This study identifies the expectations and problems of university supervisors of early field experiences. Three broad categories of problems factors emerged. These are dimensions of professionalism, program control, and institutional problems. Implications for structuring field experiences are discussed. (Author/MT)

One of the most vexing problems confronting today's prospective teachers is pupil management or discipline. There are many different opinions regarding what preservice teachers should reasonably be expected to know and minimum conditions they should establish for classroom management. However, two outcomes of teacher preparation appear essential.…

Although educational reform for teacher education has been called for in many recent reports, educational reformers typically do not take time to define exactly what is to be changed, why, and how that change can be evaluated. Many of the conceptions for change are narrowly defined and vary among reports. Seven recommendations made by the National…

Expectations of teacher education students toward field-experience programs were investigated. A checklist was generated that contained potential expectations and was subjected to factor analysis. Implications of the study are presented. (Author/DF)

General beliefs among a group of prospective teachers include: (1) Teaching is a rewarding and fulfilling career; (2) teacher education courses do little to prepare teachers for the real classroom; (3) people who like children are effective teachers. (JN)

Explores a preservice curriculum in teacher education, based on curricular integration rather than disciplinary separatism, that provides liberal arts students with the structure and knowledge needed to experience teaching success. Different aspects of the curricular integration process are discussed, focusing on the political, programmatic, and…

Six problem areas were identified by 197 cooperating (classroom) teachers in dealing with student teachers: (1) students' orientation to teaching; (2) understanding the role of the university; (3) lack of student and university interest in school norms; (4) students' attitudes and skills; (5) low student enthusiasm; and (6) students' lack of…

Argues that collaboration between K-12 schools and universities or between colleges of education and colleges of arts and sciences is not possible because certain principles or conditions of practice are not present. Shared goals, shared power, and similar needs are not sufficiently pervasive to make healthy collaboration possible in many…

Explores curriculum collaboration between professional education and liberal arts faculty. The paper describes curriculum models used by teacher preparation institutions to structure the relationship between professional education and liberal arts coursework (integrated, collaborative, and segmented), presenting case examples. The efficacy of a…

Teacher education lacks structural coherence, often results in training regimens or decoupled practices but not professional education experiences, and resists change. Two reforms to enhance professionalism are proposed: creating tracked programs that consider special populations and contexts, such as rural or Catholic schools, and developing…

Preservice teachers need educational experiences that challenge them to connect disciplinary ideas. In a hyphenated curriculum, they work with ideas from various disciplines while thinking about their own practice, practicing integration in real classrooms. The article describes two programs that required preservice teachers to integrate general…

This paper provides examples of how portfolios are used at the University of Dayton (Ohio) in an introductory course titled "The Profession of Teaching" to enhance the interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, linguistic, and spatial intelligence of preservice teachers. For example, students can include audiotapes of their experiences,…

An inductive analysis of studies on discipline reveal four characteristics of effective classroom management. Preservice teachers should be able to: (1) develop a workable set of rules; (2) respond consistently to inappropriate behavior; (3) structure activities to minimize disruption; and (4) respond to, but not denigrate, the disruptive student.…

Interviews and observations of student teachers revealed that they rarely used nonexamples to explain concepts, had little exposure to instructional materials using nonexamples, and relied primarily on familiar methods from their own student experience. More intense modeling and practice regimens are needed to ensure acquisition of unfamiliar…

Research about student attitudes toward preservice teaching experience focused on two primary questions: (1) What do undergraduate education students expect from early field experiences? and (2) What underlying construct can be inferred from these expectations which may be useful in shaping future experiences? Two types of data were collected from…