This study explored the relationship between teachers' own learning behaviors and their teaching practices. Experienced teachers taking graduate courses responded to an instrument measuring their self-regulated learning as students and their teaching practices as indicated by how they conveyed the purpose of engaging in academic work (i.e., goal…

Stage theory represents a concise explanation for change in teacher professional development with gained experience in the classroom. This study examines the "self-task-impact" stage chronology proposed by concerns-based theory within the framework of longitudinal research on beginning teaching. The study investigated developmental change in a…

In this paper, we reflect on our experience with an experimental inquiry component within a teacher education program in a large urban city on the West Coast of the United States. This learning space, which is referred to as "Inquiry," promotes the integration of theoretical and practical knowledge through reflection and dialogue. We…

Although there is consensus that qualitative approaches to social research are distinguished from quantitative approaches by their fundamental philosophical systems, there is resistance to incorporating philosophical distinctions into graduate level research courses. Resistance may be due to the recognition that students have limited experience…

This paper focuses on a model of delivery of professional experience courses for pre-service teachers that has been running in the author's institution for 9 years. The overall purpose of the model has been to assist the development of a reflective approach in pre-service teachers as they build their professional knowledge in schools and on…

Assessment can be conducted in various ways in school, and has also different purposes. In this paper, the focus is on pupil assessment during project work. The article touches on the aim of assessment that has ranking and certificating purposes, but its main focus is on assessment as a learning device. Dialogues from the classroom are used as…

Professional learning is a social enterprise where peers rely on the expertise and support of one another to adopt innovative practices. Reciprocal interactions in a community of practice, where teachers take responsibility for each other's learning and development, may provide an effective means of supporting situated professional learning. We…

Pedagogy is an important aspect of teacher education, and the teacher educator's pedagogy can help the preservice teacher understand the complexities inherent in teaching. This study examined one elementary literacy course in a master's level teacher education program. Data collection involved classroom observation and interviews with the…

A pilot study is presented of a multimode teacher education programme as a variation of the research-based approach to teacher education. The research-based approach has been characterised as one of the paradigms of teacher education. In this article, we discuss the opportunities and challenges that a multimode programme, which makes it possible…

The present study is a multi-phased, mixed methodological investigation of teacher interest. In Phase 1, 12th grade students nominated and quantitatively evaluated teachers who were perceived as helping them learn and become interested in a high school core subject. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that student perceptions of teacher interest…

This paper points to a neglected dimension to Schon's work on the reflective practitioner: his distinctive characterisation of the practicum. We argue that Schon's understanding of the practicum is integrally related to his understanding of the reflective practitioner. The appropriation of the latter concept within programmes of initial teacher…

Increasingly, graduates across a range of professions are required to possess the ability to critically evaluate information, solve problems and participate in collaborative group work. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach to learning that emphasises student centred engagement with real problems or situations, involving learners…

This research explores and compares primary student teachers' attitudes, subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in physics in two institutions in England and Finland, using a practical physics activity and questionnaire. Teaching of physics activities was rated unpopular both in Finland and England, although English students…

Graham Nuthall was drawn to social constructivist theories but relatively pessimistic about the feasibility of social constructivist approaches to teaching, except in rather narrowly specified situations. This article summarizes Nuthall's views on these issues and the research findings that shaped them, drawing in particular on a chapter in which…

Nuthall's exceptional quantitative and qualitative analyses provide us with an illuminating picture of the cognitive and emotional struggles of low-scoring students. His poignant portrayals leave us to consider the types of classroom modifications and settings that will best help these students. The second section explores some apparent…