A study was done to determine if there are advantages in teaching a science methods course in conjunction with field experience. Results showed that taking the science methods course with the field experience did not help education majors to understand science processes. (JN)

Science content, related laboratory skills and techniques, and methods of instruction are addressed as important components in the preparation of secondary science teachers. The integration of field experiences throughout the preparation process and the effectiveness of each component in this process are discussed. (KR)

This case study looked at the transition of preservice teachers from world language education methods courses at a major U.S. university to a 5-week field experience in secondary school classrooms. Data included lesson plans and self-critiques of two lessons implemented during the field experience, world language teaching philosophies the…

Teaching is a complex task shaped by many external and internal influences, including the beliefs held by individual teachers. This study sought an understanding of the impact of field experiences on the beliefs developed by preservice science teachers. The participants were students in an undergraduate science education methods course that…

This research investigated the use of electronic journaling to promote collaboration between special education and general education preservice teachers. During the field experience component of their methods courses, the participants responded to weekly prompts, shared experiences with each other, and frequently offered advice about events their…

This report presents findings from a 2006 national survey of all Title IV degree-granting 4- year postsecondary institutions on how teacher candidates within teacher education programs for initial licensure are being prepared to use educational technology once they enter the field. The "Educational Technology in Teacher Education Programs…

A study examined "Learning Community" meetings at the College of Education and Human Services at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in which professors, inservice teachers, and preservice teachers in a 15-hour semester block connected with a clinical field experience meet and engage in dialogue about the program. A total of four…

Changes made to improve a program providing education students a chance to observe and participate in public school elementary classrooms were based on two assumptions. First, it was assumed that students would see a greater need and relevance for ideas and concepts presented in education courses if they spent more time in the schools. Second, it…

The music department of Brigham Young University has placed two sections of a music methods course for elementary education majors in Vineyard School, a public school in Orem, Utah. This article describes the program's rationale, operations, and benefits. (Author/SJL)

Content and methods are outlined for an undergraduate elementary social studies methods course. Course topics include structure of the discipline and its place in the curriculum, selecting concepts and facts to teach, how children reason and the implications for social studies teaching methods, instructional planning and techniques, and…

Examined preservice teachers' beliefs about elementary physical education (PE) and the impact of a field-based elementary PE methods course on their beliefs. Participant surveys indicated that preservice teachers held similar beliefs about the values and purposes of elementary PE to those of PE professionals. The methods course positively impacted…

Cohorts and expanded field experiences are two structures intended to promote reflective thinking in preservice teacher education programs. In this paper, two science methods classes are compared. One class had expanded field experiences and was organized as a cohort. The second was a more traditionally structured class that was not in a cohort…

Reform in the fields of adolescent and content area literacy have focused on broadening a definition of literacy beyond the ability to read and write. In a broader definition the language processes of reading, writing, speaking and listening become literacy tools to engage students in the learning of concepts and afford the learner ways to…

The Learning Community program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh brings together four individual teacher education methods courses in an integrated block with clinical field experience. The program provides teacher educators the opportunity to integrate their instruction with other courses and contextualize the learning of students with…