Contends that research methods can play an important role in undergraduate education, especially in mass communication, and that methods courses help students develop an appreciation for the tentative nature of knowledge. States also that such courses can help communication departments demonstrate centrality to their respective universities. (PA)

Describes how one teacher educator uses book clubs as a way to model and confirm the value and power of shared reading experiences. Considers how preservice teachers will act upon their new knowledge gained in book clubs to inform their planning and practice. Suggests bringing book clubs into classrooms. (SG)

Proposes that preservice elementary education majors encounter five hurdles as they experience their science methods course: (1) reservations and hesitations or the anxiety stage; (2) awareness/enjoyment stage; (3) intrinsic shift; (4) rapid building of self confidence and self efficacy; and (5) empowerment. (MVL)

The special education methods sequence at University of Virginia is a two-semester training program which emphasizes a behavioral approach to teaching. The first course emphasizes methods; the second focuses on integration of curriculum and methods. Course goals, format, teaching methods, texts and student evaluation are outlined. (IAH)

Outlines the essential conditions of cooperative learning. Describes six cooperative learning structures modeled in a reading methods class that can be used to create literacy activities appropriate in fourth through sixth grade. (SR)

Offers an outline of the social studies methods course taught at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. (SR)

Presents methods of using data sets to explain the concepts of ecological fallacy and psychological reductionism to beginning methods students. Includes information on variables, an appendix on data and software sources, and statistical results. Suggests that students will learn the concepts described as well as the principle of uncertainty in…

Reviews a number of books for language arts methods course instructors that address a tension between their professional obligation to represent a broad range of theoretical issues current in the field and their students' urgent desire for practical skills and information that will help them get an English class up and running. (TB)

Defines components of activity systems shaping readers' responses to literature. Applies a framework to responses of "advanced" and "regular" high school students to a story about a regular student going on a field trip with advanced students. Applies the framework to responses of teachers in a graduate writing methods course…

Preparing novice teachers to manage the broad array of educational decisions and day-to-day problems inherent in classroom teaching is an ongoing challenge. This article describes a model of student-initiated, case-based pedagogy, in the form of Basket Cases, implemented in an English education methods class and interprets the results. Exploring…

This article provides suggestions for developing a laboratory-based research methods course using computers. We describe important considerations for creating this type of course including selecting software, choosing experiments, and teaching students with different levels of computer skill. We also include 3 model projects that required…

This article explores preservice teachers' resistance to elementary history teaching that makes explicit and accessible the construction of historical knowledge for students. Using qualitative data from a 3-semester-long critical action research study, the author examines two themes of resistance voiced by a majority of 70 preservice teachers:…

In this article we examine preservice teachers' ideas about the role of multicultural citizenship education in social studies classrooms. We use qualitative techniques to explore data collected from observations and interviews with preservice teachers enrolled in a secondary social studies methods course. The findings suggest that even when…

This study tracked the influence of explicit reflective instructional methods on cultural values, ethical and intellectual development, and the relationship of these with preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS). The researchers used the Views of Nature of Science Form B (VNOS B) to describe NOS views, the Learning Context…

Preservice teachers in a K-8 science methods course used guided video reflection to examine their interactions with children during science teaching. This inquiry approach helped preservice teachers identify and respond to gaps between their beliefs and intentions about teaching all children and their enactment of those beliefs. The experience of…