This study investigated the learning process of preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) through lesson study in a mathematics teaching methods course. Lesson study meeting data of kindergarten PSTs were analyzed to examine the shifting focus on (1) student collaboration in classroom (vision), (2) teaching practices (making content accessible), and…

The author discusses essential elements of a preservice social studies methods course for elementary teachers. The knowledge and skill objectives to be achieved by students in methods courses and used as a guide by the instructor are outlined. A discussion follows. A social studies methods course should help students develop a personal working…

To get a preliminary understanding of how mathematics methods courses are taught, this study examined course syllabi from as wide a range of public and private universities as possible. Mathematics methods course syllabi from 200 randomly selected members of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) were requested. Following the…

The purpose of this study was to describe elementary preservice teachers' difficulties with understanding algebraic generalizations that were set in an authentic context. Fifty-eight preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course participated in the study. These students explored and practiced with authentic, hands-on…

A study assessed whether means for student evaluations of instruction tended to be lower in research methods classes than in other communication classes. Questionnaires were sent to 126 communication departments listed in the 1993 Speech Communication Association Directory and which were thought likely to require undergraduate research methods…

The distinguishing feature of the secondary level language arts methods course at the University of North Florida is that all readings, assignments, and class activities are designed to promote the highest possible degree of student participation in and responsibility for the learning process. Underlying all course activities is the premise that…

This paper offers suggestions about the content and organization of a foreign language methods course. It begins with a list of basic skills that must be taught: (1) directing a pattern drill, (2) teaching a concrete word, (3) teaching an abstract word, (4) teaching a short dialogue, (5) teaching a contrastive structure in morphology and syntax,…

Four full days of classroom instruction, devoted to the modeling of effective curriculum integration, were designed for preservice elementary school teachers. The unit was the result of a conviction on the part of teacher educators that children learn best when learning is not separated into forty-minute periods of math, social studies, language…

This paper addresses three questions: (1) What key citizenship characteristics are essential for today's highly diverse, complex classrooms? (2) What should be the content of a course that would teach these traits? and (3) What pedagogical strategies could be employed to enhance the delivery of that content and to measure for the desired results?…

One of the most common questions mathematics teachers hear from their students is a question of content value: "When am I ever going to use this?" This research paper looks at the question of content value for students enrolled in an elementary methods course designed to help them develop their abilities to teach mathematics At the end of each…

This paper presents the course outline of a methods course for elementary education majors that is based on the structure of the Florida Sunshine State Standards pertaining to science. This structure provides education majors with the vertical scope and sequence of public school science education. The focus is on pedagogical knowledge beyond the…

Intended for use by educators of preservice speech communications teachers, this description of a methods course is geared towards high school and college level pedagogy. The philosophy of the guide rejects the typical textbook style, in which generalizations are given to students as unqualified positive statements rather than made objects of…

Both on-line and face-to-face courses rely on textbooks as an important source of information for students. A challenge for instructors in an on-line setting is to insure that students are learning from their textbooks. One way to address this challenge is to use productivity software tools to develop assignments that promote student thinking and…

A case study examined two preservice teachers' attitudes about literature and the teaching of literature, and examined whether a "Teaching of Literature" course for secondary English education majors influenced their attitudes. Data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, written artifacts (learning logs,…

Current literature on social studies methods courses for secondary education teachers focuses on rationales, quantitative data, criticism, and innovations. Although social studies methods courses are highly criticized, a paucity of literature exists on the rationale for the course, most of which calls for increased conceptualization. In contrast,…