This paper details an integrated inquiry-based mathematics and science method course for preservice teachers designed around STEM problem-based learning. It documents how problem-based learning (PBL) activities supported PSTs' envisioning of equitable approaches for diverse children. The overarching research question was: "How did preservice…

Computer science teaching standards for grades K-8 have been implemented in nearly all U.S. states, and the core subject area teachers (e.g., math, science, English, social studies) have been asked to integrate these standards into their instruction. Thus, it is important that K-8 pre-service teachers of all subjects are both prepared and…

The science teacher education community plays a prominent role in teacher preparation programs. Particularly, science methods courses emphasize modeling instructional strategies to promote inquiry-based practices. Integrating appropriate educational technology to enhance and support classroom practices should be embedded in these courses. The…

The concepts of "culturally relevant pedagogy" and "culturally responsive teaching" have been interpreted and enacted in various ways for over two decades. Informed by this research, the author shares a critical approach to teaching and learning using "sociotransformative constructivism" (sTc). This framework merges…

Free online survey tools provide a practical learning-by-induction platform for business communication instructors interested in trying out an advanced multidisciplinary survey activity coupled with an innovative teaching design. More than just building skills in marketing, survey projects marshal a wider set of thinking and doing activities that…

Explaining is one of the fundamental teaching practices. Yet, much is still unknown about the ways in which pre-service secondary teachers (PSTs) learn to create instructional explanations. Even less is known about how technology can support PSTs in this process. This paper describes an instructional module which used video to enhance PSTs'…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of critical multicultural education on the multicultural attitudes of preservice teachers in a teacher education program. Design/methodology/approach: The study sample consisted of 76 preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program. This study used a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental…

This article describes the authors' three-component instructional sequence--a before-class activity, a during-class activity, and an after-class activity--which supports students in becoming self-regulated proof learners by actively developing class-based criteria for proof. All four authors implemented this sequence in their classrooms, and the…

Purpose: This study was framed with an explorative approach in which preservice classroom teachers (PCTs) participated in physical education learning activities. The purpose was to investigate the construction of their practical knowledge. Methods: Data collection was integrated into a methods course and included a written text assignment in which…

The researchers of this hermeneutic phenomenological study applied Colaizzi's (1978) method to analyze and interpret English Language Arts (ELA) teacher candidates' (TC) learning experiences with literacy quadrants and narratives while attending secondary writing instruction methods courses in diverse institutional settings. Qualitative strategies…

Active learning approaches have shown to improve student learning outcomes and improve the experience of students in the classroom. This article compares a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning style approach to a more traditional teaching method in an undergraduate research methods course. Moving from a more traditional learning environment to…

In this article, we focus on the contributions that a simulated jury-based activity might have for pre-service teachers, especially for their active participation and learning in teacher education. We observed a teacher educator using a series of simulated juries as teaching resources to help pre-service teachers develop their pedagogical…

Though literature discussions are a commonplace feature of English classrooms, we know little about how teachers learn to facilitate classroom talk. Research on methods courses reveals little about how, or if, teachers are prepared to enact the "high leverage" practice of literature discussions. This qualitative study examines an English…

The subject of research methods is often unknown, foreboding, and unappealing to undergraduate communication majors. Thus, in the research methods course, two ways to overcome such issues and achieve learning are by: (1) making the unfamiliar more familiar and accessible; and (2) placing abstract knowledge in its useful real-world context. Making…

Recently, attention has focused on identifying core instructional practices that could leverage novice teachers' development of professional knowledge and skill. To help novices learn to implement these practices, there is also increasing interest in developing enactment tools that could translate abstract conceptual tasks into more concrete…