Studied elementary through high school teachers' views on how to improve teacher preparation programs. Found that recommendations were consistent with those proposed by current reform initiatives: (1) requiring all teachers to know subject content; (2) teaching pedagogy in the context of academic content; and (3) offering prospective teachers many…

An award-winning teacher shares her strategies for improving attendance, homework completion, and English proficiency in a fifth-grade class in Nunavut. She tailored the curriculum to her students' academic and cultural needs. Her students thrived on the security, success, and sense of caring that her regime of structure, discipline, and…

Describes events leading to the establishment of four urban professional development schools (PDS) by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Public Schools. School sites, university/school district interaction, preservice student activities, and schoolwide change projects are described. Results of a survey of site teachers on PDS…

A case-study methodology is used to explore the pedagogical content knowledge of three beginning secondary-school English teachers, all of whom entered teaching with strong literature backgrounds and no teacher education coursework. (IAH)

Finds that, among 2559 Botswana seventh graders, national Primary School Leaving Examinations scores were higher for students with female and more experienced teachers than for those with male and less experienced teachers; this was true for mathematics, English, science, social studies, and overall scores. Contains 26 references. (SV)

Discussion of whether teachers are prepared for computer use in the classroom focuses on preservice teacher training. Faculty use of computers is examined, and methods to encourage better teacher preparation for technology are described, including continuing education, student teacher placement, state mandates, and inservice training. (LRW)

Presented is data amassed from 200 participants in a successful overseas student teaching program run by Indiana University. The data addresses how stateside student teaching helps or hinders subsequent teaching practicum experiences in overseas nations. Suggested are steps which can eliminate or minimize difficulties encountered by student…

Seven brief articles by teachers in Foxfire's East Tennessee Teachers' Network discuss the developmentally appropriate application of Foxfire core practices in grades 4-8, and describe class problem-solving related to student behavior problems, community-based projects, changing student attitudes, and use of Foxfire-style projects with special…

Interview data were collected from eight student teachers from universities in Australia and the United States to determine how student teachers perceive the process of learning to teach, particularly with regard to certain themes: setting goals, modeling, gaining experience, developing routines, and trial and error. Implications for teacher…

Using inducements-contribution theory, this study examines 12 high school teachers' experiences in a collaborative teacher education program and identifies and analyzes the balance between demands and rewards for teachers. The partnership--the Comprehensive Teacher Education Institute--has as its goal establishment of a professional development…

Five special education student teachers and their cooperating teachers maintained weekly journals reflecting upon successive, prescribed themes. The journal entries of both students and teachers confirmed that a practicum situation provides an opportunity for critical reflection, enhancing the student teaching experience as a shared occasion for…

Praises Anton S. Makarenko's work and pedagogical theories. Calls for research into applying Makarenko's theories to the Soviet Union's current educational reform. Highlights Makarenko's success at unifying theory and practice at his labor collective school. These theories focus on democratizing school relations, promoting individual development,…

Reports on a study of the background and training of 178 economics teachers in 114 high schools in western New York State. Contends that teachers with no background have greater difficulty teaching economic topics than teachers trained in economics. (CFR)

Two student teachers, one completing her practicum in a rural culturally nondiverse setting and the other in an urban culturally diverse setting, expressed similar concerns about students' impoverished environments, troublesome home lives including abuse and single-parent homes, and difficulties associated with teaching a diverse group of…

Presents results of a study of three student teachers in elementary general music. Uses writings and interviews of student teachers to explore their goals and teaching plans. Concludes that student enjoyment is the primary objective of beginning student teachers. Finds this replaced by student achievement of objectives as teacher gains experience.…