The majority of the projects were disappointing to us in their failure to connect their specific foci to broader contexts and issues. Many students began with a focus on discipline and classroom management unconnected to curriculum and instruction; others ended there from different starting points.
Several students addressed their relationship with their cooperating teacher or other adults in the classroom. Other topics researched were: working with blind children, helping shy/loner children, motivation, becoming a middle school/kindergarten teacher (school context), writing workshop, teacher positioning and the physical layout of the classroom for teaching and learning and philosophy of teaching.