In this essay, the author explores the notion that the focus of learning in classrooms and schools extends beyond the learning of individuals to create a collective body of knowledge that is larger than what any one person knows. This idea was examined in a collaboration between Project Zero researchers and educators from the municipal preschools…

This essay employs the images and voices of children to describe how their learning about the world is supported as they engage in experiences that invoke creativity and imagination. The author states his belief that this "imagining," this giving body and substance to the nature of "imagination" is one of the foundations of knowing, a means of…

The purpose of this essay is to describe quality teacher induction that has evolved from "fourth-wave" (1997-2006) teacher induction program development and research. A definition of quality induction is proposed, and a set of induction goals and components are outlined. Understandings gained from fourth-wave programs are described, including ways…

This article examines the process of learning to teach an educational foundations course and explores the complexities of designing and teaching an educational foundations course based on the current educational foundations scholarship. The author details his graduate school experiences related to the pedagogy of educational foundations, connects…

This essay attempts to shed light on key influences on the process of becoming a social foundations educator, focusing on the problem of how to conceptualize the work and aims of a social foundations practice. A suggested solution to this problem lies in the concept of "theorizing practice." The essay briefly elaborates this concept, and its…

In this article, the author argues that if we want teachers to help students develop voice and fluency as writers, we need to provide opportunities for teachers to engage in the same kind of work. In a course called "Writing, Reading and Teaching Poetry" that is part of the Master's Degree program in English Education at Lehman College/CUNY,…

Lee S. Shulman is the President of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a foundation whose mission is "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of teaching." Prior to assuming his role at Carnegie, Shulman was the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and…

Dr. Arthur Wise has had a long and distinguished career working for teacher quality and professionalism, school finance reform, and advancement of educational research. As the president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, he directed that organization's development of performance-based standards and assessments and has…

In this article, Cochran-Smith argues that now more than ever, teacher education needs public intellectuals to challenge prevailing views and expose its governing myths. The author makes this argument by describing two issues that are in great need of public critique: (1) the myth that teacher education is a public policy problem that can be…

Recently, Professor Sonia Nieto of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst presented the results of her research on the factors that contribute to the sustainment of the professional vitality and commitment of quality teachers in urban high schools. Through her interactions with the teachers in her study, Professor Nieto identified seven themes…

Dispositions for teaching have become a key issue in teacher education reform. Relatively little attention, however, has been devoted to studying how dispositions for teaching develop. This article argues that acquiring appropriate professional dispositions for teaching is a socio-cultural process that benefits from both formal and informal…

This article presents an interview with John I. Goodlad, the president of the nonprofit Institute for Educational Inquiry in Seattle and a founder of the Center for Educational Renewal at the University of Washington. He is the author of over thirty books on education (several of which have been translated into foreign languages), including the…

Every child deserves a quality education. Providing competent, caring, qualified teachers in schools organized for success is the way to get there, but the devil is in the details. By tinkering on the edges, adopting piecemeal approaches to attracting, supporting, and retaining highly qualified teachers for the students who need them most, the…

Virginia Richardson, professor and former chair of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, has recently been recognized for her contributions to teacher education with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). She has previously served as Vice President of Division K for the…

In this article, the author identifies two current--and competing--discourses concerning teaching and public education in general. One is the "official" discourse, embodied in "No Child Left Behind" language, with a focus on accountability, standards, credentials, and testing, accompanied by punitive measures for failing to live up to these. The…