This journal issue deals with training teachers of reading. The four articles discuss a summer reading methods practicum that worked, how students rate their reading instructors, how reading consultants can survive school politics, and college students' perceptions of the fairness and the difficulty of examinations. (FL)

Teacher responses to two questionnaires provided data in a study designed to identify specific competencies of effective speech communication/drama teachers, to compare these results with the competencies recommended by the Speech Communication Association/American Theatre Association (SCA/ATA) Joint Task Force, and to explore the implications of…

A guide for teaching with audiovisual aids, based on the in-class experiences of 30 faculty members from Memphis State University and Shelby State Community College, is presented. The faculty members represented 20 instructional areas and the range of audiovisual usage included in-class use of traditional audiovisual materials and techniques, the…

Practical suggestions for effective lecturing are offered and what educational objectives are accomplishable by means of lecturing are discussed in this guide. The following topics are addressed: effective lecture delivery, managing lecture content, and motivating listeners. Ways to vary the stimuli and making a point in lecture delivery are…

For the use of team leaders responsible for guiding teacher interns through a two-year, on-the-job training program, this document provides a framework of essential competencies and teaching skills to be achieved before beginning teaching. Five generic teaching skills are identified: diagnosis, prescription, classroom management, instruction…

An overview of the assessment of the basic skills of prospective secondary level education students at Pennsylvania State University is provided in this paper. Assessment in the areas of reading, writing, and speaking was conducted as a response to public criticism of teachers' skills and as a means of meeting a competency requirement in the…

As part of a study of the basic skills of secondary level education students, a study was conducted at Pennsylvania State University of the writing ability of prospective secondary level teachers. Raters holistically scored writing samples of 43 preservice teachers of English, mathematics, science and social studies. When writing scores of all…

The purpose of this study was to identify the professional horticultural competencies that vocational horticultural teachers must perform successfully and to distinguish between those competencies needed by entry level teachers and those needed by experienced teachers. A secondary purpose was to examine differences in the ratings of the…

This is a report on two courses, one undergraduate and one graduate, which taught education majors, through films, discussions, book reviews, field trips, and community work, how to become master teachers skilled in reaching culturally different children. The report examines the purposes and content of the courses and concludes that they were…

In an overview of a very comprehensive and current trend in personnel training, that of a "competency-based" format, it is apparent that there exists certain and specific aspects of what perhaps constitutes a "total" program in competency-based methodology. These aspects are competency identification, competency organization, competency analysis,…

This study used multiple regression analysis to estimate the effects of variance in teacher ratings explained by teacher-produced variability (teaching practices and/or skills) and by student-produced variability (education level, motivation, and goals) on selected student variables. Previous research suggested that these student variables…

Three articles address various issues concerning staff development. Topics discussed include challenges facing professional development in higher education; who has responsibility for staff development; and implications for staff development based on a survey of Non-Advanced Further Education (NAFE) in England and Wales. (LRW)

A study of influences on practicum students' (N=8) acquisition of teaching skills for mainstreaming handicapped children revealed that cooperating teachers, university supervisors, course work, field experiences, and practicum assignments exerted the greatest influence on student teachers. (CB)

This report presents a blueprint for attracting, developing, and retaining skilled and diverse teachers who effectively increase the achievement of all of Virginia's students. The five recommendations are to: (1) develop a comprehensive database to support Virginia's commitment to teacher quality; (2) expand recruitment initiatives to attract…

This paper explores what is moving the preservice teacher education field to a higher professional and ethical standard, examining: how the field of education has addressed the need for improved performance in serving students with disabilities over the past 20 years; what level of innovation is needed to sustain change for a single service…