TEACHER EDUCATORS FOUR SPHERES OF KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO

TEACHER EDUCATORS: FOUR SPHERES OF KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO TEACH THE 7 PRIORITIES Clare Kosnik Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto

LITERACY TEACHER EDUCATORS: THEIR BACKGROUNDS, VISIONS, AND PRACTICES to study in depth a group of literacy/English teacher educators, with attention to their backgrounds, knowledge, research activities, identity, view of current government initiatives, pedagogy, and course goals.

Simply put, it is reasonable to assume that quality teacher preparation depends on quality teacher educators. Yet, almost nowhere is attention being paid to what teacher educators should know and be able to do. Goodwin and Kosnik

28 PARTICIPANTS: CANADA, US, ENGLAND, & AUSTRALIA Years at the University 1 -5 years = 7 6 -10 years = 10 11 -15 years = 2 16 -20 years= 5 21+ years = 4 Years as a Teacher 0 years = 1 1 -5 years = 3 6 -10 years = 12 11 -20 years= 6 21+ years = 6

WHY IS CLASSROOM TEACHING EXPERIENCE NOT SUFFICIENT?

WHAT DO TEACHER EDUCATORS NEED TO KNOW TO ADDRESS THE SEVEN PRIORITIES? • program planning • pupil assessment • classroom organization and community • inclusive pedagogy • subject specific knowledge • a vision of teaching • professional identity

4 SPHERES OF KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE OF RESEARCH LTEs unanimously felt a positive disposition towards conducting and using research

WHY RESEARCH? Ø conduct research Ø read research -based articles Ø draw on research in their teaching

BEING INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS Of course I’m always finding out new things, but that's part of what I mean about being intellectually active and critical. Justin One needs to develop the professional and intellectual resources to be able to engage Bob

KNOWLEDGE OF PEDAGOGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

HOW TO TEACH THE PRIORITIES Weaving theory and practice

one cannot simply replicate one’s practices as a classroom teacher in the university setting; there is no direct application of the skills used for teaching children to teaching adults

HELP STUDENT TEACHERS DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY

EXEMPLARY PEDAGOGY Doing a literacy/math autobiography Conducting a case study of a struggling student Analzying children’s work Experiencing the authoring cycle Doing a multimedia essay Participating in a poetry jam Presenting on a “hot” topic Volunteering in the community Creating a space for difficult discussions

WHAT DO STUDENT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW TO BE EFFECTIVE TEACHERS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY? What learning opportunities should we provide?

KNOWLEDGE OF LITERACY AND LITERACY TEACHING content area must be considered separately because each discipline places different demands on teacher educators (Boyd & Harris, 2010)

Our understanding of “literacy” is undergoing dramatic changes as an array of communication channels has extended the boundaries of communication and forms of knowledge construction (Kress, 2010)

Priority: Subject Specific Knowledge

KNOWLEDGE OF SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES Priorities • program planning • pupil assessment • classroom organization and community (including classroom management) • inclusive pedagogy

“I have experienced 4 or possibly 5 different versions of the national curriculum in the UK, so preparing them for the version that currently exists isn’t doing them any favors, they need to prepare, not only for this version… but also for the other ones that will come along. ” Justin

REMAINING CONNECTED TO TEACHERS

5 TH SPHERE – KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL ISSUES FACING THE COMMUNITY

HOW DO TEACHER EDUCATORS LEARN? Researching their practice Observing other teacher educators Working with classroom teachers Being part of international research teams Engaging in trial and error with their teaching Reflecting on their teaching Reading journal articles Attending conferences Listening to their student teachers

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