Arguing that teacher education has become rule bound, even in the use of teaching narratives and cases, and for the need to challenge beginning teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning, the author suggests parables as promising means for enlivening teacher education and for stretching understanding. After defining parable, the author…

The purpose of this study was to shed light on mentor teachers' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities and to contrast their understandings with a normative view of mentoring (Goldsberry, 1998; Hawkey, 1997). We hypothesized that the mentor teachers' perceptions would likely differ from established conceptions of this construct, a…

Describes U.S. teacher education reform, noting how most social problems are judged educational problems and explaining that, though education is a state responsibility, there is considerable similarity across the 50 states. Both public and teacher education are strictly scrutinized and considered one source of today's presumed school failure. The…

Compared two models of student teaching (traditional versus peer teaching in which two student teachers worked with one cooperating teacher). Case study data indicated that while peer teaching involved some trade-offs, it had a positive impact on children and offered such advantages to student teachers as increased support, ongoing conversation…

Situates the origins of self-study in four developments within education, highlighting autobiography and correspondence (email, letters, and recorded conversations) because of the demands they present for producers and consumers. Provides a framework for determining what makes a piece of self-study writing research, using the work of C. Wright…

Presents the background to the standards movement in U.S. education, asserting that it has had a negative impact on teacher education and teacher education accreditation. The article describes a recent accreditation review of the application of an overly narrow understanding of standards and legitimate evidence, and it suggests a possible…

Using insights from portfolios and journals in teacher education and case records in nursing, the article discusses how case records from personal teaching texts can facilitate beginning teacher development. Surveys of preservice secondary teachers indicated most valued the approach because it enabled development, particularly of reflectivity, and…

Describes the use of metaphor analysis to engage preservice students in an examination of their conceptions of teaching. The evolution of three students' metaphors as they proceeded through student teaching illustrates the value of metaphor analysis in helping student teachers maintain their idealism when confronting the realities of classroom…

Examined a partnership and a single-placement model of early field experience, using mentor and preservice teacher interviews, preservice teacher ime logs, and planning session transcripts. All respondents valued their experiences, but those in partnership placements felt better supported and engaged in greater instructional risks within the…

Study explored the relationship between curriculum and teacher development. Preservice English teachers wrote education-related life histories and discussed them in class. Observations and interviews indicated emphasis on four types of knowledge helped students negotiate satisfying teacher roles: content-specific, the curriculum/teacher role…

Reviews an important period in teacher education's history sponsored by the American Council on Education's Commission on Teacher Education (1939-42), highlighting lessons learned about reform, which confirm the value of recent work in teacher education that maximizes participation, builds school-university partnerships, and forms student cohorts…

Examines problems and possibilities associated with university-secondary school partnerships using data from three case studies within urban Utah schools. The paper also discusses the University of Utah's attempts to forge closer university-school links through Professional Development Schools. Data suggested that contextual, school-specific…

Mentoring is often portrayed as an unqualified good. Teacher educators claim that mentoring holds promise for beginning teacher development, increased retention of novice teachers, and mentor-teacher improvement. Drawing on positioning theory, this study describes negotiation of power and position in a failed triad composed of a public school…

Interviews with 12 college faculty examined the increased use of clinical nontenure track faculty in teacher education programs. The paper presents a history of professional development school (PDS) work and staffing patterns at the University of Utah, describes the study, notes emerging themes, and considers implications for future PDS…

Examines two trends of thought central to current discussion on teacher education reform, both of which separate technical aspects of teaching from educational aims and purposes. The paper presents four propositions to make teacher education more educative and to challenge the assumptions of training (certification, work context, biography, and…