Tensions Revealed: Coming to Terms With an Antiquated View of Teacher Education

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-15 - Self-Study in Practice

Abstract

This self-study paper describes a realization I encountered through a study about intern student teachers’ difficulty in using the knowledge from their methods course in their student teaching. Through case studies of seven secondary history-social studies interns, I sought to understand their perception of challenges and supports in using new knowledge in the field. On the surface, my study unearthed two tensions inherent in teacher education for interns to utilize complex teaching strategies. At a deeper level, however, my study revealed that my understanding of teacher education was antiquated and incomplete. Through this painful, yet vital, experience, I have come to understand the field of teacher education as more than knowledge acquisition and use, but at its very core practice.

Author

• Anthony Tuf Francis, Oakland University