This study addressed the challenge of connecting elementary teacher candidates' course work and fieldwork in order to foster a cohesive experience in learning to teach mathematics. In this study, a Mediated Field Experience was designed for five elementary teacher candidates in their internship setting. The study utilized qualitative methods to…

This three-paper self-study dissertation explored the process of becoming a teacher with a focus on the emotional dimensions of teaching. Becoming a teacher is a complex, emotionally demanding process (Kelchtermans & Deketelaere, 2016) and teachers' emotions impact student achievement, motivation, and well-being (Balanescu, 2019). While…

Teacher preparation programs have been under scrutiny for years. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) (2010) identified a gap between the preparation of teachers and the needs of schools and consequently formed a Blue Ribbon Panel to closely examine and generate recommendations on ways institutions could improve…

Gordon Wells (2001) states that policy makers and educational planners believe there is a crisis in public education. These individuals talk about improving the "delivery of a standardized education" (p. 172) and creating nation-wide assessments that ensure particular outcomes. On the other hand, Wells (2001) discusses academic…

Increasingly large populations of English Learners (ELs) attend public schools within the US and teachers are held accountable for the academic performance of these students. Unfortunately, multiple studies have concluded that teachers graduating from teacher education programs are not equipped with the competencies to clearly identify the…

Reflective thinking is a developmental process that progresses over time from a technical, routine level to a critical, self-evaluating level. Preservice teachers, who tend to stay in the technical, routine level of critical thinking without guidance, need to be taught how to become reflective thinkers so that they are able to identify and analyze…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) as the latest initiative in the ongoing effort of educational reform in the United States reinforces the need to build the capacity of teachers as leaders and change agents. As such, graduate teacher leadership programs function to support and develop teacher leadership praxis. Although studies of…

The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent a teacher education program prepares teacher candidates to be effective urban educators who are reflective, innovative, and committed to diversity based on the perceptions and insight from students. As the nation grapples with an extreme range of outputs from our public schools, an…

It is well documented that general classroom teachers have not been adequately prepared to address the unique needs of the English language learners (ELLs) that many are now teaching for the first time (Cartiera, 2006; Giambo & Szecsi, 2005; Short & Echevarria, 2004). With ELLs' presence growing in U. S. public schools (e.g., August, 2006;…

Job embedded professional development in the K-12 education setting has long been discussed and debated. This study builds on standards of critical reflection and thinking using the National Institute for Excellence in Education's Teacher Advancement Program's master teacher model as a conduit between theory and practice. A study of professional…

Using a grounded theory approach to investigate the multidimensional reflections of two Reading Recovery teachers, this inquiry responds to calls for research on reflection and provides information for the field of education in understanding the nature of teachers' reflections and how they inform teaching practices. Reading Recovery is a…