Using Research Knowledge To Improve Teacher Education. A Problem Solving Approach. Final Report--Project Portrayal

A report is given of a collaborative 3-year teacher education improvement project which was begun in 1986. Project participants included the Catholic University Department of Education, District of Columbia and Montgomery County (Maryland) public schools, Washington, D.C. parochial schools, and a private school. The aim of the project was to improve the process of teacher preparation by helping elementary education students become more reflective about their work, become better able to use professional knowledge to improve their teaching, and become more self-directed. Drawing on the research base of effective teaching and effective schools, the project focused on practice, coaching, and development of self-critical attitudes and skills. Task force teams, comprised of education students, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors and faculty worked cooperatively to identify issues which concern neophyte teachers in their initial field experiences. Team members, using observation/data gathering techniques such as journal keeping and audio and videotaping, developed and tried out improvement activities. This report describes the activities conducted during the project and summarizes the project's impact. The report includes a final project report, a practice profile, and the program assessment report. Literature relevant to some of the salient features of the project is contained in the six appendices. An extensive bibliography is included. (JD)