English 341: Advanced Composition for Teachers is a three-credit undergraduate course for pre-service educators at Francis Marion University, a mid-size public university located in northeast South Carolina. According to the university catalog, students enrolled in English 341 "explore connections among writing, teaching, and learning as they…

Teaching a course in content area reading instruction means that a professor will have students with a broad range of experiences and interests, all of which must be taken into account in the instructional process by providing many opportunities for choice and self-selection. The modeling of effective teaching is a strategy that can encourage…

Beginning education majors conducting in-depth interviews with experienced teachers as part of an introductory course is described. The interview would provide preservice teachers with more information on which to base a career decision and would enable them to switch majors, if so desired. A list of interview guidelines is included. (JM)

During fall semester of their senior year, preservice elementary teachers evaluated their mastery of mathematics and teaching methods and wrote an autobiography of their school mathematics experiences. This process helped the prospective teachers gain insight into their own strengths and weaknesses and improved rapport with the methods course…

As a result of the new era in science education reform, professional associations in science such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have developed science standards for grades K-12. This paper describes a model for utilizing the AAAS Project 2061 benchmarks for these standards in a science methods course. The course…

Teacher education should equip tomorrow's teachers with academic, instructional, and developmental understandings. A three-dimensional teacher education model focusing on these understandings is proposed, and components of each dimension are discussed. (PP)

Reviews the research on personal and professional reading habits of teachers and education students. Examines the reading goals of 62 undergraduate and 62 graduate students in reading-related classes. Finds a need for change in developing the reading habits of education students for them to instill positive reading attitudes in children. (MG)

Over 50 professors in the California State University (CSU) system provided testimonies concerning the ways they have introduced law-related education concepts, materials, and methods into their courses, especially those classes in which future teachers are present. Incorporation of law-related education (LRE) in the various stages of the teacher…

Undergraduate education majors should be given opportunities to conduct ethnographic research as a part of their preservice training. Programs at the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin (Madison) illustrate ways to use such an approach. (Author/PP)

This paper describes a communication course curriculum for students majoring in elementary education which has been used at Wright State University for 4 years. The paper presents an overview of the topics discussed in the course (topics chosen for their relevance and importance to successful classroom communication): (1) process of human…

The author proposes content and learning experiences for an effective introductory course to education. (SJL)

Explains how learning the benefits of doing classroom research during student teaching can give aspiring practitioners an opportunity to appreciate the benefits of classroom investigation and gain knowledge of research methods. Proposes that such investigations be undertaken as a collaborative venture between a student teacher and a cooperating…

The use of portfolios as an authentic measure of competence is discussed, particularly in educational administrator education programs. Rationale, purposes, and appropriate content for portfolios are outlined, based on the intended use. It is noted that a period of adjustment to portfolio construction and incorporation should be anticipated. (MSE)

In lieu of the Curriculum and Instruction course, University of Hawaii education majors may serve as interns at Kailua High School's alternative program, Community Quest (CQ). Interns learn to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum. This article describes the CQ course and presents evaluative comments from some interns. (Author/SJL)

The University of Hawaii's exploratory Observation-Participation Program trains education majors in observing a host teacher and working in a classroom. The author, a host teacher, describes the structure and content of the experience she presented to her trainees, secondary speech-communication majors. (SJL)