Study examined programmatic and personal dimensions shaping eight future teachers' beliefs and practices, charting developmental stages via dialogue journals and case study analysis. Journals written at three stages indicated subjects' personal biographies interacted with other influences, helping or impeding their ability to negotiate and reflect…

Warns against the new model emerging for first-year writing programs that puts dogma before diversity, politics before craft, ideology before critical thinking, and the social goals of the teacher before the educational needs of the student. Discusses how this model came about, the threat it poses to first-year courses, and new possibilities for…

Presents a checklist that early childhood program directors can use to evaluate staff performance. The checklist enumerates positive behaviors in the areas of general work habits; attitudes and skills with children, parents, classes, and co-workers; and professional development. (AC)

Describes literature discussion groups and the role of talk in them. Examines the stories of three teachers who ran into roadblocks in literature discussion groups and turned their roadblocks into questions and inquiries. Discusses the important insights they discovered about talk, literacy, students, and themselves as they inquired. (SR)

Discusses 3 different categories of literacy programs discerned in observations of 37 kindergarten classrooms over an 8-year period: maturationist teachers, basal teachers, and emergent literacy teachers. Provides perceived rationales for the existence of these categories. (SR)

Seven articles in this theme issue discuss how to enhance leadership skills through mentoring, the pitfalls of leadership education, teachers' role, leadership for handicapped learners, and the impact of Future Farmers of America on development of student leaders. (SK)

Study examined relationships between the amounts and types of teacher behavior directed toward individual students. Researchers observed six experienced elementary physical education teachers. Teachers interacted differently with students who displayed different characteristics. Results suggest teachers unconsciously react to student…

The effects of educational practices emphasizing faculty control of the learning process on student effort to learn are explored. Research on student learning is summarized. Educational systems that do not acknowledge student management of their own effort will not succeed. (SLD)

Discusses a system of training inservice mathematics teachers based on the psychoanalytic theories of the Balint group. Illustrates this approach through the analysis of material taken from a recorded session concerning one particular teacher. (MDH)

Investigates K-7 teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and instructional decisions about process writing. Finds that most teachers (1) understand that writing is primarily a communication act; (2) received instruction in process writing and use strategies associated with process writing for instruction; and (3) are progressing toward a level of…

Extends earlier studies that surveyed educators about their use of and reaction to classroom literacy portfolios. Finds that a growing number of professionals are actually using portfolios. Finds also that educators agree that portfolios should be used for assessment purposes in the language arts and to help place individual students in special…

Outlines some of the issues and problems inherent in the group dynamics in the English classroom. Considers how English teachers are part of the group in a classroom and, therefore, are subject to the same predictable anxieties and are reliant on similar coping behaviors. (HB)

Four educators respond to the article in this issue which suggests that statistical data do not support a link between student achievement and staff development. The responses revisit the research used in the original article, suggesting that the link exists and discussing how future research could be improved. (SM)

Examined preservice teachers' ability to use component-specific feedback to positively influence elementary students' performance on overhead throw. Researchers developed an instrument to record teachers' verbal behaviors concurrent with student performance. Analysis of videotapes indicated teachers had content knowledge but limited ability to…

Questions whether current social studies curriculum units and learning activities contribute to the goals of citizenship education. Contends that student attitudes about citizenship are seldom affected by typical social studies instruction. Asserts that teachers must understand and accept larger educational goals and develop classroom activities…