Complex Interactions in Student Teaching Lost Opportunities for Learning

Student teaching is a cornerstone of teacher preparation, yet it remains one of the most difficult experiences to understand. Calls for an ecological approach to research on student teaching prompted this study in which the experience is examined from the perspective of the three key triad members....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of teacher education Vol. 60; no. 3; pp. 304 - 322
Main Authors Valencia, Sheila W., Martin, Susan D., Place, Nancy A., Grossman, Pam
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2009
Corwin Press, Inc
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Beginning Teachers
Faculty Development
Feedback (Response)
Holistic Approach
Interaction
Language Arts
Longitudinal Studies
Mentoring
Mentors
Methods
Methods Courses
Opportunities
Practice
Preservice Teachers
Professional development
School environment
Student Teachers
Student Teaching
Teacher centers
Teacher centres
Teacher Education
Teacher Educators
Teacher Improvement
Teachers
Teaching Methods
Training
Vocational guidance
United States
mentoring
teacher education
teacher development
activity theory
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Summary:Student teaching is a cornerstone of teacher preparation, yet it remains one of the most difficult experiences to understand. Calls for an ecological approach to research on student teaching prompted this study in which the experience is examined from the perspective of the three key triad members. Using activity theory, this study explores how their interactions in specific contexts shaped opportunities for student teachers to learn to teach language arts. The findings reveal that all members of the triad were simultaneously operating in multiple settings and facing competing demands that shaped their actions and stances. Consequently, there were numerous instances of lost opportunities for student teachers to learn to teach, including sparse feedback on teaching subject matter and few links to methods courses, plus limited opportunities to develop identities as teachers. The structures that frame student teaching and its participants have deep roots in the cultures of universities and schools that must be considered if student teaching is to maximize its potential.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:0022-4871
1552-7816
DOI:10.1177/0022487109336543