The study is practical in nature and addresses the call for investigating effective aspects of field experiences in teacher preparation. The authors designed a framework of assignments requiring the pre-service teachers to collect data about two diverse elementary students in their assigned elementary classroom during the twelve weeks of their…

Case based instruction (CBI) is a pedagogical option in teacher preparation growing in application but short on practical means to implement the method. This paper presents an analysis strategy and questions developed to help teacher trainees focus on classroom management issues embedded in a set of "real" cases. An analysis of teacher candidate…

This paper discusses preservice teachers' use of action research in a Professional Development School setting. Preservice teachers were placed in a PDS site that focuses on internationalizing education and on teaching languages. The teacher candidates were in charge of planning, teaching, and assessing language instruction in their classrooms. The…

This study examines early childhood preservice teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and how they define DAP and interpret principles and characteristics of DAP. The study shows that early childhood preservice teachers possess relatively strong beliefs about DAP. Preservice teachers who were further along in the…

Traditional teacher preparation programs and alternative certification programs are under constant scrutiny and strain to prepare students to be more effective in the public classroom and remain in the profession. The Professional Development School is a contemporary, innovative model that shows promise for retaining novice teachers, particularly…

This paper examines motivations for becoming a teacher educator and explores ways in which teacher educators can find renewal, revitalization, and sustenance during times of challenge. The field of teacher education is discussed through the lens of the classical notion of "calling" or vocation. The article provides a context for examining the…

In this paper, we describe how language "autobiographies" are used in a teacher preparation program (TEP) as a healing pedagogy to understand the impact longstanding traditions of symbolic violence in education have had on Latino students who are in the process of becoming teachers. Writing about themselves and their education experience allows…

The growing diversity of American schools requires that teachers are able to plan and implement lessons that capitalize on students' strengths, interests and understandings (Noguera, 2003; Milner, 2009). As such, teacher education programs have an obligation to instill in teacher candidates a vision of inclusive education while providing them with…

This article from Ashland University reports on what one university, well known for its Teacher Education programs, is doing in an economically depressed state to address our country's financial crisis. Ohio has mandated that financial literacy be taught in high schools by 2010. Reported herein is what is being done to prepare teachers for this…

The Millennial Generation (born [asymptotically equivalent to]1982-2002) is now well represented in the university setting. This cohort has its own unique expectations that are in many ways aligned with constructivist propositions of learning. These Millennial expectations will likely necessitate changes in instructional approaches used in the…

This study investigated the impact of presentation formats on preservice teachers' ability to retain information along with their perceptions regarding subject matter and instructor's effectiveness. Participants were 79 preservice teachers in three sections of an elementary methods course. Each section received instruction using lecture and…

This descriptive study examines the unique cases of three middle grades education majors who completed a year-long student teaching experience in the same school where they were hired for their first year of teaching. Surveys of the new teachers, their mentors, and observations of the new teachers were used to examine the preparation received in…

This article focuses on using dispositions as a gate in the admission process. It describes the rationale, pragmatic considerations, and preliminary findings for using dispositions in the admission process for prospective teachers. Three questions are explored. Should dispositions be used as an admission criterion? Is it reasonable to expect major…

In 1992 the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) coined the term "Dispositions"; the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 2002) defined dispositions making dispositions a part of every teacher accreditation process. Since that time educators have struggled over the inevitable challenges…

This article introduces a short-term, three week international student teaching internship as a transformational learning experience opportunity. The program has been in operation since 2007. The development and administration of the program, including the relationship between the home and host colleges is presented as well as a discussion on the…