No abstract

Research on teachers' (personal) theories and beliefs and their (practical) knowledge derived from experience, whether held implicitly or stated explicitly as their personal practical theories (PPTs), indicates that such beliefs can influence teachers' classroom practices and, therefore, the opportunities that their students have for learning. This study uses a content analysis of 472 self-reported PPTs collected from 94 prospective teachers to develop a model of categories of beliefs, and describes the relationship between the content and sources of teacher candidates' beliefs, expressed as PPTs. The purpose of this study is to help teacher educators better understand beliefs that teacher candidates bring to their teacher education program as we try to influence their knowledge and practices.

As teacher educators, we have observed that knowledge alone does not lead to the kinds of thoughtful teaching we strive for. Puzzled by differences in the teaching practices of teacher candidates having similar professional knowledge, we explore what might account for these differences. We address what is necessary, beyond traditional forms of professional knowledge, to support the development of thoughtful teachers who are responsive to students and situations. We provide four perspectives, each drawn from areas in which we conduct our research, and suggest a need to move beyond knowledge in teacher education. Our aim is to explore questions about preparing thoughtful teachers and to challenge others to do the same. We postulate that self-knowledge and a sense of agency with the intent of purposefully negotiating personal and professional contexts may be as important, if not more important, than the more traditional conceptions of professional knowledge.

, B.B. (1995). Using the case method in teacher education: The role of discussion and experience in teachers' thinking about cases. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11, 63-79. Made available courtesy of Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com ***Reprinted with permission. No further reproduction is authorized without written permission from Elsevier. This version of the document is not the version of record. Figures and/or pictures may be missing from this format of the document.***

Abstract:This study describes the perspectives of five pairs of preservice teachers and their experienced mentor teachers who engaged collaboratively in planning, implementing, and evaluating action research projects during a semester-long internship experience in their professional development school sites. The views of novice and experienced teachers about the costs and benefits of doing collaborative action research are presented, and the authors elaborate on the development of the mentor/mentee relationship between the preservice and experienced teacher pairs. The authors also offer guidelines for successfully engaging preservice and experienced teachers in collaborative action research. Keywords: action research; collaborative action research; preservice teachers; novice teachers; in-service teachers; mentor teacher; professional development schools; PDS Article:A growing body of research suggests that one way to improve teaching and learning in schools is to involve teachers in doing research in their own classrooms (Casanova, 1989;Darling-Hammond, 1996;Herndon, 1994;Lieberman, 1995; Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987). Some educational researchers have found action research to be an effective professional development tool that promotes inquiry, reflection, and problem solving that results in action or change (Casanova, 1989;Herndon, 1994; Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987;Rosaen & Schram, 1997). Educational researchers claim that teachers who conduct action research are better informed about their field (Bennett, 1993), begin to understand themselves better as teachers, and make better decisions and choices of behavior as a consequence of their engagement in action research (Ogberg & McCutcheon, 1987). Other studies indicate that action research also promotes continuous learning (Boyer, 1990;Rock, 1997;Shalaway, 1990), revitalizes teachers' practice, and motivates teachers by improving their self-confidence as professionals (Lomax, 1995; Reading/Learning in Secondary Schools Subcommittee of the International Reading Association, 1989; Rock, 1997).Teacher action research was defined by Lytle and Cochran-Smith (1990) as "systematic, intentional inquiry by teachers" (p. 83). Action research is also described as research that teachers do to investigate their own professional practice in an attempt to understand and improve the nature and specifics of their work and to develop a stronger voice when communicating about it (Ogberg & McCutcheon,1987). Critical action research, as defined by Kemmis and McTaggert (1988), requires teachers to engage in a cycle of questioning, planning, reflecting, acting, observing, reflecting, replanning, and often questioning further. Carson (1990) also identified planning, acting, observing, and reflecting as significant components of teacher action research because this process sets critical, reflective action research apart from ordinary problem solving. For the purposes of this study, we define teacher action research as systematic inquiry by teachers with the goal of improving their teaching p...