Wading Through Tension: Developing an Expansive Approach to Literacy Teacher Preparation Through Clinically Based Experiences

• In Event: Decolonizing Literacy Methods: Exploring the Interconnectedness of Practices for Deepening Teacher Knowledge

Abstract

Research indicates intersections exist between teacher knowledge and training (White et al., 2019; Moats, 2014) and constructs of skilled reading (Scarborough, 2001) as we consider how to provide high-quality reading instruction for children from varied social and economic contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine how reading practicum courses across two institutions prepare teacher candidates to respond to intersections between state-mandated guidelines for reading content and pedagogy, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and systemic racism. Initial data analysis suggests TCs need additional support synthesizing across data to make informed decisions, support in confronting tensions between conflicting ideologies of teaching reading, and bolstering how to utilize new understandings of the English orthography as they grapple with developing equitable instruction.

Authors

• Yvonne Franco, University of Tampa

• Margaret Billings Krause, University of South Florida