Preservice Teachers’ Conceptual Understanding and Reasoning for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Decisions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: From Theory to Practice: Transformations in Preservice Teacher Practice

Abstract

This research examines the argument that a dichotomy exists between the theoretical and experiential knowledge of preservice teachers. A premise is examined that the value of theoretical and experiential knowledge is dependent on a preservice teacher’s understanding and ability to apply relevant theoretical knowledge to interpret a particular educational context. The implication of the findings of this study is the relevance preservice teachers' conceptual understandings had on their curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. The issue here was not a dichotomy between theory and practice nor was it the degree or level of reflective thinking. Rather, the research data suggests that a preservice teacher's limited, in-depth, or erroneous understanding of a theoretical concept affected curriculum, instruction, and assessment decisions.

Author

• Edward Jadallah, Coastal Carolina University