According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996), "... learning cannot occur in college classrooms divorced from schools" (p. 31). University coursework that is paired with carefully coordinated field experiences as well as being supported by university faculty that are skilled in helping the teacher candidate…

This study describes two years of findings with a unique field experience (teaching science inquiry activities to African-American girls in a summer STEM camp) for preservice elementary education majors. It reports on the effects of the field experience, in conjunction with blocked science and mathematics methods courses, on preservice teachers'…

Changes made to improve a program providing education students a chance to observe and participate in public school elementary classrooms were based on two assumptions. First, it was assumed that students would see a greater need and relevance for ideas and concepts presented in education courses if they spent more time in the schools. Second, it…

Fifty-seven elementary education students enrolled in methods courses were asked to respond to an open-ended questionnaire to identify what knowledge and skills had been learned as a result of participating in field experiences required in the courses. Students provided 516 individual statements, with 245 being knowledge statements, which included…

Reports on preliminary findings from a study of preservice elementary teachers who had a field experience in social studies education during their enrollment in an elementary social studies methods course. The eight-item questionnaire documented student teachers' reactions to the experience as well as providing additional quantitative data. (MJP)

The purpose of this longitudinal qualitative inquiry was to describe the socially constructed, negotiated, and contextual nature of an early field placement in an urban elementary school. The objectives were to document subtle changes over time in preservice teachers' reading/language arts subject matter knowledge and teaching beliefs and…