The thoughts that teachers have about the content and students they are to teach influences the way in which they will teach. This article briefly discusses the literature on teacher thinking with particular reference to recent work in science education to provide a framework in which to situate the research. The article describes the interview…

A case study examined the decision-making process that impelled a teacher to change her literacy instructional practices and the change process she went through when adopting new practices. The teacher (who has taught first grade for 5 years at an elementary school in a large Caribbean island school district) volunteered to try whole language…

An action research project described a program for improving elementary children's recreational reading habits through a combination of modeling by the teacher plus incentives to enhance students' intrinsic motivation to read for enjoyment. The targeted population consisted of three suburban public schools, grades 2 and 4. Analysis of probable…

Noting that employers in the New York City area have complained about the lack of communication skills of City University of New York (CUNY) graduates, this paper discusses a new program of communication-intensive courses at Baruch College (a CUNY college with a specialization in business) to address the problem. The paper highlights standards and…

The purpose of this study was twofold: to validate a list of distance teaching behaviors; and to develop training guidelines on the most frequently observed and the most important behaviors of distance instructors. Respondents (distance coordinators at 30 college and university distance education sites in Georgia) were asked to indicate how…

This paper is based on a year-long inquiry into the possibility of democratic education in traditional environments. The study was guided by the questions: (1) what are the teacher qualities needed to transcend the structures of schooling to engage in democratic practices?; and (2) how are these practices manifested in the classroom? The…

The comments of a student new to Advanced Placement courses convinced a teacher of Advanced Placement English that opening up her class to all students was not enough--the teacher had to learn how to teach an untracked English class. Three basic strategies for teaching the class took shape: the teacher spent a great deal of time modeling tasks;…

This paper argues that classroom discussions are important sites of investigation, not for the purpose of identifying and prescribing effective discussion strategies, but for understanding why particular discursive strategies tend to dominate classroom talk and what might be done to alter such practices. The paper is grounded in feminist…

A study described the characteristics of sociocognitive conflicts and the discourse associated with such conflicts, and determined how the cognitive processes exercised during discussion were internalized. Participants were 97 fourth-grade students and 6 elementary classroom teachers. Peer-led and teacher-led discussions of texts were examined to…

Intended for teachers, the articles in this book examine some of the uncertainties and problems that practicing teachers encountered when moving from a traditional to a holistic perspective in their teaching. The book shares the questions, the conflicts the teachers have undergone, and the change in beliefs that are part of becoming a…

A study examined the classroom communication behaviors adult learners and traditional undergraduate students associate with highly effective and highly ineffective instructors. Subjects, 155 traditional undergraduate students (68 males and 87 females) and 95 adult learners (23 males and 71 males) at a large midwestern university, rated the…

Teachers' perceptions of student behaviors were examined to explain teachers' attitudes toward their students with and without learning handicaps. The study involved 44 intermediate-grade teachers who had students with learning handicaps and nonhandicapped students in their classrooms. Teachers' attitudes were measured with a four-question survey,…

Everyone who works with Australian children in early childhood services, regardless of their role or the type of service, faces ethical dilemmas in their work. These situations are complex and not easily resolved. The Australian Early Childhood Association (AECA) Code of Ethics can give guidance in grappling with complicated issues faced in early…

As reflective teaching has been a major concern in education with the movement for increased teacher professionalism and involvement in all aspects of school decision-making, the 10 articles in this volume address reflective practice in the social studies with an emphasis on how reflection and inquiry can contribute to both teacher and curriculum…

A study surveyed teacher education students' attitudes, beliefs, and habits concerning portfolio assessment. Subjects were 230 students in 10 different graduate courses on literacy education at two colleges: the University of Wisconsin and the University of Nevada. One hundred fifteen subjects (a 50% response) responded to a questionnaire. Results…