This article discusses three strategies designed to support a college of education mission to prepare democratic practitioners. These strategies are: increasing civic knowledge (Butts, 1993), reflecting on civic values (Ross & Yeager, 1999), and organizing field experiences that promote democratic practice (Rainer & Guyton, 1999). Activities for…

This article shares an approach to teaching mathematics teacher education courses incorporating asynchronous online discussions. Specifically, this research is guided by the following research questions: (a) How would online discussions contribute or hinder teachers' learning in mathematics methods courses? and (b) What pedagogical strategies need…

We have been exploring the potential of a web-supported professional development system, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), that integrates videotaped classrooms and discussion forums for use in preservice science methods classrooms. This article examines pre- and inservice teachers' perceptions about using the ILF and how their participation in…

Reflection and professional development are two key practices that characterize an effective teacher and that are frequently overlooked in preservice training (Bowles, 2003; Halen-Faber, 1997; Patrick & Reinhartz, 1999). Reflection can be defined as the type of thinking that serves to challenge notions of prior learning (Halen-Faber, 1997), and…

This article discusses a university-public school partnership involving 10 school sites, which have become professional development schools (PDSs). These PDSs contribute to a continuum of professional development for educators at all levels: preservice teachers, inservice teachers, public school administrators, and teacher educators. Professional…

The purpose of this longitudinal qualitative inquiry was to describe the socially constructed, negotiated, and contextual nature of an early field placement in an urban elementary school. The objectives were to document subtle changes over time in preservice teachers' reading/language arts subject matter knowledge and teaching beliefs and…

This study, conducted in Singapore, was designed to determine pre-service primary teachers' (n=34) behavior in asking operational questions in science. In training the pre-service teachers in asking operational questions, the meaning of operational questions was first illustrated and clarified to them through the use of some examples during group…

Twenty-five undergraduate preservice teachers in the literacy block (a six credit hour block of reading and language arts methods courses) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln wrote their literacy autobiographies to fulfill one of the course requirements. These autobiographies help students' develop insights into their literacy past and present.…

This paper reports the findings of a year-long study of 11 preservice teachers' perceptions of the first year of a teacher preparation program. These students were interviewed individually at least four times, and reported that learning concrete teaching methods was one of the most valuable aspects of their preparation because these methods could…

Project MAFEX (Meta-Analysis of Field Experience) used standard meta-analysis techniques to synthesize the available body of research concerning preservice field experience programs. Several important questions were considered: (1) What types of field experience programs are most and least effective? (2) Are there common characteristics of field…

This publication contains 14 papers, most of which were written by instructors of higher education in Australia and Great Britain. Following an introduction, the first five papers are "The Development of Children's Map Ability" (Simon Catling), "Published Guidance to Pupils on Atlas Mapwork Skills" (Herbert Sandford),…

Perceptions of 242 graduates of the Division of Education program at Indiana University at South Bend were studied. Bachelors' and masters' level graduates who received their degrees during 1970-1983 were mailed opinionaires to determine the following information: respondents' employment status and their opinions regarding courses/topics in…

The selections in this anthology are organized to reflect the two differing perspectives in teacher education. These perspectives are represented on the one hand by those who believe guidelines and the time-honored practices in teacher preparation form a sufficient base for the development of programs to prepare teachers (Perspective 1), and on…

The overall purpose of this volume is to provide concrete suggestions for foreign language methods instructors to choose from in designing methods courses according to their goals and in conjunction with the needs, interest and capabilities of their students. The eight chapters comprise: "Listening, Reading, and the Methods Course," by Bonnie B.…

Six papers on distributive education and occupational work adjustment (OWA) which were presented at a teacher education leadership conference on the development of common core curriculum for vocational education teachers are contained in this booklet. The title and authors are as follow: "Methods of Teaching Distributive Education," by John…