The development of subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge has been the focus of much educational research and debate in recent years. Of particular interest is the process by which preservice science teachers develop pedagogical content knowledge from their subject knowledge. In the study presented here, a process of writing narrative…

The paradigm of content area literacy instruction is shifting from a view of literacy as generalizable across the curriculum to a disciplinary perspective of literacies specific to the specialized language, text structures, and habits of thinking within particular subject areas. Preservice STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)…

There are many barriers to the implementation of new practice standards. To implement practices that both prepare and inspire their students, preservice teachers need opportunities to enact reform practices: to prepare and be inspired themselves. These opportunities are found in students' content courses, methods courses, and field…

This study investigates the impact of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program that provided preservice teachers access to faculty mentors for advice and feedback in the preparation and delivery of science and math content to elementary school students. Fifty preservice teachers attending a 2-year college in the Southwest…

Latest standards-based reform documents from mathematics and science education organizations and communities bring forward one important issue--higher-order thinking skills, namely reasoning. In this article, we share our experiences and our approach to developing an integrated course for mathematics and science prospective teachers centered on…

As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continue to grow in economic and social importance, it is critical that citizenry are prepared to be STEM literate. Furthermore, the workforce demands on STEM necessitate students seeking STEM degrees and pursuing STEM careers. Primary and secondary (K-12) teachers play an important role…

Loyola University Chicago's Teaching, Learning, and Leading With Schools and Communities (TLLSC) program is an ambitious break from traditional university-based teacher preparation models. This clinically based initial teacher preparation program, fully embedded in local schools and community organizations, takes an ecological perspective on…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of professional development on teachers' knowledge of teaching science and sense of efficacy regarding the teaching of science. In addition, the study explores the association between knowledge of teaching science and efficacy regarding the teaching of science. Participants included 28 early…

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive account of one pathway for preparing high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers for work in high-need urban schools. In this account, we discuss the supports that STEM majors need in learning how to think about the content that they know well, through an…

Value orientations of university students enrolled in an Ontario preservice training program (education) were examined via gender and qualification program (division). The Rokeach Value Survey was administered to more than 100 university students in Ontario, Canada. Results indicated that there were differences in the value orientations of each…

In the study reported, we examine the evolution of preservice teacher observation, focusing on the essential nature of observation to preservice teachers' learning about teaching while in the field. The study was 3 years long, and it involved 79 preservice teachers during semester-long language arts methods courses in early childhood and…

This study details the creation of a four-tiered format designed to help preservice teachers write differentiated lesson plans. A short history of lesson plan differentiation models is described and how the four-tier approach was developed through collaboration with classroom teachers and university faculty. The unifying element for the format…

This article reevaluates the latent structure of the Teacher Efficacy Scale using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on a sample of preservice teachers from a public university in the U.S. Southwest. The fit of a proposed two-factor CFA model with an error correlation structure consistent with internal/ external locus of control is compared to…

This article uses the blog entries of student teachers to examine what they learn during their internships. Data reveal how novice teachers, for better or worse, are socialized to conform to the status quo, thereby calling the current model for student teaching into question. The article argues that a better model for student teaching would…

As teacher educators search for ways to prepare future educators for the challenges of assessment implementation, we suggest that authentic practice by preservice teachers in an informal learning environment promotes assessment implementation. The analysis of 28 volunteer assessment students' reflections revealed that practicing assessment…