The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cooperative learning on preservice elementary teachers’ interest in, and the application of music into, core academic subject lesson plans. Participants (N = 59) were preservice elementary teachers enrolled in four class sections of a music method course designed for elementary education majors at a large southern university. All members participating in the study were placed by section for eight weeks in one of two groups-an individualistic learning group or cooperative learning group. During the first 6 weeks of the study, participants worked on the Music Integration Project. The purpose of the project was to develop academic lesson plans with the integration of music. Each Music Integration Project consisted of a: (a) title page, (b) table of contents, (c) a rationale citing 2 primary sources, and (d) 10 lesson plans integrating music into core subject lesson plans. At the conclusion of the 6 weeks, participants turned in their projects, which were scored by the primary investigator using the Music Integration Project Rubrics developed by the researcher. The Integrated Music Project Rubrics consisted of three sub-rubrics: (a) Organization Rubric, (b) Rationale Rubric, and (c) Lesson Plan Rubric. During the last two weeks of the study, all of the participants were videotaped teaching an integrated music lesson. Tapes were analyzed post-hoc and the participants’ scores were recorded by using the Integration of Music Observation Map. This Map assessed each of the participant’s microteaching on ten different criteria: (a) teacher, (b) pupils, (c) process, (d) element, (e) atmosphere, (f) purpose, (g) authenticity, (h) expression, (i) degree, and (j) range. Participants also completed a pre and post-Integrated Music Project Interest Survey. The independent variable used in this study was learning environment, cooperative learning and individualistic learning. The dependent variables were the participants’ scores on the Integrated Music Project Rubrics (organization, rationale, and lesson plan), scores from the Integration Music Observation Map, and scores from the pre/post interest survey. Interjudge reliability consisted of 20% of the scores from each learning groups’ Integrated Music Project and microteaching. Interjudge reliability was calculated as a Pearson product-moment correlation and found to be high with a range of r= .82 to .96. An alpha level of .05 was set for all tests of significance. Results from the Music Integration Project showed cooperative learning participants scoring statistically significantly higher on the organization rubric, lesson plan rubric, and total scores than participants in the individualistic learning group. For the microteaching component, participants in the cooperative learning environment scored statistically significantly higher on the Integration Music Observation Map in the areas of: (a) pupils, (b) atmosphere, (c) purpose, (d) authenticity, and (e) degree. On the pre and post Integrated Music Project Interest Survey, participants in the cooperative learning group rated all areas (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) statistically significantly higher than participants in the individualistic learning environment.

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Analysis is typically listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these taxonomies worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K-12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K-12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre-service teachers. But professors do not always view their disciplines as the proper place for teaching analytical skills. Others become frustrated when trying to teach analysis. But if we do not teach these skills, our teacher candidates will be poorly prepared for success, a problem which will cascade throughout our society, rendering our citizens less educated. In this paper, we describe our efforts to teach analysis in two courses from widely differing subject areas, literacy and mathematics education. We are now requiring teacher candidates to analyze simulated or actual samples of student work. We have developed a sequenced process of analysis education that we believe can be generalized to many other courses

In 2010, the state of Tennessee embraced the call to overhaul teacher education and required programs to adopt a residency model within K-12 schools. How exactly this would affect the various methods courses in a teacher education program? This paper provides a description of how two elementary education methods courses have shifted from simulation-style projects to projects that involve working with actual elementary students throughout the semester. This article presents an overview of the new residency style methods courses, along with how major assignments shifted to utilize the extensive time pre-service teachers would spend in the elementary school classroom.