| The purpose of the study was to carry out a pedagogy of cases in weekly student teaching seminars with 20 prospective teachers. The case method employed Hilda Taba's teaching strategies for inductive thinking in order to teach prospective teachers how to think and act prudently in actual practice, to incorporate the student teachers' experiences from practice, and to address substantive educational issues.; This study describes prospective teachers' reflective thinking during student teaching, the experiential learning component of a teacher education program. Data sources included (1) interviews with student teachers and cooperating teachers; (2) documents containing the student teachers' thoughts and behavior; and (3) videotaped observation of the student teachers' case analyses. A compiled profile of teachers' reflective thinking and an experiential learning model respectively helped to identify and frame the role of reflection during student teaching.; Using case method pedagogy, findings showed the seminar to be a venue conducive for the integration of reflection and experiential learning, or student teaching. Case analyses carried student teachers into the affective realm and created an interest in, an understanding of, and a commitment to substantive educational issues. Student teachers used concepts and theories introduced in the seminar to analyze problems arising from practice. Through the thinking-based case method, student teachers learned to look at their circumstances in a reasonable, cautious, and calm manner. Although cases acted as an impetus for reflective thinking, the student teachers showed rare or irregular use of their reflective abilities. Also, case analyses did not influence the student teachers' perception of themselves as reflective practitioners or initiate reflective conversations with their cooperating teachers.; Using case method pedagogy in the seminar, or in the university classroom, does not ensure the development and use of reflective thinking during student teaching. Interpreted as a motivational issue (the amount of effort put forth to achieve an outcome), student teachers need to understand, value, and want the professional outcomes and information from case analyses and to receive collegial support in their experiential learning environment, the public school classroom. |
