Middle school general music may be a student's last encounter with school music. A practical book with accessible pedagogical resources on middle school general music is needed for methods courses and music practitioners' use. The book "Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music" presents numerous ways to engage…

Many political science students struggle in quantitative methods courses because they have never been taught how to learn math. Learning math is different from learning in other fields, so the techniques students have used successfully in other classes are inappropriate in mathematically oriented classes. However, most students have never been…

By using writing-to-learn strategies in their classes, teacher educators can introduce future teachers to the concept of writing as a teaching strategy while improving their understanding of course content. Examples demonstrate the many benefits of the method. (MT)

Describes how selected case examples are used in a mathematics course for prospective elementary teachers to provide a framework for discussing how children construct meaning in mathematics. The article examines the advantages of presenting cases in videodisc format with access to additional information through associated computer databases. (SM)

This article describes initial attempts by preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in university reading courses to devise questions that encourage students to read content texts strategically. Teachers at both levels tended to confuse questions that encourage the use of comprehension strategies during reading with questions that assess…

This report describes the first year of an ongoing intervention study and the learning of a group of practicing teachers working together with researchers to make changes in the ways they teach mathematics. When reflecting on their beginning efforts, the researchers found that several assumptions in their planned interventions were not borne out…

Modeling the processes of effective teaching through cooperative learning, creating a community of learners, and other interactive teaching strategies are discussed. As teacher education students become involved in their own reading and writing, they take ownership of their own learning and begin to feel a part of a larger community of learners.…

Reforms advocated for elementary school mathematics call for knowledge few teachers possess--knowledge about content, inquiry, and the pedagogical use of mathematical knowledge. As part of a larger study, researchers at the National Center for Research on Teacher Education interviewed methods instructors at a sample of college based preservice…

Describes efforts to implement portfolio assessment within an elementary-science methods course. The methods course was designed to model pedagogical approaches students were expected to employ once they began teaching science in elementary schools. Relying upon examinations to evaluate students was inconsistent with the course philosophy and…

This report describes the first year of an ongoing intervention study and the learning of a group of teachers who are working together to make changes in the ways they teach mathematics. The document presents a vision of mathematics education based on research in cognitive psychology which indicates that learners construct knowledge rather than…

This paper describes a learning team curriculum structure in which the college professor relinquishes center stage in the classroom and involves students in two important tasks: (1) regular and specific reflection on their own learning and strategies for learning; and (2) asking their own questions. The learning team approach helps students learn…

A content-area reading course for preservice teachers challenges them to engage in the kinds of activities that "real" teachers do or should be doing, demonstrating how teachers can work across disciplines and foster collaborative relationships, while at the same time assisting their students in making connections from one classroom to…

Service learning can be a vehicle to promote democracy in the teacher education classroom. Incorporating service learning into a teacher education program is an uphill battle: teacher candidates lead complicated lives with professional and family responsibilities, some continue long-standing volunteer commitments to their communities, and course…