A team of teacher educators conducted a phenomenological study to explore the perceptions of teacher candidates (TCs), their cooperating teachers (CTs), and university supervisors (USs) during and after they participated in a redesigned seven-week practicum that led directly into seven weeks of student teaching. Data were collected via two surveys…

Field-based observation has long been a central part of pre-service teacher education in many countries and is crucial for implementing effective practicum of pre-service teachers. This paper focused on the perspectives of graduating pre-service teachers regarding their difficulties related to administrative support, cooperating teachers, student…

Curriculum consonance between social studies teacher education programs and field placements poses a perennial problem to social studies teacher educators and their students. This study explores the types of cooperating teacher placements experienced by preservice social studies teachers during their pre-student teaching field experiences…

Spark NH is New Hampshire's governor-appointed Early Childhood Advisory Council (hereafter called "Council"), a private-public partnership that works to create a comprehensive, coordinated system of programs and supports for young children and their families. Workforce development is an essential Council strategy for improving early…

Practicum experiences, a crucial component of preservice teacher preparation, help establish the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for beginning special education teachers (SETs). Preservice SETs need cooperating teachers (CTs) who support preservice SETs in proper emotional development (i.e., feeling like a teacher), who can model and…

This article chronicles the perspectives of two teacher candidates who displayed comfort with cultural issues and teaching for social justice, in contrast with many of their peers in the program who were uncomfortable with diversity. Their field experiences in a piloted urban reading practicum are documented, as part of a partnership with a…

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley, is assisting the New Jersey Council for Young Children (Council) in collecting and analyzing information about the state's early learning professional preparation and development system. The project consists of two phases: a Mapping Phase and a…

Research indicates that partner placements--pairing two preservice teachers with a mentor teacher--provide a supportive and collaborative context for learning to teach. This qualitative study examines three partner placements in a 100-hour urban field practicum to understand how preservice teachers experience and perceive partner placements, and…

This paper reports on a study of 22 preservice teachers enrolled in a first-semester mathematics teaching methods course. Course activities included participation in two separate field experiences in neighboring school districts. The methods class placed considerable emphasis on the use of advanced digital technologies in the teaching and learning…

Student teachers and teacher educators view the practicum experience as the most significant aspect of learning to teach. Student teachers regard the relationship with their cooperating teachers as the most important part of the fieldwork experience. However, what student teachers learn about teaching practice from their cooperating teachers…

Reasons for and methods of establishing early field experience prior to the student teaching experience are discussed. Specific programs are described and predictions for future developments in early field experience are given. (JMF)

The aim of this study is to discuss the experiences of prospective teachers during their school placements. For this aim, 41 prospective teachers taking School Experience II and Teaching Practice courses wrote and submitted a one- to two-page reflection of their field-based experiences at the end of the semester. Prospective teachers' written…

This paper compares the stress of inservice teachers and preservice student teachers. The situation of student teachers is compared to that of cultural anthropologists in the field. This paradigm aids student teachers to objectify and to cope with the stresses and strains of their own fieldwork. The student teaching practicum is viewed as a type…

A new educational psychology course that combines mastery oriented content learning with direct participation in an elementary school classroom is described. The integration of theoretical-empirical information from psychology with the applied view of education in the classroom is the most important outcome of the new course. A variety of learning…

A junior level field based practicum course involving potential student teachers and their cooperating teachers is described. Students and teachers meet during the first week of the course in an informal, relaxing atmosphere to become better acquainted and to share procedures, expectations, and general information on the course. Student teachers…