Recounts the recommendations of the report of the Carnegie Forum's Task Force on Teaching as a Profession. Explains the efforts of the National Science Teachers Association in supporting the report. Argues for quality and equality in education for all Americans. (TW)

To alleviate poor subject-matter preparation of science teachers and stem declining enrollment in both secondary and postsecondary science programs, the University of Western Ontario faculties of science and education are collaborating in a new honors undergraduate program in science. The interdisciplinary program offers a broader selection of…

Describes two recently completed projects at Utah State University which have provided marked improvement to the preparation of prospective secondary science teachers. The projects focused on cognitive psychology and conceptual change teaching and construction and furnishing of a new secondary science teacher preparation laboratory. (LZ)

This study qualitatively investigated preservice science and mathematics teachers' perceptions and concerns about classroom management and discipline (n=16). Results reveal that students do not have a clear understanding of classroom management and therefore look for quick fix solutions to discipline problems. (PR)

Investigates the attitudes of secondary science teachers toward certain National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) standards for secondary science teacher programs. Out of 300 mailed surveys, 123 were returned. It was found that teachers generally supported the standards for their major fields. However, within each field, some areas of study…

How do new teachers become confident and competent while they are interns in inner-city neighborhood schools challenged by many problems, often associated with economic shortfalls and cultural differences between the students and their teachers? Many science teacher education programs place a lot of emphasis on the planning stages of curriculum.…

This paper examines the development of science content knowledge of elementary teachers (N=25) as a result of participating in a summer science Institute funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. The institute was designed to integrate the physical, life, and earth sciences by addressing the National…

Science educators and the communities they serve have made the improvement of student achievement a high priority, and they have identified more effective teaching as part of the solution to this problem. This document answers the following two questions: What does the research show about effective science teaching? and What kinds of professional…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the field experience component of an undergraduate science methods course for preservice elementary school teachers was effective in: (1) shifting student concerns about science teaching from concerns about themselves to concerns about the impact of inquiry-oriented science programs on pupils;…

In preparation for developing a position statement for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) on the preparation and certification of elementary and middle/junior high school science teachers, several NSTA committees conducted a survey of 50 colleges and universities with teacher education programs. Results of the survey (N=45) are…

Showing evidence of planing multicultural education in curricula is required by the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for accreditation of professional education programs. This paper presents discussions on this issue over the last three decades, points out the increasingly diverse student population in the United…

Presents a position statement on preparation of middle/junior high school science teachers. Areas addressed include: preparation in science content; science teaching methods; field experiences and student teaching; faculty preparation; facilities, equipment, materials; and professional orientation. Recommended standards (intended to provide a…

WCU Micronet is a telecommunications network outreach program of Western Carolina University. What started as an aid to local high school science teachers has become a statewide K-12 multidisciplinary computer network with Internet listserv and Web capabilities. WCU Micronet also provides printed support and workshops for inservice and preservice…

Describes POET (Principles of Educating Teachers), an ongoing statewide effort to improve the quality of Georgia's preservice teacher education in middle school mathematics and science. Explores POET's goals, foundations, processes, and activities and notes what POET staff have learned about statewide teacher education reform. (SM)

Analyzes the classroom interaction pattern of physics teacher trainees in a Nigerian college of education. Findings include: more than half of the lesson was a monologue, and there is a significant relationship between classroom interaction patterns and attitudes towards the teaching profession. Suggests some future changes. (YP)