Building teacher identity with urban youth: Voices of beginning middle school science teachers in an alternative certification program

Abstract

Teacher identity development and change is shaped by the interrelationship between personal biography and experience and professional knowledge linked to the teaching environment, students, subject matter, and culture of the school. Working from this framework, this study examines how beginning teacher interns who are part of an alternative route to teacher certification construct a professional identity as science educators in response to the needs and interests of urban youth. From the teacher interns, we learn that crafting a professional identity as a middle‐level science teacher involves creating a culture around science instruction driven by imagining “what can be,” essentially a vision for a quality and inclusive science curriculum implicating science content, teaching methods, and relationships with their students. The study has important implications for the preparation of a stronger and more diverse teaching force able to provide effective and inclusive science education for all youth. It also suggests the need for greater attention to personal and professional experience and perceptions as critical to the development of a meaningful teacher practice in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1044–1062, 2004

Supporting newly hired teachers of science: attaining teacher professional standards

“…These NHTS used their knowledge of the nature of science and scientific practices, which was learned during their initial certification programme, to create equitable instruction during their first year. Similarly, Proweller and Mitchener (2004) described the success of 15 middle school NHTS in an alternative certification programme committed to working with urban youth. In this year-long study, the NHTS successfully created curricula that combined science knowledge and reflected their students' lived experiences.…”

“…By working closely and identifying with his students, and by continuously reflecting on his own practice, he achieved parity between his actual and envisioned self. Similarly, Proweller and Mitchener (2004) investigated how 15 middle school teachers built their professional identities by working with urban youth. The teachers created curricula that were relevant for urban youth, which allowed the NHTS to challenge their own assumptions about urban youth and to develop their professional identities.…”

Examining the long‐term impact of collaborative action research on teacher identity and practice: the perceptions of K–12 teachers

“…For example, studies have examined how teacher candidates have adopted standards-based teaching and how it contributes to identity formation (Eick 2009). In other instances, emerging teacher candidate identity has been explored in relation to critical agency and social justice (Moore 2008), social-scientific issuesbased teaching (Forbes and Davis 2008), and teaching urban youth (Proweller and Mitchener 2004). Likewise, practicing teachers' identities have been investigated in connection to other concepts such as gender-inclusive pedagogy (Chetcuti 2009), voice (Ritchie 2009), narrative (Upadhyay 2009), science-technology-society-environment teaching (Pedretti et al 2008), social networking technologies (Luehmann and Tinelli 2008), and teacher leadership (Melville, Wallace, and Bartley 2007).…”

Z posluchárny za katedru: Mocenské vztahy ve výuce studentů učitelství

“…Významný vliv na vývoj identity učitele mají také samotní žáci, jejich potřeby a očekávání, jež ovlivňují formu (někdy částečně i obsah) výuky konkrétního učitele (srov. Proweller & Mitchener, 2004). V kontextu vývoje identity výzkumy naznačují, že počáteční vývoj profesní identity učitele je formován představami o vyučování, které jsou tvořeny vlastními předchozími zkušenostmi v roli žáka a také obrazem učite-lů, s nimiž se studenti učitelství během školní docházky setkali (Chong & Low, 2009).…”