This paper reports on a partnership based approach for preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach science. It involved forming three-way or "triadic" partnerships, consisting of a final year pre-service primary teacher and an in-service colleague, to teach science in the colleague teacher's classroom, with the support of a…

This article draws on and develops the outcomes of previous research which concluded that school subject departments provide the setting for influential professional development and that experienced teachers strongly influence their newly qualified colleagues. The findings of two subsequent research projects, which used this as a starting point,…

The purpose of this case study was to find out the attitudes of parents towards mainstreaming children with special needs into 2 regular private elementary schools in Sidon-Lebanon. A total of 15 parents were interviewed out of 35 whose children have learning disabilities. Sampling was purposeful where the subjects were chosen to facilitate…

This article is based on a qualitative study that explored whether race affects the nature of adult relationships in schools and, if so, how this affects professional development efforts focused on closing the achievement gap. Findings demonstrate that race does affect the adult relationships in schools, although this impact is different for…

This paper explores issues emerging from the authors' experiences of collaborative research in Ghana, by researchers from a Ghanaian and a British university. The text emerges from discussions between partners and in retrospective reflection on the research process. It is constructed by bringing together personal accounts of the different authors…

Collaborative teaching has grown in popularity as students with disabilities have been increasingly moved to general education classrooms. Despite the growth of these models, little empirical evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of these practices. In this investigation, general and special education teachers (N = 118) from 20 urban…

Two professors of reading redesigned, merged, and co-taught their respective methods courses (one elementary, one special education) to foster "literacy for all" through interdisciplinary content and collaboration. The characteristic needs of students with learning disabilities and the instructional strategies that promote their literacy…

The role of the special educator has changed. Similar to general educators, special educators are more accountable, more specialized, and more collaborative. To be effective in this new role, special educators need to recommit to the founding principles of the discipline and embrace the tools that allow them to meet the needs of students with…

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for conducting research on teacher education programmes that practise collaboration between special and general education faculty to advance inclusion. Such a framework can establish a common language for collaborative teacher education and provide a structure for conducting research on…

Collaboration is critical in an effective social studies program, especially given the fact that the social studies curriculum includes teaching students interpersonal and other social skills. In this article, the author discusses how the curriculum can facilitate or hinder collaboration. The curriculum hinders collaboration if its design is not…

Some practical ideas for teachers and literacy coaches are put forth in this column. These suggestions can make any school a more collaborative environment.

This paper considers professional development in a context that is familiar and problematic to teaching teams in tertiary education everywhere, that of delivering online programmes with an ever-decreasing complement of staff. The Teaching Qualification Further Education (TQFE) teaching team at University of Dundee confronted the reality of reduced…

According to Birchak, Connor, Crawford, Kahn, Kaser, Turner, & Short (1998), Fang, Fu, & Lamme (2004), Kennedy & Sheil (2010), and Wiliam (2008), teacher study groups can provide a supportive and collaborative professional development environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the professional development experiences of…

Filled with down-to-earth ideas, suggestions, strategies, and techniques, "The Co-Teaching Book of Lists" provides educators with a hands-on resource for making the co-teaching experience a success. Written by educator and popular teacher trainer Kathy Perez, this book gives educators a classroom-tested and user-friendly reference for the…

Faculty learning communities (FLCs) provide their members with both information and support as they move toward utilizing digital technology tools, learn new skills, and share meaningful instructional practices. This paper emerges from the initial year of an FLC established in a large urban research university with a focus on integrating digital…