An important, yet either often missing or under emphasized realization in both federal and state standards for literacy is that literacy is primarily a language process and culture is a reflection of language. As such, language and culture must be retained as essential components upon which reading instruction is based. Our nation and our states…

Professional development is grounded in the developmental theories of Vygotsky in an attempt to better understand the mechanism underlying teacher development. The rationale for the use of Vygotskian framework is provided in the context of describing the various models of professional development. Within this theoretical framework, it is argued…

This study examined a teacher education program rooted in a social justice framework and intended to infuse multicultural education throughout the curriculum. Two teacher educators designed the three-year, undergraduate program to prepare mostly White candidates from a suburban area to teach in urban elementary schools. By describing the…

In this article, the authors describe a retrospective discourse discussions approach that was developed in a graduate literacy education course. This method represents a reconceptualization of supervising and coaching graduate students where meanings are constructed, problems are reframed, and beginning professionals can develop more nuanced…

Debating whether or not teachers should teach values addresses the wrong question. Education already is a values-infused enterprise. The larger question is how to train teachers for positive character formation. Two teacher education strategies are presented in this article. A "minimalist" strategy requires teacher educators to make explicit the…

This research examined the role of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in a partnership that was formed between an educational psychology course for preservice teachers, eight professors from the university's teacher education program, and eight practicing teachers from diverse public schools from across two states. Participants communicated via…

Teacher educators have found portfolios to be a valuable way to judge readiness for student-teaching and initial certification as well as an effective means of examining and validating teacher preparation programs. Tension exists between using the portfolio as a product for evaluation and maintaining its focus as a personal examination, synthesis,…

The purpose of this teacher action research was twofold: to learn more about preservice teachers' preconceived notions related to listening and to investigate how a listening journal assignment impacted preservice teachers' views of listening as an important aspect of discourse. The participants were enrolled in a mathematics methods course for…

Working with his daughter and her friend on a problem-solving task gave Graham Jones the opportunity to reconsider how best he might help. This document describes how he went about assisting the girls in solving the problem. In assisting, Graham decided to present the girls with a three part lesson, which would lead to the solution. He stresses…

Examined associations among three psychological characteristics and classroom performance ratings of prospective teachers who were assessed on personality style, creative thinking, motivation, and classroom performance competency during student teaching. Student teachers completed psychological evaluations, and their supervisors evaluated their…

Examined the legal climate regarding admissions and retention in teacher preparation programs and the current practices of selected programs. Data from legal/archival research and an online survey of 27 universities indicated that teacher preparation programs have more legal latitude than is being employed for admission and retention decisions.…

Surveyed university faculty regarding the preparation of general educators, special educators, and speech language pathologists to work with students prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol. Results confirmed that in general, teacher education and speech language pathology programs provide limited information on these students. There were…

Examined stages of teacher development across 1.5 years of full-time teaching as teacher candidates completed master's degree coursework. Beginning teachers completed a Teachers Concerns Checklist at six points throughout the program. Findings suggested reduced concerns for classroom management as full-time teaching began and increased concerns…

Investigated reasons for tensions among stakeholders, such as Ontario's ministries of education, teacher associations, local school districts, and university teacher education programs regarding the meaning and implications of professional development. Interview data clarified stakeholders' perspectives and priorities and noted that effective…

Describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a workshop for mentor teachers that reflects the collaborative effort of a university and public school faculties. The workshop focused on giving feedback to student teachers. Evaluation data suggest that mentor teachers felt the workshop provided helpful information, teaching them how…