Social Semiotics and Preservice Teacher Trends: What Can Their Tracings Tell Us About Their Thoughts?

• In Event: Semiotic Understandings of Education

Abstract

Preservice teachers are in the process of constructing their own personal and professional teacher identities. The examination of their “teacher” ideologies therefore becomes an important part of understanding the students themselves as well as the choices they make regarding their educational preparation. This study examined images of teachers that were created by preservice teachers. Visual and social semiotic analyses of the images resulted in a reading of teachers whose presentation, framing, and other modality cues indicated an isolate, static and somewhat superficial figure. Student ideologies that understand teachers to be individuals who are isolated, superficial, and impossibly perfect may have a negative effect not only on preservice teacher recruitment but also on in-service teacher morale and self-identity.

Author

• Elvira K. Katic, Ramapo College