Elaborates on 27 years of teaching methods courses. Four models addressed are the normal school, generic, single method, and inspirational. Argues that educational philosophy has a place in undergraduate teacher education. (JOW)

In this descriptive study, the science subject matter knowledge of preservice and inservice elementary teachers was examined and compared. Over an eight-year period, answers to 13 science questions, including 10 from the US National Science Foundation's Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology, were collected…

Texts such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) contribute to the contexts in which one works because of the restrictions and sanctions they impose upon teachers and children. As others in this issue discuss in more detail, NCLB has a punitive edge that can replace teachers, decrease local school control, and change curriculum (L. Meyer, 2003). In this…

This paper describes a pen pal partnership experience wherein undergraduate teacher education candidates enrolled in a Reading Language Arts Methods course and exchanged a series of 6-8 letters with elementary level children designated as having special needs. The project resulted in a number of benefits for both the children and the teacher…

The participatory action research (PAR) process discussed in the text represents the next evolutionary stage for action research and practitioner research in education. The authors integrate process with methodology to provide an overview of the PAR process similar to professional learning communities in schools. Results of the original PAR study…

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has increasingly been put forth as a new paradigm of social work practice. One of the critical elements of EBP is the ability of consumers of research to be able to critically appraise research evidence. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which an introductory MSW research methods…

The aim of this study is to characterize the discourse of two problem-solving courses for prospective teachers. The data, consisting of audio recordings and field notes, were examined from a dialogical approach combined with the theory of contextualization. I show not only the substantial differences between the two classroom discourses but also…

In this study, peer assessment was applied in assessing elementary science teaching skills. Preservice teachers taught a science topic as a team to their peers in an elementary science methods course. The peers participating in the science lesson assessed teacher-groups' elementary science teaching skills on an assessment form provided by the…

This study examined the methodological training of preservice secondary foreign language teachers through the lens of the college methodology course syllabus from 32 participating postsecondary institutions, survey data from the related methods instructors, and questionnaires from 10 of the instructors. The findings indicate that preservice…

We compared two formats for optional study sessions offered to students in a research methods course. Study sessions alternated between a game format (e.g., Behavioral Jeopardy) and a student-directed question and answer format, presented in counterbalanced order across different sections of the same course. The results of the alternating…

The study discusses the professional identity and aspects of professional development of Clinical Faculty Teacher Educators (CFTEs) teaching methods courses in a College of Education during a time of change. The above aspects were revealed while analyzing data collected to evaluate an in-service professional development course for CFTEs. Data…

This qualitative study explored the roles which exist between pre-service elementary teachers and the technology tools they integrate into their mathematics lesson plans. A total of 35 pre-service elementary teachers participated in this study in which the researcher examined their lesson plans and reflection documents. The project occurred during…

This study investigated the journey of four Thai pre-service chemistry teachers as they sought to develop their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) throughout a PCK-based chemistry methods course and field experience. In an interpretive case study approach we drew upon classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, chemistry content knowledge…

This paper addresses the dilemmas encountered by two secondary science education instructors designing a course for preservice elementary teachers. Taking into consideration past experiences of teaching education and science courses in general and with preservice elementary teachers in particular and recommendations from state and national…