Reframing the Portrait

• In Event: Portrait of a Program: Reconceptualizing and Revitalizing Rural Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) for rural schools has been a challenge in the field of education for more than a century (Author, 2016). This task continues to be complex and multifaceted because “rural” is not monolithic and it cannot be demarcated by geographical and population parameters alone. Rather, rural places and their schools demonstrate wide contextual variations in many important attributes such as geographic and professional distances, community size and amenities, salaries, technology access, health disparities, and poverty rates. In order to increase the contextual relevance and effectiveness of PST preparation for rural contexts, this paper will explore several questions:
(1) What makes a teacher education program rural?
(2) How might the literature of “prepare, recruit, retain” be reframed to offer new insights regarding the challenges related to the preparation of teachers for rural schools?
(3) How might the act of preparing teachers address critical components of curriculum, culture, and stereotypes?

We will address these questions through the lens of the Curriculum, Context, and Conveyance (3C) framework, which highlights rural contexts as resource-rich places of inquiry and illustrates how the complexities of rurality can be incorporated into PST program design, content, and delivery (Author, 2019).

The paper will provide the theoretical foundations of the 3C regarding the need to engage aspiring rural teachers in place-conscious curriculum (content and field experiences designed to support professional and personal success in rural schools and communities), the need to emphasize place-conscious context (exploration of the strengths and assets of rural places, communities, and cultures), and the need to develop place-conscious conveyance (contextually-responsive program structure and delivery to increase access to potential teachers in rural communities).

The paper will provide illustrative examples of ways in which each component of the 3C framework is being enacted in an ongoing project across geographically remote areas of a frontier state. It will describe the development and implementation of: 1) three intentionally graduated rural field experiences for aspiring rural teachers; 2) the curricular content and pedagogy designed to support PSTs’ growing understanding of themselves in relation to rural contexts, communities, schools, and classrooms (White & Reid, 2008); and 3) an approach to structuring and delivering a contextually-responsive program for non-traditional rural teacher preparation. The paper will also report findings regarding outcomes from PSTs who have participated in various aspects of the 3C structure as well as "lessons learned" by teacher educators through the process of engaging with rural community partners in the 3C framework.

Authors

• Jayne Downey, Montana State University

• Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech

• Devon G. Brenner, Mississippi State University