A Safe Space and a Dynamic Process: Powerful Learning for Teacher Educators

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Twelve
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development Schools and Teacher Education (Table 17)

Abstract

This study investigated the factors that support or constrain professional learning for teacher educators. A virtual summer reading retreat (VSRR) was created to respond to the need of teacher educators to engage in meaningful scholarship while simultaneously preparing teacher candidates in partnership settings. The results from the study highlight the potential impact of specific structural variables on participants’ experiences of professional learning and on their subsequent professional activities and dispositions. It was found that the creation of a safe space along with a dynamic process enabled participants to engage in a unique professional learning experience that was driven by their interests, provided opportunities for reflection, focused on the intellectual processes of their work and facilitated the co-construction of knowledge.

Authors

• Janna Dresden, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Rachelle Curcio, University of North Florida
  Presenting Author