scholarly journals Teaching with children's literature in initial teacher education: Developing equitable literacy pedagogy through talk about books

2021 ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Alyson Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Quality Literature ◽  
Teaching Of Reading ◽  
Dialogic Approach ◽  
Literacy Pedagogy

Teaching about children’s literature in pre-service teacher education is quite rare, even though research shows it is crucial for teachers to be good at teaching reading as well as being committed readers (Commeyras et al., 2003; Cremin et al., 2009). Emphasis on the reading process can sideline the importance of talking about quality literature to engage students in reading (Author, 2016). I have positioned the role of talk about books as a core part of our undergraduate degree. In this way, my pre-service teachers are alerted to the potential of the ‘fiction effect’ to improve equitable engagement with reading (Jerrim & Moss, 2019) for all students.   The paper explores how an initial teacher education course in Australia partnered with local schools to create authentic interactions about children’s literature. A dialogic approach to learning (Alexander, 2020) was adopted to teach pre-service teachers to develop equitable literacy pedagogy informed by children's literature. During their education program the pre-service teachers received letters from school children who wrote about their reading preferences. The letters were discussed for evidence of reading habits and new books were sought as recommendations for children to read. Through considering their own reading identities pre-service teachers collectively developed their knowledge about children’s literature as they developed knowledge of literacy pedagogy.  The development of habits of noticing (Simpson et al., 2020) through iterative discussion helped the pre-service teachers’ learn about their students, learn from their students, and encouraged them to take a more holistic view of the teaching of reading.

scholarly journals encouraging the teacher-agent: resisting the neo-liberal culture in initial teacher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Rhiannon Love
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Philosophy For Children ◽  
Whole Child ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
Educational Culture ◽  
Liberal Culture ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Influenced by Sachs’ (2001) ‘activist identity’ I propose that pre-service teacher education or initial teacher education (ITE), as I will refer to it, could, and indeed should, encourage a new form of teacher; the ‘teacher-agent.’  This teacher-agent would be aware of the pressures and dictates of the neo-liberal educational culture and its ensuing performative discourse, and choose to resist it, in favour of a more holistic view of education. This view of education encourages inclusive, creative and democratic forms of education concerned with encouraging a social conscience in children and young people, as well as seeing education as concerned with the whole child.  These more holistic approaches to education could include pedagogical approaches such as Philosophy for Children (P4C), Rights’ Respecting Education and Slow Pedagogy, which can not only provide a more balanced understanding and deeper experience of education for both teachers and pupils, but can also help teachers to resist the debilitating impact of the neo-liberal performative discourse, potentially also thus impacting on their wellbeing and ability to retain their integrity as professionals.  This may also have the potential to halt the rapid exodus of new teachers from the profession. It is my contention, that engaging with pedagogies such as P4C in this new iteration of ITE could help not only to encourage the Student Teacher-Agent, but also, as a consequence, develop the Citizen-Agent in the children they are teaching. In this paper I consider four key areas where I propose P4C could play a role in this alternative model of Initial Teacher Education; Democracy in action, the teacher as Teacher-Facilitator, a space for co-construction of knowledge, and encouraging Social Justice.

Bridges to Global Citizenship: Ecologically Sustainable Futures Utilising Children's Literature in Teacher Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Bradbery
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Sustainable Future ◽  
Value Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Futures ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable

AbstractDeveloping an understanding of the importance of a sustainable future is vital in helping children to become ‘global citizens’. Global citizens are those willing to take responsibility for their own actions, respect and value diversity and see themselves as contributors to a more peaceful and sustainable world. Children's literature — picture and story books in particular — can be used as a powerful tool to help even the youngest citizens become aware of the need to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a sustainable future through global citizenship. Children's literature can be utilised to help children examine and change personal lifestyles to secure a sustainable future; to identify, investigate, evaluate and undertake appropriate action to maintain, protect and enhance local and global environments; to challenge preconceived ideas, accept change and acknowledge uncertainty and to work cooperatively and in partnerships with others. This article explores and examines ways in which some examples of Australasian children's literature, specifically Storm Boy (Thiele, 1963), Lester and Clyde (Reece, 1991), The Waterhole (Base, 2001), Window (Baker, 1991) and Belonging (Baker, 2004), have been used in a literacy focused preservice teacher education course to assist preservice teachers entering their internship school placements to develop children's understandings of an ecologically sustainable future. It provides further insight into methods for embedding teaching for a sustainable future into pre-service teacher education.

scholarly journals “I don’t really have a reason to read children’s literature”: Enquiring into Primary Student Teachers’ Knowledge of Children’s Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Jennifer Farrar
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Reader Identity ◽  
Primary Student ◽  
Literate Identities

Research into in-service teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature indicates there is a powerfully symbiotic relationship between teachers’ perceptions and projections of themselves as readers and students’ engagement with reading as a pleasurable activity (Commeyras et al., 2003; Cremin et al 2014). Less is known about pre-service teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature or their attitudes towards reading and the Scottish context is unexplored in this regard. Inspired by and aligned with the work of Cremin et al (2008) with in-service primary teachers in England, this project investigated the personal reading habits of more than 150 student teachers over a two-year period by capturing snapshots of their knowledge of children’s literature and perceptions of themselves as not only readers, but as readers of children’s literature, at various stages of their initial teacher education. Framed by understandings of literacy practices as socially and locally constructed (Barton & Hamilton, 1998) and of literate identities as fluid, contingent and plural (Moje et al., 2009), this paper also outlines how project findings linked to knowledge of texts for children and reader identity have informed the teaching and learning of children’s literature at university level.

scholarly journals The Journey towards a Teacher’s Ecological Self: A Case Study of a Student Teacher

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rea Raus ◽  
Thomas Falkenberg
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Ecological Self

Abstract Transforming our educational systems to support sustainable development is a challenge that involves all levels of education – policy, curriculum and pedagogical practice. One critical dimension to look at is a teacher’s identity as it influences a teacher’s decision-making, behaviour and action. The ecological self is the concept that is used in the context of sustainability. This paper discusses the emerging ecological self of one student teacher during her initial teacher education programme. The concepts of the teacher’s self and the ecological self form a lens through which the story of this student teacher is examined. The paper focuses on one part of a broader, longitudinal study of student teachers and their understanding of pedagogy and connectedness with nature in the context of the need for reorienting teacher education towards sustainability. Sterling’s (2001) conceptual framework of ecological view on education is taken as a tool to analyse the collected data. The results indicate that deep connectedness to nature and empathy are framing the holistic view on learning, teaching and a teacher’s self.

Deploying Black Joy

2021 ◽  
pp. 360-377
Author(s):  
Lisa Brown Buchanan ◽  
Cara Faulkner Ward ◽  
Amy Senta
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Black Identity ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Elementary Classroom ◽  
Practice Approach

This chapter describes a theory into practice approach for using children's literature to explore and affirm Black joy, Blackness, and Black identity in the elementary classroom. The work of Dr. Bettina Love on abolitionist teaching provides the theoretical grounding for this chapter. The authors describe a synthesis of representation in children's literature and framework for abolitionist teaching, a description of three lessons focused on teaching Black joy, and a call for expanding this work in teacher education.

Selecting Diverse Literature for Interactive Read-Alouds

2021 ◽  
pp. 525-544
Author(s):  
Tiffany Watson ◽  
Jennie L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Course Assessment ◽  
Scaffolded Instruction ◽  
Teaching Of Reading ◽  
Writing Course

The purpose of this chapter is to explain how a course, Teaching of Reading and Writing, uses its key course assessment to enhance preservice teacher candidates' appropriation of diverse children's literature. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the Teaching of Reading and Writing course and the key course assessment, an interactive read-aloud with a diverse book. Additionally, the authors provide a rationale for why exploring and using high-quality diverse literature is intentionally embedded within the assignment. The chapter also includes a description of how the authors support their teacher candidates' appreciation of diverse children's literature through scaffolded instruction and text evaluation. The authors share their candidates' experiences with the interactive read-aloud as well as successes, challenges, and next steps for this assignment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document