The traditional model of teacher preparation, which focuses on content and methods courses in a college or university, can create a gap between university faculty and school practitioners. This article describes a series of clinical practice workshops as a viable means to bridge the gap between a university and its partner middle schools in the…

In this study, we explore how preservice teachers utilized Twitter during one middle grades social studies methods course. Specifically, we analyzed how various Twitter assignments--following specific accounts, weekly communication with class members, and participation in #sschats--contributed to either "restricted" or…

On graduation, teacher candidates (TCs) are typically underprepared to teach science, particularly physical science, whereas physics graduates frequently lack training in teaching or effective communication. In response, we created two models for interdisciplinary peer learning where TCs were paired with either graduate or undergraduate physics…

Research methods education in LIS master's degree programs is facing several difficult questions: should a methods course be required, what content should be taught in that course, and what is the most effective mechanism for teaching that content. There is little consensus about what should be taught or how, but the American Library Association,…

Childhood obesity and the decline of physical activity are real concerns for physical educators. Physical educators are in a key position to positively affect physical activity among youth at risk for obesity; however, the presence of an anti-fat bias may inhibit their ability to effectively do so. By addressing anti-fat bias, not only in physical…

The use of quality texts in elementary classrooms plays a major role in children's literacy development. Quality children's literature helps learners develop into skilled readers and writers with increased gains in vocabulary knowledge and comprehension. This paper demonstrates how pre-service teachers gained an understanding of the educational…

This paper represents research that exists at the crossroad of scholarly practice and scholarly inquiry. We share the design, enactment and empirical examination of an elementary methods course activity, Exploring and Supporting Student Thinking (ESST) which engaged 18 prospective teachers in two sessions of one on one problem posing with 3rd…

Framed by occupational socialization theory (Lawson, 1986), the purpose of this research was to examine perspectives of one university faculty member, eleven pre-service teachers and two cooperating teachers while enacting two clinically rich methods courses in a physical education teacher education program. We analyzed the data (researcher notes,…

The current chapter aimed at investigating language students' perceptions of peer assessment of the group members' contribution to group work. The research context of the study included the department of foreign language education at a state university in Burdur, Turkey. The participants were 35 students enrolled at the third-year class entitled…

Background/Context: The disparity between the race and ethnicity of teachers and students is expected to increase as our nation and classrooms continue to become more racially, ethnically, linguistically, and economically diverse. It is extremely important to think about not only the educational needs of such a diverse student population within…

To guide and support teacher candidates in developing the knowledge and skills they need in the classroom, teacher preparation programs must prepare students in acquiring the experience and expertise needed to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge in the specific subject or content area. In addition, teacher preparation programs must support…

Ethnically unfamiliar literature can provide opportunities for teacher candidates to expand their repertoire of available texts to better support students in their care. However, ethnically unfamiliar literatures can be difficult for readers to understand and appreciate. This article addresses this disconnect by infusing multicultural literature…

The high attrition rate of new science teachers demonstrates the urgent need to incorporate effective practices in teacher preparation programs to better equip preservice science teachers. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate a way to enrich preservice science teachers' preparation by incorporating informal science teaching practice into…

Increasing evidence, both in general education and music education, points to the significance of inquiry as a part of teacher preparation. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the ways in which an introductory research project would help preservice music educators understand good "music teaching" and to discover the extent…

The social work profession has articulated commitments to acknowledging and affirming how diversity and culture shape the human experience and to developing social workers who can competently engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. However, there remains a need in social work education for more widespread use of…