Coherence,dissonance, and personal style in learning to teach |
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| Authors: | Kathryn Anderson-Levitt Jenna van Draanen Helen M Davis |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Education, Graduate School of Education &2. Information Studies, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA;3. Department of Community Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA;4. UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Concern that practical realities in classrooms will ‘trump’ theories has led some universities to design residency teacher education programs that maximize coherence between university coursework and field experiences. Yet, some research suggests that student teachers can learn from dissonance. This qualitative case study of one cohort in an urban teacher residency program that sought to maximize coherence asks how the apprentice teachers experienced connections between the university and the field. Although apprentices experienced dissonance, they nonetheless expressed coherent philosophies aligned with university values. Coherence was something that individual apprentices constructed for themselves as they developed a personal ‘style’ or way of teaching in a program that welcomed their prior identities. Coherence was achieved through early development of a personal professional identity, not perfect alignment between field and university. |
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| Keywords: | Theory practice relationship student teaching education courses cooperating teachers teacher education programs professional identity |
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