Hillocks using meta-analysis to examine four modes of composition instruction; (2) role playing in classroom to improve student writing of persuasive letters or opinion essays; (3) process approach to English instruction, which allows for complex nature of individual learning styles; and (4) resource for promising…