“Teaching Up?” Grappling With Diverging Expectations for Teaching Candidates Pursuing Converging Pathways to Licensure

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 8:00 a.m. Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Self-Studies of Teachers' Knowledge, Pedagogy, and Practice (Table 8)

Abstract

“Teaching up” refers to a paradigm of thinking and working that calls educators to “plan curriculum and instruction for students with ‘high ceilings’ of learning and provide scaffolding that enables a very wide range of learners to access and succeed with that work” (Tomlinson, 2023). I advocate for this in my work with teachers and strive to implement it in my university teaching, especially in my graduate Differentiation course. Recently, my beliefs have been challenged as I’ve had to design and teach a new undergraduate Differentiation course (leading to the same certification). This self-study chronicles my struggle to walk out my beliefs when it’s difficult, believing I can’t ask K-12 teachers to do something if I cannot do it myself.

Author

• Kristina J. Doubet, James Madison University