Building bridges: Creating an online conversation community for preservice teachers

Abstract

This preliminary report is part of a larger study that addresses the online discourse of preservice teachers.The online forum at University of Missouri-St. Louis began in an attempt to improve the “seminar” component of student teaching. Jane Zeni, a professor of English and education, launched the project in 1999. Nancy Robb Singer, an experienced secondary English teacher and Jane’s doctoral assistant, joined the project as a participant observer in 2001. The online forum at University of Missouri-St. Louis began in an attempt to improve the “seminar” component of student teaching. The online conversations have become our primary data source during five student teaching semesters from Fall 2001 to Fall 2003. During that time, we printed, read, and analyzed 2,152 messages from 61 student teachers and an additional 641 messages from university supervisors. The listserv provides a conduit for student teachers to view their past knowledge and values in terms of their current professional experience. Student teachers may begin to see themselves less as passive technicians and more as reflective practitioners who can make real and lasting improvements in their teaching.

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Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

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Certification Level

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Preservice Participants

Preservice Sample Size

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