Paper examines the enhancement of teacher preparation courses through augmenting field experiences to promote self- confidence and improve self-image, thus increasing the likelihood for professional satisfaction and reducing the incidence of burnout. Educators are cautioned that there can be drawbacks to increasing field experiences. (Author/SM)

Reports on a study of 29 secondary school student teachers to determine their views about their student teaching experience. Finds that students received variable levels of support from student teaching supervisors and cooperating teachers. Discovers students valued school-based work, but not wholly school-based courses. (CFR)

To find out what lesson plans formats were most useful to novices, five elementary and seven secondary student-teachers in English and history were asked to modify traditional linear formats according to their needs and to document their experimentation during student teaching. Also compares planning needs of elementary/secondary novices.…

Describes a pilot program in which inservice teachers became on-site teacher educators, assuming full responsibility for supervising student teachers during two summers rather than one semester. Questionnaires indicated participants considered the summer program effective and the on-site teacher educators competent as supervisors. They recommended…

Discusses a study comparing experiences of Minnesota student teachers working in Texas and in Minnesota, looking for connections between cross-cultural experiences and attitudes toward multicultural teaching. Self-assessment questionnaires indicated that Texas students were willing to demonstrate multicultural competencies whereas Minnesota…

Considers student-teacher observation and evaluation as processes that define proper behavior and construct social forms of teaching behavior. Discusses documentary records on student-teachers' development. Analyzes nineteenth-century Training Registers of the Ontario Provincial Model School in terms of students' characteristics and evaluations,…

Examines the influence of educational experiences on preservice teachers' images and expectations of self as teacher, noting disillusionments in relation to understanding about the meaning of teaching. The paper explores discrepancies between preservice teachers' expectations and realities of schools, classrooms, and students. Relevant strategies…

Reports on a study that examined the relationship between supervising teachers' personal attributes and professional backgrounds and student teachers' attitudes toward their field experience. One result was an apparent relationship between the sex of the supervisor and the attitude of the student teacher toward teaching. (SM)

The Attitudes toward Mainstreaming Scale was administered to 233 undergraduate education majors, 110 of whom participated in a follow-up study. Students were generally willing to teach the disabled. Attitudes toward mainstreaming became more positive during professional preparation but declined after student teaching. Implications for teacher…

Argues that curriculum reform efforts related to the America 2000 program have ignored art education, particularly in the elementary schools. Describes the CREATES program, a field-based instructional project with visual arts, teaching/learning experiences for preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and elementary students. (CFR)

Probes the interaction between teacher-education experiences and existing student beliefs, through observation and analysis of two elementary teaching candidates' experience in social studies methods courses and student teaching. Suggests that beliefs can facilitate professional growth if articulated as tools for reflection, but can be obstacles…

Multicultural philosophies, issues, content, materials, and techniques must be infused throughout the entire teacher-education program. This paper discusses sociocultural developments that substantiate the need for multicultural education in teacher education, essential components of multicultural education that must be included, and how and where…

Gives advice to music education majors on how to approach the problems of competing in the job market and finding a teaching position. Discusses how to compose a cover letter and resume in detail. Explains the importance of professional attire for the personal interview along with prepared answers to anticipated interview questions. (CMK)

Investigated the production of professional portfolios to facilitate dialogs between student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Surveys and interviews indicated that participants' perceptions of the usefulness of portfolios to achieve this end varied from one phase of the process to the next, and student teachers and mentors differed in…

Investigated the impact of a school-based teacher-education partnership on the professional development of elementary mentor teachers. Analysis of two mentor-teacher surveys indicated that mentors perceived benefits in the areas of teaching style, addressing student needs, and program influences. Mentor teachers became more self-confident,…