ATTACKING THE ARTICULATION PROBLEM IN TEACHER EDUCATION

A continuing challenge for preservice teacher education is the articulation between initial training and subsequent practice. This study investigated the effect of a fully elaborated training model on the transfer of complex teaching strategies into the practice of first year graduates. A cohort of 30 graduates was followed through their first year of full-time teaching to determine the frequency and appropriateness of their use of two complex teaching strategies, Concept Attainment and Inductive Thinking (Joyce and Weil, 1996). Although only some 10% of inservice teachers transfer new learning into their active teaching repertoires without workplace support for their new behaviours (Joyce and Showers, 1995), the first year teachers in this cohort achieved transfer rates of 40% and 27% respectively for each of the strategies. Students attributed their success in transferring complex teaching models into their beginning repertoires to the intensive training program completed at university. Discussion of results includes analysis of program design as well as planned program changes to facilitate yet higher rates of transfer of key teaching skills.