Describes a unique field experience, an outgrowth of a partnership with Seton Hall University and The Liberty Science Center (New Jersey), that immerses K-12 teachers in innovative methods of learning and teaching science. Notes the program helps teachers gain firsthand experience, use interactive exhibits at a science center, and adopt the…

This article describes a program at the University of Hawaii that recruits individuals with training in general education for a special education certification program. Program features include strategies for aligning course and field requirements and the infusion of cultural and linguistic considerations of the school population. (Contains…

Disabled students form a significant but under represented minority in higher education in the UK. Participation appears to be particularly low in disciplines that contain a fieldwork component. Fieldwork has been recognized as a barrier to the participation of disabled students. This paper emphasizes a critical perspective on fieldwork,…

Field experience (junior practicum and student teaching) is considered by many to be the most influential part of a teacher preparation program (Cruickshank & Aramalin, 1986; Tannehill & Zakrajsek, 1988). During field experiences, preservice teachers (hereafter referred to as PSTs) are guided by a cooperating teacher (hereafter referred to as a…

In teacher education, as in many fields, there are several truths, each based on different assumptions and beliefs. "Conventional teacher education reflects a view of learning to teach as a two-step process of knowledge acquisition and application or transfer." In this view of truth, the university provides theory, skills, and knowledge…

In this paper, I report the results of a 4-year study into how my students learn to become mathematics teachers during the combined 15-week methods and field placement course I teach. At the start of most weekly methods class meetings, groups of three or four students reported their critical incidents to each other, and then chose one incident to…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the field project and the field experiences of 60 undergraduates in a lower level geography course. Cumulative based learning was the main teaching technique. The Eisenhower Center, the Dickinson County Historical Society Museum, and Old Abilene Town, a renovated/reconstructed frontier town, were selected…

The study examines the extent to which elementary education teacher preparation programs in 36 randomly selected colleges and universities in the six Southeast Region states integrate content related to students with disabilities. Findings indicate that a variety of strategies are utilized to integrate disability content into teacher preparation…

Plugging in to L.I.T.E.S. project (Leaders in Technology Enhanced Schools--a previously funded Technology Innovation Challenge grant project) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has been very successful in its attempts to enhance the technology integration skills of teacher education students, and to improve the capabilities of our…

In our pilot effort to integrate technology meaningfully into the three strands of pre-service teacher education (core courses, education courses, and K-12 field experiences), Links to the Future, a PT3 project in a small, private college, prioritized the issue of educational equity. This paper describes the first efforts of three faculty members…

Recognizing the importance of creating quality reading teachers, this paper describes a 15-week reading methods course incorporating university instruction with well-supervised field experience. Optimum conditions of easy access to schools and children, an abundance of basal and supplementary materials, and five hours per week of student time are…

In 1982 an experimental program of weekly school observations was added to the required Education Psychology course for elementary education students in their junior year at Nazareth College of Rochester, New York. The program was extended to include secondary education students in 1985. Weekly reports from student observers became an important…

A set of matrices are described that were created to be used in selecting appropriate practica experiences for students in graduate level special education teacher training programs. Two practicum matrices were designed to take into consideration the following factors in deciding on acceptable practicum experience for each student: (1) educational…

A field based inservice training program designed to update teaching skills of professionals working with young mainstreamed handicapped children is described. Two programs--Using Skills Effectively and Using Resources Effectively--were conducted in cycles with 73 elementary regular and special education teachers and daycare providers. Class…

The report covers the first two years of the 3 year Alternatives for Paraprofessional Training (APT) project. The project addresses the need for training paraprofessionals who currently are working with young handicapped children in rural and urban areas of Texas. APT provides onsite competency based training for paraprofessionals through a…