Effects of student participation in a science methods course with and without extensive experiences with children on changes in open- and closed-mindedness and in attitudes toward science were studied among nine sections of pre-service elementary education majors. Seven sections received regular course instruction, and two were provided with…

The study was designed to assess the effects of three different instructional strategies of teaching science methods on selected attitudes and perceptions held by 30 prospective elementary school teachers, as well as the effects of these instructional strategies on children's perceptions of teacher behavior variables of warmth, demand and…

The philosophical viewpoints of 56 preservice elementary school teachers were measured prior to and following a fourteen-week methods course. Following treatment, subjects viewed science as more tentative and uncertain than did those in a control group. (CP)

Determined whether the field experience component of an undergraduate science methods course influenced teachers' concerns and attitudes toward science and science teaching. Age, grade-point average, openmindedness, and school assignment were examined as variables which might explain some of the variance in the dependent measures. (Author/JN)

Described is a social studies methods course in teacher education at the University of Georgia. Based upon a system of performance based teacher education modules, the course involves 12 hours of work per week per student in an elementary school and participation in an on-campus instructional module in concept development. (Author/DB)

This study investigates the social studies teaching practices of sixty-seven elementary teachers who are part of an alternative master's degree program in New York City. The respondents' program emphasizes constructivist and inquiry based teaching practices in its social studies methods courses. The findings are from an exit survey that was…

On a Likert scale, 269 prospective elementary school teachers instructed in a seminar workshop approach showed a greater improvement in attitude towards mathematics than students in a lecture setting. On the Dutton attitude scale, there were no differences between instructional techniques nor between pre- and posttest means. (Author/CM)

Describes a mathematics content course in which observations are made by preservice elementary school teachers of actual classroom teachers. This course emphasizes these aspects of teacher education: attitudes towards mathematics, achievement and understanding of content, expectation levels of prospective teachers, and understanding of elementary…

Reports results of a study investigating effects of alternative modes of science methods instruction on 90 preservice elementary teachers': (1) beliefs about science teaching; and (2) general attitudes toward teaching. Student performance on criterion measures was found to differ significantly in three different modes of science instruction. (CS)

Describes how selected case examples are used in a mathematics course for prospective elementary teachers to provide a framework for discussing how children construct meaning in mathematics. The article examines the advantages of presenting cases in videodisc format with access to additional information through associated computer databases. (SM)

Describes an interactive English-as-foreign-language methodology course for elementary school teachers. The class used an input loop methodology, where the instructors in the methodology course model the technique they are teaching. (Author/VWL)

This article describes the design and implementation of a methods course assignment that enhanced prospective teachers' understanding of teaching mathematics with technology.

Described is a pilot program initiated at Purdue University and designed to provide experiences for prospective elementary teachers in which scientific knowledge was presented in an inquiry manner. A goal of the project is a three-year escalating, prospective elementary-teacher involvement with elementary children. (Authors/PEB)

Examined are two controversial areas in science education related to elementary education majors: (1) use of science content courses, and (2) use of science methods courses. The author attempts to determine whether education majors who were taking a professional course in the teaching of science differ from non-education majors taking a comparable…