Both on-line and face-to-face courses rely on textbooks as an important source of information for students. A challenge for instructors in an on-line setting is to insure that students are learning from their textbooks. One way to address this challenge is to use productivity software tools to develop assignments that promote student thinking and…

A model service learning course for elementary teaching credential candidates is described. Preservice teachers taking a required university reading methods course studied scientifically-based reading instruction and volunteered in Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms during reading instruction time. Service learning experiences were…

Modules to teach the appropriate integration of technology into social studies teaching were pilot-taught in a secondary social studies methods course. The seven modules emphasized the World Wide Web as a resource for teachers and students. Pre- and post-course surveys were conducted with the 24 students in the course. Both qualitative and…

This study investigated preservice foreign language teachers' preconceived ideas about language learning and teaching. Surveys were administered at the beginning and the end of two foreign language methods courses at different universities. Data analysis indicated that while many of the respondents' beliefs remained consistent throughout the…

Telecommunications offers teacher candidates an environment through which to delve into higher order thinking skills within the methods coursework, student teaching internship experience, as well as within the PreK-12 classroom environment. Modeling of appropriate uses of technology within the learning environment as the teacher candidate…

What means can we use to predict the success or failure of the future English teacher? Authors subject a number of assumptions to rigid statistical tests and conclude that it is difficult to find an answer. (RB)

Social studies methods instructors were asked to describe: (1) their own teaching goals and strategies; and (2) attributes they deemed essential for good teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Survey results indicated that the teacher educators' instructional techniques were limited and that their goals were unrelated to the qualities they…

Describes a journalism education theory and methods class--journalism and public opinion--that was restructured to include instruction in the lecture format, small group discussions, and group projects. (HOD)

A study investigated the efficacy of a model for training teacher education students in a mathematics methods class. Findings indicated that the model was valid for the settings in which it was applied. Although improvement was expected to occur in the achievement of pupils who were taught using materials prepared in the methods class, no…

In lieu of the Curriculum and Instruction course, University of Hawaii education majors may serve as interns at Kailua High School's alternative program, Community Quest (CQ). Interns learn to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum. This article describes the CQ course and presents evaluative comments from some interns. (Author/SJL)

The University of Hawaii's exploratory Observation-Participation Program trains education majors in observing a host teacher and working in a classroom. The author, a host teacher, describes the structure and content of the experience she presented to her trainees, secondary speech-communication majors. (SJL)

The use of hands-on and of nonmanipulative training in process skills are compared to determine the effects on preservice teachers' knowledge of process skills, understanding of science, and attitudes toward science, science teaching and method of instruction. The results show a need for training teachers in process skills using an individualized…

The author presents teacher preparation guidelines for successful implementation of simulated office occupations experience programs. After listing 20 needed skills, she suggests observation of simulations and the business world, work experience, methods courses, and workshops. (MF)

This study examined how electronic mail (e-mail) affected communication and learning among student teachers and between students and instructors, comparing e-mail with more traditional communications. Surveys, interviews, and e-mail messages indicated that e-mail helped students meet course requirements and maintain student-instructor contacts.…

Discusses the need for elementary and secondary school teachers to integrate technology into the classroom and explains the University of Missouri's (Columbia, MO) technology-focused development program, the Technology Learning Cycle (TLC), for faculty who teach undergraduate teacher methods courses. Examines the application of the TLC to two…