Presents the experiences of one student teacher who was part of the restructured preservice program at Queen's University of Kingston. He participated in an early field experience, where he was assigned to a school rather than a teacher and was able to witness how an entire school prepared for the beginning of a new school year. (SM)

This study investigated the impact of a three-week pilot practicum experience in an Aquarium setting on secondary pre-service biology teachers' epistemologies and pedagogies of teaching and learning. A qualitative case study methodology was employed to examine the experiences, views of teaching and learning, and teaching development of a small…

Reform in the fields of adolescent and content area literacy have focused on broadening a definition of literacy beyond the ability to read and write. In a broader definition the language processes of reading, writing, speaking and listening become literacy tools to engage students in the learning of concepts and afford the learner ways to…

A study was made of an early field practicum, in elementary education, which theoretically emphasized quantity and diversity in the students' field experiences and allowed them the opportunity to apply newly acquired curriculum methods and theories. Ten student teachers were intensively interviewed and observed over a six month period. It was…

The concept of experiential education, defined as learning outside the normal classroom environment that has been planned for prior to the experience, is reviewed. This includes internships, field experience, practicums, and cooperative education. Topics covered deal with the liberal arts, professional training, institutional reform and the…

The University of Georgia Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences has developed several different programs to provide practical experience for future teachers. The School Practicum is a program in which students spend several weeks in the beginning of the school year observing and participating in a local public school prior to the opening…

Discussion of the growing use of practicums and field experience in college programs as a means of preparing students for the world of work looks at ways in which the practicum is conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated. Shortcomings are identified, research into the role of supervision is recommended, appropriate learning objectives are…

This two-part report is an outgrowth of a 1964 conference of 27 high school and university faculty members involved in the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) teacher education program, which is part of Inter-University Project I. Part 1 is a preconference position paper by Charles R. Fall, School of Education, SUNYAB, related to the…

A literature review reveals differing conceptions of the learning outcomes achieved through practicums (workplace learning) in professional education. Five distinct approaches to student assessment are examined. Integration of the practicum with the instructional program provides opportunities for students to bring together a range of knowledge…

The preservice teacher education program at the University of Western Sydney (Australia) includes in-school experiences intended to address criticisms of the traditional practicum. This article outlines the principles underlying an innovative final semester school-based experience; describes the experiences in practice; and discusses student,…

This paper is a personal interpretation of how two half-year daily teaching assignments in grade 12 physics influenced the career of a science teacher educator at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada). The teacher educator felt that this experience helped him speak to his preservice teachers more realistically and convincingly about the…

Bachelor-level and master's-level social work students (n=959) in field placements and recent graduates (n=134) were surveyed to assess the impact of personal attributes, supervisory characteristics, and 11 instructional skills on their evaluation of their field instructors. Results show the most influential variables were those representing…

Describes focus-group discussions involving teachers and principals participating in the restructuring of the Queen's University of Kingston teacher-education program, examining the new program's emphasis on experiential learning, discussing how the focus groups sought the views of school partners on four aspects of the program, and noting three…

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) has developed a new interdisciplinary teacher preparation concentration to address the need for early intervention and early childhood personnel to work with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. This concentration focuses on a spoken language approach and…

After the author's first semester teaching at the university, she began to ponder the lack of emphasis placed on the relationships among school, community and home within her students' practicum experience. Through lectures, readings, and audio visuals, the author shared the importance of including parents in the educational decision making…