Using a cross-case analysis of online, on-campus and online university teacher preparation courses, this study critically examines the constraints and affordances of online teacher education in preparing teachers for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) urban schools. The results of the study indicate that while there was no significant difference between online and on-campus courses in terms of teacher acquisition of knowledge related to CLD instruction and assessment, questions remain about whether online teacher preparation can promote critical self-reflection, culturally responsive teaching practices, and collaboration within schools, when teacher learning is not supported and situated in schools and communities in an ongoing and structured way.
The research reported on in this article investigates a question that continues to perplex educators: How might a carefully designed course that provides opportunities for changes in participants’ learning and practices be used in the preparation of the next generation of scholars/practitioners as equity-minded agents of change? Data analyzed from a course, taught to students for over a decade, designed around this question revealed development of conceptual, epistemological, and behavioral change in participants. We propose that instruction that strategically combines three critical components of the course—referred to as a trifecta—could facilitate generative thinking and serve as a catalyst in preparing agents of change who are able to confront inequality and enact social justice in urban schools.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.