Examines Northern Ireland's teacher education reform from 1992-95, noting similarities and differences with developments in England and Wales and describing debates on partnership in teacher education. The paper highlights policy development in Northern Ireland and interactions between those involved in advising government and implementing policy.…

This paper examines three attempts to improve partnerships in the Netherlands (professional development schools, a curriculum development project, and monitor schools that report to the institution on student teacher progress and integrate theory and practice). Discusses the advantages for schools, student teachers, and teacher education. (SM)

Examines the extension of Norway's half-year graduate certificate of education requirement to one year, using as an example the change that occurred at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The paper explains the importance attached by the national guidelines to teaching theory in school-based settings that offer practical classroom…

Sweden's preservice teacher education programs for preschool, elementary, and secondary educators all require practical teaching experience. University preservice programs differ due to decentralization of regulation as of 1993. At Uppsala University 50 "practice areas" work with the university teacher education program. Each practice area is run…

Outlines results from a study of practical teaching experience in preservice education throughout Europe. The study recommended the development of a teacher training curriculum based on modular courses to overcome problems resulting from the mismatch of European teacher training programs. (SM)

This annotated bibliography offers information from presentations at a 1995 seminar on practical teaching experience in preservice teacher education programs throughout Europe. Each entry includes a brief abstract of the presentation and a list of keywords. (SM)

Introduces a series of articles on science and mathematics teacher education in Europe that highlight teaching strategies for dealing with students' conceptions; student teacher education; and experienced teacher education. (SM)

Describes two intuitive rules underlying students' conceptions in mathematics and science that are not always compatible with usually accepted scientific ideas. The intuitive rules are: "More of A, more of B" and "Subdivision processes can always be repeated." In teacher education, it is important to raise instructors' awareness of the role of…

Describes a practicum-based course for teaching Applied Arts students about color that considered students' previous ideas about color when devising experiments and assignments. The conceptual content was chosen to integrate scientific, technical, and perceptual aspects of color. Results of student evaluations and implications for classroom…

This study examined how upper elementary biology students grasped the concepts of mean and deviation from mean and the implications of these concepts. Pretesting and posttesting of students who did and did not have computer assisted training in the concepts indicated that though most students failed in more difficult tasks, experimental students…

Researchers at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) examined preservice physics teachers' motives for attending an orientation course, noting how the motives developed and changed. Periodic surveys indicated that students had five motives, the most important being desire to learn whether they wanted to be secondary teachers (followed by…

A preservice physics/chemistry course was created that was inspired by constructivist thinking, that emphasized metacognition, and that integrated concepts of pedagogical and scientific topics by developing a teaching/learning cycle. Denmark's educational system and the implementation of the course are described. Preliminary evaluations suggest…

An experimental lesson is described in which student teachers verbalized preconceptions about a natural object (mushrooms) and completed personal response activities about a poem entitled "Mushrooms." The approach stimulated enhanced awareness of mushrooms and more questions about growth and reproduction. Possible applications in teaching and…

The value of multiple reinforcement is that five or six teachers teaching the same basic skill objective will probably be more successful than one teacher striving for the same goal. (MM)

A series of brief recommendations for reforming foundations of education course experiences is presented. (MM)