This paper begins as an initial rejoinder to the ideas expressed by Ross (2000) in The Promise and Perils of E-Learning: A critical look at the new technology. In his article, Ross supports the traditional practices of pedagogy at the primary school level--face-to-face pedagogy--and then critiques what he describes as a "fetishisation"…

Federal, state, and district policy mandates are increasingly affecting primary grade teachers--especially, those in at-risk schools, given that they face more mandated curriculum and professional development. This study investigated K-3 teachers in two inner-city schools as they navigated through various mandates. Qualitative and quantitative…

This article explores the motives and evolving identities of one group of graduate students enrolled in a teacher education program at an Ivy League university, who made the choice to teach in urban classrooms. The authors examine the perspectives these candidates give to the process of learning to teach and how their identities are tempered,…

Studies such as the Effective Teachers of Numeracy Study (Askew, Brown, Rhodes, Johnson, & Wiliam (1997) have contributed much to our understanding of what constitutes effective teaching of numeracy. This paper aims to build on these findings and to contribute a model that could be used to understand teachers' numeracy practices and the…

The global dominance of English as the principal language of international interchange in the teacher education field has, perhaps, diverted English-speaking scholars from the task of reviewing discourses in non-English languages. Taking as its focus the issue of professional knowledge in ITE, the present article considers scholarship…

This occasional paper presents Bank Street's approach as represented in a set of five interrelated principles. It begins by briefly describing the origins and rationale of teacher education at Bank Street. From this description are generated principles that emerge from Bank Street's history and practice, linking each principle to classroom images…

The introduction of the collaborative partnership model in initial teacher education at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology has paved the way for activities and components in its professional training that closely relate to the field of practice and meets the need to attain the more "here-and-now"-oriented objectives of…

Self-efficacy beliefs are defined as context-specific assessments of one's competence to perform specific tasks, influence one's efforts, persistence, and resilience to succeed in a given task. Such beliefs are important determinants when considering agricultural science teachers' subject matter knowledge, teaching comfort levels, and their…

This study explores the ways in which eleven preservice elementary teachers used a web-based teacher resource to apply a mathematical definition, to correct a procedural error in arithmetic, and to make sense of a story requiring the multiplication of fractions. In our analysis we propose a framework to compare the behaviors and values expressed…

This study examined changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding…

The subject knowledge primary teachers have as a basis for their teaching has become a major concern in preservice and inservice teacher education. This paper reports on a study that investigated the science and pedagogical content knowledge of a sample of 42 preservice primary teachers in England. Assignments and questionnaires were used to…

Research findings indicate that the elementary school is the most effective level for intervention leading to improved attitudes, higher achievement, and increased access in science. Yet, deficiencies in elementary teachers' interest in science, in their confidence in their ability to teach science, and in their pedagogical and content preparation…

Since 1990, the implementation of the Science at Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum in England has exerted a profound impact on the style of inservice training supporting the teaching of science in the primary curriculum. This paper explores the potential of distance learning to deliver inservice training in primary science using…

This article describes a strategy for instructing graduate teaching assistants and presents results on how the program influenced their conceptions of teaching science. The discipline-specific seminar was designed to help teaching assistants learn how to effectively communicate biology content to undergraduate students, and aimed at increasing…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems facing primary teachers in implementing the 5-14 guidelines for science and technology and the extent to which these problems are related to teachers' knowledge and understanding of the subject matter in Scotland. Data collection methods included questionnaires and interviews. A key finding…