Compares the impact of two types of early field experiences on prospective teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and dialect-speaking elementary school children. Assesses student teachers' perceived helpfulness of field-based experiences, theoretical orientation for reading instruction, and attitudes toward dialect speakers. Advocates an immersion-type…

Describes a program involving two universities and a local urban school district in a year-long experience (practicum and student teaching). The program provided additional support to students through coursework, seminars, electronic discussions, and interactive small and whole-group meetings. Results suggest that students needed regular, frequent…

Describes a partnership between a university and an urban school district in which university students completed a one-year immersion internship in urban schools that included students with diverse linguistic, cultural, and learning needs. Surveys of the interns, mentors, principals, and university supervisors indicated that the program was…

Recounts insights gained from shadowing a student-teacher supervisor at Kenyatta University, Kenya, noting difficulties faced when coping with deficient facilities, insufficient funding and personnel, cultural opposition to education, and classroom management. Provides information on the Kenyan University System and teacher preparation, campus…

A University of Canberra (Australia) internship program in library and information sciences is a 12-month program based on the principles of experiential learning that is seen as successful by students, workplace mentors, and faculty. Processes for matching student and mentor, selecting and preparing mentors, and stimulating reflective practice…

Investigated elementary preservice teachers' perceptions of a 1-week international teaching experience. Students traveled to Mexico to teach in a bilingual school and tour cultural and historical sites. Data from pre- and post questionnaires and interviews and a 1-year followup indicated lasting positive effects of this experience, in which they…

A survey of 114 institutions of higher education with early childhood education programs found that approximately a fifth of associate, master's, and doctoral degree programs and approximately a third of bachelor's degree programs required coursework in preschool mainstreaming. Less than 25% of the programs required field experiences in…

At Birmingham-Southern College (Alabama), the business administration program's senior year capstone course in strategic business management serves three purposes: allows evaluation of the school's academic program; helps assess student capabilities; and allows integration of learning across disciplines. The course occurs during the January…

Highlights problematic relationships between society, teachers, students, and schooling as exemplified by structural and cultural inequality, unequal power relations, domination, racism, sexism, and hegemony in American schools. After describing how some institutions prepare educators for diversity and equity, the paper explicates the curriculum…

Compared student teachers' attitudes toward working in urban schools before and after student teaching. Participants rated interest and comfort levels for teaching in four very different schools. Respondents had difficulty envisioning themselves teaching urban students. Attitudes shifted more favorably toward urban teaching among students who had…

Florida Atlantic University restructured its undergraduate teacher preparation program to provide a bachelor's degree in elementary education with an English as a Second Language (ESOL) endorsement. The program prepares graduates to meet the needs of ESOL students in regular elementary classrooms. It integrates ESOL competencies into methods…

Part of the practicum curriculum for Children's Studies at Edith Cowan University, Australia, this program gives students field experiences in rural situations, which are especially relevant to the course's ecological approach. Describes some of the unique child care situations found in rural communities, and how students, staff, the university,…

The preparation of music educators involves many facets. Students obtain pedagogical knowledge, understanding, and skill development during the college experience. In addition, preservice music teachers do numerous writing and reading projects as well as peer teaching. One area that tends to be lacking in the preparation before student teaching is…

In this year-long qualitative study we found that most early childhood student teachers involved children with special needs in project work and realized its benefits. The factors that promoted children's involvement were familiarity and interest in the topic, comfort with the size and composition of the small group, and the use of open-ended,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: What literacy learning did preservice teachers experience through a Penpal Project embedded in an early literacy course? What sense did preservice teachers make of the Penpal Project?--with an overarching focus on bridging literacy theory with practice. Data were gathered in a…