This book describes and analyzes authority relationships in classrooms through explorations of theory, prior research, and contemporary qualitative studies. The emphasis is on the social construction of authority and the crucial role authority plays in K-16 teachers' pedagogy and students' academic engagement and achievement. The introductory…

This article describes a professional development model in which middle-grades teachers focused on algebraic thinking as part of their participation in a mathematics academy.

Although some teacher educators hoped that the creation and use of standards would help to professionalize teaching, the discourse of standards and accountability is now being used to erode teacher education. Many teacher educators who anticipated the thrill of professionalization through standards are now experiencing the agony of deletes,…

Recent literature emphasizing the relationship of content knowledge to teaching performance has provided an inducement for some evaluators to use formal tests to assess teachers' understanding of subject matter. This study, conducted at a laboratory school connected with the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), examines the relationship…

This paper reports a fragment from a recent investigation into student perceptions of effective teaching practices. The larger inquiry sought to ascertain which instructional methods, strategies, and activities employed by teachers are perceived as effective learning experiences by students. Specifically, this study focuses on the characteristics…

While college faculty are experts in their disciplines, teaching expertise is less understood. This paper explores one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of faculty new to teaching, specifically, knowledge of student difficulties. The project, conducted at three different institutions, used a case method, employing interviews and…

The search for knowledge about effective teachers has produced a great deal of research activity utilizing a variety of research techniques. This paper discusses research on national Teachers of the Year (Shanoski and Hranitz, 1989, 1990, 1991) and relates it to the teacher effectiveness clusters identified by Donald Cruikshank (1990) in his study…

Articles published in the past few years documenting thinking about various topics on physical education for children are combined in the six sections of this book. The first section, "Perspectives on Elementary School Physical Education," provides eight articles on elementary school physical education, movement programs, and physical…

This study investigated the role of subject matter expertise on the pedagogical content knowledge of physical education teachers. Data were collected through multiple interviews on 10 teachers with expertise in at least one physical education subject area. Each teacher was interviewed four times, with each interview lasting approximately 1 hour.…

The use of multiple-choice test items measuring content-specific pedagogical knowledge (C-P) as a viable method of increasing the validity of teacher tests is described. The purposes of the paper are to: (1) present examples of multiple-choice test items used for the assessment of C-P and contrast these items with items used for assessing content…

This study introduces a "Technology Integration Model" for a learning environment utilizing constructivist learning principles and integrating new technologies namely computers and the Internet into pre-service teacher training programs. The technology integrated programs and learning environments may assist learners to gain experiences…

With the importance of imagery in our culture and the increasing access to both digital images and the tools used to manipulate them, it is important that social studies teacher educators prepare preservice teachers to provide their students with opportunities to develop a critical lens through which to view images. As we strive to encourage the…

Some special needs groups (for example dyslexia) have argued strongly for the need for particular specialist approaches. In contrast, many proponents of inclusion have argued that "good teaching is good teaching for all" and that all children benefit from similar approaches. Both positions fail to scrutinise this issue rigorously and…

While most would probably agree that the ultimate success of an educational system should be graduates who are able to evaluate, synthesize, analyze and apply what they have learned, routinely assessing such understanding in students has proven difficult, for a variety of reasons, using most traditional methods. Recent developments in cognitive…

The 1996 report "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future" features a 3-part proposal which consists of teacher education program accreditation, initial teacher licensing, and advanced certification based upon a set of shared knowledge, skills, and commitments for professional teaching. A study explored one facet of this proposed…