This study examines how six teacher candidates in one U.S. based teacher preparation program articulate understandings of critical multicultural education concepts after a field experience in a study abroad program in New Zealand. Teacher candidates were interviewed about their understandings of culture, privilege, and social inequality. Field…

This study provides empirical data regarding multicultural education within teacher preparation programs. Individual course sections of pre-service teachers (PSTs) completing field-based teaching experiences were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or a no-treatment control group. Quantitative measures within a…

This paper discusses and examines the effectiveness of course assignments designed to promote reflection processes and critical thinking of pre-service teachers. Specifically, the study explores and identifies the range of students' level of reflectivity and critical examination of their own developing pedagogy, with foci on content knowledge,…

One of the major challenges in preparing pre-service teachers for the 21st-century classroom, as well as for an increasingly competitive job market, is providing the necessary skills and background to effectively educate diverse populations of students (Sleeter, 2001). Multicultural education courses are a staple in teacher preparation programs,…

Students undertaking field-based learning, in which they work with Indigenous people in Northern Australia, describe a profound learning experience redolent with emotion. Inspired, challenged and transformed, the students are compelled in ways that require them to interrogate their own selves and taken-for-granted beliefs. In this paper, we draw…

In an effort to combine pre-service teachers' self-reflection with their field experiences to enhance their cultural competency, this study adopted Schmidt's ABC's (Autobiography, Biography, and Cross-cultural Comparison) Model in two courses in a pre-service teacher education program. Through group comparisons, this study measured the impact that…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore an online field experience between technology facilitator candidates in the USA and K-12 teachers in Namibia, to improve candidates' understanding of diversity and equity issues in the successful incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning.…

The theme for the 58th annual conference of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) was Bridging Cultures Through Literacy. In the first section of the Yearbook, Parker Fawson's presidential address captures the unique nature of ALER and its role in his professional development, and then moved beyond to capture the changing…

The school-aged population continues to diversify, yet the student body at small liberal arts teacher preparation programs generally does not. To help prepare our socioculturally homogeneous students to teach a more diverse student body, we developed a three-tiered approach that includes a diversity model integrated across the curriculum, an…

One goal educators have is to empower students at all levels in this diverse and changing society whether they work with teacher candidates or with P-12 students. Teachers are seeing increased differences in race, ethnicity, culture, and special needs in children in their classrooms. The changing composition of early childhood classrooms…

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…

Describes the field experience component of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program. Student teachers visit rural schools, becoming acquainted with their future students and schools. PETOM offers experience with many classrooms and teaching modules. Students are encouraged to reflect and analyze, thus developing…

A major barrier in the provision of special education services to migrant students is the lack of trained personnel who understand the unique strengths and challenges of migrant students. Using the experiences of the Migrant Special Education Training Program, this article presents a teacher education curriculum and pedagogical model for preparing…

The purpose of this study was to determine if preservice teachers, during their student teaching experiences, were utilizing the strategies they had learned in university methods courses, and if these strategies were being modeled by the supervising teachers. Responses were obtained from 31 preservice elementary teachers. Students responded to…

This paper describes several practices designed to challenge preservice teachers to question their assumptions regarding multiculturalism and to explore other points of view. The "Culture Walk" at Susquehanna University (Pennsylvania) increases awareness and sensitivity to interpersonal and personal identities. It involves writing and…