In a foundations-of-education course based on experiential learning, 120 college students formed partnerships with elementary school children and, using letters and interviews, asked them about teaching and learning. It was found that the students clarified their educational philosophies, enhanced communication skills, and overcame preconceptions…

The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare novice and experienced elementary teachers' pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of three major topics in mathematics: whole number operation, fractions, and geometry. The study participants were 26 preservice elementary teachers and 28 experienced kindergarten through…

This paper presents information regarding two university field programs in two elementary schools in New Orleans (Louisiana), serving culturally diverse children, and it attempts to reveal the influences of each school context on preservice teachers' acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge, their concerns and dilemmas, and their frames of…

This research investigated how use of an interactive videodisk information system, the Strategic Teaching Framework (STF), helped preservice teachers expand their visions of teaching, learning, and assessment in mathematics, and helped develop their skills in translating that vision into action in the classroom. STF consisted of videos of…

This paper argues that teachers' beliefs and attitudes affect not only their instructional decisions and human relationships, but also their willingness to seek professional knowledge, particularly when such knowledge contradicts their beliefs. Results obtained from a case study on K-5 staff development through inquiry are used to illustrate what…

The use of collaborative case studies is an important tool for promoting teacher development, providing preservice teachers with opportunities to apply what they have learned in a real life context. This paper describes the design and evolution of a unique application of case study methodology by two early childhood/elementary education professors…

The reform of teacher education at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has proceeded from a collective commitment to developing a unified framework for the preparation of early childhood, primary/middle, and special education teachers for urban schools. The new program, Collaborative Teacher Education for Urban Communities, integrates…

Professional Development Schools (PDS) are designed not only to educate novice teachers but also to be places where university and school faculties can collaborate on research and development. This study, the initial phase of a longitudinal study, attempts to discover if an early PDS experience can develop a stronger beginning teacher than a…

This study describes the existing "state of the state" with regard to preservice elementary science preparation at colleges and universities in Texas. Data consisted of responses from 61 educational institutions involved in elementary teacher preparation on a 50-item survey mailed to 98 institutions in Texas. Data analysis focused on…

Two projects in the teacher education program at Seton Hall University gave assignments involving basic qualitative research methods as applied to a focused goal of interaction between future teachers and their students. The first project focused on life in community residential programs for adults with developmental disabilities, and the second…

This study explores how selected course experiences at the University of Memphis (Tennessee) influenced preservice teachers' perceptions of their comfort and competence levels in planning and implementing parent involvement programs. The course required of all elementary and early childhood education students, called "School/Community…

This discussion of an urban professional development school (PDS) partnership between Milwaukee Public Schools (Wisconsin) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee documents changes made and experienced by teachers, particularly changes related to moving from an ineffective basic skills approach to reading, in a school context focused on student…

In this predictive study, the variables of College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (C-BASE) Science score, American College Test (ACT) Science score, Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) score, and total number of college science courses completed were investigated as predictors of science process skills and physical science…

Based on the premise that psychology can be an invaluable tool to mathematics educators, this book highlights how informal mathematics develops, how children construct their view of school arithmetic, and how mathematical thinking operates. The ideas offered are intended to assist teachers in making informed decisions concerning mathematics…

Organized to allow undergraduate and graduate students to work together in helping children learn to read, this practicum manual provides guidelines and materials needed for the undergraduate section of the Methods of Teaching Reading II Reading Practicum at Indiana University Southeast. In addition to the syllabus, which includes a course…