Social Media and the Apprenticeship of Observation

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Contemporary Technology Topics in Teacher Development (Table 18)

Abstract

Before pre-service teachers (PSTs) enter educator preparation programs (EPP), their own experiences as K-12 students shape their understanding and expectations of teaching. This apprenticeship of observation (Lortie, 1975) is now often supplemented by pre-EPP exposure via social media to ideas, resources, and narratives about teachers and teaching. To help explore and conceptualize this new social media element of the apprenticeship of observation, we interviewed PSTs (N=14) about factors, experiences, and role models contributing to their understanding of teaching. Most PSTs reported having learned about teaching via social media, and demonstrated some awareness of challenges associated with professional learning via such platforms. Most PSTs valued content shared by teachers on social media but did not see these teachers as role models.

Authors

• Jeffrey P. Carpenter, Elon University

• Scott Morrison, Elon University

• Grant Doherty, Elon University