Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on canonical works that avoid sociopolitical perspectives and present the culture of the "Other" within the dominant world view. There is an urgent need to move from these traditional curricula to more engaging programs that capture the…

This review investigated the available literature on diversity and its relationship to teacher thinking. The literature review produced 36 studies, from which five categories emerged: beliefs teachers hold about student diversity and student performance; effective teaching in diverse settings; the impact of teacher experience on teacher cognition…

Determined relationships between college/secondary earth science teachers' confidence in ability to teach field-based earth science cognitive objectives and perceived sources of that confidence, discussing objectives teachers felt confident/unconfident in teaching. Indicates that inservice education ranked behind preservice education or teaching…

Proposals for extended teacher education programs are considered: (1) adding a year long internship to a four-year undergraduate program; (2) postponing professional training until a student has earned a B.A. or B.S.; and (3) requiring masters or doctoral degree programs in teaching for initial certification. (JN)

Forty experienced and inexperienced teachers, twenty male and twenty female, were observed in preschool classes to determine (1) what determines differential responses to boys and girls with regard to sex-preferred behaviors, and (2) whether male and female teachers differ in their teaching styles. (ST)

Criticizes "On What Basis Hope? Modern Progress and Postmodern Possibility" (Danforth), which discusses the difficulty educators and special educators have in making arguments that do not conform to the language and conventions of science. The article cites Danforth's failure to acknowledge that people with disabilities themselves have challenged…

This paper describes prevailing models of teacher education programs in Israel and notes differences in their student teaching components. Suggests that the variability is due to different views regarding professional, epistemological, and sociopolitical factors, which result in a variety of teacher education programs, especially practicum…

This paper examines two models of practical experience in teacher education in Hungary. The first is the traditional university training school system, and the second is a system based on partnership with schools in Budapest. Mentors have very different responsibilities in the two models, though they have a crucial role in both situations. (SM)

Presents a first person account of a student teacher's experience teaching within a juvenile justice program. The program, an alternative to juvenile detention centers, concentrates on rehabilitating and educating minors convicted of crimes and incorporates academic learning, counseling, and vocational training. Characterizes the experience as…

A teacher at a northern Ontario adult Native literacy program describes how she cultivates student motivation. The teacher-student relationship is the most influential factor for motivating students. By focusing on cultural awareness, cultural teaching practices, and a sense of community, teachers can help students be successful. Program…

Discusses whether the intersection of traditional and modern institutions in the Persian Gulf region influences student opportunities to learn. Provides preliminary and empirical indicators of how this might happen by estimating the degree of penetration of Gulf state culture and religious ideology into school organizational environments. (CAJ)

Studied elementary through high school teachers' views on how to improve teacher preparation programs. Found that recommendations were consistent with those proposed by current reform initiatives: (1) requiring all teachers to know subject content; (2) teaching pedagogy in the context of academic content; and (3) offering prospective teachers many…

An award-winning teacher shares her strategies for improving attendance, homework completion, and English proficiency in a fifth-grade class in Nunavut. She tailored the curriculum to her students' academic and cultural needs. Her students thrived on the security, success, and sense of caring that her regime of structure, discipline, and…

Describes events leading to the establishment of four urban professional development schools (PDS) by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Public Schools. School sites, university/school district interaction, preservice student activities, and schoolwide change projects are described. Results of a survey of site teachers on PDS…

A case-study methodology is used to explore the pedagogical content knowledge of three beginning secondary-school English teachers, all of whom entered teaching with strong literature backgrounds and no teacher education coursework. (IAH)