Complex Interactions in Student Teaching

Abstract

Student teaching is a cornerstone of teacher preparation, yet it remains one of the most difficult experiences to understand. Calls for an ecological approach to research on student teaching prompted this study in which the experience is examined from the perspective of the three key triad members. Using activity theory, this study explores how their interactions in specific contexts shaped opportunities for student teachers to learn to teach language arts. The findings reveal that all members of the triad were simultaneously operating in multiple settings and facing competing demands that shaped their actions and stances. Consequently, there were numerous instances of lost opportunities for student teachers to learn to teach, including sparse feedback on teaching subject matter and few links to methods courses, plus limited opportunities to develop identities as teachers. The structures that frame student teaching and its participants have deep roots in the cultures of universities and schools that must be considered if student teaching is to maximize its potential.

Preparing International Pre-Service Teachers for Professional Placement: In-School Induction

“…PSTs are often expected to transform theory into practice without any guidance or direction (Cochran & Smith, 2004;McDonough, 2012;Smith & Lev-Ari, 2005). Literature widely confirms that there is an existing gap between instruction of knowledge in pre-service education programs and what actually transpires during professional placement (Cochran-Smith, 2004;Valencia, Martin, Place & Grossman, 2009). This gap is often labelled the 'Theory-Practice Divide'.…”

What Type of Feedback do Student Teachers Expect from their School Mentors during Practicum Experience? The Case of Spanish EFL Student Teachers

“…This lack of support is highlighted by Ekiz (2006, p. 932) that 'The student teachers were still being left alone in classrooms with, apparently, an idea of 'learning by trial and error'. In this respect, Mai & Baldauf (2010) point out that many student teachers leave the teaching profession because they experience feelings of isolation (Farrell, 2007) and a lack of support from their school mentors (Valencia et al, 2009) during their practicum placements. It can be said that at times teacher candidates perceive that they are given little professional support and guidance in certain areas Hudson, 2012).…”

Creating and Sustaining Professional Learning Partnerships: Activity Theory as an Analytic Tool.

“…The socio-cultural elements that form the base of this model signal clearly the need to pay attention to social dimensions but also to the power dynamics, including discursive contestations that characterise any collective system. The work of Grossman, Smagorinsky and Valencia, (1999), Valencia, Martin, Place and Grossman (2009) as well as Gutiérrez (2008) draws on activity theory to focus on the dynamics of identity formation, examining "how the social organisation of people's everyday practices supports and constrains people's cognitive and social development" (Gutiérrez 2008, p.151). Thus this analytical framework prompts researchers to investigate different elements of social learning systems in order to understand the patterns of social activities and development (Doecke&Kostagritz, 2005).…”