Session Information
10 SES 12 C, Research on Values, Beliefs and Understandings in Teacher Education
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper discusses the initial outcomes of a study ofthe perceptions of some pre-service teachers’, their university supervisors and their school-based teacher mentors of pre-service teachers’ school-based training experiences in Turkey and England in particular institutional and educational policy contexts.
Teacher education prepares pre-service teachers to practice competently and independently (Ten Dam & Blom, 2006). One aspect of that education is placing trainees in schools to gain understanding of the practice of teaching. Pre-service teachers and mentors consistently regard highly the value of school placement (practicum) (Segall, 2002 in Schulz & Mandzuk, 2005) to teacher education.
Practicums are intended to help pre-service teachers begin to understand the perplexing experiences of teacher practice, developing complex professional knowledge to become successful teachers (Glazier, 2009). During practicums, pre-service teachers observe established teachers at work, preparing instructional materials adapted to the needs of the students whom they then teach with or without the help of a mentor. They are encouraged to consult with school and university colleagues, experiment with ideas and theories studied in university (Sim, 2006) and reflect on their practice experiences (Lucas, 1999 in Myles et al., 2006). Unfortunately practicums often focus on technical skills: classroom management and effective instruction (Field and Latta 2001).
Performing in the liminal social spaces of their practicums allows pre-service teachers to begin their transformation to being serving teachers (Shields, 2003, 12–13). During this they interact with people of different status in a school, including teachers and students, playing a peripheral role with each of these communities of practice (Busher et al., 2007). This is particularly challenging as their cultural knowledge of practice and power in schools lacks sophistication compared with other members (Pierce, 2007).
However, they are supported in their development by school-based teacher mentors, often reported by pre-service teachers as being crucial (Wilkins and Lall, 2010), and university based tutors. In part this is to help pre-service teachers reflect on their practice (Schon, 1987), a central aspect of learning to become successful teachers (Zeichner & Liston, 1987 in Harford & MacRuairc, 2008).
Teacher educators need to understand the problems that pre-service teachers experience during practicums, rather than questioning how to lessen the tension or bridge the gap between theory and practice (Beeth & Adadan, 2006). Part of this is to find ways to help pre-service teachers develop knowledge of teaching prior to their practicums (Trumbull & Fluet, 2008), as well as learning how to reflect on practice.
The following research questions will be investigated in Turkish and English education contexts:
1. What are pre-service teachers’ perceptions of more and less successful practicums?
2. What part do pre-service teachers, their mentors, and their university supervisors think practicums play in developing pre-service teachers’ practices?
3. What are school-based teaching staff perceptions of more and less successful pre-service teachers’ practicums?
4. What are university teaching staff perceptions of more and less successful pre-service teachers’ practicums?
5. What are pre-service teachers’ recommendations for developing successful practicums and their practices?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Beeth, M.E. Adadan, E. (2006) The influences of university-based coursework on field experience. Journal of Science Teacher Education: http://springerlink.metapress.com/content/17g40w15up41750u/fulltext.html at 21.08.2007. Busher, H. Hammersley-Fletcher, L. Turner, C. (2007) Making sense of middle leadership: Community, power and practice, School Leadership and Management, 27, 405-422 Field, J. C., Latta, M. M. (2001) What constitutes becoming experienced in teaching and learning? Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 885–895 Glazier, J.A. (2009) The challenge of repositioning: Teacher learning in the company of others Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 826-834 Harford, J. MacRuairc, G. (2008) Engaging student teachers in meaningful reflective practice, Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1884–1892. Myles, J. Cheng, L. Wang, H. (2006). Teaching in elementary school: Perceptions of foreign-trained teacher candidates on their teaching practicum. Teaching and Teacher Education 22, 233–245. Pierce, K.A. (2007) Betwixt and Between: Liminality in Beginning Teaching The New Educator, 3, 31–49. Schon, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Towards a new design for teaching and learning in the professions San Francisco Ca: Jossey Bass Schulz, R. and Mandzuk, D. (2005). Learning to teach, learning to inquire: A 3-year study ofteacher candidates’ experiences, Teaching and Teacher Education 21, 315–331. Shields, R. (2003) The virtual. London: Routledge. Sim, C. (2006) Preparing for Professional experiences-incorporating pre-service teachers as “communities of practice”, Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 77-83. Ten Dam, G.T.M. Blom, S. (2006) Learning through participation. The potential of school-based teacher education for developing a professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education 22, 647–660. Trumbull, D.J. Fluet, K. (2008) What can be learned from writing about early field experiences? Teaching and Teacher Education 24, 1672–1685. Wilkins, C. Lall, R. (2010) 'Getting by' or getting on'?': Black student teachers' experiences of initial teacher education, Race Equality Teaching, 28, 19-26
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