Professional learning strategies often rely on the belief that teaching and learning outcomes are best when teachers have a clear understanding of students' thinking. This may seem like common sense -- after all, students are active participants in the learning process, so their thinking impacts the outcome. But does research support the…

In response to the question "Whither scholarship in the work of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning?" everyone must begin by thinking about the importance of understanding the teaching and learning process because this is at the core of what we do as educators. The author believes that it is through the research they conduct on teaching…

Effective teaching values the classroom as a learning community in which instructional approaches optimize learning for all students. Contrary to the principles of an equitable learning environment is the use of "me" language by teachers, a practice that promotes the role of teacher as high status and inadvertently excludes students from the…

In the context of literacy being understood as an evolving concept, this article argues that a particular form of literacy, pedagogical literacy, is an important cognitive tool for a developed conceptualisation of pedagogical content knowledge and that, by extension, being "pedagogically" literate is an integral feature of being a professional…

An important contribution of cognitive style research is to make teachers aware of the cognitive style differences of their students and the resultant implications for teaching and learning. (JD)

Advances a view of instruction based on the nature of cognitive activity, school learning, and instruction and suggests relationships between the CEDARS, cognitive mediational, and task models of instruction. Discusses more than a dozen implications of the cognitive mediational and task models for ways teachers can promote students' cognitive…

A model of student learning processes is presented, based on the theory originally set forth by Benjamin Bloom that as much as three quarters of the differences in achievement among students is dependent on the attitudes, knowledge, and skills which students bring to a learning task. The model focuses on a specific learner approaching a specific…

Student learning is affected by (1) process variables--student-teacher interaction and its effect on student behavior; (2) product variables--short- and long-term outcomes; and (3) presage variables--effect of teachers' formative experiences on teaching behavior. (SK)

Describes actual classroom episodes from three successful teachers and analyzes patterns of teacher-child interaction that empower both learners and teachers. Assumes that successful teaching is not accidental, that only powerful teachers can empower students, and that the teacher's role is both central and crucial. (SRT)

The heart of teaching is how teachers feel about their students. The hidden fact about the teaching profession is that learners complicate it enormously. A teacher's obligation is to value students enough to value everything done for them. (MLW)

Guidelines are offered for teachers facing a class of students with wide differences in ability. (JD)

Jacques Tardif's method of strategic teaching has inspired teachers around the world. Teaching strategically requires teachers to be open and conscious of their perfectibility. The authors took a strategic teaching training course to better analyze their qualities as teachers. Becoming learners themselves allowed them to better understand the…

A look at curricular reforms and reflection on the evolution of a kindergarten language arts curriculum lead to a description of how one teacher integrated several theoretical perspectives in her practice. An ongoing dialogue between teachers and theorists, researchers, and policymakers would foster a more comprehensive view of the learning…

The more time and effort that a technology education teacher takes to make facilitative responses, the more the student will take responsibility for learning outcomes. Responses focusing on feelings, attitudes and values, clarifying and supporting, and questioning and supporting provide a basis for counseling and interacting with students. (JOW)

In this article, Graham Nuthall critiques four major types of research on teaching effectiveness: studies of best teachers, correlational and experimental studies of teaching-learning relationships, design studies, and teacher action and narrative research. He gathers evidence about the kind of research that is most likely to bridge the…