In this study, a group of teacher educators converse about their teaching practice in light of a new provincial K-12 program of social studies. The most noteworthy feature of this new program is its explicit call for teachers to include Aboriginal and Francophone perspectives as they teach to the program's two central themes of "identity" and…

This paper discusses research on a Partner Classroom pilot program that was implemented over a two-year period to provide "high quality," "targeted" field experiences in a senior-level elementary literacy methods course. The aim was to shift the focus from passive watching and engagement in routine classroom tasks to emphasize guided observations,…

In a world increasingly globalised, it is crucial that preservice teachers are equipped with a range of pedagogical knowledges, understandings and practices related to diversity and difference. This paper reports on the implementation and learning outcomes of a teacher preparation initiative in an Australian university called Refugee Action…

This paper is driven by a simple question: what type of collective space is a classroom and how can it be imagined differently? Drawing on the social topography provided by Hardt and Negri, I suggest that schools have traditionally worked to produce either (a) a people; (b) a crowd; or (c) the masses. The problem with these forms of social…

This investigation is a descriptive study documenting the inclusion of sexual orientation (gay and lesbian) topics in a sample of 65 public university elementary teacher preparation programs across the USA (representing the preparation of 14,000-19,000 new teachers annually). Findings indicate that only 55.6% of programs address sexual orientation…

This study used responses of 20 student teachers to describe the different ways in which student teachers perceive the practice of their mentors as internal triggers for learning in their practicum experiences in the schools. Reported observations from pedagogical journals of student teachers were described according to various kinds of teaching…

This article explores the social and professional dynamics "when teachers face teachers" seeking to impact colleagues' instructional practices to improve student learning. Specifically, it examines a group of 40 teachers leading staff development sessions at their schools in an effort to bring more literacy strategies into the pedagogies of…

From October 2004 to June 2006 I worked as a curriculum leader across 18 elementary schools as part of an Alberta Incentive for School Improvement (AISI) project focused on the reform question "How does inquiry transform learning environments?". In support of professional development, I worked closely with teachers in discussion, planning, and…

This study grew out of a course I teach for undergraduate teacher certification candidates ("Education in the United States") in which the final assignment--"A cultural memoir of schooling"--requires students to study the events, policies and stakeholders in American education through the experiences of their extended families. The article…

Schools of education struggle to provide future teachers with opportunities to engage in and practice parent-teacher conferences. This manuscript addresses the diffusion of a signature pedagogy from medical education to teacher education, specifically highlighting the design and implementation considerations surrounding simulated parent-teacher…

At the University of Ballarat, pre-service teachers (PSTs) in their second year of the Bachelor of Education (P-10) are required to plan community-based teaching and learning in conjunction with school students, their teachers and schools along with community organizations. These requirements are in synergy with curriculum developments in schools…

As professors of "Culturally Relevant Teaching", we seek to expand pre-service teachers' understanding of cultures through critical examination of personal cultural backgrounds, as well as, of those diverse groups who historically have experienced oppression in US society and its educational system. We share the story of how we develop and…

In this article, the authors reply to the arguments of Professors Nagel and Ladwig on the article "The logic of convergence and uniformity in teacher production". Professor Ladwig's review of their article is particularly valuable in two respects. First, it highlights the need for an institutional level of analysis to explain fully and inform…

The metaphorical basis of teacher reflection about teaching and learning has been a rich area of theory and research. This is a study of metaphor as a shared system of interpretation and classification, which teachers and student teachers and their supervising teachers can cooperatively explore. This study employs metaphor as a means of research…

This paper describes and analyzes the use of Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed (TO) as a form of academic and social support used in a recruitment and retention program for bilingual teachers in the Southeastern United States. We use critical discourse analysis to understand how TO works to disrupt monologic relationships and reestablish…