For the past two decades, scholars have advocated for reforms in teacher education that emphasize relevant connections between theory and practice in university coursework and focus on clinical experiences. This paper is based on our experiences in designing and implementing an integrated literacy methods course in a field-based teacher education…

The pedagogical work of university supervisors has received little attention in teacher education literature. Based on this concern, this paper provides a conceptual framework for university supervisors, recasting their role as teacher pedagogues focused on responding to the particular contextual needs of student teachers as they learn to teach.…

Pre-service teachers spend an inordinate amount of time observing teaching and learning in classrooms with the goals of understanding the complexities of that space and impacting their teaching. Consequently, teacher educators are responsible for scaffolding pre-service teachers in the use of appropriate and effective observational skills and…

This article reports on hopes and challenges in the first attempt to assist Ethiopian student teachers to develop practical awareness about action research through collaborative learning methods. First, the candidates were organized as a cohort. Then a framework was developed to help them construct reflective questions before and during action…

The State University of New York at Albany offers a 24- credit-hour sequence leading to provisional and permanent certification to teach academic subjects in secondary schools. Courses cover the teaching/learning process, school and society, computer literacy, substance abuse education, and instructional methods. (CB)

The University of Pittsburgh's Social Studies Seminar and School Practicum introductory courses for prospective secondary school social studies teachers incorporate both practicum and seminar activities to foster reflective teaching that emphasizes the school context, as opposed to the classroom experience, of teaching. (CB)

Whitworth College, Washington, has a commitment to multicultural education for all students. Its course, "Field Experience in Mutlicultural Education," which sends students to one of several field sites, is described. This experience is designed to assist preservice teachers in the development of a global orientation and informed world…

Content and methods are outlined for an undergraduate elementary social studies methods course. Course topics include structure of the discipline and its place in the curriculum, selecting concepts and facts to teach, how children reason and the implications for social studies teaching methods, instructional planning and techniques, and…

Northern Arizona University's introductory coursework for prospective teachers was revised from a survey-type covering of various education topics to a field-experience-based course focusing on four areas of teaching as a career choice: motivation, rewards, commitment, and skills. (CB)

The article describes the Social Studies Professional Semester at the State University of New York at Albany as a capstone experience for prospective secondary social studies teachers. Promoting development of critical rather than technical rationality in beginning teachers, it encourages a realistic perspective on the context and processes of…

The model Iowa-UPSTEP (Undergraduate Preservice Science Teacher Education Program) practicum series of field experiences at the University of Iowa is described. Participants begin in elementary schools (to change their behaviors away from the traditional teacher-centered science classroom) and progress to full student teaching in a science…

Structure, intentions, and outcomes of the first year curriculum of the Brackenidge Internship in Teaching Project are described. The 17 interns, selected while high school seniors, receive forgivable $26,000 loans in exchange for two years teaching. The project addresses problems in recruitment, preparation, and retention of academically talented…

A Northern Kentucky University professor questions the relevance and effectiveness of a required fundamentals of secondary education methods course, and discusses his counteroffensive, which combines lecture, field experience, and post-experience reflection on methods to meet state certification standards. (CB)

The use of constructivism and its various manifestations in education has been a topic of much interest in recent years. Inquiry into this theoretical framework has resulted in teacher educators' attempts to help their teacher candidates apply constructivist pedagogy in university classrooms, field experiences and student teaching at two US…

Teacher education programs are being encouraged to collaborate with K-12 partners to develop and implement contextually rich field experiences that integrate methods course instruction with public school practices. As a result, we outline four models of integrating methods instruction and field experiences and raise the question "How does the…