Since the 1990s, there have been repeated calls for the systematic use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to inform educational decision-making. The advent of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) -- described as England's What Works Centre for Education -- in 2011 has made this a reality in England: by 2020, over a third of English schools…

"Placing Students at the Heart of Creative Learning" shows teachers of key stages 2 and 3 how to introduce creativity into what is often seen as a prescriptive and stifling curriculum, and addresses the tensions that can exist between the requirement to follow the curriculum and the desire to employ innovative pedagogies. It offers…

The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

Despite clear evidence that formative assessment creates vantage points throughout the teaching-learning cycle for both teachers and students, research suggests that teachers are not taking advantage of the full cadre of formative assessment strategies available to them--particularly those that have been associated with improved student learning…

Teacher educators have suggested that mentoring has the potential to help novices learn to teach in reform-minded ways. This suggestion implies a change in the nature of mentor-novice relationships as conceptualized in the existing literature and an understanding of the complexities of mentoring relationships. Based on critical constructivist and…

Argues that traditional approaches to professional development--whether in university classrooms or school settings--are unlikely to create change because they are based on an artificial dichotomy between theory and practice. Revitalizing educational practice requires that we examine our own beliefs and practice to modify our approach to…

This book contains readings supplement information provided by a group of principals, teachers, and researchers participating in the U.S. Department of Education's National Satellite Teleconference, "Students at the Center." The March 1998 broadcast shared key findings on planning, implementing, and sustaining comprehensive school…

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…

Describes learning to teach as a task involving learning to think and act in ways appropriate to the profession's demands. Describes the language of practice, using common sense and practical analyses of knowledge and action. Illustrates these concepts with a study of student teachers and applies architecture's pattern language to teaching.…

The Colorado Statewide Systemic Initiative for Mathematics and Science, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has organized norms and tools for an Exemplary Teaching Practice project. This document identifies the norms of exemplary practice and provides an instrument that allows educators to develop a vision of how exemplary teaching…

This book examines the issues involved in creating reflective learning environments and raises questions that will help guide individuals' development as facilitators of learning. Section 1 looks at reflection as the core of learning. Section 2 describes the three stages in the reflective process: creating, observation, and analysis of the…

Inspired by the format of and discussion at the 1984 conference, the conference described in this report examined the question of how the computer might stimulate teachers' learning and under what conditions that stimulation might encourage reform. An overview briefly summarizes the presentations. Several conference themes grouped under the…

Analytically describes the annual Educational Leadership Development Conference held at St. Peter's College, Oxford University. Highlights the venue, participants, program goals, activity structure, and learning processes, drawing from the literature in adult learning, andragogy, and transformational learning and using Cranston's process model as…

Drawing on research and development work in school effectiveness/improvement, this article argues that internal capacity is vital in developing and sustaining the teacher and organizational learning necessary to promote and enhance student learning. Organizational and external influences on internal capacity are discussed, along with…

Three "Handbook" chapters on school leadership responsibilities conclude that educational administration is a field where people can make a difference. Research provides firm indications of what administrators should or should not do. Constructivist teaching, teacher development, and school improvement are part of the larger challenge of…