A practicum strategy was designed and implemented that focused on reducing the negative impact of adverse environmental conditions in one particular neighborhood in a town in Alberta (Canada) with a population of 8,500. Children in this neighborhood were served by one elementary school (enrollment 383), from which the strategy was implemented. The…

A case study approach was used to explore the relationship between subject matter knowledge and the acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge in the preparation of preservice elementary mathematics teachers. A preservice elementary teacher was interviewed prior to her mathematics methods course to ascertain her subject matter background and…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project designed to train specialists to work collaboratively across settings to improve the outcomes of young children with language and learning disabilities. It provided education for trainees that led to a Masters degree in speech-language pathology with a specialty in early…

Preservice teachers in special education at Eastern Illinois University take two concurrent courses--one teaching instructional techniques for individuals labeled mildly exceptional and the other a practicum experience in a local rural school. A study examined the preservice teachers' perceptions of what they learned working with special needs…

This program was developed and implemented to increase adult ESOL students' chances to participate in conversations with each other, thereby increasing both their fluency and their confidence. Additionally, a target group with both low language levels and low confidence was separated from the higher achievers in order to decrease their…

The values of individuals and organizations influence the allocation of time and resources. Institutionalization of experiental learning programs requires students, faculty, and field experience supervisors to appreciate the values of the others and to understand how to resolve value conflicts. (MLW)

A play practicum involving kindergarten children was provided to 24 student teachers who completed a communication skills course. Comparisons were made among participants, students having only the course, and a control group. The play practicum proved more effective in assisting students to learn and to apply communication skills. (Author/BH)

Assesses the use of clinical experience to improve the classroom performance of teachers and discusses in detail a research project at the University of Alberta that sought to identify effective teaching skills and to measure behavior changes of student teachers during their practicum experiences. (Author/WD)

A survey of academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology was designed to assess undergraduate educational programs and the impact of efforts made to improve teaching in the specialty. It focuses on instructional patterns, the clinical clerkship, student evaluation, and program administration and evaluation. Prior surveys are noted.…

Constructs an effective and scathing criticism of the lack of supervision involved in one university's student teaching program. Includes a personal narrative of a student teacher dealing with confusing policies and sexually aggressive and drunken students without the benefit of support or supervision. (MJP)

Researchers compared college-based teacher education programs and a state-based alternative teacher certification program. Surveys of certified teachers and their principals indicated that nearly all of the significant differences between programs favored college-based programs, with such graduates more child-oriented (rather than job-motivated)…

Three preservice teachers of students with severe disabilities were trained on systematic instruction skills, focusing on appropriate use of positive consequences and instructional prompts. Results indicated that immediate feedback was more effective with two student teachers and delayed feedback was more effective for the third. Teaching skills…

The Multidisciplinary Faculty Training Institute sought to increase the capacity of institutions of higher education to refine or develop coursework, practica, and course sequences in early intervention. The project trained small groups of faculty from colleges and universities in the New York Metropolitan area and provided follow-up technical…

During a practicum teaching experience, preservice English-as-a-Second-Language teachers provided narrative statements on their beliefs about second-language teachers and teaching, teaching intentions, and perceptions of instructional practice. Images from prior experiences within formal language classrooms significantly affected teachers' images…

A successful Indiana distance education program that provides special education courses to rural teachers uses technologies available in target communities, collaborates with host schools on practicum experiences, focuses on inclusive settings, uses team teaching to increase student engagement, and uses teacher-participants as on-site coordinators…