This paper explores the development of student-teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) during pre-service education. Four student-teachers in mathematics and science participated in a project teaching physics to students aged 9-11 years once a week over a 12-month period. One-third of the lessons were videotaped and the student-teachers were…

In this issue of the International Journal of Technology and Design, we report on a series of case studies from the second phase of an international project--Developing Professional Thinking for Technology Teachers (DEPTH2). The first phase of the project was a study conducted with both primary and secondary technology pre-service teacher…

Which Learning to teach is a challenge. When people make the decision to become teachers, they enter their undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate, or alternative teacher education programs with a goal of learning how to teach so their future students learn. Many teacher candidates, understandably, do not foresee the complexity of the journey…

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is an approach that could be used by undergraduate educators that appears to meet the suggestions by Dewey to integrate students' interests and experiences with content knowledge. The IBL approach has been described as "a range of strategies used to promote learning through students' active, and increasingly…

In 2004 "Technology, Pedagogy and Education" published a review of literature which framed current understandings of pedagogy and the implications for the use of ICT in learning and teaching in formal educational settings. This article revisits the topic in the light of more recent developments in understandings of pedagogy. It offers…

In this paper the author examines the role of item response theory (IRT), particularly multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) in test validation from a validity argument perspective. The author provides justification for several structural assumptions and interpretations, taking care to describe the role he believes they should play in any…

High quality pedagogical knowledge is crucial for students, especially for teacher-education students, because it can assist them in their current learning and in helping their own future students' learning. This study of teacher-education students used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate three main…

This paper examines the relationship between communities of practice and literacy as a pedagogical focus in secondary schools in New Zealand in the light of Corson's arguments about critical conditions for effective language policy development in schools. It is also positioned within the current international emphasis (at least in English-speaking…

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of high-quality instructional and formative assessment tools to support teachers' incorporation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Lessons from the first generation of standards-based reforms suggest that intense…

Accreditation and accountability recently have been prominent in national conversations about the preparation of teachers. Members of our profession have developed standards to which we will hold ourselves as we prepare foreign language and world language (F/WL) teachers for the 21st century. As a participating Specialized Professional Association…

This study examined how nine preservice teachers' understandings about teaching social studies changed during one of three secondary social studies methods courses. Considering the significant role of methods courses in social studies teacher education, methods courses provide spaces to investigate preservice teachers' understandings about…

This study investigates the use of Lesson Study in three U.S. schools. Lesson Study is part of the culture of teaching in Japanese K-8 schools. Researchers in the United States brought the practice of Lesson Study ("jugyokenkyo" in Japanese) to light in the late 1990's while investigating reasons for differences in the performance of…

Field trips are well recognized by researchers as an educational approach with the potential to complement and enhance classroom science teaching by exposing students to unique activities, resources, and content in informal settings. The following investigation addresses teachers' field trip practices in three related manuscripts: (1) A study…

This study examined the experiences of three primary teacher education students participating in early childhood-focused community play sessions, as well as their perceptions of early childhood and primary philosophy and pedagogy. The purpose was to explore perceived differences in primary and early childhood pre-service teacher courses, which may…

Though the importance of including practicum experiences in programs for the preparation of elementary preservice teachers is generally accepted, the nature of these experiences on the development of skills in teaching science can vary greatly. This study compares the effect of variations in field experiences at two institutions, one which…