Over the past several decades, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners have placed an emphasis on inquiry-based science and mathematics instruction in elementary school. While inquiry-based science and mathematics instruction can support student learning and engagement, teacher preparation programmes have experienced challenges in preparing…

This edited book explores different international practices in reforming science teacher education programs for STEM education. Incorporating case studies in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America and South America, the contributors emphasise the large variety in STEM teacher preparation. Including science-centric versions of STEM…

Recent calls to improve the quality of education in schools have drawn attention to the importance of teachers' preparation for work in classroom settings. Although the practicum has long been the traditional means for pre-service teachers to learn and practice classroom teaching, it does not always offer student teachers the time, safe practice…

A common concern in teacher education programs is the fragmentation of knowledge between courses that contribute to separation between discipline-focused theoretical knowledge and teachers' practical work in schools. Drawing on reviews on innovative learning spaces in schools and analysis of teacher knowledge, we theorize a conceptualization of…

The Project is a Native teacher education program which provides the first three years of the Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta. Five areas (information, counseling services, support services, access, and financial aid) considered by the Project in regard to access for disadvantaged adults to learning resources are…

Small, sometimes multi-cultural, rural schools need specialized preservice teacher education programs to prepare teachers. After outlining the classroom, school, and sociocultural characteristics affecting a teacher's success and survival in a rural community, this paper discusses the apparent lack of rural content in teacher preparation programs…

Practicum experiences and feelings of preparedness to teach were compared for 88 Ontario student teachers in either the fourth year of a "concurrent" undergraduate preservice program or a 1-year "consecutive" graduate preservice program. The two groups did not differ in teaching self-efficacy or the number of classroom…

The objective of the University of British Columbia's Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) is to increase the number of native Indian certified teachers by developing an alternative program of teacher education more appropriate to Indians' cultural heritage and educational background. Open only to students of Indian ancestry, NITEP…

In June 1991, the Teacher Education Council, Ontario (TECO), Canada, proposed the development of a collaborative program for more effectively preparing teachers of 2.5 to 7 year old children through an emphasis on the integrated nature of care and education in child care and school settings. The program was also intended to serve as a model for…

Each year the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada), receives applications from potential teachers with excellent profiles but who lack teaching experience. These applicants are possible candidates for the Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP), an alternative teacher education program. Those selected are placed in regular…