Decentering Normative Practice Through In Situ Teacher ...€¦ · Building community Texts sets,...

Studentdrivencontent

Responsivetowhostudentsareaslearners

Multipleopportunitiesforsuccess

Buildingcommunity

Textssets,Information/literaturecircles

Open-endedteaching

Inquiry

INTRODUCTION TeacherCandidateVoices

METHODOLOGY&METHODS

CONTEXTS/DESIGN

PERSPECTIVES

CONCLUSION

DecenteringNormativePracticeThroughInSituTeacherEducation

Self-StudyMethodology• Tobetterunderstandandenhancecoursedesignandteachingpractices– boththeirimpactand

potential- throughengagingincyclesofactionandreflection(Hamilton&Pinnegar,2000;LaBoskey,2004;Loughran &Russell,2016;Samaras&Freese,2009).

• Recognizessocially-situated,evolvingandco-constitutingnatureoflearningandpractice.

DivisionK,AERAAnnualMeeting,SanAntonio,Texas– May1,2017

LeytonSchnellert,PhD,UniversityofBritishColumbia,OkanaganCampusleyton.schnellert@ubc.caShelleyMoore,UniversityofBritishColumbia,VancouverCampus

urbanclassroomsandschoolsconsciously(re)writingthescriptofmiddleyearseducation.

Herewereportfindingsfromaselfstudyinvestigatinghowimmersionandco-teachinginthesemiddleyearsprogramspositionedteachercandidatesasinquirersre/de/constructingtheirunderstandingsofteachingandlearning.

Themesthatemergedrelatedtocultivatinggenerativespacesforteachercandidatestocritique,disruptandco-createresponsivestudent-centeredcurricularinnovations.

Ifprospectiveteachersaretosupportmoreequitableandpowerfuleducationforstudents,partoftheirprofessionaldevelopmentmustincludedevelopingasenseofmoralpurposeofthenecessitytocontributetotheconstantchangeprocesswithinorganizations (Darling-Hammond&Bransford,2005).

Teachereducationprogramsmustengageinpartnershipswithschoolsanddistrictsthatworktotransformschoolingandteachingintandem(Darling-Hammond&Bransford,2005).

• Whathappenswhenteachereducatorsinvitemiddleschoolteachercandidatestodeveloptheirauthenticteacheridentitiesthroughworkinginruralandurbanschoolsthatareconsciously(re)writingthescriptofmiddleyearseducation?

• Whatemergedasimportantwhenwesoughtoutandcultivateddynamicspacesforteachercandidatelearning,self-acceptance,andresponsivestudent-centeredcurricularinnovation?

1.Howdidwecreatetheconditionsforteachercandidatestobecreativeinwaysthatshapetheirpedagogyandutilizeresources ingenerativeways?

“…it’slearningtobalancewhencanIpushandwhenIcannot?”

“Alwaysbewillingtolearnandgrowandtrythings.”

“Don’tbeafraidtotrysomethingnew,evenifitfails,becausehavingpeoplesupportandbebehindyouwhileyouworkisapowerfulthing.”

“Kidsaregoingtodirectyouandthey’regoingtotellyouwhattheywant,andwhattheydon’tlike,andyouhavetoberesponsivetothat.”

Collaborativeteaching

Exploringtensionsinasafespace

Beingapartofacommunity

Reflectingthroughjournaling

Beinginschools/hands-onlearning

Experiencingvarietyincontexts,perspectives,approaches

FINDINGS

DISCUSSION

• Throughthisinquiry,asco-learners,wehavebeenabletodisruptthenormativescriptsofuniversity-basedmethodscoursesandre-imaginedwhatprofessionallearningforteachercandidatesmightlooklike.

• Basedonthetraditionalacademicexperiencesofmostuniversitystudents(passiverecipientsofknowledge),wefoundthatengagingteachercandidatesasactiveco-constructorsofknowledgewithinclassrooms(supportedbyreflection)inspiredandspurredlearningforteachercandidates,teachers,andmyselfasateachereducator.

Thisprojectaddressescallstoprepareteachercandidatesforrealitiesofschoolstoenablethemtocriticallychallengestatusquopracticesandperspectives,andworkwithotherstore-imagineschooling(Nieto,2000;Risko,2013).

Inthisstudy,weinvestigateifandhowateachereducationmethodscoursebasedoncoreprinciplesrootedinsocialjustice,decenterednormativepractice.

Instructorsinvitedmiddleschoolteachercandidatesto de/re/constructtheirteachingidentitiesthoughinsitucourseworkinlocaland

Thistimeofchangeanduncertaintyhasofferedusanopportunitytoinfusediversity-oriented,place-consciousandinterdisciplinaryapproachesintoourmiddleyearsteachereducationprogramandlocalschools(Gay,2002;Grunewald,2003;Willms,etal.,2009).

Rolheiser,EvansandGambhir (2011)notethat"theprinciplesofequityandinclusionarenowattheforefrontofCanadianeducation…inclusiveeducationcannotremainattheleveloftheoreticaldiscourse...Thegoalistohaveinclusiveeducationbecomeevidentinteachers'practicesandstudents'learning."

RESEARCHQUESTIONS

• WeeklyMiddleSchoolIntegratedMethodscourse– September–earlyDecember

• 12monthprogram,afterdegree• Middleschoolmodelsinclude

grades6-9inBC• Teachercandidatesmaybe

generalists,havetwospecialties,oronemajorwithsinglecoursesinotherrelatedcontentareas

MiddleSchoolIntegratedMethods

Fivevisitsin2011-1012 onesite• Formativeassessment;classprofiles;responsiveco-

planning;co-teaching;co-assessing;criticalreflectionGrew to3schoolsintwoschooldistricts2012-2014(afternoons)• Co-teachingfocus;classroomsembracingrich

pedagogicalmethodsthatarestudent-centered,inquiry-oriented, interdisciplinary;reflexivity

Grewto5schoolsin3districts(fullday)• Continuedfocusonresponsiveteachingandinnovative

pedagogy,butalsoschoollevelrestructuringthatalignswiththeory,practiceandrenewedBCcurriculum

CollaborativeInquiry

CollaborativeInquiryGroup• Teachers from3school

districtsand21/25 middleyearsteachercandidateswithfocusonthenewcurriculum January- June

• SmallSecondarySchoolThinkTank (May)

Methods• All25TCsinvitedtoparticipateafterendofsemester

(ethicsapproval)• Allparticipatedinsemi-structuredinterviewsthat

lasted20-30minutes.• Fieldnotes• Artifactssuchasclassassignmentsandwritten

reflectionswerealsocollectedaspartofthestudy(butnotusedatthisstageofanalysis).

• Instructorresearchjournal

Teaching

• Everyoneneedstobeincluded• Processovercontent;notaboutcoverage

• Wehavetoknowourlearners,wecannotmakeassumptions

• Textcanbeanyandmanythings

Learning

• Itdoesn'thavetobethewayithasalwaysbeen

• Learningneedstobestudentdrivennotteacherdirected

• Learningneedstoconnecttoreallife• Learningisnotaboutachecklist

Assessment

• Learningforourselves(notforanumberorgrade)

• Agradeisnottheendoflearning• Weareassessinglearning- notjudginglearning

• Thereisnoonerightanswer

2.Whatdidteachercandidatesrealize/possibilize/critiqueaboutexistingeducationalprocessesofsystems?

3.Whatdidteachercandidatesdescribeascrucialpedagogicalscaffoldsthatdecenternormativepractice?

ImportantAspectsoftheDesign

Learninginsituwas morepurposeful,especiallyco-teaching,thanotherobservationexperiences,lowerstakesthanpracticum

Increasedcomfortwithandunderstandingofstudentdiversity

Supportededucatorstothinkcreativelyandcritically

Instructorasfacilitatorandco-constructorofpractice,plansandunderstandings

Mentorteachersasresourcesincyclesofactionandreflection

Experiencingdiverseexamplesofinterdisciplinary,student-centered,decolonizing,andinquiry-basedlearningdisruptedpreviousconceptions

MiddleSchoolIntegratedMethods

“Collaboration,Ilearnedformyself,issomethingthatIactuallyreallyneed…itsokaytoseekhelp,anditsokayifit’ssometimeshard.”

“Youcan’tpassjudgmentonthecapabilityortheattentivenessorthewillingnessofastudenttolearn.”

“Studentscomefirst,andweshouldbedesigninganeducationthatletsthemexcel,becausetheyareourfuture.”

“IamlearningmorebytalkingaboutitbecausethatwayIamgettingdifferentperspectives.”

Curriculumspurredinresponseto21st centuryteachingandlearningliteraturechallengestraditionalconceptionsofeducationandoffersalternativeperspectivesonlearning,teachingandknowing(Darling-Hammondetal.,2008;Leander,Phillips&Taylor,2010;OECD,2010,2012).

Agreatdealoflearningthroughexperienceoccurswhenourteachercandidatesexplorelearningaboutteachinginthe‘realworld’ofschools(Loughran &Russell,1997).

“Learningtoteachismuchmorecomplexthanprovidingpropositionalknowledge.Learningtoteachisaprocessthatincludesforwardandbackwardmovements,disequilibriumandvis-versa,aprocessthatrequirescarefulsupporttohelpprospectiveteachersapplywhattheyhavelearnedwithinnewcontexts”(Risko,etal.,2010,p.342).

Trendsthatteachercandidatesreportedincluded:• co-planningwithstudentsasinformants;• feelingownershipoftheirlearningandpractice;• engagingwithcomplexities,ambiguitiesand

recursiveconsiderationofproblemsofpracticefrommultiplelenses

• collaboratingwithinacommunityofinquirywaskeytoongoinglearning

• criticallychallengingstatusquopracticesandperspectivesthroughworkingwithotherstoreimagineschooling

• Insitumethodscoursesofferedinsettingswitheducatorsthatchallengethestatusquoholdpotentialforteachercandidatestocombineexplorationsoftheoryandpracticewhileconcurrentlydevelopingtheirteachingphilosophyandidentity.

• DrawingfromdiverseexperiencesrequiredTCsto(re)considertheirbeliefsaboutteachingandlearningandexploreanddevelopinnovativediversitypositivepractices.