The purpose of this case study was to understand and to describe the sources of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) for an experienced European American teacher in a suburban high school. Like other teachers who may have left teaching, this teacher had been challenged over the years. This could have threatened her sense of self-efficacy and ultimately…

This article revisits a phenomenological case study in which I used metaphor to explore, over a seven-year span, the blossoming and wilting of an early childhood teacher's career due to the complex interplay between a range of personal, relational and contextual influences (Sumsion 2002). Following Kamler (2001), I now bring a critical lens to my…

Research has established that students enter their science classes with ideas about the natural world that do not align with accepted scientific beliefs. The diagnosis of these student preconceptions may be seen as an initial, crucial step in the process of teacher-facilitated conceptual change. So as to capture what science teachers do in their…

This is a personal account of the author's naivete, growth, and hope as a literacy educator after she left her position as a university professor to teach reading to young adolescents. She describes how her experience and academic expertise did not fully prepare her for the realities of working in a middle school and how she became more aware of…

This article deals with using formative assessments to individualize instruction and promote learning. Formative assessment serves the dual purpose of giving the teacher information on the effectiveness of the lesson and giving students information on the current state of their learning. Such information can guide future instructional decisions.…

This classroom scholarship report is based on the teaching experience using Davydov's mathematics curriculum, which was developed in the former Soviet Union. While "from arithmetic to algebra" is the normally accepted instructional sequence in school mathematics, Davydov's curriculum is laid out "from algebra to arithmetic," focusing on algebraic…

Effective professional learning requires that staff developers thoughtfully plan to meet varying teacher needs and be responsive to differences--that they model the differentiation teachers will practice in the classroom. Staff developers must be mindful of participants' current learning needs and plan according to their readiness, interest, and…

Susan Friedman, a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of South Florida, has found through her own teaching experience that incorporating autobiographical texts and self-writing into her pedagogical practices can foster a classroom environment that pays attention to subjectivity to promote mindful, ethical behavior in both…

This report is the twenty-fourth in a series of surveys sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984 as a public service. This "MetLife Survey" examines the perspectives and experiences of teachers, students and parents regarding the purposes, quantity, quality, and value of homework. The Survey also includes an online strategy session with public…

With the purpose of highlighting the validity and use of student evaluations of teaching (SETs), this article analyzes student grades and student evaluations of teaching performance along with nine other independent variables in the Spanish program of a major university. Data analyzed for this project represents four years of teaching and includes…

This article brings together an overview of ideas about teacher learning from both teacher education and workplace learning literature, and examines what and how newly qualified secondary school teachers learn in the early years of their career. We discuss the types of knowledge new teachers encounter and present a typology of teacher learning.…

The extant studies reveal a considerable mismatch between students' and teachers' perceptions of student stress. The present study compared the judgments of teachers-in-training (N = 109) with the responses of first- and sixth-grade children (n = 56 and 93, respectively). The following questions are addressed: (a) Do teachers' judgments of the…

The U.S. Department of Education predicts that more than 2.2 million teaching positions in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to be filled over the next 10 years. Given the demand for classroom teachers, 48 states and the District of Columbia have created alternate route (AR) teaching certification programs to recruit individuals who have…

While Michigan students learn a variety of skills in their time at school, perhaps the most important charge of public schools, beyond providing a safe and healthy environment, is to ensure that students are learning their three fundamental skills: reading, writing and arithmetic. Unfortunately, the achievement levels of Michigan public school…

This report describes the amount of variance in student achievement that can be attributed to school, teacher, and student-level variables.