This paper considers ways in which trainee teachers can be helped to develop their ability to engage in reflection on their practice. The context for the research is a Block School Experience developed by tutors in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Sunderland. An exploration of the nature of reflective practice…

A secondary school mathematics teacher and mathematics education researcher engaged in a collaborative professional development experience that focused the teacher's reflection on videotapes of his instruction. The purpose was to document and explore the teacher's experiences with respect to his reflections and classroom practice while trying to…

Journals can be defined as the permanent records of thoughts and ideas that an individual has processed and clarified through the act of writing or otherwise recording their experiences (Killion, 1999). While journaling has existed almost as long as man has been writing, the use of journaling as a pedagogical strategy is a relatively recent…

The flexible use of digital recordings from EFL classrooms as well as online communication with teaching experts are two promising ways of implementing e-learning in the context of initial teacher training. Our research focuses on how to blend these elements efficiently with the different theoretical and practical content layers of an introductory…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the impact upon a group of ten early childhood inservice educators of a collaborative professional development course in early literacy development presented using the tools of narrative and reflection. The study considered impact in terms of teachers' beliefs, values, practice, and sense of…

To truly develop as teachers, we need to be free to explore teaching, and exploration can be based on a set of principles and ways to explore. Principles can include: (1) transcending the goal of improving our teaching by aiming at seeing teaching differently, (2) taking responsibility for our own teaching while recognizing the need for others,…

This article reports on the use of Web logs ("blogs") and online discussion forums in an instructional technology course in a teacher preparation program. Key goals behind the use of these tools included exposure for students to computer-supported communication and collaboration, encouragement of reflective practice, and a better…

The "Notes & Reflections" newsletter offers practical information--ideas, strategies, tools, and resources--about topics of special interest to professional developers who are working to improve school performance. Today, professional development services to schools are provided by variety of people: teacher leaders; principals; and district,…

Being from a typical African-American descent, the author's family struggled through a history tarnished by the legacy of slavery and racism in America. Many of these personal family stories of struggle she received through an oral tradition. She learned early in life the importance of discipline, hierarchy, and hard work. She was expected to…

In this article, the author shares perspectives on "Brown v. Board of Education" that are not focused only on the immediate aftermath but range across the 50 years since. They are compilations of the perspectives and experiences of students and teachers of color more generally as they have navigated the "mazeways" of promises…

This study is concerned with interactional involvement and identity construction in a university seminar comprised of native and non-native English speaking students. Findings reveal that in their classroom interactions, these two groups of students take on and perceive others to take on identities that have little to do with their language status…

We analyze a two-year Faculty Fellows Program designed to enhance the service-learning pedagogy and scholarship at a regional comprehensive university. The impact of the program was analyzed using initial questionnaires, meeting notes, final reports, and faculty reflective essays. Participation in a faculty fellows cohort program provided a sense…

Constructivist Internet-based learning environments are advocated by contemporary educators, but few studies investigated students' preferences toward the environments for learning a specific school subject such as science. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to explore students' preferences toward constructivist…

In this article two teacher educators describe an approach they have used with preservice early childhood and early childhood special education majors. They explain how the approach that they call "stories about teaching" resembles, yet differs from case study methods. The authors explain the process they used to develop, pilot, and use stories…

This paper explores the relationships between a number of different developments in higher education pedagogy, which are subsumed under the broad heading of progress files. The overall concern of the paper is to explore the ways in which personal reflection and learning is enhanced through dialogue. The paper explores the ways learners engage in…