The development of critical teaching among pre -service teachers from a site -based teacher education program: A qualitative case study.

摘要

This study documents how one group of pre-service teachers change and teach over time, from their methodology sequence of coursework, through their student teaching experience. The On-Site Methods (OSM) project, encompasses the practicum-theory based methodology course sequence, and is the initial context for the study. The student teaching experience is the second context for the study. This study emphasizes how the pre-service teachers develop classroom community, implement research as a pedagogical strategy, and engage in dialogue.;The qualitative research paradigm and the qualitative tools of interviewing, observations, focus groups, and data analysis constitute the methodology for the study. The participants are active in the site-based program for the two semesters preceding their student teaching experience. Qualitative analysis methods are utilized. Themes emerge from the written data and triangulation confirms themes and patterns.;The ideas of passive resistance, active resistance, shared resistance, and least resistance are used to describe participants. Passive resistance describes how one participant integrates elements of critical teaching into her student teaching classroom in subtle and quiet ways. She does not directly confront her oppositional cooperating teacher. Active resistance describes the participant who openly critiques the status quo practices she observes in her student teaching placement. She actively resists her cooperating teacher and implements many elements of critical teaching into her classroom. Shared resistance describes the student teacher who is placed with a cooperating teacher who shares the same vision of critical teaching. Together this pair experiments with classroom community, dialogue and research. Finally, the idea of least resistance describes two participants who struggle to implement elements of critical teaching during their student teaching placements. They fall into the non-critical and regimented practices of their cooperating teachers.;Further exploration and analysis of the data illuminates the institutional constraints and influences on the participants' decisions in the classroom. This offers a context for understanding the challenges associated with critical teaching.