Teacher preparation programs have been under attack by policy makers in the last decade, and teacher educators are constantly striving to improve their programs. Yet, there are several research-based practices that have been shown to be effective for developing teachers. In this article, the author summarizes a study in one science methods course…

Through growing formative research, lesson study has emerged as a powerful practice that affects teachers' practical analysis of learning and teaching. Such research, however, also recognizes challenges to its implementation. In a methods course, lesson study has the potential to provide valuable links between teacher education and practice. In…

In this article the authors describe a collaboratively designed secondary teacher education program focused on the preparation of preservice general education teachers to work effectively with children who have diverse learning needs in inclusive classrooms. The focus of the article is on the collaborative development and initial evaluation of the…

This article presents a study exploring preservice teachers' experiences with multigenre writing in a secondary English methods course. In multigenre writing (Romano, 2000), students write about their research in a variety of genres as an alternative to the traditional research paper, presenting exposition in narrative forms. Preservice teachers…

The purpose of this teacher action research was twofold: to learn more about preservice teachers' preconceived notions related to listening and to investigate how a listening journal assignment impacted preservice teachers' views of listening as an important aspect of discourse. The participants were enrolled in a mathematics methods course for…

The need to move methods courses off the college campus and into local schools is stressed. (MM)

Criticizes the typical methods course, which has students devise lesson plans without giving them the opportunity to test the plans on those for whom it is intended. (JA)

Examines the inductive approach to learning, which helps ensure an interactive environment where students use their language processes to learn. Preservice teachers can learn to organize their teaching inductively. Such training should include direct experience with the inductive approach, analysis of the experiences, guided practice, and coaching…

The integration of instruction on sex role stereotyping into an elementary social studies teaching methodology course is described. The course resulted in students producing nonsexist lessons, as well as achieving the usual methodology goals of the course. (JMF)

A program to improve the writing evaluation skills of prospective English teachers is offered as a supplement to the usual methods courses required. The student is apprenticed to an English composition instructor for one semester, and grades papers, and compares results with the instructor. (JMF)

A study investigated the relationships among the grades students received in a general methods course and selected variables. The conclusions indicated that: (1) Women tend to make higher grades than men; (2) Older students register for fewer credit hours than do younger ones; and (3) Upperclassmen register for fewer hours than do lowerclassmen.…

Three practicum components are presented for consideration: A developmental reading practicum, a curriculum innovation practicum, and a reverse-student- teaching-assignment-level practicum. (DS)

A study was done to determine if there are advantages in teaching a science methods course in conjunction with field experience. Results showed that taking the science methods course with the field experience did not help education majors to understand science processes. (JN)