Discusses the New Faculty Orientation (NFO) program developed at St. Louis Community College, Missouri. Reports that about 35% of the college's 430 full-time faculty retired between 1999 and 2002, and the trend is expected to continue. Describes the NFO as a yearlong program that includes an intensive week of activities and the completion of a…

Describes advantages of using learning objects for technology-supported instruction, with a focus on higher education. Explores why teachers would want to use them, and explains how to facilitate their use. Emphasizes effective implementation of existing learning objects, rather than the separate issue of designing learning objects. (AEF)

Describes a study that investigated the self-efficacy and outcome expectancy of local teachers who participated in a professional development outreach program. Suggests that the outcome expectancy and self-efficacy of teachers did not depend on the students' economic status, geography, or ethnicity. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/YDS)

Shares broad classroom strategies for enhancing academic achievement for all students and discusses the nature and scope of each strategy. (KHR)

Discusses ways, for students planning to become music teachers, to begin their professional development during college. Explains that students can review their status by articulating a philosophy for example, developing their skills in various areas, and undertaking improvement projects. Identifies a list of items to include in a portfolio. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of prospective music teachers attending professional music conferences. Addresses how to prepare students attending a professional conference. Focuses on professional development activities and developing camaraderie with teachers at the conference. Describes what students can include in their postconference portfolios.…

Reviews theories of teacher education and describes a model of practice teaching designed to facilitate teachers' reflection on their experiences. Suggests that this reflective practice allows teachers to understand collaborative teaching and represents an opportunity for professional liberation and development. Describes experiences from…

This exploration of the implementation of a new career path for teachers in Australia, the Advanced Skills Teacher classification, shows conflicts between the industrial relations arena and teaching standards and performance assessments based on quality of teaching practice. Developing such career paths requires stable professional bodies that…

The Memphis Restructuring Initiative's first-year data-gathering efforts have yielded implications for policy and practice. This article discusses findings and implications in seven areas: opportunity to choose, goals and directions, professional development, "constructivist" teaching and learning, authentic assessment, disjunctures…

In the two places where children should feel safe and supported (home and school), gay and lesbian youth are routinely reviled. Educators have a clear professional mandate to address sexual-minority students' needs. Stratford (Connecticut) Public Schools are addressing five important issues concerning professional development, support staff and…

Argues that student teacher portfolios are a viable, effective, appropriate tool for documenting teacher growth and development and for promoting reflective practice. Traces the unique paths of two pre-service foreign language teachers who constructed a professional identity from the historical and cultural conditions of their classroom…

Assesses continuing education programs and initiatives in library and information service (LIS) in South Africa. Reviews how apartheid left educational institutions unevenly developed and argues that despite the availability of programs to most LIS personnel, those not belonging to professional organizations and those from previously disadvantaged…

Discusses the increased need for school counselors to document their achievements and demonstrate their competencies by compiling and maintaining a portfolio. Recommends the use of portfolios for school counselors, outlines methods for developing them, and suggests a variety of uses for them. Includes appendix outlining portfolio contents. (KW)

Reviews the case method from an historical perspective and explores why and how "decision" cases might be used by teacher educators in the professional preparation of teachers as reflective English-as-a-Second-Language specialists. Argues that the case method can enhance the critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills of novice and…

Surveys the professional characteristics of instructors teaching English as a Second Language to adults in non-credit programs in Ontario. Findings describe the teachers' age and gender, educational backgrounds and professional qualifications, teaching experience, employment conditions and opportunities for professional development. (eight…