Critical moments and the art of teaching

Abstract

The article is a report on a collaborative study of three experienced teachers who reflected on the critical moments of their teaching experiences in a multi-age classroom in an elementary school in Western Canada. The focus in the article is on these critical moments in their teaching that brought about change and how these changes improved teaching practise. Using 'reflective practise' as a theoretical framework, the three teachers present a number of insights from their personal lives and from their practise to support the notion that the crucial factor in effective teaching is to be formal in learning how to become a 'reflective practitioner'. 'thinkingly act' in a truly reflective manner.

English Language Teachers Reflecting on Reflections: A Malaysian Experience

“…How do teachers reflect on their practices? Quoting Van Manen (1995), whose approach is influenced by Dewey (1933), Labercane, Last, Nichols, & Johnson (1998), identified three steps of reflecting:…”

From direct instruction to active construction: teaching and learning basic facts

“…The issue of learning these facts is of continuing interest and importance within schools, homes, and the mathematics community. Parents' regular calls for basic-facts homework and for their children to be tested on them regularly stem from a belief that the way they learned basic facts was successful and that there is no need to change a winning formula (Labercane et al 1998). Parents may also prefer a traditional approach to teaching and testing basic facts as it holds students to a perceived universal standard (Lehrer and Lee 1997).…”