Susan Kidd Villaume

The Benefits, Tensions, and Visions of Portfolios as a Wide-Scale Assessment for Teacher Education

Abstract Wide-scale use of portfolio assessment in teacher education is becoming an increasingly common practice. Explorations of portfolios as tools to stimulate personal reflection, to chart ongoing professional development, and to validate professional credentials are predictable given current understandings of teaching and learning. However, wide-scale use of portfolio assessment requires modification of some basic attributes of a portfolio concept. The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits, tensions, and visions that emerged when the College of Education at Auburn University developed and implemented a college-wide portfolio. Results indicate that a commitment to a portfolio approach to teaching and learning in a teacher education program is a commitment to an ongoing journey of revision and problem solving-a process that represents the essence of the portfolio movement.

Becoming Reflective Professionals: An Exploration of Preservice Teacher's Struggles as They Translate Language and Literacy Theory into Practice

Abstract Becoming a reflective practitioner has much in common with the process of becoming “real” as the Skin Horse explained it to the Rabbit in the childrens story, The Velveteen Rabbit. Just as becoming “real” takes time, and happens after a toy has lost its hair and become shabby, so becoming a truly reflective teacher involves time, experience and, inevitably, a bit of wear around the edges (Brubacher, Case & Reagan, 1994, p.25).

Clinical Teacher Preparation: A Retrospective.

In this article, we explore how teacher preparation programs have developed from the mid-1800s to present day, emphasizing changes in the clinical component. Drawing from the history of teacher education from the normal schools of the 19th century to present-day interest in clinically based preparation, we first review the migration of teacher preparation from normal schools into higher education. Next we discuss how accreditation has shaped programs. We then turn our attention to major initiatives in the 1980s that explicitly focused on linking school improvement with teacher education reform—partnerships that emphasized clinical aspects of teacher preparation. Finally, we discuss efforts to enhance clinical learning, highlighting instructional strategies and issues regarding design, settings, and outcomes for programs as they work to meet challenging new accreditation standards.