This study examined how 16 female teacher candidates in two sections of a math methods course, which implemented high leverage professional development school practices, described the aspects of richness of mathematics (i.e., linking between representations, explanations, mathematical sense-making, multiple procedures or solution methods, patterns…

I investigated how five first-year teachers--all peers from the same science methods class framed around ambitious instruction--used resources to plan and learn in schools that promoted pedagogy anchored around information delivery. The participants engaged in different cycles of resource-driven learning based on the instructional framework they…

This study examines the challenges faced by pre-service chemistry teachers teaching in a laboratory and their proposed solutions to these challenges. The study was conducted in a 13-week-long methodology course. Written statements from participants and observations from researchers were used as data sources. From these data, it was found that the…

The paper reports on research that examined how the content of a History methods course, taught in a university in Kenya, influenced student teachers' lesson planning and pedagogical skills. A lecture on a lesson plan, micro-teaching lesson plan documents and presentations were examined to determine student teachers' preparedness for teaching the…

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…

Preservice elementary teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science is an ongoing concern. Only 29% of elementary teachers in the field felt "very well prepared to teach life science," according to the National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education. Research has suggested that bridging informal and formal science education can…

Assigning pre-service teachers to observe experienced teachers is a common practice in teacher preparation programs. The purpose of this study was to identify what physical education pre-service teachers observe when watching an experienced teacher. While enrolled in a methods of teaching physical education course and engaged in their second…

Background: Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is critical for effective teaching with technology. However, generally science teacher education programs do not help pre-service teachers develop TPACK. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess pre-service science teachers' TPACK over a semester-long Science Methods. Sample:…

In order to effectively use technology in teaching, teacher candidates need to develop technology related pedagogical content knowledge through being engaged in a process of discussion, modeling, practice, and reflection. Based on the examination of teacher candidates' lesson plan assignments, observations of their microteaching performance, and…

Background/context: Tensions between university-based teacher preparation courses and field placements have long been identified as an obstacle to novices' uptake of promising instructional practices. This tension is particularly salient for writing instruction, which continues to receive inadequate attention in K-12 classrooms. More scholarship…

The purpose of this research is to examine preservice elementary school teachers' geometry learning as investigated by both qualitative and quantitative methods. For the qualitative investigation, narrative analysis and thematic analysis methods were used. The findings of narrative analysis indicated two main kinds of stories: as a learner and as…

This study examined the challenges that pre-service teachers faced when implementing inquiry and their perspective on how to overcome them. The data sample was 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into two sections of a science methods course in a private university in North Texas. The data sources consisted of inquiry-based lesson plans, PST…

This meta-analysis reports on the use of practitioner inquiry (PI) with early program teacher candidates in conjunction with elementary science and math methods courses using cognitive load theory as a theoretical framework. The findings suggest that the teacher candidates enhanced their knowledge of practice within practice across 5 dimensions of…

This study applied an Integrated Triadic Model (ITM) to a social studies methods course and measured the extent that preservice teachers' TPACK changed. The study also gathered beliefs about the effectiveness of course activities for developing TPACK. Data collected and analyzed from self-assessment surveys and reflective writings indicated an…

The purpose of this case study was to investigate how pre-service chemistry teachers' science teaching orientations change during a two-semester intervention designed to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the nature of science (NOS). Moreover, the way that pre-service chemistry teachers translated their change in…