This article is based on the findings of recent research into the experiences of new lecturers at the University of Brighton, UK. Although we initially gathered data for internal purposes, we now know that the issues raised by our project are not unique to Brighton. We therefore wish to share our results with a wider audience, in order to raise…

Canadian schools are witnessing widening gaps between traditional definitions of literacy, which include reading and writing, and contemporary literacy practices like interactive multimedia use and online communications. Language and literacy teachers are called upon daily to bridge these contradictions through the pedagogical and textual choices…

This article is based on the author's dissertation work on development and change in Swedish municipal adult education (MAE), investigated through occupational life history studies of four teachers in different municipalities who have worked in MAE since the mid 1970s. Three periods of development--three "eras"--in MAE have been…

This study examined the reflective journal entries of 42 trainee teachers who underwent teaching practicum in schools in Malaysia. The study investigated the types of reflections, strategies or stance used, and perceptions of the trainees toward reflective journal writing. The findings of the study indicated that the trainee teachers were engaged…

Practicing teachers and principals in selected Government schools in Victoria provided data on their levels of emotional intelligence and teacher efficacy beliefs. The data supported the theoretical expectation of a linkage between emotional intelligence and teacher self efficacy. Regression analyses showed that neither gender nor age moderated…

As communication tool, the rubric encourages active learning and the artistic development of students by providing language for assessing process and product. This article is intended to be the authors' chronicle of their personal journeys rather than a systematic study of the role that scoring rubrics--essentially a matrix that describes the key…

In this article, the author shares his transformative experiences of teaching in Puerto Rico. Specifically, he reflects on why and how his transactions with his first class caused him to adopt themes and strategies from the relatively new field of "critical performative pedagogy." He begins by explaining three concepts that ground…

Supported by Bandura's social cognitive theory, this study examined the preferred leadership style of agricultural education teachers, and determined if preferred leadership style and leadership factors differed on selected personal characteristics. The accessible sample consisted of agricultural education teachers (N = 234) who taught in…

In this narrative, Sue Halsey, a New Zealand primary school teacher, taking her cue from Leu and Kinzer (2000), describes her own "envisionment" as she realizes a number of new possibilities for literacy and learning in her classroom utilizing a range of new (including Web2) technologies. In doing so, she mediates between her two…

This study investigated educators' views of collaboration with scientists, a baseline for COSEE Great Lakes efforts in facilitating dynamic collaborative relationships between Great Lakes researchers and educators. Three research questions guided the study: (1) how are educators in the Great Lakes region involved in collaboration with scientists,…

This issue of "Stepping into the Classroom" reaches the broad ends of the spectrum of experience to showcase two authors who have worked hard to learn from personal experience and translate ideas into practice. Greg Van Nest, a veteran teacher of six years, had gone to many national conferences, but in Nashville in 2006, he came away knowing he…

One process for retaining experienced, qualified teachers is to provide them with opportunities to grow professionally (Blase & Blase, 2001). The intent of this paper is to provide information about meeting the needs of experienced, qualified rural teachers, especially in the area of professional development. A story line of one rural science…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether and how elementary teachers' thinking and instruction changed as a result of a teacher research experience. Each teacher worked with a scientist conducting research for a period of six weeks. Data in the form of classroom observations and interviews was collected before and after the research…

The author, a high school teacher and forensics coach, describes ways to teach writing--including on-demand essays--that draw on successful practices she developed in coaching. Students learn the importance of using personal conviction and qualified thesis statements to build arguments, as well as learning "The Debater Four-Step," an effective…

As a Turkish Muslim White woman teaching in Western Canada, the author relates how she struggled to convey to her students how these identities come together, and how they facilitate a pedagogy of anti-oppression in her practice. To disrupt Orientalist assumptions or stereotypes about Muslim women, the author relates that she developed the…