Case method teaching also provides models of how to think professionally about problems. Students learn how to use theoretical concepts to illuminate a practical problem. They learn how to spot the larger issues implicit in what might seem to be a minor classroom decision. Teaching by the case method helps students learn how to think productively about concrete experience. The case method thus enhances their ability to learn from their own experiences.
Cases can describe in vivid and rich detail what happens in small, rural schools.
Such schools, unfortunately, are difficult to use as field placement sites for student teachers, primarily due to their distance from most university campuses. Students enjoy learning from cases, which appeal to the universal delight in a good story. Nor do cases give students practice in pedagogical skills. The case method supplements, rather than replaces, other methods of teacher preparation. Some faculty find it hard to locate good case materials.