Discusses the state of library education in Australia and refutes a previous article that suggested a loss of quality. Topics include faculty staffing questions; information science education versus library education; theoretical versus practical knowledge; and offering opportunities for fieldwork. (LRW)

Three initiatives are described that focus on cultivating inquiry based learning with technology for student teachers. The article describes an approach by a Faculty of Education to the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of media rich learning experiences and research projects. Descriptions are provided of the type of work that…

Schools in New York City are continually pressed to meet the demands of an ever-increasing multicultural population, compounded by the pressures exerted by the No Child Left Behind legislation and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Indicated is a need for multicultural understandings within teacher education programs,…

In world language teacher education, there are few opportunities that integrate preparing prospective educators for meaningful participation in intercultural dialogues and for deeper understanding of value conflicts. Student teaching abroad offers one such promising opportunity. With our conceptualization of a critical systems approach towards…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine which ethical issues graduate social work students experienced most frequently during their field placement, the resources students used to resolve these issues, and whether such resources were helpful. The results indicate that conflicts concerning beneficence versus agency policy and…

Background/Content: Since a large gap exists between the rhetoric of reform-minded teacher education and what actually transpires in student teachers' field experiences, this study sought to fill a gap in current scholarship which has yet to document how mentor teachers, conceptualized as school-based teacher educators, shape and conduct their own…

Teacher educators may have different views on what constitutes knowledge base for teacher education. Most of them, however, would agree that field experiences are indispensable for shaping and maintaining high-quality teachers. Unlike teacher training courses in the UK and US, fieldwork components are not always an option in Taiwan. This study,…

This study examines whether participation in a 13-week undergraduate inclusive education course covaried with an improvement in the self-efficacy of preservice elementary education teachers. We sought to determine whether self-efficacy was influenced differentially by the type of field-based placement experienced by students in the course. The…

This study investigated changes in teacher candidates' perceptions of teaching in urban schools as they completed a 4-year teacher education program. Candidates were asked to respond in writing to two questions: "What are your concerns about teaching in an urban school?" and "What are the advantages of teaching in an urban…

This study sought to assess the influence of an intensive social studies teacher preparation program on the belief of a cohort of graduate preservice teachers. In particular, it sought to determine whether the participants' methods courses, field experiences and student teaching led to changes in their beliefs about teaching and learning social…

Each year more than 300 applicants vie for 18 slots at the Central Institute of Restoration, the program responsible for the restoration of many of Italy's greatest works of art, and the training of experts in the repair of objects of artistic and/or cultural significance. Successful candidates must demonstrate knowledge of art history, chemistry,…

Teaching depends upon relationships. Yet teaching is only one of a number of professions in which practice depends heavily upon the quality of human relationship between practitioners and their clients. To explore how other professions prepare professionals for the work of building and maintaining relationships, we embarked on a study that…

The research in this paper explores the possibilities of challenging preservice teachers' mathematical beliefs through a specifically designed early field experience intended to encourage both reflective analysis and instructional skill acquisition. The subjects in this one-semester study were 25 preservice elementary teachers at a small, private,…

Quality teacher education programs provide candidates with many early field experiences in diverse settings. This Digest examines complexities and challenges of early field experiences, noting the nature and degree of early field experiences within teacher education programs. Through field experiences, teacher candidates observe and work with real…

Programs offering free winterization and repair work to homes of needy senior citizens and low income families are occurring in many states. Sponsored by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act and the Community Services Administration, programs also involve The Green Thumb Program and provide training and jobs for participants. (LH)