This study makes a contribution to the development of empirically based, domain-specific teaching standards that are acknowledged by the professional community of teachers and which, therefore, have a good chance of being successfully implemented and used for professional development purposes. It was prompted by the resistance on the part of many…

Teachers' subject knowledge is recognized as an essential component of effective teaching. In the foreign language context, teachers' subject knowledge includes language proficiency. In New Zealand high schools, foreign languages (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) have recently been offered to learners earlier in their schooling,…

Adapting support contingently to student needs by first diagnosing their current understanding, that is, scaffolding, is considered a key aspect of excellent teaching. The use of classroom scaffolding is rare, however. We therefore investigated the benefits to teachers of a professional development program that was based upon a model of contingent…

Teacher knowledge is a key to effective teaching. Understanding teacher knowledge can help educators understand teacher practices. It was the purpose of this study to examine teachers' knowledge about the use of direct, peer, and inquiry teaching models. Thirty-two teachers, representing both elementary and secondary levels, were interviewed. Data…

Suggests that good teaching is not the successful execution of a teacher-directed plan but the collective weaving of personal knowledge and understanding teachers create with students in literacy experiences. (MG)

A study was conducted to determine what distinguishes the practice of competent educators from that of untrained persons or colleagues who are less skilled. The population for the study was cooperative extension educators. Five individuals identified by district and state leaders as being exemplary in their practice were followed for three days…

This study was conducted to explore the relationship between elementary school teachers' professed teaching practice and their beliefs about and understanding of elementary mathematics. The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989) was used as the criterion for…

This volume lays out the human factors involved in effective teaching and encourages both future teachers and current practitioners to cultivate the personal and professional qualities found in the kind of teachers they want to be. The single most important factor in a teacher's effectiveness is described as his or her unique style of interaction…