With government funding, Ontario occupational therapy students were placed in community agencies not typically using therapists, at no cost. Offsite occupational therapists provided supervision. Students learned to work independently and understand the therapist's role in health promotion and prevention. Ongoing funding was provided by 25% of…

This paper investigates the mentoring practices of 16 cooperating teachers as they prepared student teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities. Data were gathered from multiple sources during a semester of student teaching. A complex variety of contextual and conceptual factors influencing the integration of technology…

This study investigates the value of early field experience students' observations of both peers and cooperating teachers in elementary classrooms where they had daily instructional duties. The participants in this study were 34 elementary education students enrolled in their last semester of coursework before the final student teaching…

"Hard Science" is designed to teach 1st grade gifted students accurate and high level science concepts. It is based upon their experience of the world and attempts to build a foundation for continued love and enjoyment of science. "Hard Science" provides field experiences and opportunities for hands-on discovery working beside experts in the field…

This study explored the influence of university-based teacher education courses on preservice teachers as they engaged in the field-based portion of their preparation. Forty-two preservice teachers contributed reflective writings about the successes and challenges they faced during field experiences in light of knowledge and skills learned during…

Undergraduate geography field courses are relatively rare at American universities, though they can exemplify well the fundamental tenets of learner-centered education. This article reports on an intensive three-week field analysis course taught at Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, within the Department of Geography, Planning, and…

e-Learning is bringing training to the attention of upper management in a way that other learning technologies have never done. Web-based training will remain predominant to the design and delivery of workplace learning in the 21st century because of its advantages over traditional classroom-based training. A comprehensive framework that…

Field experiences are critical to teacher learning and enhance the effectiveness of methods courses; however, when methods courses are offered in the summer, traditional school-based field experiences are not possible. This article describes an alternative campus-based experience created as part of an elementary science methods course. The Summer…

Researchers have noted that technological innovation and advocacy has far outpaced research on how teachers learn to incorporate technologies into their classrooms, perhaps leading to slower integration of technologies into schools. Therefore, the purpose of the study was use cognitive developmental learning theory to examine shifts in preservice…

This study examined changes in prospective elementary teachers' conceptions related to their descriptions of the qualities of effective teachers. In order to gain an understanding of teacher candidates' conceptions of quality teachers, the authors attempted to garner information from both qualitative and quantitative data derived through multiple…

The 2008 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages focused on learning about the diverse backgrounds and needs of today's students. The 2009 Conference continued that focus and added diversity by instructors in using a variety of teaching methods, strategies, themes, technologies, and assessments. Presenters from all 17 states…

This study examined the knowledge, beliefs and efforts of five prospective teachers to enact teaching science as inquiry, over the course of a one-year high school fieldwork experience. Data sources included interviews, field notes, and artifacts, as these prospective teachers engaged in learning how to teach science. Research questions included…

To address the teacher shortage, some states have developed special associate's degrees in teacher education. This article explores the prevalence and structure of these specialized associate's degrees and presents a case for their development to smooth the transfer pathway for community college students who wish to become teachers. (Contains 3…

In this experimental study, prospective elementary school teachers enrolled in a mathematics course were randomly assigned to (a) concurrently learn about children's mathematical thinking by watching children on video or working directly with children, (b) concurrently visit elementary school classrooms of conveniently located or specially…

This paper describes the University of Utah's recently revised Ed.D. program and reports the results of several program-evaluation efforts conducted since its implementation. In particular, the most recent evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the field-based doctoral program in educational administration in linking theory and research to the…