Discusses the problems and benefits of implementing portfolio evaluation in a preservice teacher social studies methods course. Maintains that adopting portfolio assessment opens the way for students to construct alternative conceptions of teaching. Includes criteria for the development and evaluation of students' portfolios. (MJP)

A practicum was designed to increase the number of primary teachers who possess a more current reading and writing philosophy and would implement theory-driven teaching practices. The problem addressed in the practicum was that primary reading and writing instruction did not reflect current research, theory, and practices. Many classroom teachers…

A study examined students' perceptions of an instructor's use of slang and verbal aggression in giving a presentation. The study used an experiment to investigate the relationship between these two variables and students' perceptions of credibility, affect, and immediacy. Participants, 167 undergraduate communication students at a large midwestern…

In order for prospective teachers to become aware of the consequences of their actions and behaviors and to become more reflective about their teaching and their role as teachers, teacher education programs must incorporate interventions that allow novice teachers to become actively involved in the process of applying the theory of teaching to the…

This study investigated selected planning and teaching behaviors in 15 undergraduate physical education-teacher education majors over 8 weeks of clinical teaching experience, examining the effect of databased feedback intervention on their preactive and interactive behaviors. Each preservice teacher planned and taught two 30-minute lessons (in…

A study of preservice student teachers involved 19 undergraduates certified to teach mathematics by the Washburn University (Kansas) teacher preparation program from fall 1984 to fall 1989. The study examined their ability to transmit knowledge of the subject to students through methodologies designed to translate theory into practice. The…

This study was conducted to examine sex typing of mathematicians and scientists and to evaluate a course, "Equity Issues in a Technological Society," designed to sensitize students to gender inequities in education and to expose them to more equitable teaching strategies. Subjects were 248 entering undergraduate university students…

A survey, completed by 15 professors of English, indicated a fundamental lack of student critical thinking skills within their department, and a 90 percent discrepancy in teacher training with only 10 percent of teachers having received formal training. This paper describes a workshop designed to educate and motivate the English professors in a…

The efforts of the teacher education program at Northern Michigan University (NMU) to improve the education of teachers in field settings are described, using criteria of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) related to field experience programs. The paper discusses how the NCATE criteria are met or exceeded through…

This report proposes a design for teacher training, and for research and development in teaching and learning, that seeks to capitalize on the diversity and adaptivity of teaching and learning in the real world. Chapter I provides an overview of teacher education in the context of educational concerns at large. It discusses the processes of…

Feedback was sought on the student teaching experience from student teachers, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors. Findings indicated: (1) All parties agreed on the worth of the experience; (2) Student teachers disagreed with university supervisors on the worth of required seminars, format of lesson plans, and time allotted to student…

A handbook for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Southern Mississippi is presented. General information is provided on GTA supervision, instructor absences, GTA obligations, the office and supplies, and the university's sexual harassment policy. A section on the first day of class covers: the…

The role of the personnel evaluation process in improving the performance of teachers as classroom communicators is explored by contrasting the personnel evaluation system of Alaska Pacific University (APU) with that of the Anchorage School District (Alaska). While the APU system offers little specification for formative evaluation activities, the…

Thoughtful follow-up studies of teacher education program graduates can be used effectively. In the study reported here, survey data were collected from recent graduates (N=151) of a small, independent, church-related liberal arts college. The students were participating in their first year of teaching in one of four geographic regions (Idaho,…

This report on the 1985 Asian and South Pacific Regional Conference of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) presents the full text of three addresses presented during the opening ceremony, as well as four major presentations by invited speakers and three addresses from the closing ceremony. A day of…