This study investigated instructional practices in a literacy methods course in a teacher education program that was developing a reflective and integrated approach to university courses and school experiences. Along with coursework, students plan and teach lessons for children in a partnership school in which teachers have begun the process of…

A content area literacy course is examined to assess how teacher educators might respond to prospective teachers' beliefs in light of the particular goals of a particular course or teacher education experience. Content Area Literacy is a methods course that emphasizes teaching strategies and the rationales underlying them. It is examined to reveal…

A recurring theme in the social literature is the perceived gap between what faculty in higher education view as the goals of and preferred methods for teaching social studies and those valued and applied by practicing social studies teachers. In 1990, Ohio State University began planning an intensive school-university collaboration in the form of…

This study examined whether inclusion of cognitively guided instruction (CGI) in a mathematics methods course for 34 undergraduate preservice teachers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro would improve their teaching performance, compared to controls. The Beliefs Survey, with four subscales (Role of the Learner, Relationship between…

The document is a collection of materials related to a four-week summer institute for the training of teachers of disadvantaged and/or Spanish surname adults. The focus of the program was communication skills, primarily the teaching of reading and of English as a second language. A secondary emphasis was on training teachers to develop flexible…

Examines relationships between an elementary social studies methods course and three student teachers' beliefs and practices. Discovers significant connections between the methods course and student teacher beliefs but finds contextual constraints on implementing planning and instructional practices suggested by the methods course. Argues studies…

A survey was conducted concerning teacher attitudes and knowledge regarding social studies goals, content, and curriculum development. The research involved 301 undergraduate social studies methods professors in 13 western and midwestern states. Indexes based upon responses to a questionnaire were created to reflect teacher orientation toward…

Prospective teachers can examine documentary websites known as "snapshots of practice" in an on-line "Gallery of Teaching and Learning" http://gallery.carnegiefoundation.org). Developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Gallery of Teaching and Learning includes a wide variety of web-based "snapshots" developed by…

Elementary school teacher candidates typically enter their professional training with deficiencies in their conceptual understanding of the topics of elementary school mathematics and with a reliance upon procedural (algorithmic) approaches to the solutions of mathematical problems. If elementary school teacher candidates are expected to teach…

This qualitative study examined the use of WebQuests as a teaching tool in problem-based elementary methods courses. We explored the potential of WebQuests to address three dilemmas faced in teacher education: (a) modeling instruction that is based on current learning theory and research-based practices, (b) providing preservice teachers with…