Preparing to Teach: The Implication of Authentic Activities in Teacher Education Classrooms

• In Event: Cultural Immersion Experiences to Transform Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of Learners

Abstract

Teacher education programs are tasked with a myriad of responsibilities to help improve the quality of future teachers. Field experiences are often required of pre-service teachers in which they observe a classroom as part of a class assignment. However, this is ineffective in preparing pre-service teachers to engage in authentic teaching activities. To foster more authentic activities, a Teaching Assistant program was designed and implemented in a Human Learning and Development course within a School of Education. Case studies utilizing two undergraduate pre-service teachers is presented. Data, including interviews, observations, and end-of-year reflections have been used to better understand how the authentic activities shaped these pre-service teachers identity.

Author

• Michael Downton, St. John's University