Redesigning Effective Methods Courses: Teaching Pre-Service Teachers How to Teach

Abstract

Current study investigates expected roles of mentor teachers, practice schools, and associated faculty members via students` opinions regarding the practicum courses such as field experience and teaching practices teacher preparation programs. In particular, it is designed to explore how practicum courses (methods courses, student teaching, school experiences, and teacher application) currently work and how it should be to enhance pre-service teachers` experiences prior to their graduation. Raising pre-service teachers` practical knowledge and experiences as regards to professional development is considered to be one of the main goals embedded at schools of education around the world. Preparing them involves several factors including mentor teacher, faculty members, selected schools, and more importantly teacher preparation program by means of field experiences. Such factors were particularly examined to boost preservice science and math teachers` knowledge and experiences in teaching science and mathematics as well as to prepare them for actual learning environments. For these purposes, a total of 164 pre-service teachers, of them 81 were science and 83 were mathematics education students enrolled in their last semesters in teacher preparation programs, their mentor teachers and associated faculty members were selected to explore the research questions. Mixed methodology was purposefully utilized to gather necessary data via questionnaires, interviews and school records. The results of data analysis revealed that some revisions in students` field experiences in the professional development program to prepare preservice teachers for actual educational system and school settings.