The Why and How of What We Do: Using Case Studies to Understand Adolescent Development for Teacher Education

• In Event: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Educational Psychology in Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

Purpose
While many teacher preparation programs stress the unique joys and challenges of teaching middle school students, there is less emphasis on what it means to be “developmentally responsive.” Educational psychology provides the grounding foundation to understand and supportively respond to the diverse needs of young adolescents. This paper illustrates one case study strategy incorporating developmental theories and effective middle school structures appropriate for use in teacher preparation programs.

Perspective
Darling-Hammond and Baratz-Snowden (2007) suggest the use of case studies to “bridge the gap between theory and practice and develop skills of reflection and close analysis” for pre-service teachers (p. 127). In a discussion of how cases can be effectively used, the authors state “students can also write cases, learning to represent their experiences and analyze them through the lens of theory, so that they and others can learn from these examples” (p. 128). As part of the process, Paulus and Roberts (2006) argue that group communication and cooperation enhance learning.
Blumenfeld, Hicks, and Krajcik (1996) discuss the use of instructional planning as a means for pre-service teachers to apply their understanding of educational psychology to unit plans and lesson plans with justification of every element. The authors emphasize using educational psychology theorists as a means of helping preservice teachers understand what to teach, how to teach, and how to assess it.

Methods and Data
Similar to Blumenfeld, Hicks, and Krajcik’s (1996) work with lesson plans, in this project, pre-service teachers collaborated to create their own story to illustrate the unique developmental challenges young adolescents navigate. Through rich descriptions, they allowed the reader to analyze characteristics and events using theories of educational psychology and the elements of effective middle schools as outlined in The Successful Middle School: This We Believe (Bishop & Harrison, 2021) and Schools to Watch (middlegradesforum.org, 2018). In pairs, pre-service teachers engaged in peer review analyzing another group’s work. After revisions, they presented their stories with intermittent analysis.
Following the prompt and rubric, descriptive data in the form of exemplars are provided to illustrate pre-service teachers’ understanding of concepts in practice. In addition, for the purposes of this work, pre-service teachers were surveyed about their experiences with the project. Their reflections of the process and product are included in the descriptions of the case study process.

Conclusions
Relevant conclusions include:
(1) Education psychology provides the foundations to help preservice teachers interpret the diverse needs of students;
(2) Using case studies helps preservice teachers develop and express their knowledge of the complexity of the middle school environment and its effects on adolescent learners (Darling-Hammond & Baratz-Snowden, 2007);
(3) Revisiting educational psychology theories at the end of the teacher preparation program may help candidates better understand connections between theory and practice.

Significance
This praxis experience provides future teachers with a strong foundation in human developmental theory and is applicable to other teacher preparation programs. Connecting theories of educational psychology to authentic classroom experiences is worthy of effort in supporting pre-service teachers to meet the dynamic needs of their students.

Author

• Dana Lewis Haraway, James Madison University
  Presenting Author