While much is written about the professionalization of practitioners with bachelor's degrees in social work, there is a void in the literature with regard to the role of those with undergraduate minors in social work. The few articles on social work minor programs are dated, yet the number of such programs is increasing, but with little…

There are few graduate programs available for pursuing a doctorate in anatomy where students gain specific training in gross anatomy dissection and the responsibilities of a medical educator. In light of this fact, the University of Kentucky created a Graduate Certificate in Anatomical Sciences Instruction in 2006. This 12-credit hour curriculum…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on program improvement of systematically gathering P-12 student learning data over a 5-year period. This study was completed over 5 academic years (2008-2009 to 2012-2013) in a teacher preparation program in northwest Oregon. Data were gathered from two student teaching experiences of teacher…

Since the 1970s, international fieldwork has provided opportunities for small numbers of pre-service teachers to teach and learn in a culture different from their own. Research into this fieldwork suggests that pre-service teachers are positive about their experiences, although questions remain about the ethics underpinning some of these programs.…

Despite considerable attention given to mentoring in initial teacher education little is known about mutual perspectives in perceptions of students and mentors regarding assessment and how this affects the quality of the student's teaching. Perceptions of assessment during practicum might impede the learning dialogue during mentoring and affect…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the educational value of teaching practicum in secondary schools. For this purpose, on the basis of literature review and interviews, three evaluation criteria for measuring educational value of teaching practicum are constructed as follows: (1) practical teaching competence, (2) readiness for teacher, and…

Building on Opportunities for Student Teaching and Learning (BOOST) is a community-based summer preschool program developed, implemented, and coordinated by student teachers, university supervisors, and faculty. Ten preservice graduate students participated in BOOST practicum activities during the spring and summer terms of their 1-year Early…

Attracting and retaining quality teachers to rural and remote areas has been a challenge over the last decade. Many preservice teachers are reluctant to experience a rural and remote practicum and may not consider applying to teach in such areas when they graduate. Education departments and universities need to explore innovative ways that will…

Experiential placements are increasingly recognised as an essential component of university programmes, providing students with real-world contexts to apply their knowledge and to develop practical skills and personal attributes. In Australia, professions such as pharmacy have traditionally developed experiential placement programmes within state…

Education authorities continue to experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers in rural and remote schools. In Western Australia (WA), a state noted for its vastness and number of schools located in rural and remote settings, a scheme developed by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) and the WA Chamber of…

This article discusses the importance of teacher induction not only for sustaining teacher retention and reducing attrition, but also for supporting beginning teachers, helping them develop professionally as they progress within the profession and enhancing effective teaching and learning. While acknowledging the importance of teacher induction,…

A practicum course for prospective teachers of the gifted was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The 209 teachers found the practicum teaching, observations of their teaching, and papers they wrote to be effective learning experiences. Observers' ratings of the teachers indicated that a majority performed well in the practicum. (Author/JDD)

This paper describes the evaluation of an experimental program in which eight student special education teachers supervised new preservice trainees in a Direct Instruction practicum. Improvement in trainees' presentation and error correction skills and their positive evaluation of the practicum suggest the effectiveness of this peer coaching…

Alternative programs in special education are often developed in response to chronic personnel shortages. At issue, however, is the quality of alternative programs and their graduates. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a large special education alternative certification program that adheres to both professional…

The report, "The Ready to Teach Program: A Federal Initiative in Support of Online Courses for Teachers", describes the history of the Ready to Teach Program and its role as one of the solutions to the national need to increase the performance of teachers through professional development. The report describes selected findings from the Eisenhower…