Understanding the Complexity of Teacher Collaborative Learning in a Paired-Placement Context

• In Event: 73.042 - Paired and Traditional Practicums in Clinically Rich and Non–Clinically Rich Teacher Education

Abstract

As context has been increasingly recognized as significant to teacher learning, the literature has called for more theoretically informed approaches to understanding this. The study reported in this paper draws on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and third generation activity theory to investigate teacher learning in paired-placement, an alternative model of teacher placement. This framework is chosen for its capacity to conceptualize ‘context’ and how context shapes learning. This case-study research of four pairs of Vietnamese pre-service teachers of English reveals multi-layered forces that shaped their learning to teach English in a 15-week paired-placement. Beyond reporting the contextual factors influencing teacher learning, the study offers a novel approach of conceptualizing the ‘context’ of teacher learning in such collaborative settings.

Author

• Kim Anh Thi Dang, Monash University