Preservice field placements and student teaching experiences have been identified as influential factors in elementary teaching candidates' (ETCs) development as teachers. This study examined several factors during the student teaching experience, including the English language arts (ELA) teaching self-efficacy of cooperating teachers (CTs) and…

One of the most vital forms of dialogue for a novice teacher is the inner dialogue of reflective practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how blogging supports the ability of preservice teachers (PSTs) to reflect on their student teaching experience. Findings suggest that blogging may serve as both response and stimuli,…

Over 30 states have adopted the edTPA as a performance assessment for pre-service teachers. While many have adopted the edTPA as a program requirement, few require the edTPA for licensure of individual teacher candidates, but many states are poised to do so. While the edTPA is grounded on experiences with advanced certification and program level…

This study investigated a framework for supporting English teacher candidates' efforts to reconcile theory and practice in classrooms that are subject to the tensions and challenges presented by contemporary, standardized education reforms that often ignore students' diverse cultural contexts, needs, and interests. Using the transcripts of seminar…

At a time when there is great emphasis on teacher quality and the preparation of excellent teachers, this portrait explores the process of one such aspiring teacher, Katie, in the fall of her full-year student-teaching internship. Her mentoring teacher, Kristen, is a veteran fifth-grade teacher at a small elementary school in New Hampshire who…

As states across the country continue their implementation of the Teacher Performance Assessment Portfolio (edTPA), a complex and high-stakes certification requirement for teacher certification, there are important lessons for educators and education advocates to learn from New York State's implementation. As Linda Darling-Hammond, developer and…

This study examines the relationship between the working conditions of student teaching schools and changes in student teachers' planned persistence in teaching. Planned persistence (and a related construct, initial commitment) is an important predictor of initial entry (Rots, Aelterman, Vlerick, & Vermeulen, 2007) and actual persistence in…

Questions about optimal routes to becoming an effective teacher have fueled an ongoing debate for more than 50 years--also, not coincidentally, a time of increasing regulation of teacher preparation programs. A number of alternative pathways have been investigated (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Darling-Hammond, Holtzman, Gatlin, & Heilig, 2005), yet…

The current study is an attempt to inform professionals, such as university trainers and field-based supervisors, as to the utility of professional dispositions assessment as a means of gauging teacher candidate success in their professional roles. According to the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (2014), test users…

Thirty years ago, Schön (1983) described practitioner reflection as a process of framing and reframing problems, creating reflective conversations with oneself and with others, taking actions to change one's practice, and evaluating the consequences of those changes. Teacher educators teach and model reflection on teaching practices, and observe a…

This qualitative research study examined the extent to which novice and student teachers drew upon pre-service preparation to use scaffolding practices identified in the literature as supportive of bilingual learners' (EBs') acquisition of academic content. Data sources included videotaped class observations, lesson plans and teaching materials,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on program improvement of systematically gathering P-12 student learning data over a 5-year period. This study was completed over 5 academic years (2008-2009 to 2012-2013) in a teacher preparation program in northwest Oregon. Data were gathered from two student teaching experiences of teacher…

This article explores the practices and pedagogies of six literacy teacher educators with a critical stance. In this qualitative research study, three semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant over a three-year period. They were able to negotiate a critical stance into their teacher education courses in several ways: using an…

This study closely examined the stated and implicit philosophical stances of student teacher supervisors from their own perspectives as well as from the perspectives of the student teachers with whom they worked. Written and audio documentation of the interactions and conversations between each of the participating student teachers and his or her…

By educating pre-service teachers about new pedagogical strategies and techniques, the intention is to address and change ineffective practices in physical education so that children learn to love movement and engage in regular physical activity for their health and wellness. However, as Lortie (1975) suggests, experience is more powerful than…