This literature reviews explores the pedagogical approach, skills, and motivation factors that influence or are influenced by distance education instructors. Discusses Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs), a collaborative, problem-based asynchronous course design; and the need for instructor training and development to improve skills needed that…

Describes successes and problems of the European Schoolnet Multimedia Project, highlighting one project, the Learning School, which researched teachers' needs and uses of information and communication technology in the classroom in Portugal, Belgium, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The article examines issues related to pedagogy, demands on…

Presents five key elements of school improvement: effective leadership, teachers at the center of improvement, shared outcomes, action research as staff development, and continuous assessment. These five elements recognize the central role of teachers in lasting school improvement. They can help unlock the full potential of educators so they can…

Chronicles a year-long mentoring relationship at Kean University (New Jersey) through the eyes of the participants: one senior and tenured faculty member and one junior, first-year faculty member. States that the program is very successful in providing support to both new and seasoned faculty and allows participants to develop relationships with…

Traces the progression of professional development via formal degree programs from preservice through doctoral study. Interviews with doctoral students highlighted their motivation for undertaking doctoral studies and perceptions of the impact of doctoral studies on professional development and opportunities. Students recognized the benefits of…

K-12 teachers completed an inservice designed with a constructivist perspective to foster their professional development regarding student motivation. Participants reflected on their professional expertise and practical knowledge in groups conducted by university researchers. At the end of the intervention, participants showed increased ability to…

When called to serve on committees and take on other assignments outside their job descriptions, many educators run in the other direction. How can this work be reframed so educators can play a positive and active role as university citizens? This kind of involvement must be nurtured by all those on campus who play a leadership role. (Author)

This article introduces following articles that address the concept of "communities of practice" as a particular theoretical approach to the professional development of teachers. Using this concept, articles describe programs focused on the assessment of literacy instruction, building inclusive educational environments, and vocabulary learning in…

Analyzed the impact of autonomy and collegiality on elementary teachers' professional development. Data from interviews, questionnaires, document analyses, and observations indicated that autonomy and collegiality appeared in various forms in relationships among the teachers, with certain forms of autonomy and collegiality, and certain…

Describes an ongoing study in which 60 beginning elementary teachers have access to an online community that integrates many Internet communication tools. The study seeks to identify specific determinants of successful use of computer technology as professional development and collaborative learning tools and to describe the interaction between…

Describes the experiences of a successful high school English department that illustrate how teacher collaboration and interdependence can support teacher-driven growth and new instructional behaviors. Some of the department's guiding principals include destratifying, empowering, collaborating, unfettering, and recognizing. Important elements that…

Discusses the benefits and drawbacks of teaching portfolios and student portfolios. Suggests that students can best gain from their years of study when the systemic reflection that is characteristic of portfolios engages them (through learning portfolios) and their teachers (through teaching portfolios); embedding such thinking in practice is…

Describes how the author, a reading specialist, served as a resource to students and teachers in a large high school by collaborating in different ways with different content area teachers. Shows how approaching this work as a partner rather than an expert, and enhancing teaching and learning for both teachers and students, can foster…

Describes a faculty development program at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) designed to allow mid-career and senior faculty to effectively apply technology to teaching and learning. Considers implications of such faculty development processes for post-tenure review approaches. (Author/DB)

Discusses the adaptation of academic library instructional programs in response to new technologies, most notably the Internet. Topics include a brief history of library instruction; the Internet age; faculty needs; and changes in the student population and the need to focus on the users. (LRW)