Journal of Teacher Education
- Washington, DC : American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2019
- 302-401 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm.
- Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 70, Issue 4, Sept/Oct 2019 .
Includes bibliographical references.
Teacher Agency and Resilience in the Age of Neoliberalism -- Whiteness as a Dissonant State: Exploring One White Male Student Teacher's Experiences in Urban Contexts -- Developing Preservice Teachers' Instructional Design Skills Through Case-Based Instruction: Examining the Impact of Discussion Format -- "It Was . . . the Word 'Scrotum' on the First Page": Educators' Perspectives of Controversial Literature -- Investigating the Role of Social Status in Teacher Collaborative Groups -- Do I Belong in the Profession? The Cost of Fitting In as a Preservice Teacher With a Passion for Social Justice -- Analyzing Student Learning Gains to Evaluate Differentiated Teacher Preparation for Fostering English Learners' Achievement in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms --Critically Compassionate Intellectualism in Teacher Education: The Contributions of Relational-Cultural Theory.
[Article Title : Teacher Agency and Resilience in the Age of Neoliberalism / Tonya Bartell, Christine Cho, Corey Drake, Emery Petchauer, and Gail Richmond, p. 302-305] Abstract : The recent trend of teacher resignation letters posted online and then going viral on social media has brought renewed attention to the issue of teacher attrition (Strauss, 2017; Walker, 2017). These resignation letters, and the attendant news coverage, contribute to a narrative describing teaching as filled with duties and responsibilities which are under-resourced, extend beyond the scope of teaching, and require teachers to sacrifice their personal life and mental health for low pay. Teaching is not portrayed as a profession, nor are teachers afforded respect. A closer look by Dunn and her colleagues (Dunn, 2018; Dunn, Deroo, & VanDerHeide, 2017; Dunn, Farver, Guenther, & Wexler, 2017), however, demonstrates that teachers do not leave the profession primarily because of low pay or student behavior. Rather, teachers, enacting their agency by writing these resignation letters and sharing them publicly, cite increases in standardized testing, restrictions on curriculum, negative impacts on the socioemotional needs of children, a lack of trust and respect for their profession, and their own lack of voice and agency. In other words, these teachers are faced with a problematic choice-either continue to teach in contexts that constrain their agency or express their agency by and through leaving the profession.;[Article Title : Whiteness as a Dissonant State: Exploring One White Male Student Teacher's Experiences in Urban Contexts / Stephanie Behm Cross, Nermin Tosmur-Bayazit, and Alyssa Hadley D, p. 306-318] Abstract : Studies on student teaching continue to suggest that preservice teachers' feelings of dissonance are related to disparate views of teaching and learning between universities and schools. Drawing on interview, artifact, and observation data, the authors utilize Cognitive Dissonance and Critical Whiteness Studies to make different sense of the experiences of one White student teacher (Brett). Results indicate that Brett experienced dissonance related to fractured relationships, misaligned teaching strategies, and disengagement as he taught youth of color. Importantly, the use of Critical Whiteness Studies helped to additionally reveal the way Whiteness affected Brett's movements toward consonance-mainly through rationalization and problematic notions of perseverance. The authors suggest that Whiteness itself is a dissonant state, and argue that conversations focused on dissonance from misaligned university theory and K-12 schooling practices is dangerously incomplete. Implications for research and practice are included.;[Article Title : Developing Preservice Teachers' Instructional Design Skills Through Case-Based Instruction: Examining the Impact of Discussion Format / Adrie A. Koehler, Peggy A. Ertmer, and Timothy J. Newby, p. 319-334] Abstract : For more than 100 years, case-based instruction (CBI) has been an effective instructional method for building problem-solving skills in learners. While class discussion is often included as part of the CBI learning process, the impact on learning is unclear. Furthermore, little research has focused on how specific facilitation strategies influence the development of learners' problem-solving skills. This study examined the impact of case discussion facilitation strategies on the development of preservice teachers' problem-solving skills. Specifically, two discussion formats were compared: instructor-facilitated (class discussions guided by instructor-crafted prompts and an active facilitator) and instructor-supported (discussions guided by instructor-crafted prompts only). Results indicated that while preservice teachers' problem-solving skills improved in both sections of the course, individuals in the instructor-facilitated section demonstrated significantly higher scores on course activities and designed instructional activities at higher cognitive levels compared with preservice teachers who participated in the instructor-supported discussions. Results underscore the importance of an active facilitator in CBI.;[Article Title : "It Was . . . the Word 'Scrotum' on the First Page": Educators' Perspectives of Controversial Literature / Sue C. Kimmel and Danielle E. Hartsfield, p. 335-346] Abstract : Preemptive censorship occurs when educators avoid particular books because they dislike the ideas or values the books contain or fear the controversy the books may evoke. Although not as blatant as other forms of censorship, preemptive censorship has the unfortunate consequence of restricting children's access to ideas and information. Moreover, preemptive censorship violates students' intellectual freedom and right to read. In this study, we employ critical discourse analysis to examine discussions by preservice teachers and school librarians as they responded to a controversial children's book. Our analysis of the discussions revealed that many preservice educators maintain a protective view of children, fear the negative reactions of parents, and would choose to engage in preemptive censorship rather than create controversy in their classrooms and schools. We conclude by recommending ways that teacher educators can support preservice teachers and school librarians in their efforts to promote the professional value of intellectual freedom.;[Article Title : Investigating the Role of Social Status in Teacher Collaborative Groups / Paul S. Sutton and Andrew W. Shouse, p. 347-359] Abstract : In collaborative groups, teachers negotiate the tension between working as a cohesive group and confronting differences of opinion and practice. Varied status between teachers can complicate their ability to accomplish the goals of collaboration. In this case study, we describe how a group of secondary English teachers redesigned curriculum and explain how status shaped their collaborative practice. We use positioning theory to examine how teachers managed variable status to maintain a collaborative group process. Findings suggest the high-status teacher shaped inclusive collaborative routines that afforded novice teachers the space to initiate discussions focused on problems of practice.;[Article Title : Do I Belong in the Profession? The Cost of Fitting In as a Preservice Teacher With a Passion for Social Justice / Loraine McKay and Heather Manning, p. 360-371] Abstract : Preservice teachers enter university with a range of personally held beliefs related to inclusive education and themselves as educators. This article reports on one case study from a larger qualitative research project. The study examined a preservice teacher's perceptions of herself as an inclusive educator as she approached the final year of her undergraduate degree. Data included a metaphorical representation of being an inclusive educator, and two semi-structured interviews held 6 months apart. The use of collage and a structured written response completed the data set. Evelein and Korthagen's model of core reflection and Voice-Centred Relational Method were used to analyze the data. Analysis exposed the dissonance between the layers that separate the preservice teacher's core qualities and the environment. Data are presented using I-poems and discussed using the emerging themes. The consequences for her emerging identity as an inclusive educator and sense of belonging in the profession are discussed.;[Article Title : Analyzing Student Learning Gains to Evaluate Differentiated Teacher Preparation for Fostering English Learners' Achievement in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms / Matthew Ryan Lavery, Joyce Nutta, and Alison Youngblood, p. 372-387] Abstract : Researchers compared pre/post classroom assessment scores of n = 8,326 K-12 students taught by n = 288 teacher candidates to determine if a differentiated teacher education program prepared them to support English learners' (ELs) achievement in classrooms including native and nonnative speakers of English. Candidates in Group 1 comprised academic subject (secondary mathematics, science, and social studies) teacher candidates, who completed six teacher preparation courses with 15 key assignments that included a focus on ELs. Certification areas for Group 2 candidates include language arts instruction (elementary, early childhood, and secondary English language arts). Group 2 candidates completed from 12 to 15 courses with 41 to 50 key assignments that included a focus on ELs. Results indicate that teacher candidates in both groups helped narrow the gap between ELs and non-ELs from pretests to posttests. ELs performed no differently when taught by candidates from either group. Implications for teacher preparation are discussed.;[Article Title : Critically Compassionate Intellectualism in Teacher Education: The Contributions of Relational-Cultural Theory / Amy Rector-Aranda, p. 388-400] Abstract : Cammarota and Romero describe how they utilized a framework they call critically compassionate intellectualism (CCI)-a trilogy of critical pedagogy, authentic caring, and social justice-oriented curriculum-to lift up previously disempowered Latinx youth. CCI can also serve as an appropriate framework for emancipatory pedagogy and curriculum in teacher education and other settings, especially those committed to a mission of educational justice for our most disadvantaged students. Because the compassion element in CCI is understudied in teacher education, yet crucial to the success of the framework as a whole, in this article, I apply the tenets of relational-cultural theory (RCT) to enhance existing understandings of this component. Based on feminist theories of psychosocial and moral development, RCT expands the original framework to account for varied experiences of privilege and vulnerability when applying CCI beyond its original contexts while retaining core emphases on relationships, empathy, and associated aspects of authentic caring.