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. Many are not sure how to go about teaching a case and fear that classes will degenerate into a pointless exchange of personal opinions. A series of teaching cases centering on problems in rural, multicultural schools has been developed by Judith Kleinfeld and can be ordered from the Publications Office, Rural College, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775.