This paper describes a learning team curriculum structure in which the college professor relinquishes center stage in the classroom and involves students in two important tasks: (1) regular and specific reflection on their own learning and strategies for learning; and (2) asking their own questions. The learning team approach helps students learn…

Piggybacking is a new approach to a university-level methods class in math, science, and social studies in early childhood education developed at the McKay Campus School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. This approach seeks to improve on methods courses that ask college students to pretend they are teaching young children or pretend they are being…

This article describes a teacher education program, "Studies in Educational Alternatives" (S.E.A.), at Mankato State University (Minnesota). The program is committed to personalization and practicum experiences as major components of teacher preparation. The document discusses: (1) program design; (2) admission processes; (3)…

The study described here was conducted to examine the impact of reforms made to an elementary education program which include broadened supervised practicums experience for all education methods courses thereby creating a link between theory and practice. Specific attention was given to prospective teachers' perceptions of the usefulness of their…

Speech communication teachers at both secondary and postsecondary school levels must cooperate to improve oral communication education. Despite the importance of oral communication skills, speech courses are rarely required in high school. Teachers must tell school boards, higher education boards, and faculties of the importance of speaking and…

To determine if subject matter taught or years of teaching experience after taking methods courses influenced teacher attitudes toward teaching reading in the content areas, questionnaires were completed by 105 middle, junior, and senior high school teachers who had completed methods classes in content area reading. Results of four subscales on…

Based on the perception that teacher educators deliver preparation programs which have little influence on the way graduates actually teach and that they are completely out of touch with the actual teaching conditions in contemporary schools, a survey was conducted to see what activities teachers felt were most relevant for reading methods classes…

The new elementary education program for prospective teachers at the State University of New York at Oswego focuses on the structure of human learning. The program has three tracks for students to choose from, each consisting of: (1) the foundations semester; (2) the unit; and (3) field experience. In the foundations semester, students work on…

Pertinent to potential recommendations for communication training in teacher preparation, a study investigated prospective teachers' intended use of communication control strategies in managing student misbehaviors. As an extension of previous instructional research, a typology of common student misbehavior types (active/passive) and intensity…

This study focused on anxiety, both math and situational, and its relationship to teaching performance. Preservice elementary teachers were given a methods course on teaching mathematics and, after five weeks, were assigned a group of children to instruct twice a week. A positive correlation was found between performance in teaching math and…

Three papers presented at a teacher education conference on the development of common core curriculum for vocational teacher education are contained in this booklet. The titles and authors are as follow: "A Model Methods Course for Agricultural Education," by L. H. Newcomb; "Preparing Teachers to Develop Courses of Study in Vocational…

The author suggests ways reading can be integrated with science and describes the reading activities in an elementary science methods course. The activities include: (1) selecting a science tradebook for children to review and for the teacher to analyze vocabulary; (2) helping children review science tradebooks; and (3) encouraging independent…

Recent political, social, and economic changes in sub-Saharan Africa have created a new demand for English teaching on a vast scale. The immediate aim of English teaching programs in the French-speaking countries should be to increase the number of national teachers of English who can supply the local school systems. Teacher training programs in…

A study explored the impact of student voices on a preservice "teaching language arts in elementary schools" methods course when students have the opportunity to negotiate and expand the notions of content, structure, and assessment of a course, especially with the infusion of media/technology as a vehicle of instruction and assessment.…

This article analyzes the uses of various technologies to enhance literacy practices using a multi-genre writing project with pre-service teachers and middle school students. Twenty-seven English pre-service teachers, simultaneously enrolled in a methods and a technology course, collaborated with middle school students using asynchronous Web…