Embodied Knowledge in Teacher Education: A Collaborative Self-Study of Child Study Assignments

• In Event: Considering the Embodied Knowledge of Teacher Educators

Abstract

Teacher embodied knowledge is difficult to distill as it comprised of the “knowing without words” (Craig et al., 2018, p. 1) involved in classroom practices, that “are developed over time by a group of practitioners who are engaged in that practice” (Ward, 2004, p. 4). The authors, three teacher educators, have engaged in collaborative self-study to improve and develop our practices for the past decade. We saw an opportunity to examine what embodied knowledge might be evident in our assignment development of a best-loved assignment in teacher education. While we teach in different programs, we all use a version of a ‘child study’ project, and view the this assignment as illustrating core unstated values of our best-loved teaching selves in our various disciplines (Shwab, 1954/1978; Craig, 2013, 2020; Cooper et al., 2020).
We began by each sharing our most recent version of our child study which we used in three varied teacher education courses at three different institutions: middle grades differentiated instruction methods, educational psychology, and elementary bilingual instruction methods. We independently analyzed each assignment, generating open and holistic coding with reflective notes and noticings. In weekly recorded meetings, using these interim texts, we jointly developed shared understandings about implicit and explicit values and purposes within individual assignments. These shared understandings provided the basis for our interim findings, which represent our implicit knowledge embodied within and across our child study assignments

All authors found implementation of a child study instrumental in connecting theory to candidates' current and future instructional practice. The assignments translate theoretical knowledge into practicum experiences where students practice theory application with an inquiry stance toward their selected child. Having all frequently experienced the theory-practice gap in university-based teacher education instruction, we consistently sought ways to bridge this disconnect. We viewed these assignments as developing intentional practices supporting responsive pedagogies. Sustained focus on a child and their actions required teacher candidates to engage beyond superficial observations toward holistic understanding of children's academic, cultural, and personal characteristics. Our assignments require candidates to practice relational pedagogies (Kitchen, 2009), including listening (Waks, 2015), observation, and question posing. Through in-depth practice, teacher candidates engage with the nuance and complexity of children they will teach, challenging flattened understandings and one-size-fits-all approaches while bolstering confidence to enact responsive pedagogies. Our main goal focuses on teacher candidates demonstrating ability to apply and translate content area knowledge into approximations of embodied practice through their work. These findings will be supplemented through detailed examples from our child study assignments.

Authors

• Jane Mcintosh Cooper, University of Houston - Clear Lake

• Christine Beaudry, Nevada State University

• Leslie M. Gauna, University of Houston - Clear Lake