To equip graduates with the capability to meet complex demands of work and life, it is important that higher education teachers engage students in self-sustained learning--the persistent, self-initiated pursuit of expertise development in one's subject area. This requires building a positive synergy between learning and teaching, which implies…

There is considerable interest in the conceptualization and design of the clincial components of teacher preparation programs generally, and a growing interest in inquiry-oriented programs. This study sought to determine perceptions of the degree of implementation of an inquiry-oriented student teaching curriculum at the University of Northern…

Examines some popular models of peer observation and their potential drawbacks and discusses the implementation of a more active and reflective model, where the focus is less on the observed and more on the active self-development of the observer. Relevance to staff development is also considered. (LRW)

The Windham (Vermont) Partnership, a professional development school, cooperates with a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program that educates foreign language and English as a Second Language teachers. Within the Partnership, there are two seminars for mentors: the Reflective Teaching Seminar and the Teacher Research Seminar. Teachers are…

This paper introduces a Chinese teacher induction program. In China it is believed that formal teacher education constitutes only half of teacher preparation; the other half has to be accomplished on the job with the active support and involvement of the teaching community. The voice of teachers is introduced to the field of educational research…

This paper reports the results of a study of 40 student teachers and their cooperating teachers. The initiatives were implemented during one semester in various public school classrooms and sites. Most occurred with preschool and elementary students, with 10 of the student teachers in junior high or high school settings. The preservice teachers…

This paper reports on the conceptualization and first year of implementation of a model of preservice teacher education and training established at the University of Notre Dame Australia to meet the specific needs of the Catholic education system. In setting up an appropriate model, the notion of the graduate teacher as one who is critically…

This paper describes the structure and activities of the Windham Partnership for Teacher Education, a collaborative of four rural Vermont elementary professional development schools (PDSs), a high school PDS, and the School for International Training graduate program in foreign language teacher education. Three integrated activities are at the…

The concept of the professional development school (PDS) and the commitment to collaboration advocated by educational reformers derives in part from a recognition of the need to more fully incorporate the voices of teachers in teacher education and professional development. The Coolidge Professional Development School (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts)…

This paper reports on a pilot project conducted at the College of Education, Wayne State University (Michigan), to explore the potential of the portfolio process as a tool for assessing the professional skill development of student teachers and the effectiveness of the teacher preparation program. Project goals included the promotion and…

A successful professional development school (PDS) project, established by four elementary schools and a university, has four components: student teacher cohorts, close link between coursework and field experiences, close collaboration between university instructional team and PDS site personnel, and entire staff commitment to student teacher…

Reflection and professional development are two key practices that characterize an effective teacher and that are frequently overlooked in preservice training (Bowles, 2003; Halen-Faber, 1997; Patrick & Reinhartz, 1999). Reflection can be defined as the type of thinking that serves to challenge notions of prior learning (Halen-Faber, 1997), and…