"I Wasn't Prepared for It to Be So Prescriptive": One Novice and One Expert Teaching in High-Stakes Testing Environments

• In Event: 52.084 - Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: 52.084-14 - Biographical and Documentary Research in Teacher Education

Abstract

Novice teachers often begin their journey with determination, zest, and doubts. Some beginning teachers join the profession directly from teacher education programs, while others, often with useful experience in other fields, enter the classroom via alternative certification programs. We used biographical methods to explore how two English language arts teachers, one novice and one experienced, who have worked under accountability measures in urban settings are affected by this setting. Specifically, we wondered about the pedagogical and professional moves these teachers make. Biographical sketches of both teachers revealed similarities related to text selection, instructional strategies, and attention to the affective domain.

Authors

• KaaVonia Hinton, Old Dominion University

• R. Joseph Rodriguez, University of Houston