Aim of this paper is to investigate the training needs of theater educators who work in primary education. The fact that triggered the inception of this research was that studies concerning aesthetic education in Greece refer to all specialties (musicians, visual artists, theater educators). Consequently, the educational needs of the above…

I investigated my role as a mentor co-teaching with an intern in a Professional Development School (PDS) context through the use of self-study. This ten-month study illustrated my co-teaching experience with my intern to determine what conditions I found necessary to foster a successful partnership and whether I experienced transformations in my…

Salisbury University (SU) has been preparing teachers since 1925 and has earned a stellar reputation in teacher preparation, especially through its work with PDS. In 2009, SU was honored with the NAPDS "Spirit of Partnership" award for its contributions to the annual national conference. SU and Worcester County Public Schools earned the…

This study examined the influence of a semester-long seminar on student teachers' perceptions of their preparedness for student teaching. Eighteen pre-service teachers in elementary (grades K-6) and middle grades (grades 6-8) participated in the seminar. Seventeen pre-service teachers from the same programs were used as a matched comparison group.…

This article introduces the process of inquiry-oriented mentoring as an appropriate tool for developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of mentors who work with prospective teachers within the professional development school. The process shows promise as a tool for capturing the knowledge of what constitutes powerful mentoring practices, by…

The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the professional development school partnership between Pennsylvania State University and State College Area School District for its meritorious partnership work over time and so named it one of the three recipients of the first-ever National Association for Professional…

In this article Kathleen Roney and MaryAnn Davies report on the use of TaskStream, a Web-based tool to supervise interns and develop reflective practices in a university teacher training program. Providing examples from the internship/student teaching semester, they discuss the use of the tool to support professional development both during the…

The new teacher education programs envision professional teachers as continuous learners rather than "finished" products. Teachers must understand subject matter deeply and flexibly so they can help students create useful cognitive maps, relate ideas, and address misconceptions. Teachers need opportunities for year-long apprenticeships,…

A recommendation is made for a six-year program of initial teacher preparation--five years of campus-based, but field-oriented, preparation followed by a sixth year of supervised internship with provision for follow-up of beginning teachers in their first year of regular employment. The following aspects of this topic are discussed: (1) needs and…

A vocational teacher education project sponsored jointly by Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Department of Vocational and Technical Education, and the Appalachian Regional Commission afforded an opportunity to develop a working model for the implementation of field-based activities as a measure of professional development for…

Professional development schools serve both novice and experienced teachers' needs by combining teacher education with professional development and school-restructuring efforts. Such schools are creating new opportunities for learning by teaching, doing, and collaborating. This article describes the University of Southern Maine's one-year,…

Describes the development and features of an innovative field experience program, in the form of an internship, for early childhood student teachers, as part of a four-year Bachelor of Education Degree at Australia's University of Newcastle. Discusses participants' perceptions of the internship as a professionalizing experience. (HTH)

Student teaching or internship evaluation instruments used in teacher education programs at 11 research universities were analyzed. Their emphasis on classroom management knowledge and skills may be contributing to what many teachers see as a frustrating concentration on management and a smooth-running classroom over attention to substantive…

This essay describes the broad consideration of educational standards that occurred with a cohort of masters' licensure students in public, urban university and high school contexts. This deliberation over standards was rooted in the model of standards development presented by these future teachers' licensure program and called upon this next…

A new professional licensure system for teachers developed by the Minnesota Board of Teaching in conjunction with the Educational Testing Service is described. Initial work with the Rand Corporation in 1987 provided a plan for a new licensure system. The state's expectations for a performance assessment system to measure the skills of first-year…