This paper reports on research that suggests a new view of assessment of the practicum in teacher education. By transcending the stereotypes of "failing" student teachers who do not achieve traditional benchmarks, this new lens highlights the complexity, diversity and inequality of experiences through listening to the voices of the…

This study was conducted by the teacher education program, University of Saskatchewan, to determine the effectiveness of practicum supervisory practices by cooperating teachers. Student teachers (N=126) were surveyed with respect to 31 present and ideal clinical supervision behaviors before and after a 4-month internship. Training and experience…

Describes the University of Saskatchewan's thoughts on adopting Contextual Supervision (CS) to encourage professional growth in preservice teachers within an extended practicum program. CS emphasizes that supervisory decisions must be based upon universally accepted human values. The article examines studies conducted as part of a two-phase…

In an action research project involving teacher education faculty and practicum associate teachers (cooperating teachers), associate teachers identified supervisory methods used in their associate role: (1) conferencing with the student teacher; (2) demonstrating teaching methods; (3) observing and coaching the student teacher; and (4) counseling…