In the buzzing activity of the mathematics classroom, teaching in a way that effectively responds to and furthers students' thinking can be quite challenging. Given that teachers' instructional decisions will directly influence students' learning, it is extremely important to develop the sorts of practices that lead to productive in-the-moment…

Sustainability is a term with an evolving definition that applies to more than the physical environment. It speaks to the interconnectivity of every action we take (or fail to take) and to human beings' relationships with one another and their environment. A sustainable future is one in which global citizens engage in critical thinking,…

St. Clair (EJ1072357) provides a summary and lays out some of the important issues inherent in the broad strategies articulated in "Making Skills Everyone's Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States" (MSEB) (United States Department of Education [USDoE], 2015) (see ED558793). In this commentary, JoAnn Weinberger…

Gary Rubinstein doesn't buy the adage that rules--for students or for teachers--must be stated positively, without don'ts or nots. So he lists 10 rules for things teachers must not do in their first years. Tops on his list is "Don't try to teach too much in one day," which Rubinstein says is a common mis-step because teacher preparation programs,…

The author argues that the decisions primary teachers make about the curriculum need to be informed by well-developed expertise in the subjects they are planning and teaching. This expertise is necessary when teachers are exercising professional autonomy in areas such as curriculum design, securing breadth and balance, and managing curriculum…

Teacher educators are supposed to ensure that their preservice candidates and practitioners are equipped with the content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and dispositions that will help to create effective classroom teachers who serve as models of civic engagement for their students. Civic engagement is understood as being the act of making a…

Researchers (Ball, 2003; Ma, 1999; Schulman, 1986) have long investigated how a teacher's subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge impact on students' learning of mathematics. In an attempt to account for the relationship between teacher knowledge and student learning, this study examined four Romanian first grade teachers' knowledge about…

In this article, the author presents a holistic practice-based approach, consisting of two parts, to preparing candidates for quality teaching. The first part describes the essential knowledge, skills, and habits of mind for quality teaching. The emphasis is on understanding the learning process as influenced by the cultural and experiential…

As a comparative analysis of teacher preparation in its sociohistorical contexts, this study examines the official educational aims and curricula of 49 mathematics teacher preparation programs in South Korea and the United States, where substantial differences have been observed in both student achievement and teacher knowledge. Overall, the…

Students around the world have difficulties in learning about fractions. In many countries, the average student never gains a conceptual knowledge of fractions. This research guide provides suggestions for teachers and administrators looking to improve fraction instruction in their classrooms or schools. The recommendations are based on a…

Understanding frames of reference is critical in describing planetary motion and learning astronomy. Historically, the geocentric and heliocentric models were defended and advocated against each other. Today, there are still many people who do not understand the relationship between the two models. This topic is not adequately treated in astronomy…

At a time when learning and teaching in higher education have become the focus of increasing attention and high priority is being accorded to the attainment of excellence in teaching there is a growing concern that teaching is being reduced to the acquisition of a set of competencies. This paper will draw on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre to…

Current standards emphasize student engagement with inquiry practices. However, implementing inquiry instruction is a formidable challenge for teachers as they often lack models for using and adapting inquiry-based instructional materials. Teacher education programs can provide scaffolded contexts for developing teachers' ability to critique,…

Research shows that minority students continue to fail in the Taiwan public school system. That failure has sharply focused on the urgent need for teachers with the skills to work effectively with minority students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of an exemplary Taiwanese teacher who teach Indigenous students and to…

This paper describes strategies used by the authors to assist preservice social studies teachers with understanding and applying models and practices for effectively integrating technology into their future classrooms--thus, strengthening the link between technology and pedagogy (or technological pedagogical content knowledge). Efforts with…