1. Touch the Future.
What is Involved in the Journey into Teaching?
What Does It Mean to be a Reflective Practitioner?
What Does It Mean to Teach in Todays Diverse Society?
What Are Factors to Consider When Preparing for a Teaching Career?
Final Thoughts
I. WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS?
2. Becoming a Teacher.
Who are the Teachers in Americas Schools?
What is an Effective Teacher?
What Are The Key Challenges for Teachers in Todays Schools?
Final Thoughts
3. Students in Todays Classroom.
What Demographic and Social Changes Are Occurring in the Schools?
Have All Students Found Equitable Education?
Are Student Accountability and Equity Complimentary or Competing Interests?
What Educational Options Are Best for Racial or Linguistic Minority Students?
Final Thoughts
4. Parents, Families & the Community.
How Have Families Changed in Recent Years?
How Does a Community Shape the Climate of a School?
What Can Schools Do to Reach Out to Communities?
Final Thoughts
II. HOW ARE SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS SHAPED BY SOCIETY, CULTURE, AND ETHICS?
5. Teaching and the Social Foundations of Education.
What is Meant by the Foundations of Education?
How Have Historical Trends Affected Education Today?
How Have Philosophical Changes Influenced Education?
How do Legal Issues Affect Your Ability to Teach?
How is the Foundations of Education Useful to You as a Teacher?
Final Thoughts
6. The Social Context of Schools.
What Makes a Good School?
How Does School Culture Impact a Learning Community?
Who Controls the Schools?
How are Schools Financed in the United States?
Final Thoughts
7. The Professional and Ethical Context of Teaching.
What is the History of Teaching?
What is Good Teaching?
What Ethical Issues Do Teachers Face?
What are the Legal Rights of Teachers?
Final Thoughts
8. Diversity and the Cultural Context of Teaching.
How Does Socioeconomic Status Affect Schools?
What Affect Does Race Have on Schools?
How Do Ethnicity and Language Differences Affect Learning?
How Do Gender and Sexuality Issues Affect Schools?
What Role Does Religion Play in Schools?
Final Thoughts
III. WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE?
9. Curriculum: What to expect in American Schools.
What is Curriculum?
How Does Curriculum Represent Cultural Values?
What are the Historical Roots of Curriculum in the United States?
What Role do Teachers Play in the Curriculum?
What Role do Textbooks Play in the Curriculum?
Final Thoughts
10. Planning, Delivering and Assessing Instruction.
Why Do Teachers Plan?
How Do Teachers Deliver Instruction?
Can Assessment Aid Student Learning?
How Do Teachers Communicate Student Progress to Parents?
Final Thoughts
11. C...