Science classrooms in the United States have become more diverse with respect to the variety of languages spoken by students. This qualitative study used ethnographic methods to investigate the discourse and practices of two ninth grade science classrooms. Approximately 44% of students included in the study were designated as English learners. The…

This paper reports on a study of 22 preservice teachers enrolled in a first-semester mathematics teaching methods course. Course activities included participation in two separate field experiences in neighboring school districts. The methods class placed considerable emphasis on the use of advanced digital technologies in the teaching and learning…

Museum educators have a longstanding presence in museums and play a significant role in the institutions' educational agenda. However, research on field trips to science museums has predominantly explored teachers' and students' perspectives with little acknowledgment of the museum educators who develop and implement the educational programs the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which elementary teachers applied their understanding of conceptual learning and teaching to their instructional practices as they became knowledgeable about conceptual change pedagogy. Teachers' various ways to interpret and utilize students' prior ideas were analyzed in both epistemological…

As a high school English teacher in Ohio and later as a college professor of future teachers in Florida, the author, who loved choreographing dance routines, viewed teaching as consisting of both artistic and technical elements. Like dance which is a combination of artistic and technical skills, teaching also requires the combination of both…

While it is easy to find lesson plans on the Internet, the quality of plans and the formats in which they are written vary considerably, and the process of sifting through the chaff in order to find the wheat can be time-consuming and discouraging. To address these concerns the authors of this Technology in Literacy column introduce…

The purpose of this study was to train teachers to follow a task analysis to teach a story-based literacy lesson using adapted, grade-appropriate middle school literature to students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities. A multiple-probe-across-participants design was used to examine the effects of training teachers to follow a…

The critical aspects distribution of professional leadership, alignment in learning and research close to practices, were lifted forward in order to exemplify a research project with learning study as an approach for alignment between teacher education and practice, and as consequence an instrument for distribution of power. The results showed…

Teachers today must meet the needs of a variety of learners. In addition to the broad array of cultural differences and varying disabilities teachers encounter, their classrooms reflect a wide range of abilities among the "typical" students. Regardless of the reasons, teachers today find that the large-group "one-size-fits-all" lesson is not…

How many beginning teachers struggle to create new lessons despite the fact that experienced teachers have already designed effective lessons for the same content? Shulman (1987) used the term "collective amnesia" to describe the failure of school leaders to design professional development that included the collection of its best…

This article presents major results of TIMSS, along with practical suggestions and questions that mathematics teachers can ask themselves in terms of how to apply the results to the improvement of their practice.

While other factors affect mastery of a lesson, closure helps learners know what they learned, why they learned it, and how it is useful. The five most common methods of closure are reviewed and techniques for incorporating them into lesson planning are discussed. (MT)

There is no part of the education given in the schools of a democracy like this one that is of more importance to society and State than that which has to do with social and civic relations. The purpose of the lessons contained in this bulletin is to enable teachers of children in the elementary grades in city schools to make a good practical…