Describes a beginning secondary mathematics teacher's professional growth before and after teacher education. Interviews, observations, and analyses of videotaped lessons suggest that, if teacher educators want to increase the power of professional preparation, they should strengthen the relationship between academic learning and practical…

Examines the use of life histories as a method for explaining successful aging patterns. Describes a life-history research project in which undergraduates personalize material learned in social gerontology courses, integrating the life experience and theories. Sensitizes students to the impact of social forces on successful aging. Argues this…

Describes the first four months of initial placement of two beginning teachers who took alternative routes to teacher certification. Both worked in urban schools. Both believed their introductions to their respective schools were abrupt, noting their mentors did little to help them make the transition into the classroom. (SM)

Examines the influence of educational experiences on preservice teachers' images and expectations of self as teacher, noting disillusionments in relation to understanding about the meaning of teaching. The paper explores discrepancies between preservice teachers' expectations and realities of schools, classrooms, and students. Relevant strategies…

Reports on a study that examined the relationship between supervising teachers' personal attributes and professional backgrounds and student teachers' attitudes toward their field experience. One result was an apparent relationship between the sex of the supervisor and the attitude of the student teacher toward teaching. (SM)

Accounts of the experiences of 22 student teachers completing a final 10-week training practice in secondary schools were obtained through ethnographic interviewing. Developing a sense of belonging to the school's teaching community was a dominant theme. Recognition by teachers as colleagues and confirmation of teacher status by pupils were very…

Parker Palmer--activist, writer, and teacher--discusses the spiritual nature of teaching; the heartfelt connections teachers make with students; the challenging demands placed on teachers; balancing stress with peaceful, reclusive times; the importance to teachers of a support community; and the qualities that enable reform-minded teachers to…

Experiential and adventure educators' work can enrich their personal and professional lives if they examine how people learn, the relationship between what is taught and what is learned, their values, and their commitment. To maximize their learning experiences, experiential and adventure educators can seek feedback from colleagues, keep a…

A general-education teacher, a special-education teacher, and her two assistants worked together to develop an integrated, fully inclusive classroom in a Bayview (New York) elementary school. A blend of whole and small-group instruction was augmented with peer teaching and small cooperative groups. Language remediation centered on the curriculum…

Describes an innovative collaboration between a Texas University and several school districts which partners veteran and novice teachers in a professional growth opportunity. Certified beginning teachers receive a fellowship stipend and tuition to get a master's degree, partner with full-time mentor teachers, and perfect their teaching skills.…

A professor at Middlebury College (Vermont) discusses the benefits of teaching outdoors; the development of a bioregional curriculum that interweaves the indigenous, scientific, and literary lineages of a specific place; the use of journal writing to connect students to local geographies and communities; and the value of place-based education for…

Gives advice to music education majors on how to approach the problems of competing in the job market and finding a teaching position. Discusses how to compose a cover letter and resume in detail. Explains the importance of professional attire for the personal interview along with prepared answers to anticipated interview questions. (CMK)

Explored the interaction between the subject-matter contexts of a teacher's work and her identity as teacher and learner. Observations of teacher responses to new state and district instructional policies regarding literacy and mathematics instruction revealed that her identity as a teacher and learner about teaching differed substantially between…

This case study profiled an experienced teacher as she used two problems from a problem-oriented unit developed in a middle school mathematics curriculum project. The curriculum offered the students opportunities to make substantive mathematical connections, but teacher goals may have prevented some connections from being made. (SLD)

Data from a national survey of administrators in 74 colleges and universities with student enrollments of over 20,000 identified characteristics of respondents' work experience, personal qualities and other factors that had been important in attaining administrative positions, and courses and in-service programs they believed were instrumental in…