While there are examples of strong teacher preparation programs throughout the country, too many of them do not provide teachers with a rigorous, clinical experience that prepares them for the schools in which they will work (Duncan, 2011; Greenburg et al., 2011; Levin, 2006). The purpose of this study was to examine teacher candidates'…

Since 2010, a substantial number of large-scale, quantitative studies on preparation features associated with teaching effectiveness and retention have emerged. The purpose of this paper is to review this body of evidence and make sense of what it suggests for practitioners and policymakers. The paper begins by describing the groundbreaking work…

This article discusses alternatives to the lecture-style teaching that remains a fundamental practice for many middle school classrooms. Information was accumulated by pre-service middle school language arts teachers, who interviewed their mentor for their student teaching experience, focusing on how each teacher attempts to foster lifelong…

This paper presents findings from a survey of pre-service teacher training institutions in England with regard to the provision of health and well-being education. It examines factors affecting the inclusion of health and well-being, and explores educational implications in light of the changing landscape of pre-service teacher education in…

This essay presents a reflective account of a preservice teacher's experience in her fieldwork practice. The author, a professor in the preservice teacher's education institute, acted as a critical friend and joined in the reflection as an equal. Based on the voices of the preservice teacher and a group of primary teachers, this essay presents a…

Reviews into teacher education emphasise the need for preservice teachers to have more school-based experiences. In this study, a school- based experience was organised within a nine-week science curriculum university unit that allowed preservice teachers' repeated experiences in teaching primary science. This research uses a survey, questionnaire…

This article describes how Cheryl Lemon, a biology teacher at Gateway Regional High School, integrated technology into appropriate curricular contexts during her field experiences as a preservice teacher. She used Web-based simulations, a projection screen, an interactive white board, and Flash-based interactivity in conjunction with direct…

This paper reports the findings of a year-long study of 11 preservice teachers' perceptions of the first year of a teacher preparation program. These students were interviewed individually at least four times, and reported that learning concrete teaching methods was one of the most valuable aspects of their preparation because these methods could…

Mentoring is often assumed to be done by experienced teachers with new teachers in one-on-one settings and designed to help the mentee be successful with the tasks of teaching. In the context of preservice teacher education, mentoring usually takes place during field experiences, particularly student teaching when the mentor is the host classroom…