The public schoolhouse is one of the few remaining public spaces in which citizens may routinely gather to discuss controversial issues. Furthermore, it is social studies classrooms and teachers, in particular, that bear the moral imperative to ensure such civic discourse takes place. Nevertheless, many social studies teachers refrain from centering such discussions in their classrooms, often for fear of reprisal should these discussions go awry. It thus falls to social studies teacher educators to rethink how we prepare future teachers. This paper reports on a study that incorporated digital simulations of controversial issues into three preservice social studies teacher preparation methods courses to help develop high-leverage practices associated with leading whole-group discussions. Case study analysis suggests participants developed greater fluency with the teacher moves they practiced in the simulation. Accordingly, participants’ developed greater confidence with and perceived importance of facilitating discussions of controversial issues in their future classrooms. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
The purpose of this study was to explore what students' perceptions were of their classroom experience with their social studies preservice teacher. Through descriptive statistical analysis, this study found that secondary social studies students experienced a student-centered classroom the most, while they experienced cultivation of a classroom community the least.
Objectives or purposesTeaching with student-centered methods is one of the most recent trends in student learning today. The pendulum has swung from the teacher-centered classroom of the 1950s to one that focuses primarily on students' needs, learning styles and abilities (Bhola, 2009), and student engagement in the lessons (Grisham, Ferguson, & Brink, 2004;Peterson, Taylor, Burnham, & Schock, 2009;Sams & Bergmann, 2013). More and more studies have shown that implementation of student-centered methods used to create a student-centered learning environment have far reaching academic and social-emotional impacts on students.
There are few studies in the literature that focus on the perceptions and experiences of the school administrators of new teachers; however, their perceptions of the training new teachers received and their performance in the classroom are required for accreditation. Therefore, this qualitative case study explored the perceptions of school-level administrators regarding the preparation and performance of new teachers. and how school administrators determine the impact new teachers have on student learning and development. Elementary, middle, and high school principals and assistant principals were interviewed or surveyed to determine their perceptions. Three main themes emerged from analysis of the interview and survey data: Indicators of New Teacher Effectiveness, Evidence of Impact on Student Learning, and Identified Areas for Growth. These themes articulated the administrators' perceptions of the graduates' preparation and impact on student learning and development, as well as areas for growth.
This paper explores how the use of digital practice spaces (DPSs) can inform teacher preparation through a reimagining of clinical practice in teacher preparation by addressing the question: what roles might DPSs play in the ecology of apprenticeship opportunities for future educators? We leveraged AACTE's Essential Proclamations and Tenets for Highly Effective Clinical EducatorPreparation as an analytical framework to examine our own experiences using DPSs in our teacher education coursework. We discuss the alignment between these proclamations and the theoretical, conceptual, and practical underpinnings of DPSs. Finally, we consider the remaining proclamations that represent the horizons of DPSs within teacher preparation, a task we undertook as a set of informed provocations, envisioning how DPSs could be designed to support the proclamations not currently supported.
This paper explores how the use of digital practice spaces (DPSs) can inform teacher preparation through a reimagining of clinical practice in teacher preparation by addressing the question: what roles might DPSs play in the ecology of apprenticeship opportunities for future educators? We leveraged AACTE's Essential Proclamations and Tenets for Highly Effective Clinical EducatorPreparation as an analytical framework to examine our own experiences using DPSs in our teacher education coursework. We discuss the alignment between these proclamations and the theoretical, conceptual, and practical underpinnings of DPSs. Finally, we consider the remaining proclamations that represent the horizons of DPSs within teacher preparation, a task we undertook as a set of informed provocations, envisioning how DPSs could be designed to support the proclamations not currently supported.
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