Mentoring is often an important component of alternative certification programs, yet little is known about what novices learn about science teaching through mentoring relationships. This study investigated the advice given by two mentor science teachers to their proteges. Findings indicate that mentors gave more advice related to general…

This study explores the extent to which an activity used in an elementary science methods course affected the preservice teachers' content knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. The participants were 172 students enrolled in five sections of elementary science methods. Students participated in a 9-week investigation on life cycles using…

This article describes a professional development course intended to improve the content understanding of middle school mathematics teachers. The design of the course included three professional learning strategies: problem solving, examination of student thinking, and discussion of research. The concepts studied in the course included multi-digit…

The 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires all states to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education the number of prospective teachers at each teacher training institution who pass their own state tests for licensure. However, the law left decisions on what tests to require in each field, what to assess on them, and…

The combination of federal exigency for Highly Qualified Teachers in every classroom (No Child Left Behind, 2001) and focus on teacher accountability has created a plethora of routes to teacher certification and continuing education. This urgent situation has placed a burden on schools of education to approach teacher education in creative and…

In evaluating the success of teacher development programs, valid and scalable measures of teaching practice are needed. We have developed and validated the Science Lesson Plan Analysis Instrument (SLPAI) for quantitative evaluation of teacher-generated multiday lesson plans. This paper presents the SLPAI as a complement to surveys and classroom…

Enacting the vision of NCTM's "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" depends on effective teacher professional development. This 7-year study of 48 projects in the National Science Foundation's Local Systemic Change Through Teacher Enhancement Initiative investigates the relationship between professional development and…

In Finland teaching of technology has traveled a long road during its 140-year history. It has gradually gone from the copying of the model series dating back to the 1860s to the building of computer controlled robots. Materials, techniques and technology have developed wildly but the pedagogic contents are restricted regrettably still often only…

For well over 25 years, critical thinking has been declared an educational ideal. However, though institutions are committed to teaching "critical thinking" (CT), there are numerous important questions that need careful treatment if this goal is to be met. First, the faculties must arrive at a shared understanding of what they mean by…

The theme of the 38th meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 38) and the 36th meeting of the North American Chapter of the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA 36) was "Mathematics Education at the Edge." Academically, the theme provides opportunities to highlight and examine…

The paper examines how community was established in a professional development institute that focused on algebra content knowledge for middle school mathematics teachers. This qualitative study was framed within a situative perspective. We analyzed multiple data sources to identify the ways in which community was established. Results indicate…

This paper presents a case-study of a mathematics teacher who has substantively developed her mediational strategies and her conceptions of mathematical knowledge as a result of her participation in an in- service program. Her new teaching practices raise serious dilemmas for her in relation to her teaching context, in particular, the limited…

Addresses the problem of constructing a syllabus as a pedagogical tool and an artifact of scholarship. States three scholarly syllabus benefits: (1) provides a picture of research and reflection; (2) has potential to organize, integrate, and direct student learning; and (3) aids teachers in planning classroom activities. (Author/KDR)

Examined how college faculty thought about student learning, learning, focusing on pedagogical content knowledge acquired by faculty at a private university. Using data from faculty interviews, the article describes 20 types of influences on student learning that faculty have become aware of through their engagement in team efforts to redesign…

Defines pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), summarizing relevant research. The paper describes how teachers can develop rich PCK, focusing on three comprehensive teaching models that can be used to enhance teachers' PCK (sport education, a tactical games approach, and ecological task analysis). The paper concludes by highlighting strategies for…