Classroom instruction in China and in the United States have sharp differences. Typically, constructivist learning theory shapes American classroom instruction whereas Confucian educational culture shapes Chinese classroom instruction. Furthermore, typically, Chinese classrooms adopt a direct instructional approach whereas American classrooms…

The engaging profiles of "English Learners at Home and at School" offer access to a deeper and broader understanding of the lived experiences of English learners and their families. Such knowledge is essential for all educators in order to anticipate the needs of, and best support, English learners. In this highly readable volume, Joyce…

The population of students labeled as English learners (ELs), referred to here as emergent bilingual learners (EBLs), continues to grow in schools across the United States. In this article, we share one urban university's collaborative approach to building professional capacity for cultural and linguistic diversity, considering both vertical and…

Concerned in particular about the misconceptions regarding literacy teacher preparation and recognizing the importance of educating teachers entering the profession, the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) brought together a task force charged to review and analyze the research on teacher…

In the context of international debates about teachers' knowledge, this essay reports a study of how and why a cohort of English trainee teachers of Religious Education used their personal life knowledge in their teaching. Four possible reasons for their commitment to this practice are examined. A belief in the value of openness, a desire to…

In this webinar, Dr. Carol Tomlinson of the University of Virginia presented the research base supporting the practice of differentiation and described the characteristics of effective differentiation. She led a discussion of how quality preparation can build and strengthen teachers' knowledge and skills in implementing differentiated instruction…

As a result of continuous global immigration to the United States, several microcultures coexist within the country. Today's classroom should provide an interface where individuals from different cultural backgrounds have the potential for sharing a rich place of learning--a place where the teacher embraces and celebrates individual differences,…

This article focuses on characteristics necessary to be an effective teacher for all children, regardless of their academic ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family structure, sexual orientation, and ability to speak English. The article gives attention to the issues of equity and social justice as it addresses the knowledge and skill base…

Paper describes an experimental summer course in which teachers read the fiction of ethnic cultures, learned factual material about the cultures, and wrote about their responses in order to gain an understanding of minority/ethnic group issues. Teachers responded very positively to this consciousness raising effort. (SM)

Ideally, the learning dynamic between teachers and their students is a reciprocal one, wherein students learn from teachers and teachers learn from students. Though teachers can learn from all students, a particular group--second language learners--may open even wider spheres of learning. In this article, the authors explore this notion of…

This paper discusses the increasing imperative for teachers who work in cultural settings other than their own to develop an understanding of their own world-view and the impact their assumptions about teachers, school, students, family and so on have on their teaching practice. The brief narrative of one cultural world-view provides an example of…

This annual journal issue contains 24 papers on issues of faculty development, instructional improvement, knowledge and teaching, and communication in higher education. Many of the papers were developed for the annual conference of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD). The papers are: (1) "Teaching…

This collection of 64 papers from a 1997 international conference of special educators focuses on the challenges of diversity in education. Topics of the papers include: (1) assessment strategies for individuals with autism; (2) self-determination strategies for at-risk youth with learning, behavior, and emotional disabilities; (3) developing…