Challenges of Case-Based Teaching (Report‪)‬

For decades, teacher educators have emphasized the importance of devising more effective ways of preparing preservice teachers for the classroom. Generally, these efforts encompass more effective preparation in content area knowledge, teaching methods, interprofessional skills, and classroom management (Wilson, Floden, & Ferrini-Mundy, 2002). The need for teaching higher levels of professional performance has been exacerbated by numerous calls for teacher education reform and students' academic performance, most recently enshrined in No Child Left Behind (NCLB). These calls for reform imply the need for (a) collaborative team approaches for more effective service delivery, (b) consolidation of organizational configurations requiring increased professional collaboration as school districts strive to become more cost efficient and effective, (c) the move towards including students with special needs in general education classes, (d) an increased understanding that the complex needs of most students require an array of professionals who are able to work together more closely than previously, and (e) that novice teachers, by virtue of these factors, need effective instruction in these areas prior to graduating to their new profession (Cohen & Ball, 1999). Case-Based Instruction