As part of a departmental restructuring to improve the preservice training of teachers through early and frequent field-based experiences, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) has developed partnerships with both public and private schools in San Antonio (Texas). One of the most successful partnerships has been the development and…

Using Alice's experience in "Through the Looking Glass" as inspiration, this paper recounts how preservice teachers journey through their field-based experiences and gain increasing insights into the teaching profession. The paper illustrates their progression with notes from several reflective logs which will eventually become papers…

This paper describes the results of a productive collaboration between university instructors who linked the principles and theories in reading methods coursework with the practical field experience of preservice teachers. The objectives of the collaboration were: to counter the effects of the isolation of theoretical premises of reading…

The Teacher Education Admissions Seminar (TEAS) is the first course in the education sequence at East Texas State University. TEAS is a required course for all students who wish to enter the teacher education program, and it is suggested for anyone considering teaching as a career. This document contains a description of the seminar's…

A description is given of the Regional Partnership Program, a field-responsive, center-specific model established at the University of Northern Iowa, designed to oversee clinical field experiences for student teachers. The model involves six regional districts specifically located across the state which serve as the administrative units for the…

Students in the five year Austin Teacher Program at Austin College (Texas) major in academic disciplines--English, history, mathematics, biology--not in education. Child psychology, educational psychology, and educational philosophy courses are taken through the departments of psychology and philosophy. The primary undergraduate exposure to the…

The educational "Reports" of the 1980's are demanding change in the schools and change in the way we prepare teachers. Perhaps a marriage between some industrial practices and some education strategies is now appropriate since both are in the informational age. For the first time in history, industry has many personnel who do not physically touch…

An educational psychology curriculum for preservice teachers that attempts to overcome some of the shortcomings of most such curricula while providing clinical experience is described. The curriculum is based on three major propositions: (1) preservice teachers must acquire psychologically informed inquiry skills and a general understanding of…

Feedback from educators in England, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland was obtained regarding the performance of U.S. student teachers in the schools of these nations. Reported in this paper are the educators' observations and beliefs pertaining to topics such as the professional and cultural/social strengths of U.S. student teachers; major…

Miami University's (Ohio) two-course educational psychology sequence for prospective teachers has been redesigned to incorporate early field experiences. Concerns about the congruence of field tasks with course content, as well as about limiting situational constraints, were addressed by a committee on teacher preparation. Currently, each semester…

The teacher preparation program at the University of Northern Iowa provides four years of field-based experiences in varying degrees of involvement. Using the University's laboratory school, the University-sponsored daycare and clinic facilities, and local public and private schools, education majors are placed close to the main campus. In the…

A program is described that features an integrated course sequence and a continuous field-based experience. It focuses intensively on the individual needs and growth of the prospective physical education teacher. The primary components of the program are interrelated and designed to ensure that relevant content appears concurrently and…

The document describes a summer archaeological excavation experience undertaken by seven Narragansett Indian high school students as a continuation of the Narragansett Tribe Ethnic Heritage Program (SO 012 527). Directed by an archeologist, the students researched written records, interviewed older members of the Narragansett Tribe, and received…

Program structure and curriculum for the undergraduate social work student are discussed in this second volume from the Undergraduate Social Work Curriculum Development Project. In Part I the major themes and curriculum implications that emerged from the first two years of the Project's work are identified and the activities of the third year are…

The problems associated with development of a field based teacher education program in the public schools are examined. Conflict between the college education department and the cooperating schools for control of time and curriculum frequently appears in such programs. A model is proposed for the structure and development of a consortium that…