Contradictory research findings on teachers and teaching are frequently the result of overlooking or neglecting a systematic approach to teaching, using principles of human learning to enhance pupils' learning and their enjoyment of learning. In discussing teacher preparation, it is pointed out that task analysis is a crucial operation, in which three main aspects of training courses--practical teaching, pedagogical theory, and the study of teaching subjects--come together and reveal their interdependence. It is suggested that if training institutions develop an exploratory, problem-solving approach to teaching, the ground is prepared for an accretion of information from small-scale classroom studies that are more likely to contribute to understanding of teaching than are research projects producing theoretical suggestions rather than practical ways to deal with the actual teaching process. A sketch is presented of a system of supervision in teacher education which uses an exploratory, cooperative, problem-solving approach. A description is given of a training course for supervisors in this kind of program, and the pedagogical investigations carried out by its alumni are described. (JD)