Re-Envisioning Early Field Experiences in a TESOL Teacher Preparation Program Amid a Global Pandemic

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Resilience and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Teaching and Learning Practices in a Global Pandemic

Abstract

Structured field experiences in general but especially early field practices are crucial for building competent and resilient teachers and fostering professional teacher knowledge when accompanied with the mentorship of a mentor-educator (McMahan & Garza, 2017; Zeichner, 2010). Yet, providing these experiences in teacher preparation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a challenging task. Harnessing technological advances, this presentation describes what one TESOL teacher preparation program did to provide a structured early field experience to their preservice teachers. Using an action research design, this study aimed to examine the role a virtual early field experience practicum played in fostering preservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and technological pedagogical content knowledge when working with multilingual learners.

Author

• Katya Koubek, James Madison University