There is a line in Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" that applies to any endeavor, but especially teaching. It reads: "That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly." The essence of teaching is difficult to qualify, but that line leads directly into the author's most essential criterion. In this…

This study aims to determine and describe the new domain-specific expertise of experienced chemistry teachers in teaching an innovative context-based unit about macro-micro thinking in structure-property relations. The construct of "teachers' domain-specific expertise" was used to analyse the new repertoire chemistry teachers need to acquire to…

Because pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) includes teachers' understanding of how students learn, or fail to learn, specific subject matter, the development of PCK is an important goal to focus on in professional development programs. The research literature clearly indicates the complex nature of PCK as a form of teachers' professional…

Data-driven decision making has become an essential component of educational practice across all levels, from chief state school officers to classroom teachers, and has received unprecedented attention in terms of policy and financial support. It was included as one of the four pillars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009),…

Although many studies have shown the need to pay attention to teachers' preparation for the integration of technology in classroom practice, most teachers in Ghana have not had any preparation that develops their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). This paper presents a case study of four pre-service mathematics teachers from the…

This study explores middle and high school students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter after they were taught the concept. A total of 87 students (41 high school and 46 middle school) participated in the study. Findings suggest that students held misconceptions about the law of conservation of matter, chemical composition of matter…

Pre-service teachers around the world need to develop their content knowledge of scientific evidence to meet the requirements of recent school curriculum developments which prepare pupils to be scientifically literate. This research reports a replication study in Turkey of an intervention originally carried out with pre-service primary teachers in…

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of pre-service mathematics teachers related to drama-based instruction. For this purpose, effects of a drama-based mathematics course on senior class pre-service mathematics teachers' knowledge about drama-based instruction and teacher candidates' competencies for developing and…

Despite the abundance of research on the potential of lesson study for promoting teachers' professional growth through practice and collaboration, little is known on how language teachers perceive this strategy for their computer assisted language learning (CALL) professional development. In an attempt to contribute to this research base, this…

This study sought to identify the relationships among elementary teachers instructional practices in mathematics pre- and post-CCLS implementation in relation to technological and pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), formative assessment, reflective practice, receptivity to change, academic optimism, and instructional leadership across age,…

The impetus for this paper stems from a concern about directions and progress in the measurement of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework for effective technology integration. In this paper, we develop the rationale for using a seven-criterion lens, based upon contemporary validity theory, for critiquing empirical…

Group work, an essential component of learning and teaching in problem-based learning (PBL), is compromised if students' experiences of PBL are colored by dissatisfaction with the process or outcomes. For the potential benefits of PBL to be realized PBL group work must be genuinely collaborative to address students' personal and professional…

Staff development is a crucial element for educational intervention. Recognizing the importance of staff development, this study aims to pin-point suitable methodologies in developing a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) academic staff development program for a higher education institute where PBL has become an intervention alternative. The study aims…

There is growing worldwide interest in Japanese lesson study as a model for professional learning, with large-scale adaptations of lesson study taking place in many countries. This paper describes how teachers and researchers collaborated in a lesson study project carried out in three Victorian schools. It describes Japanese lesson study and the…

The phrase "curriculum making" has recently been used to describe medium-term planning and teachers' enactment of such planning in the classroom. This narrows the term's initial use from that in the first half of the twentieth century when it was employed inclusively from national programmes to lesson planning. While considering related…