Described in this document is a schedule of teacher behaviors specified as being most appropriate for preservice elementary social studies teachers. Pre-teaching tasks are allocated to the social studies methods class; teaching-learning and post-teaching tasks to the student teaching experience. The tasks, stated in behavioral terms, are…

Describes how one school-university partnership openly discussed the basic tensions between theory and practice. The result was a collaboratively delivered methods course that became the foundation for a complex school-university relationship. The partnership changed the elementary school, provided meaningful inservice for practicing teachers, and…

A common maxim in the educational profession is that one teaches the way one is taught. Indications are that preservice teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practices may be linked to previous experiences. Calderhead & Robson (1991) underscored this concern by asserting that teachers use good teachers as models for developing their own images as…

The validity of several predictors was examined against multiple criteria of student program success. Subjects (N=437) were selected from about 800 students in the elementary teacher education program of a small California state university. Predictor variables for each subject included: (1) undergraduate grade point average (GPA); (2) subscale…

Relationships between students' (N=169) rating of instruction and students' attitudes about inquiry and traditional teaching in elementary science classes were investigated. Since one of the goals of their methods class was to develop or adopt teaching styles on their own, it was hypothesized that the congruence of students' adopted teaching style…

A competency-based undergraduate reading methods course and a competency-based language arts methods course have been offered at Rhode Island College as part of the preservice training of prospective elementary teachers. In addition to these courses, the Right to Read staff has developed two student teaching centers. This two-year final report…

Reports a study of 12 preservice elementary and 12 preservice secondary science teachers to determine the effects of methods instruction on their beliefs about the teaching/learning process. Results indicate that secondary teachers may have more complex belief structures than elementary teachers and that slight structural changes occurred for both…

Methods courses in teacher education programs have made a transition in the last years toward field-based experiences as part of the preparation for teaching science in the elementary school. However, little conclusive evidence exists as to any desirable influence field experiences are having on science teaching attitudes and learning. The purpose…

We have been exploring the potential of a web-supported professional development system, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), that integrates videotaped classrooms and discussion forums for use in preservice science methods classrooms. This article examines pre- and inservice teachers' perceptions about using the ILF and how their participation in…

The purpose of the study described here was to examine gender as it affects elementary-school teacher attitudes towards teaching science. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) was employed to measure the self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs of elementary preservice and inservice teachers. Due to the experience of females…

Based on the concept that career education can offer special meaning and motivation to each specialty within teacher education institutions, this handbook is designed for use by teacher educators from varied disciplines. Suggestions are provided for helping prospective teachers develop a personal philosophy of career education. Pre-service teacher…

A professor from the University of Tennessee and a mathematics teacher who formerly taught kindergarten teamed up to plan and teach a kindergarten methods course for undergraduate elementary education majors. The course includes both practical and theoretical perspectives. Course readings consist of selections from textbooks and articles from…

This article discusses a university-public school partnership involving 10 school sites, which have become professional development schools (PDSs). These PDSs contribute to a continuum of professional development for educators at all levels: preservice teachers, inservice teachers, public school administrators, and teacher educators. Professional…

This study, conducted in Singapore, was designed to determine pre-service primary teachers' (n=34) behavior in asking operational questions in science. In training the pre-service teachers in asking operational questions, the meaning of operational questions was first illustrated and clarified to them through the use of some examples during group…

The educational reform movement, with its heavy emphasis on restructuring and collaboration, has brought into the open a serious credibility gap between teachers and the role that schools of education and the education professorate have played in educational development and leadership. Many teachers believe that professors do not understand, or…