We examine the distinction between teaching and teachers as it relates to instructional improvement. Drawing from work outside of education on improvement systems and from analyzing the Japanese system of lesson study, we contend that a focus on teaching can shape a coordinated system for improvement whereas a focus on teachers, common in the…

This document is a progress report on effecting educational change in a kindergarten program and its interim research findings. A general description of the program and its background are given, followed by an explanation of the diagnostic-prescriptive approach taken in the program. This explanation includes descriptions of the rationale for…

Summaries of classroom research studies conducted in Finland on the development of educational aims are presented. Papers in this document deal with: (1) an overview of the purposes of the research project; (2) cognitive processes in classroom verbal interaction; (3) taxonomy of physical education; (4) objectives of religious education; (5)…

Noting that the work of early childhood educators is often complex, variable, and individualized, this booklet brings together a range of teacher stories that describe such work across many settings. A number of challenges for early childhood education are described, and a host of innovative teaching ideas are presented in an attempt to describe…