This paper opens with a story of what was once cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology and its integration into preservice teacher preparation. It is a story of the technology, in this case video recording, the theories applied to its educational use, and a specific teacher training method--microteaching. The historical context of microteaching…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether preservice teachers can be trained to be more clear during instruction and whether a causal relationship exists between teacher clarity and student achievement. A review of literature in teacher education, business, and industrial training revealed that no intact, empirically verified training…

This paper discusses the need for continuous personal professional development, the University of Regina (Canada) approach to professional development, planning for improvement, and sources of feedback on professional improvement attempts. The process involves three components. The first is a supervisory or conferencing procedure that has student…

Open discussion and a Likert-type scale (Characteristics of Effective Teaching) were used with 38 graduate students enrolled in an advanced methods class in secondary school subjects, to determine their perceptions of the characteristics of effective teaching and whether teaching is an art or a science. A survey completed at the beginning of the…

In order to compare the differences in cognitions of experienced and beginning teachers, the perceptions of six experienced teachers, six student teachers, and six probationer teachers (in their first year of teaching after college training) were studied at various times during the course of a school year, using a variety of methods (interview,…

An experimental course in college teaching for graduate students in engineering and the natural sciences has been offered by the University of Texas at Austin. The program has also included students from a wide variety of academic disciplines. Most of the assignments and activities undertaken have been experientially based, but several tests and…

Student teaching is examined in relation to Maslow's theory of human motivation that proposes an inherent human tendency toward self-actualization. It is pointed out that the majority of student teachers operate in fear as they enter their final phase of teacher training, and according to Maslow, they are operating at the safety level, concerned…

Prospective secondary mathematics teachers continue to lack images of "reformed" teaching. This investigation studied prospective teachers' development of reform-oriented teaching through Micro-teaching Lesson Study [MLS], an experience based on Japanese lesson study (Stigler and Heibert, 1999). A qualitative analysis of various data sources…

This study investigated the impact of administrators' constructive comments to preservice teachers about their micro-teaching demonstration. The project used a research model that concentrated on cognitive changes rather than changes in behavior and that used images of growth rather than measurable changes. It attempted to facilitate reflection,…

This paper presents the results of a study designed to determine whether preservice elementary teachers with a great deal of previous early field experience, but no previous microteaching experience, would benefit more from an additional science field experience in the local school systems or from an alternative science microteaching experience.…

Videotaped recordings of supervisor-teacher micro-teaching playback sessions were used to identify evaluative discourse. Fifteen student teachers discussed a 10-30 minute lesson they had just taught to college freshmen, with graduate student supervisors. Supervisors and student teachers evaluated lesson topics such as teacher questions, content,…

Three nontraditional intervention strategies are examined as approaches for improving the teaching effectiveness of graduate teaching assistants (TA's) in speech communication. The approaches include the "standard-other model," which demonstrates how others display the desired behaviors; the "self-as-model," which takes advantage of…

This paper looks at the behaviorist phenomenon of microteaching through a neo-Vygotskian theoretical lens, employing a case study of two groups of prospective teachers being coached by a professor or clinical instructor. The paper attempts to broaden Vygotsky's notion of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) by conceptualizing the ZPD as a…

Brigham Young University (Utah) is developing a program to improve reflective thinking skills in preservice students. The beginning professional course includes the following reflective teaching components: (1) instruction on the theory and process of reflection; (2) participation in selected microteaching episodes; (3) reflecting on the classroom…

A quarter of a century after the inception of the microteaching concept and in view of the new emphasis given to teaching learning laboratories, this paper discusses the development of the microteaching concept and its present state of art. Special attention is given to the theoretical conceptualization of microteaching and the teaching learning…