This study examined how teacher education that is multicultural is implemented on campus, and whether student teachers use multicultural education concepts in their field experiences. (Author/MT)

College students (N=25) went to Jamaica to assist a service project with construction needs. Involvement with the people was emphasized so that a full cross-cultural experience could occur. Students in the project made statistically significant changes on a number of developmental variables measured by the Student Development Task Inventory. (RC)

Twenty-three white, female sophomores in teacher education programs participated in a remedial summer session for low-income, minority children. Compared results of student's initial expectations before the field experience with their final evaluations of what they actually saw. Found that students generally use direct experiences to selectively…

In order to educate preservice teachers about the experiences of poor children, a course on critical issues in education incorporated work in social service agencies. The course was based in theories of critical pedagogy as proposed by Paulo Freire, multicultural education, and the ideas of Benjamin R. Barber. The field experience aimed to allow…

A major component of the Illinois State University (ISU) teacher education program is early field experience in a multicultural setting. The aim of this component is to enable prospective teachers to be aware of the needs of the changing school population and its cultural diversity. The ISU community-based field experience program is coordinated…

The program to Prepare Teachers for Multi-Cultured Secondary Schools (MULTI-CUL) at Ball State University provides an alternative, elective program open to all enrollees in secondary education who wish to prepare for teaching their subject matter specialities in schools serving adolescents from a variety of cultural, religious, social, and ethnic…

Offers a model of social-work education that infuses multicultural content into the field curriculum and enhances faculty diversity. One school's field-practice seminars integrate diversity training by pairing community facilitators with faculty facilitators to increase instructors' awareness of diversity; offering ongoing workshops to train…

A discussion is presented on a cluster of related research studies conducted on the adequacy of multicultural education in current teacher education programs. The first was designed to determine whether preservice teachers lack relevant background experiences in multicultural settings, perceive a need for multicultural training, and would be…

The Mercer University field-based program in elementary education provides practical experience beginning in the junior year. The prospective teacher starts with observations in public school classrooms while enrolled in a foundations of education course. Opportunities to work directly with children commence in the second quarter of the junior…

A study attempted to discover the quality of multicultural instruction received by students in a preservice teacher education program. Results showed that the content of the instruction focused primarily on bias in instructional materials and secondarily on racism in schools and society. (JN)

This paper addresses the need for multicultural perspectives in teacher preparation programs and ways in which teacher education institutions can enhance multicultural education. Standards and criteria of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) with regard to multicultural education and the response of Northern…

Small communities seldom have the ethnic and racial diversity that can provide multicultural experiences for teacher trainees. Cross cultural training, an aspect of multicultural teacher education, provides experience in understanding the way a culture conditions ways of learning, behaving, and perceiving, and the ability to look at cultural…

Investigated the impact of an urban field experience on rural/suburban preservice teachers, examining what they learned and how they applied their learning. Data from observations and student self-reports indicated that the experience was very positive for the participants, and it raised their consciousness about urban education. Participants…

Discusses the Reality Based Multicultural Model (RBMM) created for Minnesota's teacher education programs to ensure that the preservice teacher interacts with diverse student populations and demonstrates competence in each of six program components. The RBMM requires that preservice teachers complete a field experience in a culture other than…

Southeast Missouri State University revised its teacher education program to include field-based experiences in each of its four blocks of courses. Student teachers are placed in rural and urban schools with pupils from various socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and disability groups. A survey of 225 cooperating teachers and student teachers…