Is a Teacher Education Program a Context for Productive Learning?

• In Event: Notions of Context, Community, and Identity in Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper uses the concept of productive learning as a framework for interpreting comments made by teacher candidates completing a pre-service teacher education program that was restructured to begin with a long practice teaching assignment. Patterns identified in focus groups and other interview data reveal a number of themes. These themes indicate that teacher education must become a context for productive learning if our schools are to create such contexts for children. The paper illustrates the value of working to understand and interpret the experiences of teacher candidates if they are to become successful contributors to the schools we need.

Authors

• Andrea K. Martin, Queen's University

• Tom Russell, Queen's University