Describes a teaching experience with a grade 3 class in a local primary school for a whole week. (Author/CCM)

A survey of 135 technical college teachers found that those persisting as teachers had higher commitment to teaching and more practical experience in the subject area. Leavers rated their first-year teaching experience more positively than persisters. Common reasons for leaving teaching included salary levels, institutional climate, classroom…

This article reviews indicators used by researchers to select samples of expert teachers. Reflecting initially on the broader expertise literature and then focusing on studies of teaching expertise, the authors identify criteria used to select expert teachers that fall under one or more of the following marker categories: (a) years of experience,…

Americans are troubled by what they perceive as a societal moral decline, and schools have responded with the implementation of character education programs. This study examines teachers' experiences and perspectives on a character education program implemented at their high school. Findings based on interviews with 16 high school teachers…

In this paper, the author describes his experiences after relocating to a new school. He explains that starting at a new school is a different experience than being a first year teacher, and that becoming a part of the team is not a one-day process.

This study addressed applicant reactions to teaching positions announced in recruitment media. The independent variables were school classification based on standardized student achievement tests (in need of assistance, progressing, meets goal), signing bonus (10% initial signing bonus, no bonus), and teaching experience (experienced,…

Effective professional development programs focus on maintaining and nurturing the young traits like great enthusiasm and energy as other knowledge is gained to meet the teachers' evolving professional needs. The difficulties and experiences of many first-year teachers and some guidance to avoid them are described.

Australia, like the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), continues to experience a mismatch between the cultural backgrounds and socio-economic class of teachers and those of the students they work with. This article reports on a study that explored how a group of Australian teacher-education students understand their own ethnic and…

The author is a learning support teacher and works with children at Key Stage 3 (KS3) who are struggling to keep up with their peers in most areas of the curriculum. Many of them have specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia and problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, mathematics, speaking or listening.…

In this article, a parallel is drawn between Steven Hawking's use of common and novel metaphors in his evolving explanation of the theory of the universe and the similar use of common and novel metaphors by educators in four school contexts attempting to illuminate their experiences of school reform storied and restoried over time. The epistemic…

This article provides practical suggestions for principals for enhancing the success of student teaching experiences in their building. Specifically, principals can develop procedures for welcoming the student teacher, communicate with university officials early and frequently, monitor the quality and variety of the student teaching experience,…

The purpose of this collective case study was to investigate the transitions of three effective teachers of literacy from pre-service to in-service teaching. As their university supervisor, I selected these students out of a group of pre-service teachers assigned to me for supervision during their eight-week student teaching requirement, based…

In a reflection on her teaching practices, Wendy Bishop in "Teaching Lives" suggests that over time she became a "social expressivist," in that by writing about her own teaching she learned "to develop a personal voice within the public matrix of professional communities" (ix). For the compositionist committed to the…

This inquiry explores the educative meaning of interruptions or breaks in teacher's experiences by looking at their role in reflection and listening. Reflection and listening are not only two vital and distinct aspects of teaching, but are also interrelated and as such can serve to productively inform one another. In this context, I develop the…

Certain studies and the California legislature have recently concluded that seniority preference rules in teacher collective bargaining agreements facilitate a teacher "quality gap" by permitting senior teachers to transfer to schools with higher-performing and more affluent children. This study examines the effects of such transfer…