Abstract:
During the past few years, increased attention has been given to the value of case-based teaching in teacher preparation. Case-based teaching or case method is said to provide teachers with opportunities to analyse teaching situations and make judgments which may guide future actions. Yet many teacher educators wonder how to access and incorporate local case material into their practice and how to develop new cases. This paper addresses these issues and considers the variety of purposes for which cases and case methods are employed. In particular it examines some recently collected Australian case material and its use in pre and inservice settings. The paper looks at how narratives are used in case discussions and how the particulars of the case can developed into principles of practice used to guide the actions of the reader.