This article describes the University of Utah's approach to preparing teachers of students with disabilities for change in the schools. The discussion addresses coursework and field experiences which stress the process of change, through the examination of professional roles, socio-technical systems analysis, cultural perspectives, and ongoing…

Reports on a study of early field experience activities in 22 teacher education programs. Concludes that the goals of most field experiences programs are seldom achieved. Recommends more institutional support and field experience assignments geared to self-reflection and analysis. (CFR)

Student teachers (n=26) and supervising teachers (n=30) responded to a questionnaire that focused on the effectiveness of field experiences. Although findings suggested that many effective practices are sometimes present, several recommendations for improvement emerged, including recommendations to increase multicultural/multilingual components in…

The University of Rochester has developed a third-year medical school clerkship in which students spend the second half of the clerkship in the offices of practicing internists. Participating faculty are carefully chosen and trained. Experience indicates the approach is feasible, academically effective, and acceptable to students and faculty.…

Describes a field experience project where students traveled to the Concordia Language Villages, Moorhead, Minnesota, for a one-day conference. Prior to the conference students researched school systems in other countries and assumed the roles of representatives. They then worked towards a consensus for an ideal school. (MJP)

Examined how student teacher/mentor teacher pairs made sense of their roles during a year-long field placement. Data came from observations, group reflection sessions, and dialogue journals. The study showed how the pairs discussed the idea of jumping in as they framed trust and communication as integral components of mentoring in learning to…

A college and high school collaborated on an early field experience for preservice physical education teachers combined with a service-learning component. Evaluation indicated that high school student motivation and participation increased, high school teachers learned new teaching strategies, and preservice teachers experienced decreased…

Investigated the impact of early field experience and related coursework on beginning elementary preservice teachers' attitudes toward teaching poor and minority students. The predominantly white, middle class, female preservice teachers mentored African American children from public housing neighborhoods. Survey data indicated that participants…

This study examined field experiences integrated into two literacy courses undertaken by second year pre-service teachers (PSTs) at a regional Australian university. A sample of 12 PSTs and 22 teachers completed questionnaires and participated in brainstorming sessions and a focus group interview to determine the extent to which they perceived…

In recent years there has been a growing interest in arming physical education teachers with critical pedagogies. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of a critically oriented methods course and early field experience (EFE) on 20 preservice teachers' (PTs) conceptions of the teaching-learning process. Data were collected using…

The use of constructivism and its various manifestations in education has been a topic of much interest in recent years. Inquiry into this theoretical framework has resulted in teacher educators' attempts to help their teacher candidates apply constructivist pedagogy in university classrooms, field experiences and student teaching at two US…

Teacher education programs are being encouraged to collaborate with K-12 partners to develop and implement contextually rich field experiences that integrate methods course instruction with public school practices. As a result, we outline four models of integrating methods instruction and field experiences and raise the question "How does the…

Although most students view science through a positive lens they often have difficulty connecting the science that they study in school with the practice of science in general, and their personal experience with science in their everyday lives. In an attempt to mediate "school science" with a more authentic view of science a contextual model is…

This is the fourth in a series of four books presenting a variety of field experience program models and philosophies that drive the programs provided to preservice teachers during their undergraduate teacher preparation. This book focuses on critical issues facing teaching education in the future, in particular field experiences. Major themes…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of self-efficacy preservice teachers developed as a result of participating in field experiences, types of field experiences that were the most beneficial for the professional development of the preservice teachers, and the degree to which pre-stated outcomes were addressed by the field…