"I'm Good at School, Luckily, But...": Teacher-Candidates' Conceptualizations of Themselves as Learners and Future Teachers

• In Event: Preservice and In-Service Teachers' Identities and Development

Abstract

In recent years, teachers in the U.S. have been urged to recognize their own positionality in relation to students and the teaching profession. However, for teachers to engage in this work sustainably, they require opportunities to understand how their K-12 experiences shape their identities as learners and future educators. Thus, we present findings from a course collaboration focused on reconciling student and teacher positionalities. Findings showcase the long-term impact of K-12 instructional practices (i.e., how teachers talk about themselves as learners, goals as future teachers); value of processing their K-12 experiences while developing a teacher identity; and importance of teacher education programs prompting teacher candidates to unpack their own positionalities and how they inform their teaching approach.

Authors

• Rebecca E. Linares, University of Colorado - Boulder

• María Cioè-Peña, Penn GSE