scholarly journals Reading Persuasive Texts Affects Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs About Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

2021 ◽  
pp. 002248712110024
Author(s):  
Charlotte Dignath ◽  
Jonathan Fink ◽  
Mareike Kunter
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Belief Change ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Moderator Effect ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Text Reading ◽  
The Impact

Research has suggested that teachers’ beliefs toward culturally diverse classrooms are affected during teacher education. Text reading, as one of the major learning activities in initial teacher education, is supposed to affect teachers’ educational concepts and beliefs. We conducted two experiments to test the impact of reading a positively or negatively oriented persuasive text about diversity on preservice teachers’ belief change. In Study 1 ( N = 42), we found that belief change varied significantly as a function of the direction of the text condition, and that the reading of the texts led to a significantly stronger belief change if the text was in alignment with participants’ prior beliefs. Study 2 ( N = 57) revealed a middle-sized but non-significant moderator effect for prior knowledge ( p = .08, [Formula: see text] = .06), suggesting that participants with more prior knowledge were less likely to be persuaded by the text. The results provide new insights into factors that may affect the development of preservice teachers’ diversity beliefs.

scholarly journals Preservice teachers’ reflections on diversity and on teaching diverse pupils in Norwegian compulsory school

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhupendra Kumar KC ◽  
Stein Erik Solbø Ohna
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Compulsory School ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Group Interviews

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate how preservice teachers reflect on diversity and on teaching pupils from diverse backgrounds. Following a qualitative research design, the empirical data were constructed through focus group interviews with pre­service teachers attending a 4-year initial teacher education programme for compulsory school in Norway. The thematic analysis of focus group interviews yielded three main results, namely differences are individual and considered natural, diversity as a value and challenge, and belief in practice rather than theory. Results suggest that despite their appreciative views towards diversity, the preservice teachers seem to be having a dilemmatic position regarding whether they should treat every pupil the same or differently. Moreover, the results point to the significance of establishing coherence between theory and practice in initial teacher education regarding the preparation of preservice teachers for their work with diverse pupils. Keywords: initial teacher education, diverse classrooms, theory-practice coherence   Lærerstudenters refleksjoner over undervisning og mangfold i norsk grunnskole Sammendrag Formålet med denne studien er å undersøke hvordan lærerstudenter i den fireårige grunnskolelærerutdanningen reflekterer over mangfold og undervisning av elever som har ulik bakgrunn. Studien er basert på et kvalitativt forskningsdesign, og data er kon­struert ved hjelp av fokusgruppeintervjuer med lærerstudenter i den fireårige grunn­skolelærerutdanningen. Den tematiske analysen ledet fram til tre hovedresultater: Forskjeller er individuelle og forstås som noe naturlig, mangfold som en verdi og utfordring, og vektlegging av praksis heller enn teori. Resultatene viser at til tross for deltakernes verdsetting av mangfold, opplever lærerstudentene dilemma når det gjelder hvordan de skal handle i praksis. Resultatene peker videre på betydningen av å etablere koherens mellom praksis og teori i lærerutdanningen for å forberede lærerstudentene for arbeidet med mangfoldige elevgrupper. Nøkkelord: lærerutdanning, mangfold i klasserom, teori-praksis koherens

From salvation to inquiry: Preservice teachers’ conceptions of race

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-384
Author(s):  
Lucinda Grace Heimer
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Future Teacher ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
The Impact

Race is a marker hiding more complex narratives. Children identify the social cues that continue to segregate based on race, yet too often teachers fail to provide support for making sense of these worlds. Current critical scholarship highlights the importance of addressing issues of race, culture, and social justice with future teachers. The timing of this work is urgent as health, social and civil unrest due to systemic racism in the U.S. raise critiques and also open possibilities to reimagine early childhood education. Classroom teachers feel pressure to standardize pedagogy and outcomes yet meet myriad student needs and talents in complex settings. This study builds on the current literature as it uses one case study to explore institutional messages and student perceptions in a future teacher education program that centers race, culture, identity, and social justice. Teaching as a caring profession is explored to illuminate the impact authentic, aesthetic, and rhetorical care may have in classrooms. Using key tenets of Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool enhanced the case study process by focusing the inquiry on identity within a racist society. Four themes are highlighted related to institutional values, rigorous coursework, white privilege, and connecting individual racial and cultural understanding with classroom practice. With consideration of ethical relationality, teacher education programs begin to address the impact of racist histories. This work calls for individualized critical inquiry regarding future teacher understanding of “self” in new contexts as well as an investigation of how teacher education programs fit into larger institutional philosophies.

Informing Teaching Through Community Engagement

2018 ◽  
pp. 278-298
Author(s):  
Trish Lewis ◽  
Letitia Hochstrasser Fickel ◽  
Glynne Mackey ◽  
Des Breeze
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic

Preservice teacher education programs prepare teachers for a variety of educational settings that serve a diverse range of children. Research suggests that many graduates lack confidence and the capability to teach those from backgrounds different from their own, including children from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and children with additional learning needs. In the bicultural, and increasingly multicultural, New Zealand context, preservice teachers are overwhelmingly from White, middle-class, monolingual backgrounds. This chapter offers a case study of the development of a community engagement course within an initial teacher education degree program. Based on Kolb's model of experiential learning and Moll's notions of funds of knowledge and identity, the course aims to enhance preservice teachers' knowledge of the lives of children they teach, and their dispositions and cultural competence for teaching, through personal and professional interaction with the community.

Peer Assessment for Development of Preservice Teachers

2011 ◽  
pp. 263-280
Author(s):  
Lorraine Gilpin ◽  
Yasar Bodur ◽  
Kathleen Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
The Impact

Peer assessment holds tremendous potential to positively impact the development of preservice teachers. The purpose of this chapter is to describe our findings on the impact of different forms of peer observation and feedback on preservice teachers’ skills in analyzing classroom teaching and their perceptions of their experience with peer assessment. In addition to reporting our findings, we draw from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning literature to present peer assessment as a medium to overcome structured isolation that is present in the practice of teaching. According to our study, peer observation and feedback is beneficial to preservice teachers’ learning. However, to maximize its effectiveness, a culture of peer assessment should be established in teacher education programs.

Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Web-Based Education

2000 ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah L. Lowther ◽  
Marshall G. Jones ◽  
Robert T. Plants
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Web Based Education

The potential impact of the World Wide Web (WWW) on our educational system is limitless. However, if our teachers do not possess the appropriate knowledge and skills to use the Web, the impact could be less than positive. It is evident, then, that our teachers need to be prepared to effectively use these powerful on-line resources to prepare our children to thrive in a digital society. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the impact of Web-based education on teacher education programs by addressing the following questions: • How is the World Wide Web impacting education? • Are teacher education programs meeting the challenge of producing certified teachers who are capable of integrating meaningful use of technology into K-12 classrooms? • What is expected of teacher education programs in regards to technology and Web-based education? • What knowledge and skills do preservice teachers need to effectively use Web-based education? • What instructional approaches should be used to prepare preservice teachers to use Web-based education?

Disruptive Experiences as Tools for Teacher Education: Unearthing the Potential of Experiential Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Cheryl M. Bolick ◽  
Jocelyn Glazier ◽  
Christoph Stutts
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Multiple Domains ◽  
The Impact

Background: This study examines the role of a weeklong experiential residency program on teachers’ beliefs about self and practice. Purpose: The goal of two separate intensive experiences was to help teachers generate new insight about the place of students, the teacher, and the school that extended beyond a surface-level understanding of experiential education. Methodology/Approach: Through a qualitative approach, the research team used field notes, course documents, participant reflections, researcher journals, and follow-up interviews to analyze the impact of participants’ immersion in either of the experiential outdoor residencies. Findings/Conclusions: The unpredictable nature of the physical and social environment of the experiential week helped teachers to see the central role of community in the learning process. Furthermore, teacher responses to the experience defied simple categorization along a prior theoretical construct. Teachers indicated a growing confidence in their ability to seek out and overcome challenges across multiple domains. Implications: These teachers were challenged to integrate multiple social and emotional aspects of self into their learning, while envisioning the same for their own students. Their experiences and reflections support an expanded role for immersive experiences outside of the traditional classroom in teacher education.

scholarly journals Scoping the meaning of ‘critical’ in mathematical thinking for Initial Teacher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 713-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Furness ◽  
Bronwen Cowie ◽  
Beverley Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Adult Participation ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Administrative Tasks

Current strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy in New Zealand educational policy, as elsewhere, reverberates in different ways in institutions charged with children’s and adults’ learning. A common response is to locate literacy and numeracy centrally in programmes aimed at preparing children for and enhancing adult participation in 21st century life and work. These agendas overlap in preservice teacher education. Preservice teachers enter Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes as adult learners engaged in building literacy and numeracy capability for teaching across the curriculum, working with student achievement data and administrative tasks, aspects of which may also be useful in their wider lives. These activities involve making judgements that require critical thinking, another key policy focus in New Zealand and internationally for children’s and adults’ learning. This article explores meanings of ‘critical’ in the context of mathematical thinking in ITE programmes. Given that mathematically based arguments can have both helpful and harmful consequences for humanity, we propose that development in preservice teachers’ capacity for critical mathematical thinking is crucial. In these times of significant global change we advocate for development of the kind of critical mathematical thinking that facilitates teachers working actively in pursuit of a socially just and sustainable world.

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