In a 1994 study commissioned by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Mergendoller, Johnston, Rockman, & Willis (1994) examined four exemplary institutions to identify their approaches to integrating technology into teacher education. A decade later, the field would benefit from a comparison of current approaches of infusing…

This qualitative study examines the ways in which graduate preservice secondary English teachers integrate technology into their practice during the semester immediately following a content-specific course in methods of teaching with technology. Findings indicate the necessity of establishing connections between introductory coursework and…

This study analyzed the responses of K-8 human resource directors and principals to teacher education students' electronic portfolios used for hiring. From the focus groups several themes emerged. First, because the principals do not have much time to examine portfolios of any kind, the ideal electronic portfolio would include only a few clearly…

This paper presents a new model for the required preservice technology integration course. We situate our model within the literature on the dominant stand-alone model, as well as the alternative models that have been explored. We then detail our restructured model of three one-hour courses that include focus on Introduction and Development,…

This article demonstrates how sociocultural theories can be used to support strategic structuring of professional development activities for preservice and practicing teachers on technology use and integration. Examples are drawn from the authors' experiences with teachers in two professional development schools that participated in a four-year…

An international team of mathematics and science educators developed a method of investigating the pedagogical content parts of preservice teachers' knowledge bases. They asked preservice teachers to prepare a lesson plan about a topic (area) as if they had to teach it, then they later interviewed them. The method produced significant, rich…

Examined frameworks that might be robust across different cultures and educational systems in describing teachers' approaches to teaching mathematics, discussing their application in teacher education courses. Examination of lesson plans (related to teaching the concept of area) from Irish and Dutch preservice teachers produced a two-dimensional…

Investigated Dutch, Finnish, English, and Greek preservice science teachers' conceptions of and concerns about how to teach the concept of combustion. Participants prepared lessons for junior secondary students, then completed interviews and questionnaires. Results revealed many important and similar characteristics of prospective teachers' views…

Used the lesson preparation method and interviews to investigate preservice physics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, focusing on their knowledge of pupils' conceptual difficulties with temperature and heat. Results found a relationship between conceptual difficulties preservice teachers expected their pupils to have and conceptual…

Investigated how 11 9th-grade Portuguese physics textbooks dealt with heat and temperature and whether they were adequate information sources for students. Examination of ideas (which included correctness of concepts and arguments, global teaching approach, and learning activities) indicated that most of the textbooks were not consistent with…

Researchers studied English and Swedish biology student teachers' perceptions of teaching health as part of biology. As part of the study, the students investigated secondary students' understanding of health. Surveys and interviews were effective in collecting student teachers' views. They indicated that student teachers' perceptions changed over…

Investigated boys' and girls' perceptions of mathematical and scientific higher-order thinking, ways to identify higher order thinking's occurrence, and inquiry methods for developing it in elementary students and preservice teachers. Results indicated that both genders had similar perceptions about inquiry and approaches to higher-order thinking.…

Investigated Dutch student teachers' practice, experience, and problems with their required educational research project. Researchers followed four student teachers and created a description of the four cases in terms of the operational, experienced, and attained curriculum. From these descriptions, they formulated improvements for the training of…

Examines recent organizational changes within Norway's teacher education, highlighting two state colleges and exploring: how teacher education leaders from the current and former systems perceive these changes and how they meet new challenges. Results from interviews with academic and administrative leaders are presented, emphasizing evaluation of…

Examined the impact on Dutch mentors and institute teachers of the new requirement that student teachers nearing completion of coursework must teach without immediate supervision for several months. Surveys investigated how this change affected the content and process of mentoring. Mentors and institute teachers acted as supportive counselors and…