Four possibilities are proposed for assessing the technical competence possessed by prospective teachers that build on and further extend the "credit hours earned" and "years of occupational experience" criteria. (HD)

In the United Kingdom, outdoor educators have varied backgrounds in terms of academic versus professional outdoor training, and the profession has not agreed upon required qualifications. Multiple influences in the historical development of outdoor education have contributed to this situation. Since the 1970s, several U.K. colleges and…

Discusses ideas, pro and con, about performance-based teacher education and certification and the procedures used in New Jersey to develop teacher performance criteria. Indicates that the involvement of the teaching profession is desirable in the teacher preparation and certification process. (CC)

Teachers of hearing impaired children, 0 to 3 years of age, in 170 early intervention programs and 12 experts rate 77 competencies in five areas of professional responsibility according to value for effective job performance and self proficiency on 1- to 6-point scale. (MC)

Describes the basic spirit and details of a one-semester lab-oriented chemistry course designed within a flexible, self-paced format for elementary education majors. Included are a syllabus and a competency measure. (CC)

A "personalized" staff development project conducted by the University of Georgia's Department of Professional Laboratory Experiences and local schools used the Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI) to assess beginning teachers' latent competencies and indicate potential areas of improvement. Both the TPAI and the staff…

Project AIM/LOFT (Accommodative Instructional Management/Learning Opportunities for Teachers) is a staff development training program that uses special instructional materials. The five-part staff development project includes: (1) intensive competency-based training; (2) in-class follow-up training; (3) action labs; (4) training in team dynamics;…

An evaluation of student teacher competency through the use of measure of learner cognitive attainment reveals that teacher expectations do not influence achievement. The amount of experience, degree of effectiveness as perceived by the university supervisor, and time provided for students to learn by student teachers do influence learner…

Reports on research that confounds normal expectations concerning the teacher behavior that encourages student achievement and self-concept development. For instance, using praise or rewards and pausing, eliciting, and responding to student questions were negatively correlated to student achievement gains. (IRT)

Although there appears to be considerable agreement concerning the criteria to be evaluated in field experience programs for preservice teachers, the relative importance attached to each item varies markedly from one program to another. (JD)

Discusses case studies that assessed the effectiveness of a performance-based teacher education curriculum on vocational teacher education programs. (WD)

A framework to describe, classify, and compare a variety of teacher education programs is offered. Examples of how the framework has been used for types of school organizations are given, along with an explanation of how the framework can be applied to alternative approaches to teacher education. (MLW)

This project at Western Illinois University is a two-semester, participation-based, competency program designed to train undergraduate and graduate students to work with handicapped infants and preschoolers in a variety of service delivery settings. One of seven Dean's Grant programs for PL 94-142 training described in this issue. (Author/SJL)

A review of current research efforts reveals that there is little dependable evidence that teachers, under similar conditions, exhibit what has been defined as differential performances. (JMF)

Because of the focus on student teacher achievement, a product evaluation of instruction (as opposed to a process evaluation) is appropriate for use in performance-based physical education teacher education internship programs. (LH)