The legislative process and legislative drafting should be taught in law school as a counterpoint to case analysis and appellate decision making. Practical drafting experience with a lobbyist, legislator, or committee should be required, and rule-making and adjudicating should be included. (MSE)

A liberal arts institution, it is argued, should provide for an off-campus experience wherein a full semester of credit can be earned through work with a corporation, governmental agency, or school system. The thrust of an internship program is seen as preparing individuals for entry into middle management positions. (MLW)

The required first-year clerkship in family and community medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is discussed. The goals and objectives and the teaching methods used to implement the program are described. It is suggested that community medicine clerkships belong in the first year of the curriculum. (Author/MLW)

Important social-psychological factors in the educational field-experience setting are described. Educational results that can be achieved with experiential education are discussed and their implications for the liberal arts are examined. (Author/SF)

Two myths concerning the value of preservice field-based experience are explored: (1) Practical school experience contributes to the development of better teachers; and (2) Teacher education's institutional structures are totally coercive and students passively conform to school bureaucracies' conservative norms. (JN)

Education majors preparing to be secondary school teachers could participate in a pre-student teacher field experience teaching project. Project participants had higher self-concepts at the end of student teaching than their nonparticipating counterparts. Field experience was not related to higher ratings of student teaching performance. (GDC)

Reports on an experiment that sought to determine the change in attitudes of secondary school students toward Mexico and Mexicans following a five-week experience in Mexico. Attitudes were tested on a semantic differential. (AM)

Uses the example of a trail near Lancashire in Northern England to explore the educational values of rural trails. Maintains that studying trails can enhance the appreciation and teaching of conceptual matters as well as develop students' skills for informed observation and interpretation of field evidence. Includes an area map. (MJP)

With the aim of adding clarity to college practice in experiential education and service learning, a taxonomy of experiential education is proposed. For each of three categories (internship, cooperative education, service learning), goals and objectives of the major stakeholders (academy, student, host organization) are specified. Four levels of…

Discusses the Reality Based Multicultural Model (RBMM) created for Minnesota's teacher education programs to ensure that the preservice teacher interacts with diverse student populations and demonstrates competence in each of six program components. The RBMM requires that preservice teachers complete a field experience in a culture other than…

A 1995 study involving 78 female master's of social work (MSW) students compared satisfaction with field practicum supervision of those with female and those with male field instructors. Results revealed one statistically significant but practically unimportant finding that favored male instructors. The little existing research appears to support…

Messages conveyed by news reports and stereotypical media representations continue to misinform mainstream audiences, including teachers, about the cultural context and characteristics of Latinos. Teacher education programs must provide meaningful field experiences. More community involvement during field placements, collaborations between…

Explored the perceptions of two groups of preservice teachers enrolled in special education courses following field experiences with culturally and economically diverse learners. Survey data indicated that many of the respondents' positive perceptions related to successes that they experienced in teaching diverse learners. Results highlight the…

Two community learning programs that use a professional development center approach to teacher education are described. In one, preservice teachers become part of a school community by participating in real classroom settings; the second, offering a laboratory classroom for elementary school children, brings education professors and students into…

Describes a practicum that occurred at one of Indiana State University's elementary school professional development sites. The practicum involved 10 site visits over two weeks for participating preservice teachers. The paper examines benefits of the practicum for preservice teachers and the advantages of conducting it at a PDS site. (SM)