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?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
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
2
Other Participant Data
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Course Handouts
- course materials
- Interviews
- Observations
- Syllabi from University courses
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
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