Examined the impact on Dutch mentors and institute teachers of the new requirement that student teachers nearing completion of coursework must teach without immediate supervision for several months. Surveys investigated how this change affected the content and process of mentoring. Mentors and institute teachers acted as supportive counselors and…

Examined the timing of reflection-on-action on the beliefs of 36 Dutch elementary student teachers using self-directed teaching methods. Data from student teacher questionnaires administered at four different times indicate that reflection after student teaching may be more effective in promoting attitude change than reflection-oriented learning…

Shares observations made and lessons learned by the author while student teaching in a democratic classroom environment. Outlines keys to creating a democratic classroom. Discusses preparing teachers for democratic classrooms. (SR)

Reports on studies that examine reasons and justifications trainee science teachers give for the ways they conduct practical work. A case for the reevaluation of practical work in science education is made and it is argued that science teacher behavior is best understood anthropologically. Implications for mentoring and school-based training are…

Distance education will be in demand as the need for trained teachers in India in the near future will be greater than the availability of conventional training. Suggestions for ensuring quality in distance teacher-education are offered, and three practice teaching plans (i.e., Brunel, itinerant faculty, and cooperative) are described. (AEF)

Discusses the need for teachers at the elementary and secondary school levels and presents community colleges as an important source for teacher recruitment and training. Highlights some of the ways community colleges contribute to teacher education, and outlines ways to expand the future role of community colleges in teacher preparation.…

Examines a white preservice teacher's experiences in an inner city school. Analysis of interviews, written reflections, and group discussions describes a journey from initial culture shock, eliciting both emotional and cognitive dissonance, to cultural assimilation as she adapted to concerns about her students, worries about working with her…

Presents a first-person account of three people closely involved in a collaboration between one junior-senior high school and Miami University's Institute for Educational Renewal. The collaboration centered on incorporating a teacher-as-inquirer component into student teaching experience, which developers believe holds greater promise for…

Investigated field-based teacher educators' perceptions of their contribution to preservice teachers' personal-professional development. Focus groups data indicated that respondents perceived wisdom, authenticity, and passion as particularly valuable in working with student teachers. Their work with student teachers constitutes a transformative…

Interviewed graduates from two Professional Development Schools to determine the impact of that experience on subsequent teaching practices. Graduates reported that student teaching had the greatest impact because of the extended time and depth of experience in the classroom, the quality of mentoring they received, the connections they drew…

Shared global concerns in education have recently focused on underachievement and the difficulties associated with the education of the children of migrant labor. These priorities unite the communities of Europe and the United States in a growing unease that a large number of young people are not realizing their academic potential through failing…

While the need for certified elementary foreign language teachers is on the rise, foreign language teacher educators frequently encounter difficulty in securing good elementary field experiences for their student teachers due to the dearth of fully developed programs of foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES). This article presents a…

Teacher educators and researchers have studied the improvement of teacher education programs so that pre-service teachers may be well prepared. Research has shown that not only teachers' knowledge but also their beliefs have major influence on their approach to teaching. This present research examined the mathematics and science pre-service…

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary pre-service teachers' perceptions of and attitudes toward the teaching portfolio process changed after participating in a university program-wide mentoring process. The research question for this study was: What is the impact of a university's program-wide mentoring process on elementary…

Many mathematics educators have found that prospective elementary school teachers' beliefs interfere with their learning of mathematics. Often teacher educators consider these beliefs to be wrong or naive and seek to challenge them so prospective teachers will reject them for more generative beliefs. Because of the resilience of prospective…