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Toward A Critical-Pbl: Centering A Critical Consciousness In The Middle Grades, Jaclyn Caires-Hurley, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, Rachel Harrington

Middle Grades Review

The dual pandemic of 2020 that includes racism and COVID-19 demonstrates the need for students to become socially responsible and critically conscious world citizens. Students in the middle grades are developing their sense of identity while concomitantly trying to understand the complex world around them. While many teachers understand the need for critical pedagogy, many still struggle to find time to teach rigorous content standards while integrating social justice education. In this article, we propose the four pillars of Critical-Problem Based Learning (Critical-PBL). Using critical standards, critical problems, critical content, and critical discourse, we offer a framework to support teachers …

Insights From Academics Teaching International Students In Australia, Dawn Joseph Dr, Kay Hartwig Dr

The Qualitative Report

Australia continues to be an attractive destination in the world for international students. For higher education institutions to remain globally competitive there is a need to deliver high quality teaching and learning programs and adequate support structures. This paper forms part of a wider study on improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders at Deakin University (Australia) and adds to the body of knowledge on international students as seen through the eyes of academic staff. It explores the lived experiences of seven academics as they navigate what is required of them when teaching international students in …

Teacher Education In A Dangerous Time: (Re)Imagining Education For Diversity, Democracy And Sustainability, John J. Lupinacci

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article amplifies the importance of social movements like Black Lives Matter and diverse critical educator responses to social suffering, COVID-19, and related critiques of current dominant assumptions of teacher education and Western schooling. The author offers an ecocritical conceptual framework to support education to recognize the importance of how teachers, and teacher educators, can take action as leaders (re)imagining education in support of valuing diversity, democracy, and sustainability. This article calls for an ecocritical pedagogical (re)imagining of how teacher education might be (re)constituted through local activist teaching in collaboration with social movements and in support of social justice and …

Understanding Conflict In Education For Democracy. A Response To "The Value Of Conflict And Disagreement In Democratic Teacher Education", Steven P. Camicia

Democracy and Education

Teachers are often apprehensive about facilitating deliberation in classrooms because conflicts can develop when deliberations surround issues of authentic concern to students. However, conflict is central to deliberation, and the identities and experiences of participants must be reflected in deliberation. These differences challenge the assumptions of neutrality and a common good that can restrain conflict. Harell’s article focuses upon many of these aspects of deliberation and the essential role of facilitators as conflicts emerge from deliberation. In my response to Harell, I extend his findings by developing the themes of conflict, identity, and inclusion. These themes are conceptually linked and …

Teacher Learning And The Difficulties Of Moving Civic Education Forward. A Response To “Beyond The Invisible Barriers Of The Classroom: Iengage And Civic Praxis”, Avner Segall

Democracy and Education

In “Beyond the Invisible Barriers of the Classroom: iEngage and Civic Praxis,” the authors reported on the experiences teachers encountered during a weeklong Youth Engage Civic Institute Camp and the degree to which what teachers learned in the camp was able to move their thinking and practice toward a more critical, justice-oriented approach to civic education. The authors’ analysis thus “considers the ideological shifts the counselors [teachers] made and the likelihood that they will teach beyond the formal classroom as they return to more traditional environments” (Magill et al., 2020, p. 2). In that, the authors were interested not only …

Creating A Foundation Of Well-Being For Teachers And Students Starts With Sel Curriculum In Teacher Education Programs, Deirdre Katz, Julia Mahfouz, Sue Romas

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

During the COVID-19 crisis, it has become clear how unprepared our educational systems are to provide social and emotional support through distance learning. Despite the demands for teachers to support the social and emotional development of their students, our universities are behind the curve in providing coursework to develop their knowledge and skills in these areas. This paper calls us to imagine teacher education with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as a cornerstone in teacher preparation programs. We outline the importance of SEL curriculum in preservice education and suggest a multifaceted approach to teacher preparation.

Cultural Identity Development In Second Language Teacher Education: Toward A Negotiated Model, Hussein Meihami, Naser Rashidi

The Qualitative Report

This is a two-phase study toward understanding the cultural identity development of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers when they participated in cultural negotiation programs and developing a negotiated model of cultural identity development for the second language teacher education programs. To such ends, the analysis of the narratives authored by five experienced and four novice EFL teachers was done by using Wenger’s (1998) community of practice and Pennington’s (2014) TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher identity model to track the cultural identity development of the EFL teachers during the cultural negotiation sessions. Then, by …

Ways Forward In Religious Education: Reflections Of An Australian Colloquium, David Hall Fms, William Sultmann Am

eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia

Within a changed and changing context for Religious Education, scholars and practitioners (n = 57) across Australia gathered to share and discern ways forward in Religious Education (RE) within Catholic schools. A Constant Comparative Analysis process identified five pathways (ways forward) in support of RE (Formation, Pedagogy, Curriculum, Partnerships, and Research). Each pathway was underpinned by foundations in faith, summarised by an integrating principle and advanced through strategic intentions. Faith foundations for Formation were centred in Christ, acknowledged Church tradition and focused on mission as part of one’s faith journey. The arena of Pedagogy was reinforced as dependent on dialogue, …

The Value Of Conflict And Disagreement In Democratic Teacher Education, Kiel F. Harell

Democracy and Education

Deliberative democracy surfaces disagreements so that people holding conflicting stances understand each other’s reasons for the purpose of decision-making. Democratic education approaches should provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice how to address conflict in the collective decision-making process. In this paper, I examine the Foxfire Course for Teachers, a professional development retreat in which teachers learn to practice democratic teaching by themselves experiencing democratic decision-making. In particular, a series of disagreements among course participants is analyzed in detail to understand the learning that resulted and the conditions that supported that learning. As a result of this experiential …

The Foot And The Flag: Patriotism, Place, And The Teaching Of War In A Military Town, Brian Gibbs

Democracy and Education

This manuscript describes the patriotism taught and not taught by nine teachers to the children of soldiers near a military base in the American South. The nine teachers, all participants in a qualitative study, detail the pressures endured and the pedagogical and curricular decisions made as result. The teachers experienced social and political pressure from the broader community to avoid controversial or complex issues, fear that complicated teaching troubling more simple notions of patriotism would stress or possibly traumatize their students (the children of soldiers), and pressure to teach within the district-assigned curriculum map. The teachers responded in different ways. …

Dialectic Of Empathy. A Book Review Of Educating For Empathy: Literacy Learning And Civic Engagement, Dan Deweese

Democracy and Education

In Educating for Empathy: Literacy Learning and Civic Engagement, Mirra describes the value of teaching “critical civic empathy” in K–12 literacy classrooms. Distinguished from standard curricular uses of empathy that stress politeness at the level of the individual, critical civic empathy challenges students to take active steps toward questioning how imbalances of power and privilege arise and what assumptions should be questioned in order to address those imbalances. Mirra examines various teachers who center social issues in their literacy classrooms through the use of literature, the techniques of high school debate, research methodologies that see students as knowledge producers, …

Media Literacy As An Internal And External Process. A Response To “Red States, Blue States, And Media Literacy: Political Context And Media Literacy”, Jolie C. Matthews

Democracy and Education

Curry and Cherner’s article, “Red States, Blue States, and Media Literacy: Political Context and Media Literacy,” discusses preservice teachers’ perspectives of teaching media literacy skills in politically opposite “Red” and “Blue” States. In this response, I argue the inclusion of additional demographic information about participants might open up new avenues for which to analyze the data. I also address how the article theoretically takes up media literacy as well what other definitions exist, with suggestions for how the term might be expanded to include internal (self-reflective) and external (outside sources) processes for students and educators to consider.

Beyond The Invisible Barriers Of The Classroom: Iengage And Civic Praxis, Kevin Russel Magill, Victoria Davis Smith, Brooke Blevins, Karon N. Lecompte

Democracy and Education

Research literature suggests students need to engage in actual civic experiences; however, in most cases, teachers feel unwilling or unable to facilitate experiences beyond the formal classroom setting. In this project, we sought to understand the relationship between social studies teachers’ civic ideology, pedagogical approaches, and instructional decision-making through their engagement in an action civics camp. The project is part of a more significant effort to help critically minded teachers engage in more activist praxis by moving past the often-limiting ideological barriers of the classroom. By activist praxis, we refer to the ways a teacher’s ideology informs pedagogy related to …

Rural Field Experiences: Promising Practices, Janet K. Stramel, Paul Adams

The Advocate

A Rural Field Experience, in which pre-service teachers are totally immersed in the rural school setting and rural life, has been successful in attracting and retaining mathematics and science teachers in rural schools. The week-long Rural Field Experience is having a lasting effect on recruiting and retaining teachers. Responses from teacher education candidates indicate that successful strategies for building partnerships support this program and approach. Funded by an NSF Robert Noyce Scholarship grant, this program includes unique courses focused on issues related to teaching in a rural community.

Collaborating For Gender Equity In Christian Education, Stacy Sowerby, Adrienne R. Castellon

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This essay addresses the importance of teachers promoting gender equity. It explores potential causes for gender discrimination in Christian institutions including double standards, unequal representation, organizational culture and similarity attraction. Strategies to promote gender equity are described such as including positive role models, intentional group formation and linking social issues to the lack of women’s voices; gender education, resource selection, nurturing confidence and efficacy and fostering a non-stereotypical view of women’s leadership styles.

Keywords: Teacher Education, Gender Equity, Women, Leadership

Contextualizing Aesthetics As Social Engagement For Teacher Education, Adam I. Attwood

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Aesthetics is a type of literacy; however, it has been missing in generalist meta-analyses of teacher education. This article adds to the literature by synthesizing aesthetics theory, especially for implications of the historical development of ideas related to visual arts and aesthetics broadly defined for inclusive teacher preparation that promotes social engagement. Various viewpoints are explored in this article for contextualizing the field of aesthetics education as it relates to the preparation of generalist K–12 teachers who are not training to be fine arts teachers. With context, generalist K–12 teachers can be equipped to integrate the arts across other content …

Learning To Teach In Diverse Schools: Two Approaches To Teacher Education, Ashlee B. Anderson, Brittany A. Aronson

The Qualitative Report

With this paper, we explore two approaches to teacher education, paying attention to how teachers are prepared to work in diverse school settings in a time of increasingly competitive neoliberal, market-based reform. These two approaches reflect completion of a traditional teacher education program and completion of Teach for America (TFA). The findings are based on two independent interview studies that are informed by the researchers’ joint commitments to postcritical ethnography, which consider issues associated with positionality, reflexivity, objectivity, and representation. The first interview study engaged teachers who graduated from a traditional teacher education program, as well as two participants with …

Teacher Candidates’ Views On Self And Peer Assessment As A Tool For Student Development, Fisun Bozkurt

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This phenomenological research explores the opinions of social studies teacher candidates about self and peer assessment. It is a descriptive study using qualitative data from a sample of 21 teacher candidates. Research data were collected using a semi-structured interview and the researcher's observation notes. The data were analysed using the descriptive content analysis method. The findings showed that self and peer assessment could serve as a powerful learning activity rather than simply an assessment tool. The results also indicated that self and peer assessment support the development of skills, such as self-regulation, critical thinking and decision-making. Teacher candidates reported that …

Teacher Biography: Solo Analysis Of Preservice Teachers’ Reflections Of Their Experiences In Physical Education, John E. Haynes, Frances Quinn, Judith A. Miller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher biography, as a reflective practice, was implemented in the context of Physical Education in a primary teacher education course at a regional Australian university. Second year students were asked to provide descriptions of a critical incident they experienced at the primary or secondary level in a Physical Education or sporting context (N=214). Their responses comprised the data for this study and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Model was used to determine the levels of complexity of the responses to ‘alternatives for action’ associated with these incidents. More responses were multistructural (48%), than relational (24%), and unistructural (23%), …

Being And Belonging: Student-Teachers’ Contextual Engagement In Schools, Enda Donlon, Elaine Mcdonald, Sabrina Fitzsimons, Pj Sexton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While School Placement is long established as a central component of Initial Teacher Education programmes, there is an increasing awareness that these placement experiences should go beyond the practical activities most directly associated with teaching. This paper considers how engagement in a school placement period with a focus on non-teaching activities contributes to the professional and personal development of student-teachers, and to their sense of ‘belonging’ while on placement. Drawing primarily on the analysis of data obtained from online logs maintained by student-teachers during this predominantly non-teaching placement, it establishes the activities that they engaged in, and their reflections and …

Responding To Student Teachers' Fears: How We're Adjusting During The Covid-19 Shutdowns, Jeremy Delamarter, Mary Ewart

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The COVID-19 epidemic has wrought havoc on both K-12 education and teacher preparation, to say nothing of society in general. For many of our candidates, the normal fears and anxieties that surround student teaching have been magnified to the point of that even our most promising student teachers feel overwhelmed and panicked. In this article, we reflect on the need for teacher educators to acknowledge and respond to their candidates' fears. We outline some of the individual, pedagogical, and programmatic adjustments that we have made in wake of the COVID shutdowns. We conclude by acknowledging that these adjustments are part …