[Not] Speaking Truth to Power: Ethical Dilemmas of Teacher Candidates During the Practicum

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Learning From Challenges and Tensions in Field Experiences

Abstract

I draw on Honig’s (1996) concept of “dilemmatic spaces” in order to analyse ethical dilemmas of teacher candidates during the practicum. The practicum is the first opportunity for teacher candidates to spend a significant period of time in the classroom supervised by experienced teachers and faculty advisors. The supervised environment is important in supporting and mentoring teacher candidates; yet the hierarchical structure of the practicum can lead to ethical dilemmas that emerge in the gap between teacher candidates’ beliefs and desire to explore their teaching identity and the need to please their supervisors. Analyzing the practicum as a dilemmatic space is important in order to better support teacher candidates, and to critically reflect on the structures of teacher education.

Author

• Lilach Marom, Kwantlen Polytechnic University