Chronicled the use of journals in a required undergraduate educational psychology course, offering a template for incorporating response journals into educational foundations courses for preservice teachers, suggesting relevant prompts and evaluation methods, and summarizing preservice teachers' perceptions of and final responses to journals…

Reports a longitudinal study of the mentoring relationship between an experienced middle-school teacher and a novice teacher (which was supported by a university educator), highlighting what the experienced teacher learned about herself as an educator through the relationship. Data from observations, journals, and transcripts of research and…

Shares one institution's experiences using professional portfolios to help future teachers become effective practitioners and transition from school to work, describing the portfolio development process and exit presentations. Feedback from student questionnaires indicated that students overwhelmingly considered the invested time worthwhile, saw…

Examined elementary and secondary prospective teachers' perceptions of the ways in which their experiences as tutors in school-based tutoring programs influenced their professional development. Data from surveys, reflective papers, and individual and focus group interviews revealed five main ways they perceived the tutoring experience contributed…

Explored the potential of the case method in teacher professional development. Experienced Israeli teachers were exposed to a case, and researchers characterized the resulting dialog. Teacher interviews indicated that teachers found the language of the case communicative. Teachers viewed this method as respectable and credible, though most did not…

Examines historical and current conceptions of teaching for understanding, highlighting three sources of dilemmas that get in the way of helping students make sense of the world they live in (teacher preparation, the social organization of schools, and the school system norms and regularities). (SM)

Describes a project that uses videotaped segments of best-practice teaching methods with freshman practicum students, presenting the rationale, process of collecting teaching segments, and preliminary use of two tapes. Initial response suggests that using videotaped teaching segments with preservice students is a positive approach to introducing…

Action research theory and practice can help encourage preservice teachers' critical reflection. The paper reviews action research theory, discusses conceptions of reflective teaching, and examines the power of action research to shape preservice teacher reflection. Several reports of how teacher educators have used action research in practice are…

During an eight-week field experience, six preservice teachers designed and facilitated an integrated inquiry unit for fifth graders. During this experience, they investigated their effectiveness in implementing the inquiry approach to teaching based on pupils' learning responses. Reflecting on teaching behaviors through reflective classroom…

Examined changes in teachers' beliefs and practices after using video to enhance self-evaluation and guided reflection within a field-based course. Data from a teaching-belief survey, videotapes of teaching episodes, videotapes of post-teaching episodes, and a videotaped portfolio presentation indicated that participants came to view teaching as a…

This article discusses the value of professional portfolios, describes how they are used in a five-year Canadian teacher preparation program, and includes criteria for assessing student teacher portfolios. Findings from two surveys of superintendents indicate that, overall, including a portfolio among an applicant's credentials can enhance the…