Using case discussion on the web to develop student teacher problem solving skills

To help student teachers solve real world problems during their internships, support from multiple sources is needed. in this study, a website was developed to provide support for student teachers by sharing cases and personal experiences. Student teachers exchanged comments about posted cases with both peer student teachers and experienced teachers. After 2 months of using the web for case discussion, questionnaires were distributed and interviews were conducted with a group of 20 student teachers. The results suggested that such an exchange helped them to increase their understanding of problems, to obtain knowledge and skills to solve problems, and to gain positive attitudes towards teaching as a profession. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.