Section archive - Instruction in Teacher Training

The authors investigated whether blog reflections would show a greater depth of reflection (DoR( than end-of-the-semester paper reflections. The authors developed a reflection assessment tool, Framework of Four Levels of Reflection for Teacher Education. The results indicated that the preservice teachers who completed blogs showed higher levels of reflection in their writing compared to those who completed papers. Furthermore, the blogs were shorter than the papers. These results indicate that reflections posted to blogs over the course of the semester are more effective than final papers for reflective assignments.

The authors focus on preparing early childhood and early childhood special education preservice teachers for inclusive settings. The use of inclusive sites for well sequenced and focused field experiences provides the opportunity for preservice teachers to develop skills and attitudes for teaching all children. One institution's site-based methods courses, with preservice teachers in school sites for a significant portion of their coursework accompanied by their faculty members, enhanced the course content and preservice teaching at the sites. Measures of self-perceptions of preservice teachers indicate significant growth in preservice teachers' confidence and skills for working with students with special needs through structured inclusive field experiences.

The purpose of this reflective position paper is threefold: to provide teacher educators with three literature-based reasons to share with their students about why it is important to listen to parents; to identify familiar comments, concerns, and feelings that the students have voiced about listening to parents; and to provide five practical cooperative-learning activities that will potentially influence their students' practices.

The authors describe a semester-long qualitative study in which a teacher educator engaged preservice teacher educators in critically reading the texts and contexts of media, while simultaneously discussing inequities in education and society.