Section archive - Theories & Approaches

The present study reports on how student teachers’ workplace experiences were transformed into learning experiences. In total, 26 stories from 10 student teachers were collected by means of digital logs and in-depth interviews and unraveled using a new technique of reconstructing stories into webs. The results show that student teachers’ learning from experiences is a process involving many interrelated personal and social aspects, including past and present experiences gained in multiple situations and contexts over time. The findings indicate that reconstructing stories into webs is a promising technique for unraveling the complexity of learning from workplace experiences.

This study examined the subjective and social psychological ways African American test takers experience teacher licensure testing events. Findings illustrate how the licensure testing event can become a racialized experience for some participants through (a) interactions with test proctors and site administrators before and during examinations and (b) actions of other test takers that inadvertently signaled racial stereotypes about test preparation, intelligence, and character. Racialized experiences for participants were not based upon any specific test questions or content.

This article draws on a broader qualitative study of professional learning in schools of the Peoples of the Book (Christians, Jews and Muslims) in post-colonial Australia, addressing the role that the growing number of Australian faith-based schools play in shaping a just and inclusive Australian society. By reviewing material in the public domain, the authors consider in their projection to the public the stated and implied commitment of six Australian faith-based schools of the Peoples of the Book to a transformative, liberatory education. They argue that faith-based schools should articulate their purpose and values to the wider secular society, recognizing that this task also calls upon the secular society to engage with the faith traditions, to strengthen mutual respect and tolerance.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an implementation of teaching rounds as a practice-based approach to pre-service teacher education in mathematics. The main findings are that pre-service teachers found practice-based experience and the subsequent reflections using teaching rounds very valuable compared to other learning experiences. The authors also found that pre-service teachers undertaking a Masters teaching degree were significantly more insightful about planning for and reflecting about teaching practice than those undertaking an undergraduate degree.