The highly complex demands of the profession often overwhelm new teachers. Burnout and attrition are known consequences of inadequate preparation, burdening the education system with costly turnover and schools with disproportionate numbers of inexperienced teachers, including special educators. Many teacher preparation programs embed field…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions K-12 principals and teachers have of inclusive education in a school district in western Pennsylvania school district. The dependent variables are the teachers' and principals' perceptions of inclusion and the independent variables are years of educational experience, extent of special…

Formal mentoring programs focus on the probationary period of new teachers. Providing teachers with mentoring support during the initial years of teaching requires significant commitment and investment from school districts, mentors, and new teachers. Numerous studies argue the merits of mentoring programs, yet the research has been less clear…

The study reported here examines whether teaching skills included in the dynamic model of educational effectiveness can be grouped into types of teacher behaviour and whether these types are related with different student outcome measures. The data stem from a study which was conducted in order to test the validity of the dynamic model. Results…

Provides a rationale for use of the term "developmentalist" to refer to practitioners, teachers, and scholars. Defines being a "developmentalist" and suggests that this concept, which integrates educators' knowledge bases about preschool, child care, and early childhood education, contributes to a comprehensive view of child…

We analyse two narratives of teacher-facilitator teams producing elementary science curricula and disseminating them to their peers. We draw on these stories to interpret how teacher-facilitators position themselves with respect to other educators (e.g. peer teachers and development-team members), to real and imagined students and parents, to…

Argues that teachers' perspectives prompt a particular interpretation of Donald Schon's "reflection-in-action" theory that justifies individualistic, immediate, and limited change strategies in professional development. Maintains that reflective teaching requires an approach that is social and collaborative rather than only individualistic in…

Designed for adult educators in various settings who are seeking to improve as teachers, this book describes a process adult educators can use to examine their beliefs about teaching and current teaching behavior in depth. It is intended to guide them through an exploration of who they really are as teachers, and then, through experiential…

It is suggested that second language teachers often view themselves and are viewed by others as technicians, passive purveyors of prescriptive content, but that they should be encouraged to perceive themselves as professionals. Professionals are defined as those who, by virtue of knowledge and experience in teaching and learning, make…

Writing is a threefold discipline that occupies a supreme place in American education, and without which there can be no other learning. Writing is not only a body of knowledge; it is also a set of acquired habits, and a frame of mind and attitude with which a writing task is approached. Writing may be defined in three ways, as (1) a discipline;…

Presents a case study of pedagogical behavior and understanding using a sequence-analytical interpretative method. Reports a contradiction between semantic content and the actual interactive significance during pedagogical action. Hypothesizes that a professionalization deficit must be dealt with, taking into account the moral and personal efforts…

Reviews historical and ideological roots that developed the teaching profession as a proper role for women. Includes research from a current study investigating the importance of domesticity in the personal and professional attitudes of male and female teachers and the general population of the state of Oklahoma. Includes 13 tables of data. (MD)

Organizational socialization concerns the manner in which an individual learns the role of his or her career in the dominant setting in which the work occurs. From the functionalist approach, the role of teacher carries predetermined work attitudes, status, behaviors, and norms into which a beginning teacher is passively socialized. The…

Professional development schools (PDSs) are usually viewed as school-university partnerships aimed at regeneration of teacher education and/or the reform of public schools in general. This paper examines the gap between creating a PDS structure and achieving these goals, suggesting that bridging the gap may require destabilization of both faculty…

Discusses faculty professionalism from institutional, scholastic, classroom research, and pedagogical frames of reference. Stresses importance of defining two-year college faculty as professionals. Identifies two barriers to developing faculty culture: treating the above frames of references as mutually exclusive and regarding colleges in terms of…