Teacher education has long been troubled by the problem of reconciling what happens in course work with how that learning is taken up in practicum experiences. Our faculty asks co-operating teachers to account for interns' professional growth by the extent to which the interns meet the requirements of the Internship Placement Profile (IPP). The…

A common complaint about teacher education programs is that it follows a linear model--where theory and teaching skills are learned at the university and then applied in practicum experiences--that is inadequate and does not accurately represent teacher candidates'(TC) experiences (Brouwer & Korthagen, 2005; Korthagen, Loughran & Russell,…

How do student teachers gain confidence in their teaching abilities as part of their school-based practicum experience while increasing their self-efficacy from the successes of their practicum? To understand this question better, we explored preservice teachers' post-practicum accounts of experiences of success in relation to efficacy (Bandura,…

This study examined teacher interns' and their classroom cooperating teachers' concerns about the extended practicum both before and after their completion of the 16-week program. Respondents completed pre- and post-internship surveys identifying their initial concerns about the internship and the subsequent alleviation of these concerns (or the…

The purpose of this study was to identify those individuals or groups who were the significant others and reference group members of student teachers. (Author)

A study of 70 pairs of supervisory teachers and teacher interns at the University of Saskatchewan examined contextual supervision in the mentorship of student teachers' oral questioning skills. Findings indicate that supervisory skills improved, especially when supervisors adjusted their leadership styles to match protege development levels, and…

A School Advisor Association is proposed in Canada as a vehicle for recognizing and advancing the contribution that exemplary school advisors (cooperating teachers) make to the professional development of student teachers. Such an association could accredit school-based teacher educators and facilitate university-school cooperation in establishing…

According to cooperating teachers and a controlled evaluation, student teachers who were supervised by telephone conferencing did not demonstrate a lesser degree of teaching effectiveness, but they were not satisfied with the supervision procedure. Telephone conferencing would allow faculty to supervise a larger number of students from a central…

A study examined preservice teachers' professional "risk taking" during student teaching with regard to experimenting with cooperative learning. Classroom observations and interviews with 14 preservice teachers who were student teaching in Quebec high schools indicated that risk taking and innovation depended on support received during…

Explores the experiences of four Canadian prospective primary teachers during an eight-week practicum. Suggests that subjects' conformity to cooperating teachers' practices was not passive acceptance of the status quo, but rather a response to their interpretations of the constraints of being a student teacher. Contains 46 references. (Author/SV)

Surveys, focus-group interviews, observations, and journal writings of 11 Canadian student teachers revealed sources of stress during the teaching practicum: role clarification, expectations, conformity, time, evaluation, assignments, peer discussions, and inconsistent feedback. Student teachers identified communication, conformity, initiative,…

Reports 126 interns' ratings of 31 existing and ideal clinical supervision behaviors before and after 4-month internship, to determine satisfaction with cooperating teacher supervision. Training and frequent practice in clinical supervision rated most ideal supervisory behaviors. Audio, video recording rated lowest. Recommends observational method…

In contextual supervision (CS) (an adaptation of situational leadership), the student teacher's (supervisee's) level of confidence and competence determines level of supervisory support and task orientation. CS also encourages a global view of all contextual variables. Observation of 49 untrained pairs of practicum students and cooperating…

Examines new roles for student-teacher supporters (cooperating teachers, mentor teachers, and university supervisors) and new frameworks for analyzing student teaching (selected teacher competencies) in the University of Exeter's school-based teacher training program following changes in British government policy on preservice teacher education.…

Reports on interviews with 12 veteran elementary school teachers involved in developing and maintaining a professional development school (PDS) in southern Ontario (Canada) during its first four years. The teachers thought that the PDS was successful and had promoted their professional development but had not affected their instructional…