Scientific modeling is a scientific practice that uses models to prepare elementary and middle school science teachers to engage students using scientific inquiry. Model-based inquiry (MBI) is a pedagogical teaching approach that engages students using scientific inquiry during scientific modeling. However, preservice teachers lack understanding…

The science teacher education community plays a prominent role in teacher preparation programs. Particularly, science methods courses emphasize modeling instructional strategies to promote inquiry-based practices. Integrating appropriate educational technology to enhance and support classroom practices should be embedded in these courses. The…

The internet is used by teachers to help find resources to integrate technology into their classrooms in a variety of ways (Handal, Campbell, Cavanagh, Petocz, & Kelly, 2013). The purpose of this study was to investigate the websites preservice teachers (PSTs) used during their field experiences in secondary mathematics. To address the purpose…

Mary Kennedy (1999) introduced the problem of enactment to describe how novice teachers often struggle to put what they have learned in coursework into practice in the field. One approach to this problem is to put practice at the center of teacher education by specifying core practices of teaching around which to structure novices' learning…

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in…

We studied how the practices of modeling supported preservice teachers (PSTs) as a reflection tool for knowledge integration in their science methods courses. In this exploratory study, elementary (n = 4) and middle/secondary (n = 7) PSTs drew models of the process of teaching and learning, including what occurred before, during, and after…

We were concerned about teaching a stand-alone technology integration course while advocating that teachers employ full integration. Our college moved to a tech-infusion model whereby our educational technology curriculum would be incorporated in methods courses. Using a qualitative approach, we documented experiences of teacher educators who were…

This study applied the researcher-constructed Integrated Triadic Model (ITM) to an elementary social studies teaching methods course and measured the extent that preservice teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) changed throughout the semester. The study also gathered preservice teachers' beliefs about the…

Part of the work of teaching elementary science involves evaluating elementary students' work. Depending on the nature of the student work, this task can be straightforward. However, evaluating elementary students' representations of their science learning in the form of scientific models can pose significant challenges for elementary teachers. To…

This dissertation includes three essays: one essay focuses on the effect of teacher preparation programs on teacher knowledge while the other two focus on test-takers' response times on test items. Essay One addresses the problem of how opportunities to learn in teacher preparation programs influence future elementary mathematics teachers'…

The Integrated Methods Model incorporates the entire conceptual framework for an effective secondary preservice teacher program as suggested by research. The model results in a subtle but important shift in the focus of secondary preservice teachers. It is relatively easy to implement, economically feasible, and adaptable to various conditions.…

The objective of this study was to examine the nature of preservice teachers' evaluations of elementary mathematics problems using the Mathematical Tasks Framework (MTF), a model designed to discriminate among tasks according to their cognitive complexity. We also tested the relationship between mathematics content knowledge and problem length on…

In this article we present a model of content-area specific technology preparation. This approach was premised on the fact that even if preservice teachers know how to operate technology, they need help to understand how to flexibly incorporate new technology resources into their knowledge of a content area in ways that enhance student learning.…

Collaboration among faculty can enhance the learning experience for preservice teachers and reinforce the integral role of technology in teaching, learning, and professional development in social studies education. Organized around the Performance Profiles outlined by the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS[middle dot]T),…