A high school teacher describes the learning activities his students initiated to make math more meaningful. Students determined the height of objects without direct measurement, graphed statistical information from the presidential primaries, studied the evolution of architecture by building gingerbread models, and researched land-use problems at…

Science teachers in secondary schools in Dade County, Florida were surveyed to investigate the extent and effectiveness of the infusion of environmental topics into the science curriculum. While the experience of a teacher in using environmental topics had some positive effect in increasing student interest, success of this method depended more…

Examined the impact of teaching experience on teaching efficacy. Preservice and experienced teachers completed a modified Teacher Efficacy Scale and discussed factors affecting their sense of teaching efficacy. Results found quantitative and qualitative differences in preservice and inservice teachers' efficacy beliefs. Respondents overwhelmingly…

Explored the potential of the case method in teacher professional development. Experienced Israeli teachers were exposed to a case, and researchers characterized the resulting dialog. Teacher interviews indicated that teachers found the language of the case communicative. Teachers viewed this method as respectable and credible, though most did not…

Investigated the evaluation and implementation of four standards-based curriculum programs by middle school mathematics teachers. Data from classroom observations, field notes, individual and group surveys, and teacher and administrator interviews indicated that amount and quality of teachers' experience, curriculum and instruction knowledge base,…

The experiences of two schoolmasters in the small Western Port Bay fishing community of Hastings (Australia) in the last century are presented to provide insights to present-day teachers about the nature of living and teaching in a rural community. The second schoolmaster did a much better job than the first in involving parents in school…

Gives an account in journal format of the author's experiences teaching writing and literature at a missionary school in Nigeria. Describes difficulties and conflicts of beliefs encountered over a period of time with her colleagues. Presents a poem from one of her teaching assistants and discusses reactions and meanings involved in the different…

Highlights Juila Bulkley's experience at the University of Chicago and her role in the development of the Department of Pedagogy for teacher education. Illustrates the extent to which the dynamics of institutional aspiration at the University of Chicago in its early years permeated faculty relations and converged with issues of gender. (CMK)

Describes the case method of instruction as using cases or studies of teachers in real or fictional settings as prompts for students' discussion and reflection. Summarizes the case method research in music and teacher education, identifies casebooks for teacher education, discusses teachers' use of case method, and offers suggestions for practice…

Presents an interview with Theodore R. Sarbin, a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Focuses on his work with narrative psychology and role theory, how he developed his research interests, and his book entitled "Believed-In Imaginings: The Narrative Construction of Reality." (CMK)

Explains that the experience of college students' practice teaching exhibits a number of shortcomings that derive from the content of education in universities and teaching institutions in Russia. Addresses the quality of college students' overall-scientific training and the psychological-teacher training in the shaping of the teacher. (CMK)

Hierarchical linear modeling is used to examine the extent to which expertise, longevity at the school, educational attainment, and leadership propensity affect the participation of teachers in school-conducted needs assessments. Findings from five elementary and intermediate/high schools show that expertise, longevity, and leadership affect…

Examined whether changing understandings of educational purposes would constitute an important component of teachers' developing practical theories. Fifth-year teachers viewed a recorded sequence of classroom teaching/learning, then explained their understanding of what they saw. Respondents varied in how they understood educational purposes.…

Examines the early experiences of a Peace Corps teacher of English as a foreign language in Botswana, Africa, followed by his time as a teacher trainer and early graduate-school experiences. The case study offers personal and professional insights about new teachers, teacher preparation, language learning, and multiculturalism. (Author/MSE)

This study examined the structure of child care classrooms and centers to predict process quality. Costs and quality of early childhood center-based care in four states with varying levels of regulation were analyzed to identify characteristics of the teacher, classroom, director, and center related to child care quality. Findings suggest the need…