The clinical internship--also called student teaching--represents one of the most important experiences of teacher preparation programs nationwide yet remains not well understood. This article focuses on the experiences of teacher candidates who have struggled in their schools. Here we present data from a survey administered to 107 undergraduate…

Critical incidents are unanticipated challenges experienced in the context of practice-teaching, by teacher-interns which are turning points for prospective improvements later on in the profession. With this in mind, the researchers aimed to identify the common persistent critical incidents experienced by pre-service physical educators (PSPEs)…

Teachers leave the profession for reasons including lack of teacher preparation and inadequate mentorship. To better support candidates in the final stages of teacher preparation, a Pennsylvania state university partnership led a process to implement supports to enhance the mentoring process during teacher candidate's final field experience. This…

Pre-service teachers should be taught how to use technology so that they are equipped to use the knowledge and skills acquired in their professional practice. However, studies have shown that pre-service teachers are not adequately prepared to teach with technology. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore pre-service teachers'…

In the traditional student teaching experience, the teacher candidate might observe the "real" teacher and conduct small parts of a few lessons, but not get enough opportunities to practice and develop professional skills. At the other extreme, some teacher candidates find themselves suddenly given full responsibility for instruction…

The lack of preparation for cooperating teachers is a long-standing problem in teacher education, as is the haphazard nature and quality of field experiences. This study of 119 preservice and 146 cooperating teachers in 10 university-based credentialing programs in California examined the difference preparation made in how cooperating teachers…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical to the success of students of all ages--and for educators across all stages of the career continuum. Because SEL skills take time to develop and mature, they should be part of the content addressed in teacher preparation programs, beginning teacher support, and ongoing teacher professional learning.…

Purpose: A burgeoning literature investigates the importance of student teaching placements for teacher candidate development, but an important perspective that is largely missing from the existing literature is that of the school districts that host student teachers. In this paper, we describe the student teaching process from the perspective of…

Student teaching has long been considered the most important component of an effective teacher education program. Recently, new research is finding links between these experiences and teacher candidates' future effectiveness, yet relatively little is known about the student teacher placement process and, in particular, the processes that lead to…

A common complaint about teacher education programs is that it follows a linear model--where theory and teaching skills are learned at the university and then applied in practicum experiences--that is inadequate and does not accurately represent teacher candidates'(TC) experiences (Brouwer & Korthagen, 2005; Korthagen, Loughran & Russell,…

This study investigated mentors' views on Mathematics and Science student teachers' school experience with a focus on student teachers' classroom management practices, instructional strategies, student-mentor relationships, behaviour patterns, and participation in co-curricular activities. It utilized a descriptive survey design on a sample of 60…

The goal of this research was to investigate successful experiences and challenges of student teachers during their learning and training period. Participants were student-teachers enrolled in a Primary Grades Teacher Education program at a large women's university. A mixed-method approach was followed, using reflective journals, group interviews,…

In 2010, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) called for colleges and universities to "turn teacher education upside down" (pg. 2) and focus on clinical experiences, rather than coursework. This charge resulted in major shifts in teacher education programs in the USA as colleges and universities forged new…

Practical experiences in teaching settings are an important component of pre-service teacher education programs. Pre-service teachers advance what they learn and improve their science teaching (ST) skills as well as other subjects in early childhood education for the period of teaching practices. In addition, teaching science in early childhood…

This article describes a service-learning program developed at the University of Verona, Italy. This community service research learning (CSRL) program involves preservice and in-service teachers and incorporates learning, community service, and research. We detail the program's theoretical basis and then present the results of a research project…