Critical Explorations in Teacher Education

• In Event: Constructing Cultural Experience in Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper provides a rationale and supporting evidence for including Critical Explorations in the Classroom (CEC) (Duckworth 2005, 2006) in teacher education (TE). We begin by tracing the evolution of CEC from its origins in Piagetian method in order to suggest the nature of the method’s power. We then report on a 2-year study conducted in one author’s course, during which pre-service teachers undertook a CEC with a K-12 student. Initial findings suggest that many students encountered authentic dilemmas of practice and opened themselves to “new” ways of teacher-thinking. We consider the need for encounters with dilemmas of practice throughout TE programs and the implications of this kind of constructivist engagement for fostering all students’ learning and democratic classroom practices.

Authors

• Susan Jean Mayer, Critical Exploration Press

• Mary Kay Delaney, Meredith College