This article is written from the perspective of 4 current MA TESOL graduate students at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). These students have written about their experiences by incorporating their theoretical and pedagogical English language-teaching knowledge into the growth and maintenance of a community-based ESL program…

This article reports the findings of a joint unit plan critique project between two preservice teacher cohorts seeking teacher certification in general education and special education respectively. The paper addressed three questions: 1) What common affordances does this joint project have for the general and special education preservice teachers?…

In this paper, I examine the utility of a mathematics learning trajectory as a tool to support teachers' attention to students' mathematical thinking. I present findings from one second grade teacher's use of a learning trajectory as she planned a sequence of three mathematics lessons. Findings suggest learning trajectories support teachers in…

This study examined teachers' literacy and technology integration in their design of Internet-based lessons for Grade 1-6 students using a tool that scaffolds the design process to focus on Internet resources and reading strategies. Twenty-six teachers' lessons on a public database were analyzed for design orientation, goals, curricular…

This mixed method study examined teachers' ratings of 37 field-tested social studies lesson plans that incorporated digital primary sources through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program for K-12 teachers. Each lesson, available in an online teaching materials collection, was field-tested and reviewed by at…

This study sets out to investigate how pre-service ESL teachers shape their beliefs in the process of experimenting with new teaching methods introduced in the teacher education programme. A 4-year longitudinal study was conducted with four randomly selected ESL pre-service teachers. Their theoretical orientations of ESL instruction were tracked…

We present the perspectives of teachers and others involved in the collaborative design of teaching and learning artifacts across three cases: (a) an independent group participating in lesson study; (b) teachers participating in professional development programs; and (c) a district initiative for producing numeracy tasks. Among the results we…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how WebQuests can be used in physics classes for teaching specific concepts. The study had three stages. The first stage was to develop a WebQuest on Newton's second law. The second stage involved developing a lesson plan to implement the WebQuest in class. In the final stage, the WebQuest was…

In this paper we present a comprehensive model of instruction for providing consistent, high quality teaching to L2 students. This model, the SIOP Model (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), provides an explicit framework for organizing instructional practices to optimize the effectiveness of teaching second and foreign language learners.…

Informal learning environments often host teachers for learning opportunities, but little is known about the impact of these experiences on teacher professional development (PD). This article describes a unique collaborative PD experience between zoological park personnel and university faculty, examining the impact on teacher content knowledge,…

Latest standards-based reform documents from mathematics and science education organizations and communities bring forward one important issue--higher-order thinking skills, namely reasoning. In this article, we share our experiences and our approach to developing an integrated course for mathematics and science prospective teachers centered on…

This investigation explores the effectiveness of a teacher preparation program aligned with situated learning theory on preservice science teachers' use of technology during their student teaching experiences. Participants included 26 preservice science teachers enrolled in a 2-year Master of Teaching program. A specific program goal was to…

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, federal law requires schools to demonstrate yearly progress toward academic proficiency. Data have shown that students with special needs often achieve higher levels of academic growth in inclusive classrooms than in special education classrooms. Furthermore, studies have also suggested…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new music education program in Cyprus. The program which was created by the author of this study, combined early childhood music education and children's literature. Nine lessons were created which included three original children stories and six songs. Five primary music teachers implemented the whole…

Four organizations with promising practices in teacher Professional Growth & Support have significantly raised outcomes for low-income students. The charter management networks, Achievement First and Aspire Public Schools, and the two reform organizations, Teach Plus and Agile Mind, have successfully increased student achievement with a…