Mentoring beyond the politics of fear

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-47
Author(s):  
Kevin Russel Magill ◽  
Tracy D. Harper ◽  
Jess Smith ◽  
Aaron Huang
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Difficult Conversations ◽  
Politics Of Fear

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine multiple dimensions of reflexive and reciprocal mentorship as they work through the fear of teaching challenging and politically charged ideas. Design/methodology/approach This piece is a case study of the complex instances of reciprocal mentorship within a teacher education program. Objects of analysis included the informal educational experiences from the bi-monthly meetings and student-teaching experiences. Semi-structured interviews, field notes, interpersonal discussion and the authors’ own reflections were used as data sources. Findings The authors found that having difficult conversations in informal spaces provided social studies teacher candidates with the opportunity to get more comfortable with challenging conversations; that mentorship is helpful when shifting context between formal and informal spaces; and that once these teachers grew more comfortable, they moved from mentee to mentor with support and guidance from their own mentors. The authors conclude by providing several implications for pre-service teachers, teacher and teacher educators, as they help social studies practitioners work with and beyond the politics of fear. Research limitations/implications Limitations such as subjectivity, generalizability and implementation exist. Factors such as personality, program, cultural background, lived experience and other elements played a role in the findings. Therefore, the authors do not suggest these are monolithic claims about the nature of mentorship, teacher education or teaching, but rather the authors wish to share these findings and recommendations. Practical implications The authors argue that three major findings emerged from the data. First, informal spaces are valuable for initiating difficult conversations among mentors and mentees. Second, shifting between formal and informal spaces can be uncomfortable, but allow for mentoring opportunities during these challenging instances of becoming. Third, moving from mentee to mentor includes valuable reciprocal mentorship within a learning community. Originality/value This research project is grounded in the needs of the participants and researchers. To the authors’ knowledge, a project of this type with similar participants has not been done.

Meeting the demands of the C3 framework in elementary social studies methods

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Alan Neel ◽  
Amy Palmeri
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Social Studies Education ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elementary Social Studies ◽  
Social Studies Teacher ◽  
Social Studies Teacher Education

Purpose In both elementary schools and elementary teacher education programs, social studies is marginalized while standards require increasingly more ambitious reasoning, reading, and writing in social studies than has historically been documented in American elementary schools. The purpose of this paper is to explain the challenges that elementary social studies teacher educators face in preparing elementary school teachers to facilitate the kind of ambitious social studies envisioned in the NCSS’s C3 Framework and advocate an approach to successfully address these challenges. Design/methodology/approach This paper articulates a targeted and ambitious approach to elementary social studies teacher education. The authors describe five recommendations from the teacher education literature for supporting preservice teachers in learning disciplinary-oriented social studies teaching, recommendations that guided the redesign of the social studies methods course. The authors then highlight key aspects of the redesigned methods course and demonstrate how the authors engaged the challenges inherent in the work of elementary social studies teacher education. Findings Although this paper is not arranged in such a way as to substantiate empirical findings, the purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an approach to elementary social studies education aligned with extant literature on preparing teachers to engage in reform teaching practices, specifically those disciplinary oriented practices suggested in NCSS’s C3 Framework. As such, the paper should be read as a perspective on practice. Research limitations/implications The type of disciplinary-oriented approach described here is increasingly under investigation in secondary teacher education research and similar approaches are under investigation in elementary math and science education research. To the authors’ knowledge, the approach is novel in elementary social studies education. Furthermore, the authors believe it offers a direction for researchers interested in gaps in the literature related to practice based teacher education and disciplinary-oriented social studies teacher education. Practical implications The approach described here offers specific guidance and resources for teacher educators who are struggling with the challenges of the contemporary social studies education landscape and/or who wish to focus methods courses in disciplinary ways. Social implications Research in social studied education has demonstrated that when students are exposed to disciplinary practices in social studies, their literacy skills improve and they learn analytical skills that support their development as citizens (consumption of media, participation in public discourse, ability to discern arguments). Originality/value As noted above, the approach described here is novel in elementary social studies education. Combining a disciplinary approach with a practice-based frame in elementary social studies represents an opportunity for empirical research and offers new approaches to the practice of teacher education and early career professional development.

Teaching and talking about religion: strategies for teacher educators

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-179
Author(s):  
Kimberly R. Logan ◽  
James M.M. Hartwick
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Religious Literacy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Studies Teacher ◽  
Social Studies Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching About Religion

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline arguments for addressing religion in social studies teacher education, including strategies teacher educators might use on how and why pre-service teachers should incorporate teaching about religion in their classes. Topics addressed are: issues surrounding pre-service teachers’ religious identities; teaching pre-service teachers about legal issues associated with religion in public school classrooms (e.g. teaching about religion vs teaching for religion, First Amendment rights and constraints); teacher education’s role in developing religious knowledge and the influence of religion in the disciplines that comprise the social studies; and an overview of strategies and resources that teacher educators can use with their pre-service teachers. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a literature review and arguments for addressing religion in social studies teacher education. A lesson plan and resources for teacher educators are also provided. Findings Teaching and talking about religion can no longer be marginalized or ignored within social studies teacher education. Whether it be the importance of pre-service teachers’ religious identities, legal issues related to public schooling or the influence of religion across the social studies disciplines – religion matters to social studies teacher education. As the current social, political and cultural realities attest, the influence of religion appears to be more and more significant in our interconnected and interdependent world. Originality/value Religious literacy is a key part of civic competence and if social studies is viewed as a way to help prepare a more informed citizenry – and a way to teach and promote dialogue across difference – then social studies teacher educators must find a way to include religion in their courses. By doing so, teacher educators encourage pre-service teachers to examine how religious identity may influence their teaching, and also help develop religious literacy and an understanding of how religion is integral to the various social studies disciplines. Ultimately, this important and often ignored work in teacher education may foster cultural understandings that will lead to a more informed and respectful society.

scholarly journals Transforming Perspective Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching: What Teacher Educators do in a Teacher Education Institution in Pakistan?

sjesr ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 545-554
Author(s):  
Haji Karim Khan ◽  
Yasmeen Batool ◽  
Farah Deeba
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Teacher Education Institution

Taking the lenses of cultural perspectives, this study has investigated the role of teacher educators in transforming the teaching and learning beliefs of prospective teachers in a formal teacher education program in a remote mountainous region of Pakistan. We used a qualitative exploratory approach to conduct the study and collected data from eight teacher educators through semi-structured interviews, non-participatory observations of the classroom practices, as well as researchers' field, notes Findings, showed that the changing culture of teacher education in Pakistan seem to redefine and reinterpret teacher educators' roles in transforming prospective teachers' beliefs. As a result, teacher educators saw themselves as role models, counselors, mentors, storytellers, and listeners. These findings have pertinent implications for the teacher educators' roles in similar settings.

scholarly journals Exploring learning conversations between mentors and associate teachers in initial teacher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Jones ◽  
Steven Tones ◽  
Gethin Foulkes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Conversations ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the learning conversations that take place in the context of secondary initial teacher education (ITE) in England. More specifically, it aims to examine the learning conversations that occurred between physical education subject mentors and their associate teachers (ATs) during a one-year postgraduate programme. Design/methodology/approach Self-completion questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, with 11 ATs within a university ITE partnership, were used to explore ATs’ perceptions of the learning conversations that occurred between them and their mentors. A process of content analysis was used to identify and analyse themes in the data. Findings Meaningful learning conversations are not exclusively based on mentors’ feedback on ATs’ teaching. The ongoing everyday dialogue that occurs between mentors and ATs has a direct impact on the ATs’ teaching and a more indirect effect of nurturing collaborative relationships and providing access to a learning community. Successful mentoring is not realised through an isolated weekly lesson observation of the ATs’ teaching. It is an immersive process where the AT and the mentor face the ongoing challenge of exploring aspects of pedagogy and developing a relationship that is conducive to shared learning. Practical implications These findings have implications for providers of ITE and more specifically how they approach mentor training. Examining learning conversations, and in particular the more informal everyday dialogue that occurs between the mentor and the AT, may have significant impact on the learning of those who are training to teach. Originality/value Informal learning conversations are central to the mentoring process. These findings highlight the value of learning conversations and in particular the impact of informal everyday dialogue that may otherwise be overlooked.

Rethinking place, boundaries, and local history in social studies teacher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Harshman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a qualitative study that examined how pre-service teachers (PSTs) used mobile technology and experiential learning to critically examine the processes that shape places over time. During Summer course work that occurred prior to beginning their field experience and student teaching, participants explored neighborhoods and public spaces, and researched the history as well as contemporary issues relevant to the places in which their future students live, play, work, shop, and go to school. The use of social media as a forum for sharing and reflecting upon their experiences provided opportunity to critique neoliberal and race-based public policies, as well as support reflection on the relationships between geography and teaching about social (in)justice in the social studies. Findings inform the work of teacher educators who seek to help teacher candidates think more deeply about how spatial contexts inform culturally sustaining and critically minded pedagogy in the social studies. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study included pre- and post-surveys and two one-on-one interviews between research participants and the researcher. Data were also gathered through the use of posts made by participants to a shared social media account. Interested in the interactive process of subjects and their surroundings, symbolic interactionism provided the methodological framework for this study. Findings Involvement in the study provided PSTs with new ways of thinking about how places are shaped over time and the importance of incorporating local intersections of geography and injustice in the classroom. Through experiential learning, PSTs developed a critical understanding of how place relates to who they teach, moved away from deficit thinking about people and places, and, as evidenced in the examples shared, approached lesson planning as place-relevant and culturally sustaining social studies educators. Originality/value The majority of students enrolled in teacher education courses in the USA remains white and it is well documented that most possess few cultural and geographic ties to the schools and students they work with as PSTs. Interested in the intersection of race, place, and teacher education, this paper discusses research conducted with 12 pre-service secondary social studies teachers (PSTs) who were enrolled in an eight-week Summer seminar course that preceded their Fall field experience and Spring student teaching placements to learn how they interpret their movement through spaces and their understanding of how geography, race, and agency intersect and impact students.

Preparing the next generation of global educators: an imperative in teacher education

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara C. Cruz ◽  
Cristina M. Viera
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Globalized World

PurposeIn addition to imparting pedagogical content knowledge, teacher educators have the special responsibility to help future practitioners understand critical, contemporary social issues in our ever-globalized world. The purpose of this article is to describe one teacher education effort that heeds calls from learned societies and accreditation agencies to prepare preservice teachers for their inevitably global classrooms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors – both instructors of a semester-long, required course in a social studies teacher education program – reflect on their practice, outline guiding principles and provide pedagogical examples that encourage preservice teachers to consider complex topics found within global education, while simultaneously helping them reflect on their own positionality.FindingsMost preservice teachers embrace global perspectives in education if provided with opportunities to identify curricular relevance, acknowledge multiple viewpoints, practice continuous reflection, explore global awareness and citizenship, and understand the imperative of accepting responsibility to prepare global citizens.Practical implicationsThis manuscript shares successful classroom strategies and learning exercises that have resulted in preservice teacher growth. Teacher educators can and should “globalize” course curricula, equipping social studies teachers with the knowledge, aptitude and skills necessary to teach the next generation of global citizens.Originality/valueThe teacher education course described herein offers a practical approach for preparing a cadre of educators ready to teach in our globalized world.

scholarly journals Digital storytelling in teacher education: A meaningful way of integrating ICT in ESL teaching

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Mørk Røkenes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Digital Competence

Hensikten med denne studien er å utforske hvordan bruken av digitale fortellinger i lærerutdanningen kan bidra til å utvikle lektorstudenters digitale kompetanse og fremme innovativ bruk av IKT i engelskundervisningen. Gjennom bruken av kasusstudie og en design-basert forskningstilnærming beskriver denne studien to gjennomføringer og design-sykluser av et verksted med bruk av digitale fortellinger ved en norsk lærerutdanning hvor det overordnede målet var å vise innovative og hensiktsmessige måter å integrere IKT i engelskundervisningen. En digital kompetansemodell er brukt som linse i dataanalysen hvor datamaterialet kommer fra en kvantitativ spørre-undersøkelse, feltobservasjoner, refleksjonslogger, digitale artefakter og semi-strukturerte intervjuer. Studiens funn viser en rekke tilnærmingsmåter som kan tas i bruk i gjennomføringen av verksted i digitale fortellinger, slik som modellering av integrering av IKT og vurdering med IKT, stillasbygging ved studentaktive læringsopplevelser med IKT, og brobygging mellom teori og praksis gjennom refleksjon. Implikasjoner for lærerutdanningen blir diskutert.Nøkkelord: profesjonsfaglig digital kompetanse, digitale fortellinger, lærer-studenter, lærerutdannere, lærerutdanning, engelsk fagdidaktikkAbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine how the use of digital storytelling (DST) in teacher education can help develop digital competence in secondary school English as a second language (ESL) student teachers, and promote the innovative use of information and communications technology (ICT) in ESL teaching. Following a case methodology and a design-based research approach, the study reports on two iterative design cycles of a DST workshop held at a Norwegian teacher education program where the aim was to promote secondary ESL student teachers’ digital competence and showcase innovative ways of integrating ICT into ESL teaching. A digital competence model is used as a research lens for the data analysis where data come from a quantitative survey, participant observations, reflection logs, digital artifacts, and semi-structured interviews. Findings point to a number of approaches that can be used in the workshop design such as modeling ICT integration and assessment, scaffolding student-active learning experiences with ICT, and linking theory and practice through reflection. Implications for teacher education are discussed. Keywords: professional digital competence, digital storytelling, student teachers, teacher educators, teacher education, ESL didactics

scholarly journals Reflection in alignment to professional standards: What did the student teachers highlight?

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Ping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
School Context ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Elementary Student

This study investigates the professional development of elementary student teachers in a teacher education program. Student teaching is a process for pre-service teachers to apply learning in an authentic school context, and one critical aspect of professional development is through reflection. The participants were primarily examined through their weekly reflections on teaching and learning experiences over an eight-week period. Using the state Standards for the Teaching Profession as a framework, the student teachers chose to reflect on topics they were most interested in exploring. Results indicated that the participants gave predominant attention to classroom management; the standards that received the least reflection were organizing curriculum and planning instruction. Analysis of the reflection journals also revealed how the student teachers grew as individuals and in interaction with others in a learning community. Based on the results, implications for teacher education are proposed. Limitations are also discussed.

Integrating global sustainability into social studies teachers' education: a collaborative self-study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guichun Zong
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
National Council ◽  
Pedagogical Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Sustainability ◽  
Self Study

PurposeThere have been increasing calls for social studies educators to engage issues of sustainability. Proponents argue that the very survival of the planet depends on the degree to which teachers can move learners away from unsustainable beliefs and behaviors to those grounded in interdisciplinary approaches to solving community and global challenges. How to implement this vision of sustainability education? The purpose of the paper is to report the results of teacher-educators' curriculum and pedagogical approaches to implement the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) C3 framework to engage and empower prospective and practicing teachers to teach for a sustainable future.Design/methodology/approachThe study is guided by the growing field of self-study in teacher education, a type of research undertaken by teacher-educators with the dual purpose of personal professional development and a deep understanding of teacher-education practices. Most data were derived from multiple, recursive conversations (both formal and informal) around curriculum decisions and pedagogical choices to integrate sustainability issues into teacher-education courses. Additional data sources include classroom lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations, course readings and resources.FindingsThe authors' three years of collaborative work has shown that an issues-centered, interdisciplinary approach to select and integrate global issues, the current event article analysis, young adult literature and discussion and deliberation of local sustainable development issues that are some of the most effective pedagogical tools to engage and empower teacher candidates in learning about issues that affect the sustainable development of global community. The NCSS C3 provides a powerful framework to scaffold the process of analyzing sustainable issues while also teaching social studies curriculum and standards and skills.Originality/valueScholars of global education have called for shifting from an anthropocentric philosophy to a bio-centric worldview emphasizing the embeddedness of humans within the environment. How can social studies teacher-educators implement this vision of global education What instructional resources strategies and learning activities can be effectively integrated into existing courses to help candidates develop competences and commitment to teaching for global sustainability The study examines the innovative approaches to addressing these critical topics in teacher education.

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