A gap exists between talk about teaching that is featured in most preservice teacher education and the working knowledge and problem-solving expertise that characterize skilled teaching. This gap exists because typical teacher training does not embody the principles of modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, and reflection. Three methods which make use of these principles include reciprocal teaching, Reading Recovery, and the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP) in Hawaii. These same principles can and should be applied more broadly to the education of reading teachers. One way prospective teachers can witness authentic practice is through the use of videotapes of real classrooms. Videotechnology would increase the value of the classroom experience for the teacher trainee and decrease the time and energy the education professor would otherwise have to spend on ancillary matters. This time could be invested in scrutiny of the trainees' videotaped lessons. Prospective teachers could be trained to analyze each other's tapes, an experience which would afford more than the implementation of a lesson containing good and improvable points. It provides a forum for prospective teachers to reflect on a teaching experience, share their ideas, support their suggestions, and gain insight into the nature of teaching. The professor's theoretical information comes to life as a result of its contextualization. The use of videotapes in these ways offers the most feasible avenue open to improve the quality of teacher education and assure higher returns on the nation's investment in literacy. (MG)