Powerful pedagogy: Learning from and about teaching in an elementary literacy course

Abstract

Pedagogy is an important aspect of teacher education, and the teacher educator's pedagogy can help the preservice teacher understand the complexities inherent in teaching. This study examined one elementary literacy course in a master's level teacher education program. Data collection involved classroom observation and interviews with the professor and two students. In this course, the professor models good teaching and designs valuable projects and experiences for her students. Her thoughtful and continual consideration of pedagogy serves to make this an exemplary teacher education course and highlights the powerful role that pedagogy can play in teacher education.

Reference

Thompson, C. S. (2006). Powerful pedagogy: Learning from and about teaching in an elementary literacy course. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 194-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.09.003

Journal

Teaching and Teacher Education

Analysis

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

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

Research Approach

none stated
Qualitiative

Geographic Setting

northwest

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

Elementary

Programatic Focus

Literacy Education
not stated

Research Location Context

Literacy methods course
Reading and language arts methods course
University

Preservice Participants

Graduate Students
Masters of Arts in Teaching

Preservice Sample Size

Other Participant Data

University Professor

Duration of Data Collection

3 months or less

Data Sources

Course Handouts
course materials
Interviews
Observations
Syllabi from University courses

Data Analysis Tools

Thematic analysis

Researcher Positionality

not stated

Research Questions

Thompson focused her work on two areas of concern in teacher education: connection between theory and practice for novice teachers AND supporting students as they transition from being a student to being a teacher. There are no formal research questions in the paper. However, these were the two areas that she was seeking to gain insight into in the context of a university course.
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No