Indicates that a teacher-centered, direct-instruction model often did not fit well with more in-depth problems and tasks. Suggests a student-centered, problem-based approach. Presents questioning strategies used to help students engage in learning. (KHR)

Discusses types of peer training and describes the development of peer training instruction for reference/instruction librarians at DePaul University (Illinois) to keep communication open among staff members, share subject expertise, sharpen skills needed in group and one-on-one instruction, train new librarians, and provide ongoing professional…

Describes a professional development program for upper elementary and middle school teachers that includes a sequence of four activities designed to foster improved understanding of the connections among measurement, ratio, scale, and proportion. (YDS)

Argues that current efforts to close achievement gap in mathematics between underrepresented minority students and white students are inadequate. Suggests that to close achievement gap greater effort must be made to train and hire quality teachers with pedagogical content knowledge. (Contains 14 references.) (PKP)

Explores the idea that workplaces have levels of moral complexity to assist in understanding how schools can create conditions that foster teacher's personal and professional growth. Focuses on: (1) social and moral complexity of the job of teaching; (2) schools as communities of development; (3) teacher development; and (4) effects on students…

Presents the Collaboration to Advance Teaching Technology and Science (CATIS) Program that supports a variety of partnerships bringing faculty and students at the university level together with K-12 teachers and their students to promote research projects as well as inquiry science and mathematics lessons. Discusses the impact of the program on…

In order to examine the potential benefits and existing barriers of preservice science teachers engaging in an electronic professional community on the World Wide Web, a "Web Forum" was constructed called the SciTeach forum. Although there are barriers to overcome, a "Web-based" forum appears to be an effective instrument to provide support to a…

This professional development collaborative involved state agencies, local industry, an outdoor learning center, a university, and teams of teachers from rural schools. The program had three main goals: to introduce inquiry-based approaches to science teaching in the elementary classroom, to utilize field experiences to connect the program to…

Discusses the importance of new music teachers having experienced music teachers as a mentor. Addresses the work of a music educator, the history of mentoring, and how to find a music education mentor who offers expertise, empathy, support, and availability. Includes resources for mentoring. (CMK)

To better prepare students for kindergarten, the Lafayette County School District in Oxford, Mississippi, provided cost-effective professional development seminars to local day-care workers. Three-day seminars several times a summer for 3 years were offered to all day-care workers and preschool teachers in the county including Head Start staff,…

Presents important information for conducting authentic scientific field work. Interprets one teacher's field experience in the Pacific Northwest. Points out the need for teacher training in authentic field work and makes suggestions for starting a field ecology project. (KHR)

Examined how language teachers apply practical experiences from computer-assisted language learning (CALL) coursework to their teaching. Examines ways in which teachers continue their CALL coursework. Participants were English-as-a-Second-Language teachers who had, within the last 4 years, completed the same graduate-level CALL course and who were…

Examined implementation of a model for inclusion-related professional development at a disadvantaged primary school in Queensland, Australia. The model focused on school reculturing, collaboration between teaching professionals, and opportunities for individual teacher learning. Found that the model enhanced teachers' sense of ownership and…

Describes an online course at Valdosta State University (Georgia) that relates learning standards and technology to develop effective technology-enhanced learning activities. Suggests that this course could be replicated as a professional development opportunity for a broader audience of K-12 teachers. (LRW)

This article compares the work of the Holmes Group and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, two reform efforts influencing teacher education. They have different purposes but share goals, such as improving teacher education quality via in-depth specialty studies, instructional evaluation, and strengthened liberal arts. (SM)