A gap exists between talk about teaching that is featured in most preservice teacher education and the working knowledge and problem-solving expertise that characterize skilled teaching. This gap exists because typical teacher training does not embody the principles of modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, and reflection. Three methods…

A study explored the perceptions of 155 early field experience (EFE) elementary education majors who were in one of six sections of a reading methods course at a midwestern university. Responses to an open-ended final examination question at the end of three consecutive semesters asked students to describe and evaluate the classroom reading…

In response to numerous criticisms of technocratic models of social studies curricula this paper describes a critical approach to curriculum design. Major areas of criticism related to knowledge, learning and evaluation, and teaching are explored as they relate to issues of curriculum planning and implementation and a critical approach to…

An adaptation of the dialog journal technique, used for teacher training purposes, is described. The journals were used as medium of communication between novice teachers of English as a second language and their supervisors in a field practicum course. Journals were studied to quantify the types of student comments made, and to track the changes…

This study sought to determine graduates' perceptions of program effectiveness in ten undergraduate areas of study at the University of Central Florida. Alumni responded to an original questionnaire that assessed three primary program components: foundations for teaching, specialization, and student teaching experiences. Questionnaire items…

Collected in this document are papers presented at a conference on designing a mathematics methods course for secondary school teachers. Papers are organized under the following categories: (1) Realistic goals for a methods course, (2) Minimal content for a methods course, and (3) Teaching strategies used in methods courses. The seven short papers…

This issue of Investigations in Science Education contains articles about attitude research in science education. It contains the critiques of nine articles about attitude research as well as three responses to critiques. One response relates to a critique published in an earlier issue while the other two responses are paired with the critiques…

Several surveys of students enrolled in elementary school mathematics methods courses provided the background for a pilot study of attitudes on teaching elementary mathematics. In a discussion of the literature on the subject, the importance of teachers' attitudes and their influence on children's attitudes is stressed. Two exploratory studies of…

This publication presents a six-year project (1972-78) funded by the National Science Foundation under the Undergraduate Pre-service Teacher Education Program (UPSTEP). The first three years of the project (Phase I) were concerned with a longitudinal study of a pilot group of prospective elementary teachers as they encountered science content and…

Prospective elementary teachers were surveyed at the conclusion of the course "Methods and Materials for Teaching Elementary School Mathematics" and one semester later at the end of their student teaching experience. The study attempted to determine if the goals and objectives of the course were met and to examine the recommended emphasis for the…

This paper describes the implementation of a peer-evaluation system in a college-level English methods class. Specifically, a system was developed in which the responsibility for preteaching planning sessions, observation, identification of teaching competencies, and post observation analysis of lessons was shifted to groups of three students…

Investigated were the effects of an elementary methods course on preservice teachers. The preservice teacher's perception and performance of role expectations in the teaching of science, the preservice teacher's attitude toward science in the elementary classroom, and the preservice teacher's knowledge and performance in inquiry skills were the…

The textbook is intended for use in college methods classes in business education and is a practical how-to-do-it guide containing many examples, illustrations, and techniques adapted from actual classroom observations and experience providing variety, socialization, discussion, and problem solving in the classroom. The text is based on the…

This study utilized elementary teachers who had completed either competency-based (CBTE) or conventional teacher education programs and their principals to evaluate undergraduate preparation for classroom teaching. A 15 item questionnaire was administered and the data analyzed. Results obtained from the analysis of the teachers' data indicated…

This paper reported the development of the elementary teacher education program at Mars Hill College from 1968 through 1972. The objectives of the program included giving students a full year of exposure to teaching so they could judge their suitability for the profession; making courses more meaningful through integration of theory and practice;…