An exploration of teacher education programs around the world finds common focus in the use of core practices to better prepare teachers for the classroom

In Teaching Core Practices in Teacher Education, Pam Grossman and her colleagues advocate an approach to practice-based teacher education that identifies “core practices” of teaching and supports novice teachers in learning how to enact them competently. Examples of core practices include facilitating whole-class discussion, eliciting student thinking, and maintaining classroom norms. The contributors argue that teacher education needs to do more to help teachers master these professional skills, rather than simply emphasizing content knowledge. Teaching Core Practices in Teacher Education outlines a series of pedagogies that teacher educators can use to help preservice students develop these teaching skills. Pedagogies include representations of practice (ways to show what this skill looks like and break it down into its component parts) and approximations of practice (the ways preservice teachers can try these skills out as they learn). Vignettes throughout the book illustrate how core practices can be incorporated into the teacher education curriculum. The book draws on the work of a consortium of teacher educators from thirteen universities devoted to describing and enacting pedagogies to help novice teachers develop these core practices in support of ambitious and equitable instruction. Their aim is to support teacher educator learning across institutions, content domains, and grade levels. The book also addresses efforts to support teacher learning outside formal teacher education programs. Contributors Chandra L. Alston Andrea Bien Janet Carlson Ashley Cartun Katie A. Danielson Elizabeth A. Davis Christopher G. Pupik Dean Brad Fogo Megan Franke Hala Ghousseini Lightning Peter Jay Sarah Schneider Kavanagh Elham Kazemi Megan Kelley-Petersen Matthew Kloser Sarah McGrew Chauncey Monte-Sano Abby Reisman Melissa A. Scheve Kristine M. Schutz Meghan Shaughnessy Andrea Wells

This book offers a detailed examination of reflective practice in teacher education. In the current educational context, where reflective practice has been mandated in professional standards for teachers in many countries, it analyses research-based evidence for the power of reflective practice to shape better educational outcomes. The book presents multiple theoretical and practical views of this often taken-for-granted practice, so that readers are challenged to consider how factors such as gender and race shape understandings of reflective practice. Documenting approaches that enhance learning, the contributions discuss reflective practice across the globe, with a focus on pre-service, in-service and university teachers. At a time when there is pressure to measure teachers’ work through standardised tests, the book highlights the professional thinking that is integral to teaching and demonstrates ways it can be encouraged in beginning teachers. Aimed at the international community of teacher educators in schools and universities, it also includes a critical examination of methodological issues in analysing and evaluating reflective practice and showcases the kind of reflective practice that empowers teachers and pre-service teachers to make a difference to students.

For decades teacher education researchers, organizations, and policy makers have called for improving teacher education by creating clinically based preparation programs (e.g. CAEP, 2013; Goodlad, 1990; Holmes, 1986, 1995; National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2008; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Educators, 2001, 2010; Zeichner, 1990). According to the NCATE Blue Ribbon Report (2010), this approach requires extensive opportunities for prospective teachers to connect and apply what they learn from school and university based teacher educators. Similar to preparing medical professionals, clinical practice in teacher education requires the complex and time intensive work of supporting teacher candidate ability to link theory, research, and practice as well as on-going inquiry into best pedagogical practices. Therefore, clinically intensive programs expect prospective teachers to blend practitioner and academic knowledge throughout their programs as "they learn by doing" (NCATE, 2010, p.ii). However, most of the literature to date on clinical practice has been conceptual and often relies on describing program design. The purpose of this book is move past description to study and understand what teacher education programs are learning from research about innovative clinical models of teacher education. Each book chapter highlights research about how programs are studying a variety of outcomes of clinical practice. After an introductory chapter that helps to define and situate clinical practice in teacher education, the book is organized into four sections: (1) Outcomes of New Roles, (2) Outcomes of New Practices, (3) Outcomes of New Coursework/Fieldwork Configurations, and (4) Outcomes of New Program Configurations. The book wraps up with a discussion that looks across the chapters to find common themes, share implications for teacher educators, and set the course for future research.

Self-Study in Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) contribute to teacher education in culturally and linguistically diverse communities and contexts. The chapters reflect the scholarly inquiry of teacher educators dedicated to investigating and improving their practice.

The art and practice of writing is complex and multidimensional; students often apply unique writing styles. As such, educators must apply focused teaching methods to nurture these unique forms of writing. Educators must stay up to date with the practices for diverse writing instruction in order to best engage with a diverse classroom. However, resources related to writing typically do not focus on the depth and breadth of writing, and there is a need for a resource that offers a comprehensive look at diverse writing instruction research. The Handbook of Research on Teacher Practices for Diverse Writing Instruction provides a rich discussion of the issues, perspectives, and methods for writing instruction currently in use, with an added lens focusing on diversity and equity. It provides unique coverage on the topic of writing instruction for practical implementation within the classroom setting. Covering topics such as student motivation, curriculum development, and content area instruction, this major reference work is an essential resource for preservice teachers, faculty and administration of K-12 and higher education, academic libraries, government officials, school boards, researchers, and academicians.

Educators play a significant role in the intellectual and social development of children and young adults. Thus, it is important for next-generation teachers to have a strong educational background, as it serves as the foundation to their understanding of learning processes, leadership, and best practices in the field of education. Innovative Practices in Teacher Preparation and Graduate-Level Teacher Education Programs presents critical and relevant research on methods by which future educators in high-level courses are equipped and instructed in order to promote the best experience in academic scholarship. Featuring discussion on a diverse assortment of topics, such as social justice for English language learners, field-based teacher education, and student satisfaction in graduate programs, this publication is directed at academicians, students, and researchers seeking modern research on the approaches taken by instructors to qualify and engage future educators.

This volume will contain selected proceedings from the 2013 Symposium on Music Teacher Education, sponsored by NAfME’s Society for Music Teacher Education and hosted at University of North Carolina. After an introduction written by SMTE Chair, Doug Orzolek, the initial chapter will represent the keynote address of the symposium by Karen Hammerness, Director of Program Research for the Bard Master of Arts in Teaching Program. Hammerness will bring her comparative work with music teacher educators in Finland and Norway to bear in her address: From Inspiring Visions to Everyday Practices: Exploring Vision and Practice in Music Teacher Education. Hammerness’s research distills into three main themes. To mitigate against the fragmentation that characterizes so much of contemporary education, teacher education programs must: 1) promote a clear vision of teachers and teaching; 2) be coherent, reflecting shared understanding of teaching and learning among faculty and students; 3) be built around a strong, core curriculum that is deeply tied to the practices of teaching. These three themes will orient the remainder of chapters in the volume, which will come from invited primary presenters at the 2013 Symposium. Due to selectivity of blind peer review (twenty-one percent accept rate), these presentations represent the most rigorous research, and best practices grounded in research, that the music education profession has to offer.

STEM Teacher Preparation and Practice for the 21st Century: Research-based Insights introduces the reader to a collection of thoughtful, research-based works by authors that represent current thinking about the future of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM as it known today, as well as STEM education for a rapidly evolving global society and the preparation of STEM teachers to meet the educational needs of a changing educational landscape. Each chapter focuses on STEM teaching and the preparation of teachers who will enter classrooms to instruct the next generation of students in STEM. Research in the learning sciences focuses on the cognitive, epistemological, and socio-cultural characteristics of scientific and engineering research communities in their efforts to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. STEM education is a means to help individuals develop different strategies in order to solve interdisciplinary problems and gain skills and knowledge as they are engaged with STEM related activities through formal and informal learning programs. Research also suggests that STEM may well stand as the new general education for the 21st century. In much of the current discourse on teacher quality and preparation, two essential points for consideration have emerged: the strength of the relationship between teacher content knowledge and student achievement, and the specific representations of knowledge that are most conducive to effective teaching. Add to these two points one additional: the nature of transforming a chaotic system of discreet preparation and clinical experiences into a coherent, aligned and logical system of continuous and progressive development and support throughout a teacher’s career. These three points apply to STEM teacher preparation, induction and professional learning as well as to teacher preparation, induction and professional learning in general. Importantly, the contributing authors to this book have brought to the foreground research-based insights concerning STEM teacher preparation. Each chapter presents clear paths to understanding and reimagining STEM teaching and the importance of STEM teacher preparation, acknowledging the value of STEM literacy and the interdisciplinary nature of STEM teaching.

In the last decades, progress in the field of pre-service and in-service teacher education has been evident. Despite the developments of curriculum programs, models and designs, various challenges are shaping the field. Models of teacher education are usually presented as 'research-based', but related research is often invisible or fragmented. The 'support for teachers' and the 'improvement of instruction' are only loosely coupled and their interdependence is not highlighted. These challenges were the impetus to initiate this publication. Individual approaches, models or designs of pre-service and in-service teacher education developed by the authors (action research, video clubs, lesson studies, and others) are introduced and their impact and shortcomings for further development are specified. In the concluding chapter, a reflective discussion across individual approaches to reveal particular issues that are shaping the field is provided. Practitioners as well as researchers in the field of teacher education can benefit from this book.