Conservatoires train musicians to high levels of proficiency in performance and other 'principal study' disciplines, but often, teaching is perceived as a second-class profession, and little is known about how music students learn to facilitate music making in others. Yet, conservatoires have a responsibility to contribute to the development of…

This volume includes three sections of the 2021 NORDSCI international conference proceedings: (1) Education and Educational Research; (2) Language and Linguistics; and (3) Sociology and Healthcare. Education and Educational Research includes 15 papers covering the full spectrum of education, including history, sociology and economy of education,…

This case study focused on a preservice teachers' (Morgan) efforts to explicitly emphasize nature of science (NOS) elements in her first-grade internship classroom. The study assessed the change in first grade students' views of the inferential, tentative, and creative NOS as a result of the explicit instruction. Morgan held appropriate views of…

To determine whether preservice teachers could articulate, in writing, appropriate instructional strategies for teaching phonics, a study surveyed 83 elementary education students selected randomly from all students enrolled in a reading methods course at Brigham Young University. Students completed one of three questionnaires assessing what…

Describes a collaboration between a university class (on "writing for elementary teachers"), a professor, a first-grade class, and the first-grade teacher, in which the university students and professor visited the first-grade class four times. Notes how all participants enjoyed and profited from the experience. (SR)

This study sought to determine whether prospective teachers at Utah's Brigham Young University (BYU) could articulate in writing appropriate instructional strategies for teaching the letter sounds to beginning readers in the first grade. The study was designed to be the first in a series of studies to find out if Elementary Education students are…

"Piggybacking" is a term used to describe the interaction of educational partners such as college students and elementary school students on long-term projects. Younger students' perceptions of such cooperative learning endeavors has emerged as a useful line of inquiry for teachers. This study focused on a social studies piggybacking…

Describes a four-month investigation of first grade students' definitions of reading. Analysis of observations, interviews, and documents revealed that students in low- and high-reading groups constructed different understandings about reading. Suggestions for teacher educators include helping students develop "kid-watching" skills and…

Describes a parent-involvement program for first grade in which parents helped in the classroom every Wednesday. Surveys of parents and evaluations of teacher and parent teaching styles indicated most parents attributed success to the teacher's warmth and enthusiasm. With encouragement, parents participated willingly. Conclusions relating to…

Piggybacking is a new approach to a university-level methods class in math, science, and social studies in early childhood education developed at the McKay Campus School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. This approach seeks to improve on methods courses that ask college students to pretend they are teaching young children or pretend they are being…

Describes a course that linked first-grade students using emergent writing skills with university early-childhood majors studying the process of emergent literacy, and, in so doing provided an authentic and meaningful learning context for both groups. Suggests that the pen-pal project demonstrates the value of interactive writing exchanges.…

Describes how a semester-long pen-pal project enabled 18 participating university language arts students, a class of first graders, their teacher, and the university instructors to become co-learners in meaningful, action research. Discusses insights about writing derived from the children's weekly letters. Presents an assessment rubric charting…

In recent years, teacher education curriculum has become more focused on the "back to basics" issue of teaching, encouraging teachers to manipulate students and classroom environments to attain one goal: academic learning. Critics claim this narrowing of the teacher education process has led to negative social consequences where children…

Through a multiple case study design the influence of teachers beliefs on literacy instruction for at-risk first graders was examined and described. The volunteer sample of five female teachers who taught in different high risk schools within the same school district participated in the study. Five issues guided the study: teachers beliefs about…

In light of concerns that previous staff development projects did not truly capture life in the classroom, and that there may be a gap between one's previous elementary and current university teaching experiences, a teacher educator used a semester sabbatical to shadow six first-grade teachers in order to inform thinking and practice in teaching…