Elementary teachers have been identified as the single most important influence on student's future attitudes and motivations toward science. Research indicates that K-8 science teachers emphasize memorization more than the exploration of questions or critical thought as a result of their college science experiences. The reasons students gradually…

Hampton University (Virginia) developed a team for the Commonwealth Center Invitational Team Case Competition composed of four junior level students majoring in math education, history education, elementary education, and special education. One student was a white female, two were African American females, and one was an African American male, and…

There are differences in how preservice, novice, and expert teachers view effective teaching. This study traced conceptual changes among preservice teachers at different points in their preparation; investigated whether there were differences in perceptions of students in the elementary and secondary programs; and examined how second and fourth…

A study was conducted to ascertain the extent to which instructors incorporated reading- and writing-to-learn skills and strategies into the methods courses of secondary social studies preparation programs. A questionnaire was mailed to the instructors of social studies methods courses at the colleges and universities in Region Four of the Teacher…

The guide presents 15 learning tasks for students preparing to teach business education. Each task contains problem areas, performance objectives, prerequisites, and learning activities. The learning tasks are: orientation to basic business; systematic planning of instructional units; writing objectives for teaching bookkeeping or a basic business…

Historians, feeling the effects of acountability and the demands for relevance in education, are faced with the use of behavioral objectives. An attempt to capitalize on the behavioral objectives concept is presented in this description of a survey course in United States history (1492-1877) offered in one, three-hour weekly, evening meeting…

Describes how curriculum integration of race, class, and gender issues in professional education courses can be implemented and evaluated using the model of white racial identity formation of Janet Helms (1990). Experiences over three years at West Chester University (Pennsylvania) support the theory and the use of multiple teaching strategies.…

This study investigated the differential effects of three laboratory experiences on preservice teachers' knowledge of specific teaching behaviors and ability to observe and report teacher behaviors. Results indicated knowledge of teaching behavior was significantly higher for the live telecast observation group than for the interactive video…

Faculty members from the University of South Dakota attended the Curriculum Reform Institute offered by the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, WI, during the summer of 2002 to design a course sequence for elementary education majors that better meets their needs for both content and pedagogy based on the science education standards. The special…

The effects of cooperative learning and type of reward on performance and continuing motivation were studied as part of a study designed to investigate how cooperative groups can be implemented with media originally designed for individual learning. Subjects were 126 undergraduate (30 males and 96 females) education majors. Subjects were assigned…

The need for developing cognitive skills in early adolescents as they move from concrete thinking to more abstract operations has been documented. College students seeking the middle school endorsement in education were trained to utilize matrices as graphic constructs of textual materials. By examining these content matrices, prepracticum…

An Information Retrieval (IR) system for 5312 social science generalizations and a social simulation game, called "Explanation", are discussed. The game, using specially prepared case studies, is designed to permit players to develop ability in asking questions, generalizing, and stating tentative explanations. The research revealed the…

Describes a mathematics course for prospective elementary teachers that has teaching and learning mathematics via problem solving at its core. Presents a problem-solving activity involving number theory and reactions by the students and teacher to the activity. (MDH)

An assessment course for teachers is described that uses validity as the primary focus. Five dimensions of validity for classroom-based assessments are highlighted in a course that relies on the use of a process portfolio. The five dimensions are: (1) looking at the content of the assessment in relation to the content of the domain of reference;…

This paper summarizes three presentations on the diverse teaching and assessment strategies used in a course designed to prepare preservice teachers for involving families and the community in the education of children. The course is required for early childhood and elementary teacher education majors at the University of Memphis (Tennessee). The…