Bridges to understanding: Reading and talking about children’s literature in teacher education
Abstract
Children's literature holds potential as texts for teacher preparation. Preservice teachers are frequently asked to read children's novels as they explore teaching, learning, students and classrooms. Using lenses of constructivist and narrative theories, this paper documents the learning constructed by two preservice teachers, Renee and Elise. Renee illustrates ways that preservice teachers may interpret children's to help them understand and apply academic theory. Elise illustrates ways that preservice teachers may generate their own theories about the nature of teaching, learning, and classrooms as they interpret children's novels. Both cases point out the importance of providing students with multiple opportunities to articulate and revise their interpretations of children's literature within the context of the education classroom.
Reference
Brenner, D. (2003). Bridges to understanding: Reading and talking about children's literature in teacher education. Action in Teacher Education, 24 (4), 79-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2003.10463282.
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
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
2
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Audio recordings
- course materials
- Interviews
- murals
- Transcriptions
- Video
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
Research Questions
In order to better understand the potential of children's literature as texts for teacher preparation, this study documents
the learning constructed by two preservice teachers, Renee and Elise, who read and interpreted a children's novel (Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (1977) in an introductory teacher education course. p. 79
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes