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Many teacher education programs are criticized for their failure to prepare pre-service teachers to utilize and transfer their knowledge of content and educational principles into authentic classroom teaching. Studies also consistently report that pre-service teachers' ability to identify what is noteworthy about a mathematics classroom situation was lacking. This study investigated the effect of the intervention program, "Study of Teaching," on pre-service teachers' acquisition of three designated mathematics teaching skills, how much they understood about the complexity of mathematics teaching, and their professional growth. We began with the assumption that preservice teachers' ability to discern the "critical aspects" of mathematics classroom instruction could be enhanced through enacting reduced length microteaching sessions. Our results indicate that reduced microteaching in the setting, as in our intervention program, provide pre-service teachers with a safe environment to practise teaching. In general, this project found that preservice teachers' awareness of the complexity and intricacy of actual classroom teaching of mathematics had been greatly enhanced following this intervention.

Teaching has been described as an emerging community of practice. Within such professional communities, the processes of reflection and collaborative dialogue, or critical transformative dialogue, are central to the maintenance and improvement of professional practice for individuals, and the field. This paper reports on the challenges experienced by a group of first-year pre-service teachers engaging in a process of reflection and critique with peers, as they participated in a program focused on the development of core practices of teaching. These pre-service teachers' responses indicated their growing understanding of the importance of engaging in ongoing critical dialogue, as part of the "unnatural" aspects of teaching. The paper concludes with a reflection on the value of feedback from the earliest stages of professional learning. (Contains 2 tables.)

Attracting and retaining effective education leaders and teaching staff for regional, rural and remote schools in Australia is a major sustainability and quality issue facing every State and Territory. It is also a major concern in pre-service teacher education, particularly for those universities which have a commitment to rural and regional areas. There is a strategic link between teacher education and the sustainability of rural communities with earlier suggestions (White & Reid, 2008, p. 1) highlighting that "healthy rural communities may be supported via reform of the ways in which teacher education prepares graduates for teaching in rural schools". Likewise, the proposition is made in this paper that the relationship is importantly reciprocal and that, in turn, healthy rural communities and "successful rural schools" can inform and help reform teacher education and professional learning through the insights gathered into the ways in which rural education leaders and teaching staff work closely with their school communities. In this paper, the authors draw specifically from the research findings of a three-year Australian Research Council funded project (2008-2010) of schools and communities where sustainable practices around staff recruitment and retention were identified to explore this reciprocal relationship. The paper will firstly discuss the context of the study, its method and conceptual framework, and then focus in particular on the emerging themes from the 20 case-studies across Australia. Themes discussed include the important linking between rural school leadership and community renewal; the possibilities of developing school-university partnerships to sustain the rural workforce; and the need for social and creative enterprise to be acknowledged as important work of rural teachers and leaders. The paper concludes with the implications of these themes in terms of better preparing a future rural teacher workforce. (Contains 2 figures.)

The complex interconnection among issues affecting rural-regional sustainability requires an equally complex program of research to ensure the attraction and retention of high-quality teachers for rural children. The educational effects of the construction of the rural within a deficit discourse are highlighted. A concept of rural social space is modelled, bringing together social, economic and environmental dimensions of (rural-regional) sustainability. This framework combines quantitative definitional processes with more situated definitions of rural space based on demographic and other social data, across both "geographic" and "cultural" formations. The implications of the model are examined in terms of its importance for teacher education. (Contains 1 figure.)

This paper explores the expectations of a group of site-based teacher educators as each attempted to support a pre-service teacher who struggled to achieve satisfactory outcomes on their professional placement. Discourse analysis of teachers' narratives provided my personal, partial and dynamic (Mauthner & Doucet, 2003) interpretation of what occurred in these typically emotionally painful events. Literature related to emotion, power, "non-traditional" students and Hargreaves' (2001) "emotional geographies" aided my attempts to make sense of teachers' stories when viewed through a post-structuralist lens. The paper is concerned with the bases for strong emotional experiences and raises questions in relation to how we can support teachers make sense of discourses that shape their lives and their emotions, particularly with respect to site-based teacher educators' expectations of their pre-service teacher. This paper also raises questions for university staff and site-based teacher educators in addressing issues raised by this interpretation and I provide suggestions to consider for both when working together to develop quality site-based programs for all the participants. (Contains 2 notes.)

This paper examines the methodological dilemmas associated with analytical framing as an aspect of the research process. Doing qualitative research potentially changes a researcher--changes their sense of self, who they think they are, who they want to become. The paper examines the ethical dilemma of what that change might mean--for the project, the researcher and the participants. Would respondents be so open if they were that aware the research(er) potentially could change during the performance of the research project? What are the implications, if any, of engaging respondents with the intention of telling their story as a narrative inquiry, then analysing the data through a feminist post-structuralist lens? How does a researcher honour the perspectives of the participants, while simultaneously bringing to bear the critique and understanding provided by employing a post-structuralist lens? The paper pays particular attention to the interactive interview, as it generated possibilities for a researcher to establish a level of trust and rapport such that (emotional) stories could be heard and then later, represented as interpretations of the researcher.

This article presents descriptive insights into how a national research team located in three Australian states (New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia), is able to maintain a sustained, cohesive approach to achieving the project's aim. The initial section of the article introduces each team member prior to discussing the importance of taking a national perspective on rural education. The second section considers the research design and shows how the main objective of the investigation will be achieved. Emerging trends from the quantitative and qualitative data collected in 2008 are revealed in the third section. The discussion in the fourth section centres on how the trends emerging from the collected data requires a reconceptualisation of preparing pre-service teachers for non-metropolitan placements. In doing so, the project's emerging conceptual framework, which emphasises that preparation of teachers for rural and regional appointments needs to be considered beyond the terms and forms of traditional professional practice, is explored. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Research in the field of emotions in relation to teaching is relatively new, but expanding. However, studies addressing the emotional dimension of preservice teacher education, particularly with respect to the role of school-based teacher educators are currently under-represented in the literature. This paper reports findings from a study focussed on the emotional dimension of the practicum for school-based teacher educators as they support preservice teacher colleagues. It adopts a qualitative method informed by feminist post-structural theory in an attempt to give meaning to teachers' narratives of their personal responses to supporting a less than successful preservice teacher. The study investigates teachers' shifting sense of agency throughout the experience as they work within apparently intersecting discursive frames. The case study reveals the depth of emotions experienced by teachers and examines the impact of the emotions on teacher identity. It appears that the tertiary sector has failed to recognise the emotional costs of such experiences and the associated needs of school-based teacher educators. Finally, the paper asks in what ways can staff in universities work collaboratively with teachers to address the concerns being raised by a study such as this, as there appears to be a genuine need to assist teachers copes with the emotional outcomes of working with problematic preservice teachers. (Contains 2 notes.)

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative case study of the benefits for teachers undertaking the role of mentor/supervisor in pre-service teacher education programmes. The research has a particular focus on school-based teacher educators working in rural and/or isolated communities and uncovers the role of reflection associated with professional experience programmes. The researchers endeavoured to capture the rich tapestry of the variety of settings, both Early Childhood and Primary, in rural New South Wales, Australia. The participants were providing professional support for pre-service teachers with varied levels of experience from first year through to internship. A further complexity was added by including mentors with a wide variation of experience both as mentors and as classroom teachers. Prior research suggests that teachers find the mentoring role to be professionally and personally rewarding. While this study would support such findings, it also identifies new issues associated with rurality and isolation. Given the complexities of the data sources, the findings expose a breadth and depth of outcomes for the participants engaged in reflective practices. The study gives voice to the teachers involved and makes recommendations to the teaching profession on ways that might better serve the needs of teachers in these communities. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)

The paper reports some of the findings of a qualitative case study that examined the perceptions of the role of cooperating teachers as they supported pre-service teacher colleagues. The study revealed a number of significant issues related to professional learning and teachers' "ways of knowing". One of the most significant results to emerge was the emotional dimension of the role of the cooperating teachers. Previous studies related to education "per se" have identified an "emotional dimension" for the students and teachers, respectively. However, there has been limited research that identifies this important aspect of pre-service teacher education programmes for the school-based teacher educator. This paper explores issues related to the emotional intensity of the role through the "voices" of the cooperating teachers as they describe the roller-coaster ride of emotions that the practicum generates. Discussion will address the implications of such findings in light of the increasing demands of teachers' work and the complexity of their workplace.

Many teacher education programs are criticized for their failure to prepare pre-service teachers to utilize and transfer their knowledge of content and educational principles into authentic classroom teaching. Studies also consistently report that pre-service teachers' ability to identify what is noteworthy about a mathematics classroom situation was lacking. This study investigated the effect of the intervention program, Study of Teaching, on pre-service teachers' acquisition of three designated mathematics teaching skills, how much they understood about the complexity of mathematics teaching, and their professional growth. We began with the assumption that preservice teachers' ability to discern the 'critical aspects' of mathematics classroom instruction could be enhanced through enacting reduced length microteaching sessions. Our results indicate that reduced microteaching in the setting, as in our intervention program, provide pre-service teachers with a safe environment to practise teaching. In general, this project found that preservice teachers' awareness of the complexity and intricacy of actual classroom teaching of mathematics had been greatly enhanced following this intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in the field of emotions in relation to teaching is relatively new, but expanding. However, studies addressing the emotional dimension of preservice teacher education, particularly with respect to the role of school-based teacher educators are currently under-represented in the literature. This paper reports findings from a study focussed on the emotional dimension of the practicum for school-based teacher educators as they support preservice teacher colleagues. It adopts a qualitative method informed by feminist post-structural theory in an attempt to give meaning to teachers' narratives of their personal responses to supporting a less than successful preservice teacher. The study investigates teachers' shifting sense of agency throughout the experience as they work within apparently intersecting discursive frames. The case study reveals the depth of emotions experienced by teachers and examines the impact of the emotions on teacher identity. It appears that the tertiary sector has failed to recognise the emotional costs of such experiences and the associated needs of school-based teacher educators. Finally, the paper asks in what ways can staff in universities work collaboratively with teachers to address the concerns being raised by a study such as this, as there appears to be a genuine need to assist teachers copes with the emotional outcomes of working with problematic preservice teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article on overcoming student resistance and fostering engagement in teaching among primary students by Mary O'Dowd, rural trip of pre-service teacher by Elaine Sharplin and career decisions made by rural students by Ken Stevens.