Instructional planning is an essential professional activity often used by teachers. However, some characteristics of existing university-based teacher education programs may hamper pre-service teachers' learning of instructional planning. Thus, this study adopts the cognitive apprenticeship as a theoretical foundation to construct a web-based…

The study examined (a) the extent to which teachers and preservice teachers understand the concept of energy and adhere to particular preconceptions associated with it; and (b) their ability to predict pupils' knowledge and understanding of the same concept. Teachers and preservice teachers completed a test by indicating for each item what their…

This paper represents Part I of a two-part study examining preservice teachers' development of a personalized, research-based Science Teaching Rationale (STR). Researchers have historically documented the application of the "rationale paper" (Clough, 1992; Veronesi, 1998) using qualitative methodologies. Since the rationale paper continues to…

The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of tensions, conflicts, and difficulties a prospective elementary teacher paid special attention to in the process of interacting with others to learn to teach elementary science during the internship year, and to describe how the novice teacher responded to and finally negotiated those tensions…

Historically, technology educators have chosen the creation of products or projects as a means to teach technological concepts. Although it is true that technology is most commonly known by its products, in most educational situations technology is best described as a process. This paper describes a technology education course that promotes…

This study explores difficulties that prospective elementary mathematics teachers have with the concepts of ratio and proportion, mainly when they are engaged in solving problems using algorithm procedures. These difficulties can be traced back to earlier experiences when they were students of junior and high school. The reflection on these…

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary pre-service teachers' perceptions of and attitudes toward the teaching portfolio process changed after participating in a university program-wide mentoring process. The research question for this study was: What is the impact of a university's program-wide mentoring process on elementary…

Many mathematics educators have found that prospective elementary school teachers' beliefs interfere with their learning of mathematics. Often teacher educators consider these beliefs to be wrong or naive and seek to challenge them so prospective teachers will reject them for more generative beliefs. Because of the resilience of prospective…

This article describes a case study that explored relationships between theory and practice in a teacher candidate's learning to teach. Using a personal, narrative style, it explores one teacher-candidate's reflections about her learning with a Grade 4 student. The study was part of an innovative, inquiry-driven collaboration between school and…

Teachers from the departments of Mathematics and Computer Science, and Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater collaboratively developed and implemented an evening math event, "Family Math Fun Night," at local elementary schools. As an assignment, preservice elementary teachers developed hands-on mathematical…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive conflict based physics instruction over traditionally designed physics instruction on preservice primary school teachers at grade 2. The subjects were 82 (27 boys, 55 girls) second grade pre-service teachers in two classes. One of the classes (42 students) was randomly…

This essay is a reflection on several aspects related to my encounters with the concept of reform in mathematics education. I start with an exploration of the question of what is reform, grounded on my work with teachers in a project aimed at promoting reform. I focus on two aspects that seem to be present in most approaches to reform--group…

Educators and scholars from both China and the U.S. not only have done an evaluation of the status of their own teaching practices, but also have studied features associated with those of their counterparts. Both parties have been engaged in educational reforms for the purpose of improving the quality of education provided to children although…

The way in which professional knowledge is presented in initial teacher education (ITE) in England and Wales is significant. Not only is it emblematic of the way teaching itself is conceived, but it is likely to influence the way that students engage with their development. The following analysis therefore describes and critiques the kinds of…

The university curriculum for an elementary education degree traditionally includes a "basics of music" and a "basics of art" course. These two courses represent a nod to the importance of the arts in the elementary school, and they may be the only formal contact with music and arts pedagogy that prospective teachers receive. One way to make these…