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)

Describes distance education in an elementary science methods course using newsgroups and electronic mail discussion groups via computer. Compares the newsgroup to the discussion group and points out the importance of interaction in cooperative learning. (YDS)

Argues that reflecting on important "marker" stories in people's lives by using counting ropes (based on the children's book "Knots on a Counting Rope" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault) helps students and teachers make sense of their complex worlds. Describes how they are used in the author's language arts methods course. Describes a…

Describes a course that was designed to provide instruction in the methods and procedures that can be utilized to enhance student comprehension of textbooks and other printed materials that are encountered in a content area. Discusses instructor concerns, the support system, planning, course assignments, students, instructor workload, and course…

Describes "the world of the work" as the state of affairs an artist projects, including what is suggested and inferred as well as what is represented directly. Discusses how teaching "the world of the work" concept to preservice art teachers enables them to access the representational content of artworks. (CMK)

Describes a unit used in a social studies methods course. In-service teachers created murals in which a watershed (its landforms and the movement of water upon it) is used as a metaphor for one's cultural identity and life course. Explains that it can be adapted for elementary and secondary students. (CMK)

Drawn from a teacher-educator's experience in teaching a basic reading methods course and a Master's course for inservice teachers, this paper provides practical strategies for promoting active involvement, reflection, decision-making, and collaboration among preservice and inservice teachers. The paper first presents syllabi for the methods…

Describes how two college professors showed their undergraduate students how a whole language classroom works. (FL)

This article describes a University of Pittsburgh course for preservice teachers entitled, "Using the Museum as a Resource." The goal of this interdisciplinary offering is to emphasize the use of museum resources as a base for curriculum development. (Author/SJL)

Describes a social studies methods course in which students explore the buildings where they live and then develop lessons on "buildings" for elementary students that connect to the themes within "Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies." (CMK)

Describes the project called "U2U," a collaboration among the University of Minnesota School of Music, The University of Minnesota dance department, and two urban public school districts in Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minnesota). Presents strategies for collaboratively developing an interdisciplinary curriculum around William Walton's "Facade." Includes…

Describes efforts to integrate technology into a reading methodology course for secondary English majors. Discusses the use of e-mail, multimedia, distance education for videoconferences, online discussion technology, subject-specific software, desktop publishing, a database management system, a concept mapping program, and the use of the World…

The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium's (INTASC's) (1992) standards for beginning teachers and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' core propositions highlight the importance of collaborative problem solving for teachers. They suggest teachers work together with other school professionals, parents, and…

This paper provides guidelines on how to develop complete lesson plans using information from selected published articles and a standard lesson plan outline. The technique is designed as a culminating project for a methods and materials health education course or a teacher inservice activity. Students select a journal article that describes an…

Presents two geography problem-solving scenarios for use with elementary and middle school children or preservice teachers in social studies methods courses. Provides problems about the magnetic poles and the presence of ice in desert conditions. Calls upon teachers to encourage students to use their thinking skills to solve the problems. (SG)