Continued physical well-being is important, especially within the aging teacher ranks. The story of one veteran exercise instructor emphasizes fitness and weaves best classroom practices throughout the narrative.

This article examines standards which would define a teacher who is good enough to teach children. A good teacher should understand the development of learners. To ensure inclusive learning environments, the teacher should use understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures. The teacher should also collaborate with others to develop…

Using Tomlinson's (2004) framework, the post-secondary classroom can be transformed into a community of learners where different avenues are provided for effectively acquiring content, processing ideas, and developing products. This article explores how instructors can differentiate instruction in teacher-education methods courses by…

Basically everything associated with maximizing student engagement, achievement, optimal learning environment, learning zone, and the like can be attributed to the work of Lev Vygotsky (1978). A Russian psychologist and social constructivist, Vygotsky (1896-1934) proposed a concept so fundamental to the theory of motivation that it undergirds…

One can tell quite a lot about what goes on in a classroom or a school even if one visits after everyone has gone home. Just by looking at the walls--or, more precisely, what's on the walls--it's possible to get a feel for the educational priorities, the attitudes about children, even the assumptions about human nature of the people in charge. In…

Over the past 10 years, the numbers of students with physical disability who are being educated in inclusive or universal design for learning (UDL) classrooms have been increasing steadily. These students are expected to complete grade-level assignments, but not all of them are provided the necessary supports to do so. Many teachers in inclusive…

In the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field, the term Developmentally Appropriate Practice, otherwise known as DAP, has been defined many times and many ways. One aspect of DAP that has received recent attention is environment. Because of the accountability emphasis of the No Child Left Behind Act, environment is generally being approached in a…

The relationship of schools to diverse communities demands attention by administrators, teachers, staff members, and volunteers. How well the three constructs mesh depends on the abilities and sensitivities of all constituencies involved. Three components are essential to successful programs that involve families in an educational setting:…

When school bells ring to mark the start of the 2005-2006 academic year, the District of Columbia's Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School will welcome more than 200 elementary students, as well as a new teacher: First Daughter Jenna Bush. Statements released by the White House announced Jenna's decision to put her college…

Today's classrooms are a reflection of today?s society; and more than anything else, they can be characterized as diverse. Every day, new students arrive at school who speak a language unknown in the community, who are recent immigrants to the United States, who are struggling to learn because of stresses in their lives outside of school, or who…

Teachers have a significant role to play in developing citizens committed to social justice. They can best fulfill this role by guiding students to examine injustice, seek out multiple perspectives on social problems, and develop concrete strategies for improving their communities and nation. This work is best supported by the development of a…

Principals are the leaders of their schools, they are responsible for both student and professional learning. With thought, organization, and communication, welcoming and assisting beginning teachers as they enter their new profession can be done efficiently and effectively. An administrator who not only understands the difficult induction year,…

In this article, the author shares the lessons she learned about teaching when she left her kindergarten classroom for a college classroom. She relates how she initially experienced disequilibrium between her personal practical theories about teaching and learning and her actual practice as a new college teacher. She relates that she recreated her…

Asserts that learning in arts programs outside of school can be instrumental in improving learning inside the classroom, examining a non-school site for learning (a video arts center) and discussing the interdisciplinary nature of such learning, negotiated versus high stakes learning in arts environments, and implications for school learning…

Teachers can help children deal with confusing emotions during times of crisis by listening to them and creating a comfortable environment. This paper explains what teachers can do in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11th, 2001, focusing on the impact of trauma, how children of different ages react and cope, safety and the future, and…