The main objectives of this study were to combine professional development plans and portfolios for use in undergraduate teacher education courses and to assess the effectiveness of this practice in two independent but related efforts. Participants in this study included 70 preservice teachers who were enrolled in either a 300 level early…

The Plains Elementary School/Ohio University Partnership Project began in 1991 as a collaborative effort between a university and a public school to restructure the professional development of preservice teachers, elementary school staff, and College of Education faculty. Each year a cohort group of approximately 25 Ohio University junior-level…

The expansion of field-based preparation for teachers in recent years has been driven by several factors. The satisfaction of university students and instructors participating in site-based instruction and the encouragement of local schools seeking reform themselves have refueled this expansion. In a site-based course, preservice teachers provide…

A component of preservice teacher education is the methodology of teaching mathematics using manipulatives. To enhance prospective teachers' understanding of the use of manipulatives to teach mathematics, interactive video can provide an effective medium to bring the reality of the school classroom to the university classroom. Two interactive…

To determine the factors that influence interpretation of a research study description, 8 descriptions of research studies were interpreted by 320 undergraduate students in psychology, mathematics, and economics statistics and research methods classes at the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada), Millersville University (Pennsylvania),…

This study was conducted to answer three major questions relative to undergraduate preservice secondary education programs: (1) What courses in pedagogy are required of all secondary education majors and how many credits are awarded in each area? (2) What are the current practices relative to student teaching credit and evaluation? and (3) How…

This presentation describes the use of portfolio assessment in a teacher education course "Teaching Reading in the Content Areas," which is required for secondary certification. Portfolio assessment provides students with opportunities to determine which skills are most congruent with their respective areas. The main body of this paper…

This study was conducted to investigate how teacher educators might help preservice teachers enrolled in a science methods course understand the need for mutual respect rather than coercion between pupil and teacher in an elementary classroom. An evaluation instrument was developed that consisted of a pre and post open-ended response to a…

This study contributes to a growing body of research on the development of elementary teacher's content knowledge of mathematics. Individual clinical interviews were conducted with preservice elementary teachers (N=21) enrolled in a professional development course called "Foundations of Mathematics for Teachers." An instrument that…

The Professional Semester program in the College of Education at Northeast Louisiana University originated in 1975 when a need was recognized to integrate practical applications of what was being taught in the required methods courses of the elementary education program. Program accreditation was received in Fall, 1998. This study was conducted to…

Five current social studies methods textbooks were examined to determine how writing and literature are presented to prospective teachers. The results of the examination show that only one of the methods textbooks offered a positive and informative explanation of how literature can be used to learn the social studies. Three of the textbooks were…

The history and organization of a community college program in French, Spanish, and German language instruction for gifted elementary school children are described. The collaborative effort of the college and school districts, funded by the Federal Government and the Gifted Students Institute, provided 21 elementary teachers with methods training…

A social studies elementary teacher education program at Phillips Institute of Technology in Australia is described. The program, which places students in charge of teaching a 9-week social studies unit, is recommended as an alternative to the conventional lecture method. The paper is divided into discussion of five aspects of the course:…

Five years of data related to teachers' perceptions of learning and knowledge were analyzed to ascertain whether differences existed between preservice elementary and secondary science students (N=435). These data were generated from a questionnaire derived from assumptions about learning and knowledge. The assumptions address five areas of…

A study of science teaching insecurity in preservice elementary school teachers (N=56) in Finland is presented. Based upon Maslow's theory of basic needs, it was believed that individuals who feel insecure about science or science teaching cannot function at a higher need level until these insecurities are met. A 20-item instrument was used to…