An essential component of teacher preparation is clinical practice that allows teacher candidates (TCs) to observe, reflect upon, test their ideas, and adjust and improve their methods in classrooms. Weaknesses in the structure and organization between coursework and clinical practice in teacher preparation programs often present barriers from…

Despite growing numbers of English Learners (ELs) in United States science classrooms and recent science education reforms calling for language and literacy integrated science instruction, research is just beginning to address how to prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach science to ELs. Using a framework highlighting key structural and…

Critical reflection and transformative action in a cyclical rhythm are the fundamental features of the process of praxis (Freire, P. [1970]. Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum). A self-study methodology was used to explore the lead researcher's pedagogical experiences teaching at a youth development center (YDC) while utilizing praxis as…

This study explores the influence of an afterschool program involving high needs elementary-aged students at community-based sites and elementary preservice teachers (EPSTs) enrolled in a final sequence of methods courses at a local university. Data collection involved surveys, interviews, and reflections with EPSTs and interviews with…

Background: Pedagogical models have become an established component of physical education over the past several decades. One such model, the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model, has gained momentum in practice and research, though little is known regarding its use in preservice teacher training. The model follows a flexible format…

In this article, we share results from a field experience model in which junior-year methods classes were held in an elementary school and preservice teachers (PSTs) worked with a single student (a "Math Buddy") on mathematics for 30 minutes per day. We focus on the development of PSTs' skills for exploring children's thinking and the…

The COVID-19-induced closure of K-12 schools significantly impacted the field experiences of students enrolled in teacher preparation programs. We addressed this ongoing challenge by adapting an early field experience model for secondary teachers that shifted online mid-semester. The University Teaching Experience model deploys a cohort of…

There has been a focus on improving teachers' views of nature of science for decades. The method in which researchers improve views of nature of science, however, varies greatly. This study aimed to improve elementary preservice teachers' views of nature of science and nature of science instruction through a course assignment that required the…

Within an early childhood methods course, teacher candidates were prepared to spend three weeks in immersive clinical field experience. Early childhood placements were in rural, high poverty areas of central New York State. In addition to readings and authentic project-based undertakings, preparation included interactive activities on culturally…

This study investigates the relationship between measures of user activity within a Learning Management System (LMS) and student performance during a series of Virtual Field Experience (VFE) online learning modules. Implemented in a graduate-level course on teaching methods for learners with mild/moderate disabilities, each VFE activity was…

In this article, two university professors describe how field-based experiences for preservice elementary teachers in literacy methods courses were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of completing conventional field experiences and classroom observations, the preservice teachers served as adult helpers for virtual learning at a school…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in school closures, shifting to online instruction poses unique challenges for educators. The purpose of the paper is to inform practitioners on how online instruction was facilitated in a science methods course for preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a public university across three campuses. The major…

We propose that "teacher candidates need to have extended experiences with learning to teach imaginatively," which is to say that teacher candidates need to have experiences that enable them to consider new possibilities in education. We first attend to the general theoretical framework offered by imaginative education before moving on…

Field experiences are important components of undergraduate music teacher education programs. This applied qualitative study investigated 12 preservice music teachers' reactions to K-12 field experiences for an undergraduate instrumental music methods course. Six weeks of course discussion board posts were analyzed via an iterative, constant…

A myriad of personal and contextual factors are important in understanding how preservice teachers learn to teach and why they adopt or reject certain teaching practices. Activity theory was used a framework in understand preservice teachers' experiences teaching writing during a field experience at a juvenile detention facility. The purposes of…