Professors in a Communication Arts methods course for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers sought to move the content of the language arts curriculum from a direct instruction to a whole language model. A transformation came about as one professor realized that her efforts to enthusiastically convey the importance of authentic…

A case study narrates the development of one preservice teacher enrolled in a composition methods course that was based on inquiry, reflection, collaboration, and theory-building. Much of the course content centered on exploring, extending, and even transforming future secondary English teachers' beliefs about writing instruction and assessment.…

It is not difficult to find information describing how enterprising teachers use telecommunications in their classrooms; however, it is very difficult to find studies describing how teacher education institutions can (or should) employ telecommunications. Two hundred and twenty nine students (all were enrolled in a methods/curriculum course) were…

The content of elementary school reading methods textbooks spanning approximately 100 years was analyzed to note patterns of emphasis for selected topics. Four to six books were chosen for analysis from each of six time periods: 1890 to 1930, and each of the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. Each book was evaluated with a checklist of 17 major…

A study analyzed the experiences of 10 student teachers, 5 of whom taught in a traditional program and 5 of whom taught without cooperating teachers. The study's purpose was to gain insight into factors influencing views and actions of student teachers and to determine why they did or did not correspond to views they expressed after participating…

This paper describes the results of several teaching experiments in the teaching Studio of The University of Dayton's Learning-Teaching Center. The Studio is a state-of-the-art classroom with a flexible seating arrangements and movable whiteboards and corkboards for small group discussions. The Studio has a communications system with a TV/VCR…

Intended for use by educators of preservice speech communications teachers, this description of a methods course is geared towards high school and college level pedagogy. The philosophy of the guide rejects the typical textbook style, in which generalizations are given to students as unqualified positive statements rather than made objects of…

The purpose of this study is to improve attitudes toward learning science and inquiry-based, science teaching through specially designed instruction in a science methods course for preservice teachers. Eighty preservice teachers over two terms elected to complete one of two projects as part of their science methods course. The "Discussions in…

A graduate reading course provided students a hands-on experience in using dialog journals with elementary school children to illustrate the value of integrating writing opportunities into reading programs. Every week of the semester reading methods students read, responded, and returned the journals to the cooperating elementary classes. Only…

Because so many elementary schools are employing whole language instruction, it is essential that graduates from university elementary education programs be prepared to teach in this way. Twenty-five junior and senior elementary education majors enrolled in a block program of 3 courses: reading methods, language arts methods, and a field practicum…

Reforms advocated for elementary school mathematics call for knowledge few teachers possess--knowledge about content, inquiry, and the pedagogical use of mathematical knowledge. As part of a larger study, researchers at the National Center for Research on Teacher Education interviewed methods instructors at a sample of college based preservice…

The question posed in this study was whether university reading methods courses influenced student teachers' instructional choices through a process of reflective judgment. It also examined the students' actual practices as they related to the complexity of their reflections, and whether reflective judgment could be improved by using journal…

This program is the result of efforts made to develop a preparation model for elementary teachers. The science component of the program is referred to as SODIA-Science which is derived from the first letters of descriptive words: Self, Others, Discipline, Implementation, and Associate teaching. These words describe the emphasis at each level of…

To summarize the implemented program, this report makes use of the practice profile. Inputs, processes, and outputs statements are the ideals for the practice profile and are adapted from the outputs stated in the Discrepancy Evaluation Model. The major project components are: (1) "Critical Mass" (which is what is needed before the…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of six research reports related to preservice teacher education and instruction are presented. Aspects addressed in the studies include: (1) teaching strategy analysis models in middle school science education courses; (2) concerns-based adoption model (CBAM): basis for an elementary science methods course; (3)…