A Search for the Heart of Teacher Education Through Curriculum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Alternative Pathways ◽  
Caring Teachers ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

Most of the millions of teachers in public and private schools have gone through teacher preparation programs. Preparing a person to teach is a centrally important, complicated, and many-layered process that carries deep responsibilities for the people who prepare those teachers, namely, teacher educators. So, it is not surprising that, even in the face of over 1,400 research studies about its effectiveness, there are still ongoing debates about the impact of teacher preparation on teachers in classrooms. It is not uncommon to see claims that teacher preparation is vitally important and, at the same time, claims that teacher preparation makes little difference. Because of myriad philosophies and varied desired outcomes, experts who design the pedagogy and content have varying touchstones for excellence that are put into programs along with variation in courses, admission, and degree requirements. How is it possible to get to the “heart” of preparing knowledgeable and caring teachers? There seems to be no one curriculum for the thousands of people entering the classrooms across America, so how can educators design and implement the methods that will best serve students in classrooms all across the country? Many underlying philosophies and values, as well as research, steer this enterprise—which leads to more confusion and angst. There has always been the quest for a “one shoe fits all” model for definitive curriculum, so epochs in teacher preparation can be traced back to when ideas and practices shifted. Other, varied sources contribute to the implementation and goals of teacher education: state and federal governments, education college research faculty, and local Boards of Education. The necessary professional credentials should be a factor (and ideally the same in all states), but ways to obtain teaching credentials are currently multiplying as alternative pathways are being created at a rapid pace. Then, there is the central question: Who is speaking for the welfare of the children in a united voice? Certainly, everyone in this endeavor should never forget that the purpose of a free and public education, both in the United States and other countries, is to create a literate population who can support and sustain a democracy. The ongoing quest is to discover what constitutes the heart of teacher preparation.

scholarly journals Talking About Sustainability in Teacher Preparation in Finland and the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-87
Author(s):  
Susan Wiksten
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Specific Culture ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Scientific Phenomena

This article reports on empirical research findings from a case study of teacher education in Finland and the United States. A sociological perspective was deployed for investigating how the concept of sustainability was addressed in two teacher education programs. One of the programs was located in Finland and the other in the US. The study was carried out in 2015 and 2016. Seventeen semi-structured, open-ended, audio-recorded interviews form the core of the research materials. A thematic analysis of interviews was conducted for identifying articulations related to sustainability in subject-matter specialized teacher preparation. Findings from this study contribute to research on teacher preparation. Notably, by articulating how context-specific culture and social norms contribute to local models of teacher education. Findings from this study indicate that teacher training practices in Finland have encouraged students to articulate sustainability in relation to critical thinking, whereas in the US, sustainability has been articulated in relation to social justice. The key point supported by the evidence is that sustainability was by teachers and teacher educators conceptualized as being about the popularization of knowledge about ecology and biodiversity. The kind of communication that was by teachers and teacher educators described as effective for popularizing knowledge about scientific phenomena were forms of teaching that expanded on content-specific knowledge by connecting it to ethical and civic frameworks of the societies in which students live.

Developing Critical Dispositions in Teacher Education Programs

2019 ◽  
pp. 106-124
Author(s):  
Jarrett D. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
American Education ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Purpose Of Education

This chapter advocates for the (re)framing of critical thinking from a skill to a disposition and proposes a framework whereby teacher education programs can create space for pre-service teachers to develop a critical disposition. By studying the context of American education and schooling and their corporate interest, pre-service teachers along with teacher educators can start to unravel the discourse and power inherent in American education. Understanding how these concepts lead to hegemony can begin the process of creating a counterhegemonic movement among American educators that includes the reclaiming of the purpose of education, raising pertinent epistemological question, and practicing critical self-reflection. The final part of the new framework for developing critical dispositions is a reintroduction of broader theoretical concerns into teacher preparation programs.

Beyond Damage-Centered Teacher Education: Humanizing Pedagogy for Teacher Educators and Preservice Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Dorinda J. Carter Andrews ◽  
Tashal Brown ◽  
Bernadette M. Castillo ◽  
Davena Jackson ◽  
Vivek Vellanki
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Humanizing Pedagogy

Background/Context In our best efforts to increase preservice teachers’ critical consciousness regarding the historical and contemporary inequities in the P–12 educational system and equip them to embody pedagogies and practices that counter those inequities, teacher educators often provide curricular and field experiences that reinforce the deficit mindsets that students bring to the teacher education classroom. For many social justice-oriented teacher educators, our best intentions to create humanizing experiences for future teachers can have harmful results that negatively impact preservice teachers’ ability to successfully teach culturally diverse students in a multitude of learning contexts. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this article, we propose a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education that is informed by our experiences as K–12 teachers and teacher educators in a university-based teacher preparation program. We focus on the general questions, How can university-based teacher preparation programs embody and enact a humanizing pedagogy? and What role can curriculum play in advancing a humanizing pedagogy in university-based teacher preparation programs? Research Design In this conceptual article, we theorize a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education and propose a process of becoming asset-, equity-, and social justice-oriented teachers. This humanizing pedagogy represents a strengths-based approach to teaching and learning in the teacher preparation classroom. Conclusions/Recommendations We propose core tenets of a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education that represent an individual and collective effort toward critical consciousness for preservice teachers and also for teacher educators. If university-based teacher education programs are committed to cultivating the development of asset-, equity-, and social justice-oriented preservice teachers, the commitments to critical self-reflection, resisting binaries, and enacting ontological and epistemological plurality need to be foundational to program structure, curricula alignment, and instructional practice.

Blended Learning in Teacher Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 1490-1511
Author(s):  
Jackie HeeYoung Kim ◽  
Danilo M. Baylen ◽  
Amy Leh ◽  
Lijia Lin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Reflective Practitioners ◽  
Problem Solvers

This chapter acknowledges that there is sparse literature to consult about the pedagogical and empirical foundations of blended learning in teacher preparation programs because this field is in its infancy. This chapter will first define blended learning, identify the challenges in teacher preparation programs and indicate how blended-learning approaches will assist teacher educators to meet long-standing and newly emerged challenges, and help future teachers to be reflective practitioners, better problem-solvers, and critical thinkers. This chapter also will discuss pedagogical values of blended learning and factors affecting blended learning course designs, and then showcase best practices using blended learning in order to show the effectiveness of blended learning approaches in teacher education. Lastly, this chapter will discuss considerations when blending teacher education courses.

Blended Learning in Teacher Education

2016 ◽  
pp. 1403-1423
Author(s):  
Jackie HeeYoung Kim ◽  
Danilo M. Baylen ◽  
Amy Leh ◽  
Lijia Lin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Reflective Practitioners ◽  
Problem Solvers

This chapter acknowledges that there is sparse literature to consult about the pedagogical and empirical foundations of blended learning in teacher preparation programs because this field is in its infancy. This chapter will first define blended learning, identify the challenges in teacher preparation programs and indicate how blended-learning approaches will assist teacher educators to meet long-standing and newly emerged challenges, and help future teachers to be reflective practitioners, better problem-solvers, and critical thinkers. This chapter also will discuss pedagogical values of blended learning and factors affecting blended learning course designs, and then showcase best practices using blended learning in order to show the effectiveness of blended learning approaches in teacher education. Lastly, this chapter will discuss considerations when blending teacher education courses.

The Status of Research on Multicultural Education in Teacher Education and Special Education Problems, Pitfalls, and Promises

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson ◽  
Alfredo J. Artiles ◽  
Stanley C. Trent ◽  
Carolyn W. Jackson ◽  
Andrea Velox
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
The Status

Significant numbers of culturally diverse children and youth now experience school failure in schools across the United States. To counter this unfortunate and inequitable circumstance, many teacher educators and policymakers now advocate for multicultural curricula in teacher education and special education programs. Although the research on multicultural education has been examined thoroughly, there has been no systematic analysis of the multicultural teacher education empirical literature in special education. Hence, the purpose of this manuscript is to present findings from a comprehensive analysis of this literature. We first summarize the existing research in teacher education. Next, we examine extensively the existing literature on multiculturalism in special education teacher preparation programs. We end our review with identification of strengths and weaknesses of existing research and provide recommendations for future inquiries.

Teacher Education and Whiteness and Whiteness in Teacher Education in the United States

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl E. Matias ◽  
Naomi W. Nishi ◽  
Geneva L. Sarcedo
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Critical Whiteness Studies ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

A litany of literature exists on teacher preparation programs, known as teacher education, and whiteness, which is the historical, systematic, and structural processes that maintain the race-based superiority of white people over people of color. The theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) are used to explore whiteness and teacher education separately; whiteness within teacher education; the impact of teacher education and whiteness on white educators, educators of Color, and their students; and cautions and recommendations for teacher education and whiteness. Although teacher education and whiteness are situated within the current US sociopolitical context, the historical colonial contexts of other countries may find parallel examples of whiteness. Within this context, the historical purposes behind teacher education and the need for quality teachers in an increasingly diverse student population are identified using transdisciplinary approaches in CRT and CWS to define and describe operations of whiteness in teacher education. Particularly, race education scholars entertain the psychoanalytic, philosophical, and sociological ruminations of race, racism, and white supremacy in society and education to understand more fully how whiteness operates within teacher education. For example, an analysis of psychological attachments found in racial identities, particularly between whiteness and Blackness, helps to fully comprehend racial dynamics between teachers, who are overwhelmingly racially identified as white, and students, who are predominantly racially identified as of Color. Whiteness in teacher education, left intact, ultimately affects K-12 schooling and students, particularly students of Color, in ways that recycle institutionalized white supremacy in schooling practices. Acknowledging how reinforcing hegemonic whiteness in teacher education ultimately reifies institutional white supremacy in education altogether; implications and cautions as well as recommendations are offered to debunk the hegemonic whiteness that inoculates teacher education. Note: To symbolically reverse the racial hierarchy in our research, the authors opt to use lowercase lettering for white and whiteness, and to capitalize “people of Color” to recognize it as a proper noun along with Black and Brown.

Technology in Music Initial Teacher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 568-574
Author(s):  
Marina Gall
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Secondary Music ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Compare And Contrast

This chapter draws upon the work of Gena Greher and Jay Dorfman, teacher educators working in Massachusetts, to compare and contrast the music initial teacher education in the United States with the system in England. This includes discussion of the structure of the teacher education programs, the impact of the differing school curricula on teacher education in each country, novice teachers’ opportunities for using technology when on school placements, and continuing professional development for practicing schoolteachers. The chapter also reflects on the English system of ITE for secondary music teachers presented by Jonathan Savage in chapter 52, raising issues related to gender, and new forms of initial teacher education that have emerged of late.

What Constitutes an “Opportunity to Learn” in Teacher Preparation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-448
Author(s):  
Julie Cohen ◽  
Rebekah Berlin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Teacher Education Research

Teacher education research is in still in the process of developing a robust set of tools that can measure the key features of coursework and fieldwork. This article focuses on the design of measures of “opportunities to learn” (OTLs) in content method courses that can be used across large populations of candidates at diverse preparation programs. We draw on the survey and interview data from a broader, longitudinal study of teacher preparation across four programs in the United States ( n = 455 candidates). Variance decomposition suggests far greater within-program variation than between-program variation in reported OTL. More nuanced analyses at a single university indicate significant associations between individual characteristics and reports of OTL, suggesting that self-reports of OTL may tell us more about the candidates who complete a survey than the programs that prepare them. Discussion focuses on implications for teacher education research and next steps for studying OTL in methods coursework.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document