Tensions Within and Between Systems in the First Years of Teaching

• In Event: 81.033 - MTCC Roundtable Session 38
  In Roundtable Session: 81.033-8 - Preservice Teachers Experiences in Teaching and Learning Beyond the University

Abstract

This longitudinal, multiple case study follows nine teachers as they move from their university program into their third year of in-service teaching. As the teachers began their first years of professional teaching, they participated in multiple systems. The teachers encountered tensions within and between the activity systems, which they attempted to resolve through a variety of resources. The teachers experienced different degrees of success in resolving the tensions. Some of them drew upon reflective practices and their experience of drawing on a professional community to resolve tensions in their teaching contexts. This study suggests the utility of activity theory as a framework for understanding the transition into the first years of professional teaching and in the preparation of teachers.

Author

• Samuel DeJulio, The University of Texas - San Antonio