Looking Beyond Traditional Sources of Learning in Middle-Grades Literacy Teacher Education

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Middle-Level Teaching and Teacher Education

Abstract

In the field of literacy teacher education, a large body of research suggests the importance of each of three common sources of teacher learning: the apprenticeship of observation, teacher education coursework, and field placement experiences (e.g., Clark et al., 2013; Westrick & Morris, 2016). Grounded in a sociocultural framework (Smagorinsky, 2011; Wertsch, 1985; Vygotsky, 1978, 1987), this qualitative multi-case study (Stake, 2006) traced multiple sources of learning as three middle grades literacy teacher candidates completed their final year in a teacher education program. Qualitative data analysis (Saldana, 2013; Stake, 2005) showed that participants’ learning differed significantly despite enrollment in a common program and pointed to the confluence of multiple sources, rather than one overarching influence, as teacher candidates learned to teach.

Author

• Katie Wester-Neal, Gordon State College