This article explores the researcher's use of field trips as an experiential learning tool in a social studies methods course as a pilot study. The researchers analyzed course evaluations and student reflection papers using document analysis to determine (a) the positive and negative aspects of utilizing field trips during the course, and (b) the…

This article describes the process of structural redesign of an undergraduate music education choral methods course. A framework incorporating Problem-based Learning was developed to promote individualized student learning. Ten students participated in the accompanying research study, contributing an array of written and spoken comments as well as…

Teachers in general education classrooms must be prepared to meet the needs of all students. This study explored the impact of embedding special education faculty members in general education teacher preparation to coteach a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based elementary methods block. The Attitudes Toward Inclusion…

Peer teaching has become a productive learning strategy at all education levels. Peer Instruction Method is carried out in a range of forms and contexts like co-tutoring, reciprocal tutoring and discussion groups without teachers. To examine the effectiveness of using the peer instruction method to enhance the conceptual comprehension of…

General education teachers are encouraged in many teacher education programs to differentiate instruction. The question was if instructors in teacher education programs modeled differentiated instruction (DI) in their teacher education programs. University instructors in teacher education programs were surveyed about their use of DI. DI included…

This study, rooted in the evaluation of a reading methods course, sought to determine the implications for preservice teachers (PSTs) who participated in literature circles that intentionally used multicultural literature to discuss social justice issues. Using an interpretative mixed-methods approach, we collected quantitative surveys and…

Integrating literature in mathematics is a powerful strategy used by many teachers to meet the reformative goals outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This article reports a teacher education study in which 15 elementary preservice teachers engaged in a task that challenged them to link the pedagogical strategy of…

Gaps in elementary teachers' subject matter knowledge influence their teaching and student learning of science. Educative curriculum materials can support teacher subject matter knowledge. We investigated whether preservice teachers in 2 universities (n = 92) had gains in subject matter knowledge if they participated in modeled instruction related…

This exploratory case study centered on 3 beginning elementary science teachers who experienced variations in practice-based instructional approaches within their elementary teacher development sequence. We define "practice-based instructional approaches" as engaging with teaching approximations that occur in authentic classroom settings…

Proficiency-based learning systems are becoming more common across the United States, yet few pre-service mathematics teachers have experienced this type of system in the classroom themselves. Teacher education courses are one opportunity for pre-service teachers to experience proficiency-based learning; however, we know little about the impact…

The aim of this study was to research the prospective mathematics teachers' ability to construct a mathematical model for a real life problem and to prove these models by generalizing them to use in similar situations. The study was conducted with 129 prospective teachers determined on a volunteering basis. The data were obtained with the help of…

Pre-service teachers need to develop habits of mind that allow them to grow as new teachers. This article describes an elementary mathematics methods course in which teaching as an experiment was used a framework for pre-service teachers to participate in action research by developing learning goals, observing and analyzing student thinking,…

The reasons elementary teachers choose not to use technology are many and varied. One commonly cited reason is that preservice programs are struggling to adequately prepare future teachers (e.g., Brown & Warschauer, 2006). This article describes the efforts of one department of education to integrate more technology instruction. Although some…

Environmental factors, personal experience, and social interactions influence the development of teacher candidates' views of teachers' roles in school and society (Rose, Monda-Amaya, & Preast, 2018). This is especially true when we consider the unique needs of each generation of teachers. Ecological systems theory and social cognitive theory…

Preservice teachers (PSTs) must be able to link content, effective teaching practices, and student learning; thus, it is critical for teacher educators to emphasize connections between research and practice in methods courses. Reflection plays an important role in this process. In this article, the authors discuss and illustrate a vignette…