Designing for Critical Technology Literacy in an Urban Teacher Residency: Practice-Based Identity Development

• In Event: 32.038 - Advancing Equitable Student Learning Through Teacher Preparation and Professional Development Innovations That Leverage Learning Technologies

Abstract

The U.S Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan calls for teacher education programs to prepare preservice teachers to bridge the digital use divide “between learners who are using technology in active, creative ways to support their learning and those who predominantly use technology for passive content consumption” (Culatta, 2016, p.5). This paper reports on Phase 1 of a design based research (Bell, 2004) study focused on the transformation of a technology course within an Urban Teacher Residency program aimed at engaging preservice teachers in practice-based professional identity development as both technology-empowered and social justice-oriented educators.

In the current dominant paradigm of “personalized instruction” urban districts force students to follow a rote path within a software program focused only on remediation, rather than engaging students in opportunities for expansive learning. Districts are thereby failing to prepare students to succeed in today’s economy which values divergent thinking (Enyedy, 2014; Kohn, 2016; Watters, 2015). Less advantaged students may only be prepared to do entry-level or service industry work, and miss the preparation necessary to succeed in college (Bowles & Gintis, 2011; Knight, et al., 2013). Teacher education programs require thoughtful design on all levels to prepare teachers to enter this contested terrain, and avoid further reproducing this digital use and other achievement divides (McDonald, et al., 2014).

This paper reports on the redesign of a teacher education course to impact the learning trajectories and practice-based identity development of preservice teachers (Jurow et al., 2012; Nasir & Cooks 2009; Britzman & Greene, 2012). The design focuses on integrating creative uses of technology, such as Youth Participatory Action Research, critical digital pedagogy, and connected learning which have all shown emergent value for productive teacher and student practice-based identity development and civic engagement (Garcia, et al., 2015; Kahne, et al., 2012; Morrell, et al., 2013; Soep, 2014). This paper will focus on how the data collected during participant observation, interview and conjecture mapping (Sandoval, 2014; see Figure 1) is utilized to design phase two - an intervention addressing the following research questions: How is teacher identity as social justice-oriented, technology-empowered STEM educators developed over time in an Urban Teacher Residency? How does this development vary in learning, practicing and teaching spaces?

Urban Teacher Residencies are considered the future of teacher education in previously underserved communities, and include an inherent social justice mission to prepare teachers who will provide an equitable and humane education to students of color (Berry, et al., 2008). Educational technology is also touted as a solution to problems of efficiency, equity, and teacher quality in urban schools. Unfortunately, there is little data on the quality of educational technology in use in these schools, or how best to prepare preservice teachers to utilize the digital tools available to them (Enyedy, 2014). This study aims to provide a model for utilizing design-based research methods to create a transformative experience for teachers that results in a more nuanced understanding of how educational technology might influence their identity around the praxis of social justice education.

Author

• Jamie Gravell, University of California - Los Angeles