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Parker Palmer is correct in his claims that good teaching depends more on the capacity for connectedness than on technique and that helping teacher candidates cultivate a strong sense of personal identity is crucial. However, to what extent are Palmer's claims compatible with the various constructivist models of learning that are now prevalent in many colleges of education? Moreover, how are the goals of Palmer's approach integrated with those of constructivism? This essay responds to these questions and negotiates between constructivism and Palmer's educational approach. First the author lays out a predominant constructivist model of teaching and learning. Next, he explores some potential limitations facing constructivism and argues that Palmer's notion of connectedness can help mitigate against some of the shortcomings of constructivism. Finally, the author examines a specific example from an English methods course that represents an attempt to integrate the virtues of Palmer's approach with those of constructivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using published research studies, writings of experts in the literacy field, and anecdotes from the author's own experiences, this article examines the reading motivation and disposition of preservice teachers and suggests ways that children's literature courses positively affect both. Ideas of social modeling, constructivist course design, and the role of influential teachers are also discussed. The title is derived from the classic book, Peter Pan and Wendy, and hints at the possibility that future generations of readers may be "lost" if teacher preparation programs do not consider and promote positive reading dispositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are vulnerable to the technopositivist ideology that perpetuates a naive faith in the "promises" of technology. Most teachers have been denied opportunities to explore the motives, power, rewards, and sanctions associated with the unscrupulous marketing of information and communications technology (ICT) and tend to be uninformed about the research that has failed to find a positive relationship between ICT use and student achievement. They remain unaware of the efforts to disguise how devotion to technology necessarily entails retrofitting the purposes and practices of education. This article examines technopositivism as a marketed ideology and follows the marketing strategies that appropriate and redefine educational goals and problems. It explores the alleged link between constructivism and technology and considers how teacher education and standard-setting bodies perpetuate this contestable association. Finally, the article suggests some deliberately critical questions that can be legitimated only if posed by teacher educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]