Imagination--broadly defined here as narratives individuals construct about experience and possibility--is integral to helping people understand their lived experiences. In the context of teacher education, imagination is an indispensable dimension of developing one's self-conception as a teacher, and of defining what is and is not acceptable…

This study investigated changes in beginning teachers' self-perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge and skills after their first year of teaching. Surveys were administered to 322 graduating student teachers at the end of the initial teacher preparation programme and at the end of their first year of teaching to compare if there were any…

The transition from preservice science teacher education programs to the first years of full-time teaching is arguably one of the most critical stages in the professional development of science teachers. This report documents a longitudinal study aimed at enhancing the research base for understanding this critical stage. The research is framed as…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) sent a research team to Montclair State University (MSU) on September 25-26, 2008 to conduct interviews with individuals who play important roles in the university's teacher preparation program. These interviews, along with additional documentation provided by MSU and identified by the AED research…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) sent a research team to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) on October 23-24, 2008, to conduct interviews with individuals who play important roles in the university's teacher preparation program. These interviews, along with additional documentation provided by UNCG and identified by…

Much research addresses pre-service music teacher education, yet relatively few studies have investigated the work of graduates as they make the transition into careers as music educators. This study using qualitative interview data was conducted in 2003 and examined nine music teachers' perceptions and experiences of their transition from being a…

This collection of papers provides a small overview of educational research in Estonia. The papers in the collection treat school reforms since the renewal of independence in 1991, new approaches to teacher training, the implementation of a child-centred approach in school, the achieving of educational aims and other actual topics in education.…

Identifies constraints and opportunities provided by a British model of mentoring that involves inducting student teachers into a nationally prescribed but locally created community of practice. Considers how increased attention to student teachers' intentional and metacognitive learning may benefit mentors and schools and provide a counterweight…

To determine beginning teachers' reactions to Florida's Beginning Teacher Program (BTP), a one-year teaching experience, education graduates who had experienced the BTP were surveyed. Participants were fairly positive regarding the support they received from the program, which may facilitate new teachers' adjustment to the teaching environment.…

Investigates mentoring in the new millennium, linking approaches to mentoring with an evolutionary model of professionalism in teachers (the four ages of professionalism); examining key areas of change that should lead to a new way of looking at mentoring; and drawing conclusions for redesigning teacher preparation, developing continuous learning…

This qualitative case study identified how various conditions supported one voluntary novice teacher learning community called STEP+. Participants were all graduates of Stanford University's teacher education program (STEP), a fifth-year, combined master's and credential program. STEP+ teachers convened for as many as 5 years away from their…

Examines the induction of two middle school science teachers as partners in a job sharing arrangement in lieu of student teaching, describing how they worked together and supported each other's attempts to implement student-centered practices and likening their mutual support to a marriage partnerships. The two teachers mentored each other through…

The West Virginia Department of Education mandated that each county create an induction program for beginning teachers to begin in the fall of 1991. Although state guidelines suggested certain common elements, each county would set up its own program to meet the needs of teachers in that county. Because a rich source of information for program…

This publication offers orientation materials for new cooperating teachers at Millersville University, Pennsylvania. The materials consist of nine stations with questions that can be used in a workshop format to generate discussion or which can be answered in writing by a teacher who is working through these materials in a home-study program. Side…

Examined the impact on Dutch mentors and institute teachers of the new requirement that student teachers nearing completion of coursework must teach without immediate supervision for several months. Surveys investigated how this change affected the content and process of mentoring. Mentors and institute teachers acted as supportive counselors and…