Influences of an Early Whole-School Immersive Field Experience on Preservice Teachers' Professional Knowledge

• In Event: Preservice Teachers' Experiences in Community-Based Field Experiences to Expand Asset Thinking

Abstract

The US education system is in need of strong, dedicated teachers to teach today’s diverse students, and research has identified field experiences as being influential in developing these teachers. In this study, we examined a student organization that has their participants volunteer in a supplemental field experience program starting in their freshman year of college to learn about diverse schools. Using an ethnographic approach, we explored this program’s influences on preservice teachers’ professional knowledge of teaching, understanding of the school context, and potential growth as a future educator. The findings indicated that these preservice teachers gained knowledge of educational context, knowledge of self as an educational professional, and knowledge of personal inquiry from participating in this volunteer student-led organization.

Authors

• Katya Koubek, James Madison University

• Amanda Gantt Sawyer, James Madison University