Preservice field placements and student teaching experiences have been identified as influential factors in elementary teaching candidates' (ETCs) development as teachers. This study examined several factors during the student teaching experience, including the English language arts (ELA) teaching self-efficacy of cooperating teachers (CTs) and…

Student-teaching field placements play an important role in preparing teacher candidates, many of whom rate the practice as the most authentic and relevant learning experience associated with their teacher-education programs. As a part of these field experiences, teacher candidates have opportunities to learn instructional and class management…

In an earlier study, the author and her colleague explored the extent to which supervisors' perspectives about candidates' performance corresponded with outcomes from a summative performance assessment (Sandholtz & Shea, 2012). They specifically examined the relationship between university supervisors' predictions and candidates' performance…

This study closely examined the stated and implicit philosophical stances of student teacher supervisors from their own perspectives as well as from the perspectives of the student teachers with whom they worked. Written and audio documentation of the interactions and conversations between each of the participating student teachers and his or her…

Planning is a central task of teaching and a central focus in learning to teach. But what does planning entail, and how is planning best learned? What challenges do experienced teachers serving as school-based teacher educators face in becoming teachers of planning? What role can university teacher educators play in helping mentor teachers learn…

High-quality professional development is defined as having the characteristics of longevity, context specificity, teacher voice, collaboration, and followup. Effective professional development is "grounded in inquiry, reflection, and experimentation that are participant driven." One vehicle for professional development that adheres to the…

Despite persistent questions about the nature and purpose of social studies education in the United States, there exists general agreement that social studies should be about democratic citizenship. But much depends on how individuals view democracy, and the extent to which they think it has been, or could be, realized through education. This…

Recently, researchers and policymakers have begun to question the role of professional education in learning to teach. This inquiry reflects skepticism about the contributions of teacher education, which is, in turn, fueled by popular ideas about the work of teaching: teachers are born not made, or that "real" learning begins once novices arrive…