Part of the practicum curriculum for Children's Studies at Edith Cowan University, Australia, this program gives students field experiences in rural situations, which are especially relevant to the course's ecological approach. Describes some of the unique child care situations found in rural communities, and how students, staff, the university,…

The preparation of music educators involves many facets. Students obtain pedagogical knowledge, understanding, and skill development during the college experience. In addition, preservice music teachers do numerous writing and reading projects as well as peer teaching. One area that tends to be lacking in the preparation before student teaching is…

This study investigates the development of prospective teachers' observation skills and understanding of assessment in two teacher education programs that integrate information about performance assessment in varying degrees into their preparation and field experiences. Focusing on eight student teachers, we used interview data to investigate the…

This phenomenological inquiry looked at 28 preservice teachers as they participated in a field-based curricula restructuring initiative that connected the disciplines of creative arts, science, and reading. The preservice teachers offered weekly interdisciplinary lessons to kindergarten and first grade students. A survey, teaching cases, and a…

In this year-long qualitative study we found that most early childhood student teachers involved children with special needs in project work and realized its benefits. The factors that promoted children's involvement were familiarity and interest in the topic, comfort with the size and composition of the small group, and the use of open-ended,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: What literacy learning did preservice teachers experience through a Penpal Project embedded in an early literacy course? What sense did preservice teachers make of the Penpal Project?--with an overarching focus on bridging literacy theory with practice. Data were gathered in a…

This volume discusses the ways in which teacher preparation programs around the country are actively embracing civic education from the belief that teacher education is inherently tied to both the preparation of civil servants and the work of preparing citizens. In the field of education, specifically the work of preparing teachers, there has been…

Formative computer-based assessments (CBAs) for self-instruction were introduced into a Year-2 field biology module. These CBAs were provided in "tutorial" mode where each question had context-related diagnostic feedback and tutorial pages, and a self-test mode where the same CBA returned only a score. The summative assessments remained…

Efforts to bring pre-service and in-service teacher education together need to include changes in the ways educators think about student teaching, teachers, and schools. They need to move from the student teaching as bridge, teachers as artisan, and schools as facilities for production metaphors. Instead they need to change their thinking to see…

The expansion of field-based preparation for teachers in recent years has been driven by several factors. The satisfaction of university students and instructors participating in site-based instruction and the encouragement of local schools seeking reform themselves have refueled this expansion. In a site-based course, preservice teachers provide…

The Fitchburg (Massachusetts) State College Education Department has collaborated with 38 cooperating teachers from 22 schools in central Massachusetts to develop a clinical mentor program as a component of a new Master's Degree in Education. In addition to the comprehensive clinical mentor component, the program integrates theory, research, and…

This paper provides a sketch of a preservice teacher education field experience in schools serving ethnically and racially diverse populations. Since the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is situated in a rural setting with a predominantly white population, accessing schools serving ethnically and racially diverse populations poses significant…

Commitment to the improvement of the social order underlies and challenges the kind of educational program that Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, strives to offer its students. Between 63 and 73 percent of traditionally-aged seniors at Saint Joseph's indicated that they participated in some form of community service during…

California State University (CSU) at Chico developed a teacher credentialing program to provide culturally diverse, certified special education teachers for 12 rural counties in northern California. These counties are sparsely populated; include remote areas with difficult access; and contain large Hmong, Meo, American Indian, and Hispanic…

This practicum involved the design and implementation of a curriculum that allowed 10 students from a private school to translate the theoretical knowledge gained from a previous child development course into a hands-on experience. This was accomplished through the use of regularly scheduled class sessions and a preschool laboratory, in which the…