Education Curriculum; Teaching Methods IDENTIFIERS Preservice Teachers

This paper summarizes three presentations on the diverse teaching and assessment strategies used in a course designed to prepare preservice teachers for involving families and the community in the education of children. The course is required for early childhood and elementary teacher education majors at the University of Memphis (Tennessee). The first presentation described the rationale for the course and how it fits into the overall curriculum for preservice teachers. The second presentation focused on teaching strategies used to meet the course objectives. These include: collaborative learning activities, reflective thinking experiences, introduction to the World Wide Web, field experiences with parents, workshops and simulated parent conferences, and panel discussions by parents and professionals. The third presentation discussed the assessment strategies used. Some of these are: significant questions developed and used as a barometer of progress, reflective thinking feedback sessions, worksho