Very few teacher education models have integrated theory and practice on a context basis and used formative assessment in teachers' personal and professional development. Two are the Clinical Teacher Education Model and the Realistic Teacher Education Model based on reflection. These models prepare teacher candidates (TCs) for their profession as…

Traditional PD sessions share information on new practices, but teachers often can't translate that information effectively to implement the new practice in their classrooms. A better way is to show a teacher a model of excellent practice by a colleague and help her reflect on the "gap" between her practice and the model, then plan…

When teacher preparation is disconnected from classroom practice, preservice teachers are left to try to make this connection without the guidance and support of skilled mentors. Practicum or field experiences are essential for effective personnel preparation. Practicum experiences can provide situated learning for preservice teachers to…

Three related studies of the impact of variations in classroom and field experiences on preservice students' knowledge, skill, and reflectiveness are reported. Videotaped and live demonstrations of teaching strategies (the schema-theoretic approach and a conventional approach) and clinical seminars and microteaching were compared. (IAH)

Two methods of qualitative program and student evaluation are employed by an experimental thematic teacher education program. Portfolios, maintained throughout undergraduate years, contain evidence reflecting student growth in five categories of teacher decision-making. Case studies assess strategic knowledge demonstrated by student responses to…

This paper discusses a complex issue: why teacher education input and interventions have limited or no impact in the classrooms. It discusses some practical examples and issues and their implications for teachers' learning and motivation to develop teaching. Analysis of the findings suggests that as teachers re-entered the reality of the school…

This paper discusses the need for continuous personal professional development, the University of Regina (Canada) approach to professional development, planning for improvement, and sources of feedback on professional improvement attempts. The process involves three components. The first is a supervisory or conferencing procedure that has student…

The document presents the following papers: (1) "Eliot Wigginton: A "Shining Moment" of the Mini Clinic" (Luis Felipe Clay Mendez); (2) "Telling it Like it Is: Attitudes and Opinions of Beginning Teachers" (Erma Williams and others); (3) "Redesigning the Role of the Student Teacher Supervisor: Use of Reflective Techniques" (Barbara S. De Salvo);…

This paper uses Renato Rosaldo's metaphor of a "cultural borderland" to analyze the nature of the "bridge" formed in a case study of school-college partnerships. It examines how collaborative teacher preparation programs can bridge the two worlds of theoretical, normatively based canons of practice and inductively derived…