Practice Activities

Abstract

To investigate teachers' beliefs about critical-thinking (CT) activities for different populations of learners, the Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal (CTBA) was administered to 145 practicing secondary teachers. Teachers rated both high-CT and low-CT activities as more effective for high-advantage learners than low-advantage ones, demonstrating strong "advantage effects." They also rated high-CT activities as more effective than low- CT ones for both high-advantage and low-advantage learners, demonstrating "pedagogical-preference effects" stronger for high-advantage learners than low- advantage ones. Although these results are inconsistent with the assertion that teachers favor low-CT activities over high-CT ones for low-advantage learners, the results suggest that low-advantage learners may receive fewer high-CT activities in schools, which may hinder their academic performance. Studies of the development of teachers' CT-related beliefs are needed, with the goal of establishing teacher-education practices emphasizing appropriate use of high-CT activities for low-advantage learners.

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3. Here is an example of a properly formatted APA reference.

Wilcox, R. V. & Coffman, J. (1991). Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star trek: The next generation. Studies in Popular Culture, 13(2), 53-65.

Use the information below to create a journal reference that fits the APA format.

Comparing PDS and Campus-Based Pre-service Teacher Preparation: Is PDS- Based Preparation Really Better?

D. Scott Ridley Sally Hurwitz Mary Ruth Davis-Hackett Arizona State University

Kari Knutson Miller California State University, Fullerton Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 57, No. 4, 359-377 (2006) DOI: 10.1177/0022487106291565 © 2006 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Investigating Early Career Urban Teachers' Perspectives on and Experiences in Professional Development

Lauren Anderson

University of California–Los Angeles

Brad Olsen

University of California–Santa Cruz

Despite their interconnectedness, teacher education, teacher development, and teacher retention are often treated as discrete domains of inquiry. This article and the research on which it reports resist such compartmentalization and instead focus on relationships between teachers' pasts, presents, and futures. In particular, this qualitative study of 15 specialized teacher education program graduates examines urban teachers' perspectives on and experiences in professional development. Specific attention is paid to the role of professional development—in conjunction with other forces, including pre- service preparation and workplace conditions—in shaping teachers' attitudes about their work and their professional futures. Findings illuminate four kinds of complexity underlying teachers' early career needs that are discussed and used to generate suggestions for how universities might better support teacher education program graduates to build rewarding and effective long-term careers in education.

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