Examines preservice teachers' definitions of reading at the beginning and end of an introductory methods course in English language arts. Finds that, at the beginning of the course, 85% of the preservice teachers characterized the process of reading as a decoding task, while only 42% maintained that characterization by the end of the course. (RS)

Comments on Reba Page's methods of teaching about interpretive research methodologies. Points to four potential problems: (1) students have little knowledge of underlying epistemological debates; (2) students are unaware of broader "conversations" between texts; (3) students have read little qualitative research; and (4) students must learn to…

Describes how a team of college instructors framed a humanities methods course within the concept of classroom community-building to address issues relevant to preservice teachers in such areas as moral commitment, professionalism, caring, and concern, providing examples of how the community was built, discussing strengths and limitations of that…

Investigated preservice teachers' beliefs, definitions, and uses of student and professional portfolios. Surveys of preservice teachers conducted at two times during their training provided data on how their perspectives, methods-course experiences, and field experience contributed to their beliefs and practices surrounding portfolio development…

Reports the results of three similar case studies of preservice teachers enrolled in literacy methods courses. Describes preservice teacher beliefs about literacy through the use of multiple data sources before, during, and after the course. Supports a field-based model of teacher education for development of a complex view of the process of…

Describes the collaboration between a third-year high school teacher and a seasoned education professor, in which the two traded places, coteaching each other's classes for the entire school year. Discusses getting started, what they expected and what they learned, long-term individual effects of collaboration, ensuring success, and collaboration…

Generates a framework of categories to describe prospective teachers' change of attitude toward teaching science over the term of a science methods course. Sources of data for the three-year study include science journal entries. Contains 36 references. (DDR)

Reports on a collaborative project to explore the work of teacher educators as an effort to reconstruct a stance as teachers in relation to students. Shares the discovery of the ironic in desires for authoritative knowledge, effective methods, coherent organization, and harmonic relationships. (CMK)

Recounts a personal journey--an effort to achieve balance and congruence in a master's level language arts course. Wrestles with theoretical and practical issues as the author gradually turned over much control of the curriculum to his graduate students. Delves into some thorny issues: student assessment, maintaining rigor and accountability, and…

Preservice English-as-Second-Language (ESL) teachers respond to various forms of feedback that they received in their TESL methodology course, and offer insights into how these individual response will shape their own evolving feedback practices. Results show that these preservice ESL teachers were pleased with the wide variety of forms of…

Describes one professor's journey of integrating technology into an undergraduate reading methods course. Finds that with the use of technology in her university courses, she is more responsive to her students, more reflective of the learning process taking place in her classroom, and able to support her students' learning in many ways. (SG)

Describes a science methods course for elementary education majors in which students investigated the phases of the moon. Concludes that students did not make direct connections between their science learning activities and the nature of science. Provides a set of recommendations related to the nature of science and moon study. (Contains 27…

This paper illustrates ways to employ teacher portfolios to improve the quality of methods course experiences for prospective mathematics teachers. Based upon research conducted in an undergraduate teacher preparation program, this case study describes how the author used teacher portfolios to mentor prospective teachers in new ways. The case…

A significant element of teaching is identifying goals and assessing whether the instruction is helping students achieve those goals. That is especially true in teacher education courses, because those taking the courses will eventually affect hundreds of students. Results, however, are difficult to assess in teacher education courses because the…

Historical inquiry is a multifaceted phenomenon. S. G. Grant describes it as "the passion for pulling ideas apart and putting them back together" (2000, 196). Historical inquiry as an instructional strategy benefits students and the classroom dynamic. It promotes students' appreciation of their personal histories while they are exploring…