This study was conducted in order to examine the efficacy of involving student teachers as naturalistic inquirers during their field experience. Such tasks as taking fieldnotes, doing simple qualitative analyses, writing brief summary reports, and learning to think critically about educational issues while learning to teach, is a very helpful…

A number of studies indicate that student teachers can change their behavior quickly, sometimes dramatically, when under a supervisory program which focuses upon behavioral change during the experience. Such change is contingent upon the extent to which student teachers have specific objectives to achieve and regular, precise feedback about their…

A descriptive study examined in detail the student teaching experience in terms of the characteristics and behaviors of cooperating teachers, student teachers, and university supervisors. The interactions, personal and professional, between and among these participants were analyzed, as well as the contexts of the schools and universities in which…

Although challenged by some, the student teaching experience continues to be the most extensive, and in the eyes of most educators, the most important experience in the preparation of teachers. Given the importance of the student teaching experience, it behooves teacher educators to carefully examine student teaching to determine ways to improve…

The document presents the following papers: (1) "Eliot Wigginton: A "Shining Moment" of the Mini Clinic" (Luis Felipe Clay Mendez); (2) "Telling it Like it Is: Attitudes and Opinions of Beginning Teachers" (Erma Williams and others); (3) "Redesigning the Role of the Student Teacher Supervisor: Use of Reflective Techniques" (Barbara S. De Salvo);…

This follow-up study of potential first-year teachers involved 32 undergraduates certified to teach by Washburn University (Kansas) during the fall semester of 1984, and 42 undergraduates during the spring of 1985. The data obtained from the first-year teachers were compared to their previous self-evaluation as student teachers. Cooperating…

The State of Washington received a Chapter 2 award of $8,224,052.00 for the school year 1986-87, a decrease of 3.3 percent from 1985-86. Of that award, $1,249,323.00 (20 percent) was used by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to identify and meet critical education needs in the state and provide technical assistance to local school…

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created the merit pay system and cash award program for federal supervisors and management officials in General Schedule grades 13 through 15. This report assesses the implementation and operation of merit pay for fiscal years 1981 and 1982 at three departments--Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and…

The extent to which principals (n=313), supervisors (n=273), and teachers (n=313) agreed in their assessments of classroom teachers' testing proficiencies was studied in the Ohio public schools. There were 122 elementary and 191 secondary school teachers in the teacher sample. The validity of these perceptions was determined by a direct assessment…

This report provides administrators and supervisors of reading programs with information to help them evaluate and select commercially developed reading materials. Part 1 opens with a description of the problems researchers studying the adoption of basal reading programs have observed and then offers suggestions (based on both research and…

The use of field experiences prior to and during the courses in pedagogical methods is prevalent throughout teacher education. This study provides a synthesis of three studies that focused on the expectations and problems of cooperating teachers, field experience students, and university supervisors. Further, the study compares these findings with…

Instructional leadership is leadership that is directly related to the processes of instruction where teachers, learners, and the curriculum interact. These three elements constitute the domains of the instructional process. The principal alone often cannot be effective in the supervisory role because of lack of time, lack of specific training and…

It is widely accepted that laboratory experiences are both necessary and worthwhile for preservice teacher education. Research has shown little evidence of what exactly happens during student teaching, although studies have illuminated roles and objectives. Guidance in or supervision of field experiences for student teachers often falls primarily…

An effective junior-year student teaching program in elementary education was designed that combines application of theory learned in methods courses with practical school experience. The objective was to prepare education majors for student teaching and to give them an opportunity to evaluate themselves and the prospects of a teaching career.…

This paper provides a synthesis of research on aspects of student teaching as they relate to transfer of teaching skills to the classroom. The report highlights major dimensions of student teaching, such as specific training interventions (microteaching and simulation), the ecological context of student teaching (involving the cooperating teacher,…