College instructors (N=24) responded to a questionnaire on educational measurement instruction provided to students in preservice teacher education programs. Roughly half the students received measurement and evaluation as separate courses; the rest received them as part of another course. Many students are inadequately prepared for classroom…

Offers a conceptual framework through which to view professional or occupational education, focusing on the influence of current practices within the field, the existing state of knowledge and technology, and social developments and needs. Discusses the history and future of professional preparation in education with respect to these influences.…

The effects of clarity training on preservice teachers' instructional clarity were examined with regard to effects on their ability to produce student learning and satisfaction. Teachers were observed and students interviewed; training was found to help teachers develop more instructional clarity, which facilitated student learning. (SM)

Discusses the use of assessment portfolios and the process of creating a portfolio from the perspective of a teacher educator using portfolios in a methods course and that of a preservice teacher enrolled in the course. (MKR)

Learning to teach is difficult and depends upon the ability of teacher educators to help preservice teachers move from generality to real world specificity. The article describes a model of reflective thinking that was used in a field-based elementary physical education methods course. It discusses the structure of the model, conditions necessary…

Preservice teachers worked in groups containing diverse personalities and participated in laboratory experiences that applied classroom knowledge. Surveys indicated students considered the laboratory activities more valuable and influential than field experiences in many ways. The most diverse cohorts reported stronger, more positive feelings…

Three cooperative learning methods--inquiry task design, two level content study groups, and test review teams--are described. Ways in which to incorporate these teaching techniques in a science methods course are included. The outcomes of using these methods on attendance and observed performance, product development, and performance on midterm…

The results of questionnaires given designed to provide information on the effect of student teaching on the attitudes and career interests of secondary mathematics preservice teachers are presented. The recommendations/suggestions obtained from the questionnaires concerning the secondary mathematics and middle school methods courses and a copy of…

Briefly described is Project Impact, a British project which (1) developed and evaluated a modular diploma for teachers of students with special educational needs; (2) developed and evaluated short courses on special educational needs; and (3) conducted a follow-up study of a course on behavioral methods of teaching students with severe learning…

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln developed an experimental program, the Extended Elementary Teacher Education Program. This paper describes the effects of one central course, Human Technologies in Teaching, which emphasized collegiality, mentoring, and feedback. Participants believed that the program better prepared students to become successful…

Describes the development of a course for preparing doctoral French language students for the teaching profession, covering such topics as the diversity of teaching assistant training, graduate student attitudes and prior knowledge of instructional theory, academic credit, and the use of authentic material. (CB)

Describes the collaboration between a seventh-grade English class of unmotivated readers and a group of reading methods students at a nearby university. Discusses how both classes read Carolyn Meyer's "Rio Grande Stories," wrote to each other as pen pals, made a quilt together, visited the university class, and enjoyed a visit from Meyer. (SR)

In response to a recent shift toward informal measures of teaching/assessment in reading education, this study investigated types of assessments and instructional strategies being taught in teacher education programs in five midwestern states. Surveys of reading education professors at state universities indicated that direct, informed assessment…

Discusses issues of intimacy in qualitative research raised by Harry Wolcott's Brad trilogy in connection with Reba Page's use of the trilogy to teach about validity in interpretive research methods. Focuses on intimacy in research, relational reflexivity, power in relationships, relational ethics, evolutionary understandings of relationships, and…

Describes how learner diaries were used as a means for evaluating a teacher-training course. Records how data from the diaries was categorized and interpreted, and discusses some of the issues for this particular type of course that the evaluation has revealed. (Author/VWL)