Teaching development and diversity in field-based methods courses
Abstract
This paper focuses on the issue of teaching development and diversity in an innovative elementary and special education teacher preparation program. Using the language arts and physical education components as examples, we describe problematic conceptions that preservice teachers hold about development and diversity and a set of learning experiences aimed at confronting these conceptions and helping undergraduates begin to learn to differentiate instruction. These learning experiences occur in elementary school settings during lessons taught by the university professors as a way to model effective practice and provide links to theory taught in the university.
Reference
Donovan, C. A., Rovegno, I., & Dolly, J. P. (2000). Teaching development and diversity in field-based methods courses. Action in Teacher Education, 22(3), 37–46.
Journal
Action in Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
- "longitudinal": across varying classes over time
- Qualitiative
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
- Elementary/Special Education dual certification
Programatic Focus
- Elementary
- Special Education
Research Location Context
- field-based methods course
- Language arts methods
- physical education methods
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Classroom Discussion
- Course evaluations
- Debriefing meetings
- fieldnotes
- Reflective journals
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
In this paper, we discuss an innovative teacher education program at our university and how we attempt to address two critical issues in teacher education: first, problematic conceptions that preservice teachers hold about development and diversity, and second, the design of quality field experiences. We begin with an overview of the innovative program context.
Then, as examples, we describe a set of learning experiences within field based, language arts and physical education methods components that directly confront preservice teachers' conceptions about development and diversity and begin to help them learn to differentiate instruction.
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes