ABSTRACT
Many people learning to teach are assigned for periods of two, three, or four weeks, and we are aware that much of the writing in this volume reflects teaching assignments that last longer. The length of time in a classroom does make a difference to the learning opportunities. We include the following voices to show the enthusiasm and insights developed in a three-week school placement that followed six weeks of classes in education courses. All of the contributors are members of Tom Russell’s secondary-science methods class; for some it was their first teaching placement, while for others it was the last short placement before a four-month assignment. When they returned from teaching, Tom asked them to write at the end of the first class about their learning from experience and he also invited them to offer comments about his efforts in the first six weeks to help them prepare to learn from experience.
