Critiques papers on good student teacher placement and supervision, discussing the need for interpersonal support for all participants in the student teaching experience and challenging key players to consider the implications of the basic premises about student teaching for each of the participants in the enterprise. (SM)

Investigated student teachers' beliefs about components of good practicum placements. Data from interviews and observations highlighted seven components (e.g., emotional support from, peer relationship with, and collaboration with the associate teacher; flexibility in teaching content and method; feedback from the associate teacher; and heavy but…

Surveyed cooperating teachers and analyzed collegial study groups to investigate change in their perceptions of themselves as teachers and in classroom practice, also noting whether their work as cooperating teachers impacted students' perceptions of classroom life. Overall, becoming a cooperating teacher provided experienced teachers with…

Introduces the article for this issue's special focus on the life cycle of a music teacher. Focuses on major areas of concern for music educators, such as student teaching, mentoring, lifelong learning, burnout, self-reflection, and self-analysis. (CMK)

Focuses on the experience of student teaching experience for future music educators. Discusses the importance of the student teaching placement, critical in determining a successful experience. Addresses the challenges during the transition from student to teacher. Provides stories about the student teaching experiences of Susan, Samantha, and…

Responses from 59 (of 117) first-year teachers, 52 (of 58) supervisors, and 112 (of 157) cooperating teachers described student teaching practices in agricultural education and determined satisfaction with student teaching. Most are satisfied with the length of the student teaching experience and the university supervision of student teachers.…

Results of a study of 204 elementary education majors who had taken a junior year clinical experience (either a four week half-day or a three week full-day format) suggest that a full-day clinical experience is preferred by students. Students expressed concern for more organization and coordination of learning experiences. (IAH)

An investigation of the thoughts and actions of a small number of expert teachers (N=3) and novice student teachers (N=3) is described. Differences between the two groups are analyzed from the perspectives of teaching as a complex cognitive skill and improvisational performance. Recommendations for teacher education practice are offered. (IAH)

Research activities pertinent to preservice teacher training program design are reviewed. The focus is on studies in which the dependent variables were the developing teaching styles of teacher candidates, or where there were measures of skill development as a product of program components. (IAH)

This article investigates the possibility of applying peer coaching strategies to practicum supervision. Researchers found increased collaboration between the directing teacher and the university supervisor, and the provision of a weekly support group seemed to help ensure that preservice students would apply recently learned skills to classroom…

A practicum course for prospective teachers of the gifted was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The 209 teachers found the practicum teaching, observations of their teaching, and papers they wrote to be effective learning experiences. Observers' ratings of the teachers indicated that a majority performed well in the practicum. (Author/JDD)

Reports a study that examined the degree to which secondary student teachers' knowledge about their teaching was accelerated by their training in the use of the Low Inference Self-Assessment Measure (in which they analyzed an audiotape of their instruction). The subjects all considered the process beneficial to their teaching. (SM)

Study examined programmatic and personal dimensions shaping eight future teachers' beliefs and practices, charting developmental stages via dialogue journals and case study analysis. Journals written at three stages indicated subjects' personal biographies interacted with other influences, helping or impeding their ability to negotiate and reflect…

Australian researchers asked 19 preservice teachers to reflect on lessons taught. They received over 300 pages of personal narratives about how students learned to teach. Data analysis illuminated preservice teachers' pragmatic concerns, which focused on classroom discussion, questioning, lesson planning, and an orientation toward practicality.…

Describes the development of the Model Education Center at a California elementary school. The college-school partnership (with San Diego State University) emphasizes field-based teacher education. The program fully integrates coursework and practice teaching in a culturally diverse school with committed staff. Evaluations indicate the program is…