A job analysis was conducted of the knowledge important for newly licensed or certified physical education teachers. The results of the analysis were to be used to develop specifications for The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers and to support the content validity of the assessment. An initial draft domain of knowledge…

This paper reports on a collaborative effort to achieve the following objectives: (1) identify attitudes, knowledge, and skills teachers need to educate effectively all students in a culturally diverse classroom; (2) develop models of preservice and inservice education that will provide education and socialization necessary for effective education…

A constructivist practitioner's masters program in professional development (PDMA) was designed and piloted at the University of Northern Iowa. The program provides an option for pursuing a master's in education structured upon the following constructivism-focused framework of components: (1) the program is designed for experienced educators, and…

The motivation to explore the use of portfolios in the Bank Street College (New York) program of teacher education emerged in response to a range of serious concerns about how the program met the needs of today's teacher and classrooms. The portfolio process as implemented at Bank Street is designed to be learner centered. It asks students to: (1)…

An analysis of a number of university-school collaborative efforts in the United States and Canada to establish professional development schools, and of action research efforts in the United Kingdom, has shown that the partnership efforts studied devote significantly less attention to ideas about the nature of learning, teaching, schools, and…

This study of the knowledge bases of education began with a "meta-review" of the research literature in special and regular education and identification of specific learning variables. The effort focused on determining the extent that special and regular educators work from common bases of knowledge and the degree of appropriate merging during…

This series of three papers explores current and emerging issues in professional preparation for the early care and education field. The papers examine a set of interrelated issues: the design and supply of preparation programs within and outside higher education; access to preparation in relation to the need for diversifying the leadership of the…

This commentary on the Council for Exceptional Children-Council on Education of the Deaf's (CEC-CED's) Joint Knowledge and Skills Statement, which sets forth qualifications needed by those who teach deaf and hard of hearing students, discusses key issues impacting the education of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing: cultural flexibility,…

Reflecting some of the most up-to-date thinking about enriching the experience of those who plan for and are involved in the care of children, this brochure lists critical skills of those individuals in the child care profession, and may be used as a reminder and as a self-evaluation tool. The skills highlighted are: enhancing child development;…

This study investigated components of preservice training likely to influence the development of expertise in teaching. The study examined whether perceived self-efficacy, cognitive skills for teaching, basic teaching skills, beginning training teacher performance, knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of teaching, teacher work environment, and…

This teaching packet is designed to teach Alaskan students in grades 4-6 about Alaska's seabird populations, the worldwide significance of seabirds, and the environmental conditions to which seabirds are sensitive. The packet includes a curriculum guide (containing a teacher's background story and 12 teaching activities), a separately published…

This paper presents some possible reasons why persons with visual impairments are under-represented in the fields of mathematics and science, including insufficient general preparation for higher education during the K-12 years and the lack of effective alternative instructional materials and methods available to a person with a visual impairment…

This study was conducted to determine: (1) if technical institute faculty and administrators believe there should be state licensing for postsecondary technical institute faculty; (2) if technical faculty and administrators believe a licensing process similar to that used in other non-teaching professions should be implemented; and (3) what…

In 1996, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future published a report, "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future." The state of Missouri entered into a partnership with the National Commission to study and debate issues raised in the report. In 1997, the Missouri Commission on the Future of Teaching convened for…

The goal of this guide is to provide resources for teachers and trainers to use in helping students improve their scientific thinking and problem solving skills in real-life situations. Each activity is characterized by inquiry-based learning, process skill development, and gender equity considerations. Topics for activities include problem…