Field-based Teacher Education in Literacy: Preparing Teachers in Real Classroom Contexts
Source: Teaching Education, Volume 26, Issue 4, 2015, Pages 366-382
This article is based on an experiences in designing and implementing an integrated literacy methods course in a field-based teacher education program.
The authors describe issues involved in helping preservice teachers learn to differentiate literacy instruction for diverse learners in urban schools and describe how they use Grossman’s framework of representation, decomposition, and approximation of practice to connect theory and practice.
They offer insights about the importance of using recursive cycles of practice and carefully scaffolded learning through attention to different aspects of practice. Initial successes and challenges in implementing field-based literacy education are discussed.