Examines music terminology acquisition of 71 undergraduate students in an elementary music-methods course. Observes effects of differential training by testing for apparent knowledge transfer in written concert reports. Finds students whose vocabulary lessons were reinforced by listening exercises used music terminology more frequently. (CH)

Explains that many preconceptions and misconceptions ethnically different children bring to science instruction originate in their particular cultural heritage. In many cases these conceptions inhibit or interfere with the learning of scientific concepts. It is advised to impart to teachers with information about this source of difficulties in…

Investigates teaching propositional logic (hypothesis testing and scientific reasoning) to preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary science method course (n=48). Results indicate that students scored higher on a posttest of the Propositional Logic Test than on the pretest. Authors conclude that even a brief intervention in logic can improve…

Describes a social science methods course where preservice teachers taught a unit on controversial topics involving tolerance and intolerance. Students were forbidden to lecture. Permitted methods included cooperative learning, inquiry, simulations, jackdaws, documents, and sociodrama. Student response was generally positive. (MJP)

A common maxim in the educational profession is that one teaches the way one is taught. Indications are that preservice teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practices may be linked to previous experiences. Calderhead & Robson (1991) underscored this concern by asserting that teachers use good teachers as models for developing their own images as…

This case study describes the impact of high-stakes testing on a first-year teacher's literacy instruction. Results indicated that content from literacy methods courses was often abandoned in favor of compliance to a test preparatory program. As an intervention, I began teaching in the third-grade classroom while the beginning teacher observed.…

This article is representative of a larger body of work on reflective narratives and narrative reflection that has been ongoing for a number of years. The authors have pursued various iterations of the research topic in various classes at various institutions. They have documented that students focus on skills and attitudes that place them in…

Service learning can be a vehicle to promote democracy in the teacher education classroom. Incorporating service learning into a teacher education program is an uphill battle: teacher candidates lead complicated lives with professional and family responsibilities, some continue long-standing volunteer commitments to their communities, and course…

In this project, we used photo-interviews as a method to investigate the hopes and fears of urban adolescent girls who actively participated in their community organization. The photo-interviews were featured in a collaborative, creative arts program involving urban adolescent girls from a community organization and college students enrolled in a…

Teacher educators have a twofold concern regarding transfer because of the dual goals inherent in teacher education. Certainly a primary goal is to have teacher candidates transfer what they learn in teacher preparation courses to their future classrooms and professional lives, but an equally important secondary goal is to enable candidates to…

The paper describes the use of a spreadsheet in a mathematics teacher education course. It shows how the tool can serve as a link between seemingly disconnected mathematical concepts. The didactical triad of using a spreadsheet as an agent, consumer, and amplifier of mathematical activities allows for an extended investigation of simple yet…

One of the current goals of public education is technology integration. This is witnessed in current educational literature, by the enormous sums of money schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) spend to purchase equipment and in the emphasis on weaving technology into the fabric of the educational curriculum. As the integration…

"How can this Abstract Algebra course help me to teach Algebra in high school?" To professors of prospective mathematics teachers, this type of question has a resounding familiarity. Because students are unclear as to the relationship between upper division mathematics courses and the high school curriculum, answering the opening question to the…

In this article, the author features the Family Literacy Center, a service-learning project at the University of Utah's English education program. For the author and her students, Family Literacy Center has become a place to investigate the role of teacher-student or mentor-student relationships in learning and literacy development. The goals of…

The coeditors of the special Summit issue of English Education provide the context for the "crucial moment" that prompted the Conference on English Education (CEE) to take up the task of rethinking issues related to the preparation and continuing professional development of English language arts teachers and teacher educators. The process of…