The 16-week Mathematics Institute was implemented at Hampton University (Virginia) to increase local elementary teachers' mathematics knowledge and pedagogical skills. The course included a comprehensive treatment of selected mathematics topics, used innovative instructional approaches, and offered clinical experiences. Teacher evaluation…

A survey examined Israeli biology teachers' (n=95 student teachers and 118 practicing teachers) understanding of biology. Discusses teachers' knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, interest, and attitudes on characteristics including levels of biological organization; self-reported profiles; background variables; and differences between…

A review of research on teachers' subject area knowledge and teaching effectiveness suggests that teachers' subject knowledge influences their choice of instructional strategies, creating a positive relation between knowledge and effectiveness. Greater emphasis on breadth, as opposed to depth, of subject knowledge will best prepare teachers to…

Examines difficulties caused by the two-context nature of preservice teacher education, describing a Scottish program in which classroom teachers collaborate with university faculty to plan and present university classes. Interviews with participating teachers indicate that teachers feel confident about their role and believe they could share a…

This article reports the development and application of two instruments for assessing science teachers' pedagogical knowledge in the context of teaching higher-order thinking: a Likert-type research instrument, and an instrument that analyzes classroom observations. The rationale for developing these instruments and their main categories is…

Final year preservice teachers' perceptions of their mentoring in primary science teaching were gathered through surveys from three separate studies. The three studies (n = 59, n = 331, n = 60) provided an indication of the degree of mentoring preservice teachers perceived they received with mentoring practices linked to "Pedagogical Knowledge."…

The first year of a 5 year professional development project for elementary teachers in two mid-western states integrated a bridge of two distinctly different distance education networks (T-1 and fiber optics) to provide science professional development for elementary school teachers in rural communities. "Interactive television" (ITV), the title…

The transition from generic mentoring to specific mentoring practices can provide a stronger focus for developing preservice primary teachers (mentees) in subject-specific areas. Constructivist theory and a five-factor model towards specific subject mentoring are proposed as ways to develop mentees' teaching practices. Firstly, constructivist…

The steps of implementing, analyzing, refining, and re-implementing a lesson is referred to as "lesson study." These steps formed the basis of a "workshop study" model that can be used to analyze a professional development workshop for the purposes of tailoring the content, resources, and collaborative efforts to better meet the needs of the…

This study explored whether and how teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching contributes to gains in students' mathematics achievement. The authors used a linear mixed-model methodology in which first and third graders' mathematical achievement gains over a year were nested within teachers, who in turn were nested within schools. They found…

In the past decade, there has been an increased emphasis on the preparation of teachers who can effectively engage students in meaningful mathematics with technology tools. This study presents a closer look at how three prospective teachers interpreted and developed in their role of facilitating students' mathematical problem solving with a…

Inquiry Into Life Science is a content biology course expressly for the fulfillment of the General Education life science laboratory course requirement of elementary education majors at this university. The course is modeled on the Teaching Standards and Content Standards of the National Science Education Standards [National Research Council.…

The aim of the study was to explore characteristics of 5- to 6-year-old kindergartners' peer dynamics during a seven week learning experience in a computer-based technology-rich classroom in the US. The children (9 boys and 9 girls) were placed in pairs by the classroom teacher, based on her perception of the their friendships. Measures of each…

As part of its ongoing process of formative evaluation, the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) conducted a survey of four cohorts of recent graduates. The data from this survey are being used in concert with findings from other lines of inquiry to assess and improve the program. The discussion in this paper is centered on several research…

The need to increase the content knowledge of American History teachers is emphasized by the Teaching American History Grant. This focus recognizes the crucial role played by classroom teachers in helping students increase their knowledge and understanding of American History. Oakland Unified School District's Teaching American History project,…