Exploring Chilean Academic Leaders’ Experiences Implementing a Practice-Based Teacher Education Approach

• In Event: The Teaching Profession in Latin America: Education, Reform, and Policy Actors in Chile, Colombia, and Peru

Proposal

In the last few decades, schools of education have faced criticism for focusing on theoretical knowledge and pedagogical concepts (such as learning about teaching) while undervaluing the practical aspects of teaching (learning through teaching). In response, contemporary research in teacher education calls for a practice-based approach that offers pre-service teachers increased opportunities to implement effective teaching practices, known as the core practices model (Grossman et al., 2018; Hauser & Kavanagh, 2019; Peercy & Troyan, 2017). In Chile, this shift is being adopted by some schools of education as they seek to close the gap between teacher training programs and the requirements of K-12 classrooms. At present, two schools have already implemented this model, aiming to provide more relevant preparation for new teachers, create a common professional language, and provide additional opportunities to integrate theory with practice while preserving the complexity of teaching. Despite the substantial body of research highlighting the benefits of practice-based teacher education, there remains a lack of studies examining how schools of education adopt, adapt, and implement this methodology at an institutional level (Whitcomb, 2003).

In this context, this study aims to understand how academic leaders, as key stakeholders in school redesigns, experience the implementation of practice-based curricula and pedagogies organized around core practices within their institutions. Drawing on organizational learning theories, this paper addresses two central questions from the academic leaders' perspectives: (1) What factors support or facilitate the organizational learning of the core practices model? and (2) What factors challenge the organizational learning of the core practices model? Through semi-structured interviews with seven academic leaders involved in program redesign toward the core practices model, this study provides new insights into how this practice-based teacher education approach might drive change in teacher preparation. Specifically, this research identifies factors that support and challenge the organizational learning required to implement the core practices model within schools of education.

Author

• Nina Yacher, Teachers College, Columbia U