Against the backdrop of mentor teachers' reasoning about practice, we seek to understand shifts in intern teachers' reasoning about practice during a year in which they take their final methods course in the fall and then do intern teaching in the spring. The data we analyze consist of intern and mentor teacher study group discussions of repeated…

This study examines the development of a specific sub-skill for studying and improving teaching--the generation of hypotheses about the effects of teaching on student learning. Two groups of elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) were compared: one group that attended a typical mathematics-methods course and one that attended a course integrating…

This study examines the ways prospective elementary teachers (PSTs) made connections to children's mathematical thinking and children's community funds of knowledge in mathematics lesson plans. We analyzed the work of 70 PSTs from across three university sites associated with an instructional module for elementary mathematics methods courses that…

In this article, we draw on survey data to investigate associations between Chinese elementary teaching candidates’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and their experiences in mathematics courses, mathematics methods courses, and student teaching. In our study, we found that (a) Chinese teaching candidates' completion of courses in number…

Given students' preconceptions of history as fixed information, cultivating students' interpretive and evidence-based thinking is foundational to advancing their disciplinary understanding. This study examines the ways in which preservice history teachers construct tasks that demand students' interpretive and evidence-based thinking and attend to…

Parker Palmer is correct in his claims that good teaching depends more on the capacity for connectedness than on technique and that helping teacher candidates cultivate a strong sense of personal identity is crucial. However, to what extent are Palmer's claims compatible with the various constructivist models of learning that are now prevalent in…

Student teaching is a cornerstone of teacher preparation, yet it remains one of the most difficult experiences to understand. Calls for an ecological approach to research on student teaching prompted this study in which the experience is examined from the perspective of the three key triad members. Using activity theory, this study explores how…

The author describes a teaching model designed to enable the methods teacher to exemplify the behavior of a successful teacher. (MM)

A bibliography listing 16 documents and journals which deal with general and specific subject methods courses for prospective teachers is offered. (MT)

An effort to use critical theory as a basis for a developing social studies methods course is used as an example of a practical application of critical theory as a foundation for pedagogical courses. Problems associated with implementing critical methods courses are discussed. (MT)

The reasons why reflective inquiry has not been incorporated into the classroom despite its promotion as an effective teaching method are discussed. A reflective inquiry model grounded in the principles of critical theory is advocated. (MT)

Oral history, as a pedagogical technique, is appropriate to teacher education. It provides insight into the dynamics of being a professional teacher. Benefits and examples from oral history projects are described. (MT)