Grading and the interpretation of grades are inextricable facets of teachers' work. Nonetheless, teachers find it challenging to explain the inferences they draw from grades and the decisions they make based upon grades. This article explores teachers' thinking about the grades assigned by their peers. This study used a think-aloud task in which…

Drawing on large-scale international teachers' data from Hungary, Korea, Norway, and Turkey in the Teaching and Learning International Survey in 2008 assessment, this study examined the relationships between new teachers' beliefs about instruction (direct transmission and constructivist beliefs) and teaching practices (structured, student…

Assessment is a complex function requiring an understanding of student learning, assessment principles, practices, and purposes of data to implement effective classroom assessment. The purpose of this study was to add to the growing base of knowledge about teachers' engagement with assessment data and their motivation for classroom assessment.…

Although proponents support portfolios' value to enhance the reflective thinking of novice teachers and imply that such thinking improves teachers' practice, few studies have confirmed these assertions by directly measuring in-depth reflection or describing conditions that develop it. In this study, reflective thinking in preservice teachers'…

This article discusses the findings of a large scale mixed-methods study (2006-2010) conducted on a variety of early professional experiences of beginning primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland.

Within the current accountability context of education in the United States and Canada, there is a clear need to educate teachers on effectively using assessments to support, measure, and communicate student learning. Despite this need, assessment has historically been a neglected area in teacher education programs with comparatively little…

This article reports on the findings of 25 associate teacher surveys and six associate teacher interviews collected between June 2008 and February 2009. The survey invited associate teachers to report on the preparedness of student teachers, including their strengths, weaknesses, and how well prepared they were for the realities of becoming a…

Online discussions enabled preK-12 teachers (n = 125) from five nations (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and the United States) to share their perspectives of culture and citizenship and the intersections of those concepts. Discussion moved between elements of personal and others' theory into effects of theory on practice. Teachers identified…

This article draws on a recently completed study in which preservice teachers identify aspects of their initial teacher education that act as hindrances or aids to developing reflectivity. It articulates the concept that reflection must be seen not as something to be done or acquired but rather as a disposition or way of being. Also identified are…

American and New Zealander education majors completed an exchange program that included student teaching abroad. Student journals and interviews after the experience indicated that, through their international experiences, students gained more appreciation for their home school culture and acquired new attitudes and beliefs to test against the…

Retired Canadian educators' gave advice to beginning teachers and offered specific suggestions to a university regarding enhancement of its preservice program. The educators stressed the importance of teachers mastering a basic set of generic skills for classroom management and instructional dimensions of teaching, emphasizing the importance of…

A study solicited preservice teacher interns' personally expressed concerns and Teacher Concerns Checklist ratings to determine whether both sets of concerns followed a pattern consistent with Fuller and Brown's (1975) developmental stages theory. Results indicated the patterns of change in concerns reported from both measures varied from the…

Used focus groups and questionnaires to determine what influenced successful elementary teachers' development and what they considered important for current teacher education programs. Teachers attributed much of their success to personal characteristics developed throughout their lives. They considered the practicum component of their preservice…

Surveys of Australian, English, Irish, and Scottish classroom teachers who hosted U.S. student teachers examined factors contributing to program success. Most believed the experience benefitted their schools and students. Though they reported some adjustment difficulties, most were not insurmountable. They believed U.S. students advanced in many…

Analyzes emotional, linguistic, and cultural issues facing new African immigrants attending American schools, providing strategies for preparing teachers to welcome these students into their classrooms and develop effective intercultural communications with both the students and their parents (e.g., learn how to correctly pronounce their names,…