Literacy metaphors of pre-service elementary teachers: Do they change after instruction? Which metaphors are stable? How do they connect to theories?

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2011.538274The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service elementary teachers’ metaphors of “literacy” and “teaching literacy” at the commencement and conclusion of a year-long literacy methods course at a Midwestern American university. Over a 3-year period, a total of 47 participants enrolled in the two-semester literacy methods course with embedded practicum. Data were entered in NVivio 7 and analyzed for qualitative themes. Results identified six themes of teaching literacy, five of which connect to literacy theories. The majority of the pre-service teachers maintained their metaphorical belief after a year-long methods/practicum course. Four metaphors appeared to be stable across time and population. The article provides implications for linking the research reported with contemporary ideas for teaching in teacher preparation programs

Pre-service teachers' metaphors of teaching and literacy

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02702710701568397The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service elementary teachers’ metaphors of teaching and literacy and then relate their metaphorical images of literacy to content presented in the reading methods course. Specifically, fifty-two participants generated responses to open-ended statements, “Teaching is. . .” and “Literacy is. . .” Results indicated that the pre-service teachers’ metaphors could be grouped into eleven themes for teaching and fourteen themes for literacy. Two themes of teaching that arose in previous research, nurturing and guiding, were evident in the responses of this population as well, illustrating their commonality and perhaps universal nature. The primary literacy theme was the parts/ingredients metaphor (N=8). Four dominant metaphors of literacy were identified: sequence of knowledge and skill, parts that come together as a whole, foundation of life, and journey. Twenty-three (or 44%) of the pre-service teachers wrote metaphors that related to content presented in the reading methods course. We advocate that future research should solicit pre-service teachers’ metaphors of literacy early in the teacher preparation program and students should be taught to examine their metaphors throughout the course of study. Further, novice teachers should be followed into the classroom and monitored as they engage in learning to teach. We believe the metaphor will continue to be a powerful conceptual means for framing and defining teachers’ awareness of their beliefs

Making sense of teaching through metaphors: a review across three studies

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1354060090347564The purpose of this paper is to synthesize findings from three studies that have addressed the conceptualization and application of the metaphor construct to the study of teachers and teaching. We specifically examined the perspectives of elementary and secondary preservice teachers, how the particular metaphors indicated conceptualizations of and orientations to classroom life, and how metaphors influenced teachers’ approaches to teaching, curriculum and their work with pupils. We frame the discussion in light of the larger literature on the relationship of beliefs and practices as it relates to learning to teach and teacher education. The paper provides implications for linking the research reported with contemporary ideas for teaching and teacher preparation

Metaphors and Sense of Teaching: How These Constructs Influence Novice Teachers

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10476210500204887.The purpose of this study was to identify the root metaphors of secondary classroom teachers and to observe ways in which these constructs influence teachers’ work with their students and their environments. Specifically, five case studies of novice teachers were presented. Results indicated that the metaphor of life as a tree was the most common view and that all five participants held a similar childhood metaphor in which they tended to idealize childhood. Overall, the data showed the persistence of ideas that beginning teachers bring to their university preparation and those beliefs extend into actual classroom practice. Teacher development seemed to be more influenced by the schooling environment rather than the preservice preparation the teachers received. Furthermore, these novice teachers felt conflict between their held-beliefs and the reality of teaching and schooling. Implications for teacher educators and future research are included

Preservice Teachers' Metaphors of Teaching in Relation to Literacy Beliefs

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version is available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540600701837632 .The purpose of this study was to examine preservice elementary and secondary English and foreign language teachers’ metaphors and relate their metaphorical images to conceptions of literacy. Specifically, sixty-six participants completed a questionnaire that solicited their sense of teaching. Results indicated that the preservice teachers’ beliefs could be categorized into nine themes. The most common metaphors for teaching were nurturing, guiding, promoting learning and qualities of effective teachers. In comparing response patterns between elementary and secondary, there was considerable overlap among and between categories. There appeared to be limited variability in responses specifically among secondary majors. An association was found between four metaphors and literacy beliefs. We advocate that future research should solicit preservice teachers’ metaphors of literacy across content areas and then compare the selected metaphors to their teacher education literacy program in order to better align student learning with the program’s conceptual framework. Further, novice teachers should be followed into the classroom and monitored as they engage in learning to teach. We believe the metaphor will continue to be a powerful conceptual means for framing and defining teachers’ awareness of their beliefs

A Study of Student Teachers' Reflections on Their Beliefs, Thoughts, and Practices

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The original published version can be found at the following link:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2008.10463482The purposes of this study were to identify critical events that student teachers encountered and to investigate how the interaction between the characteristics of student teachers and their school environment influences their role-assumption strategies. Twenty-seven student teachers (15 elementary and 12 secondary) in three midwestern communities provided data in the form of prepared journal guides, classroom observations, interviews, and questionnaires. Analysis of the data over several phases led to a refined theory of beginning teachers' role-assumption strategies. Perhaps the most significant finding from this study is that the interaction of an individual's needs and perceptions of the salient characteristics of the school and classroom environment results in unique, understandable, and adaptive patterns of behavior aimed not just at the goal of developing competence but at that of contributing to improved school practice. Implications for teacher education, supervision practices, and future research are discussed

Who's Teaching the Teachers? Evidence from the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty and the Survey of Earned Doctorates

In light of a documented shortage of candidates for teacher education faculty positions, this study explores the academic labor market for teacher education faculty utilizing data from the National Survey on Postsecondary Faculty and the Survey of Earned Doctorates. The study sheds light on the factors that predict who becomes a faculty member in teacher education

Political Economy As A Conceptual Framework For The Analysis Of School-University Cooperation

This is the publisher's official version, also available electronically from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=5e28d26e-18a7-43f5-a314-cd656efba2cf%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=4730159.This article presents a further explication of school-university cooperation, a subject initially addressed by these authors in the Summer, 1982 issue of this Journal. Political economy theory is used as a framework for analyzing the interorganizational relationship peculiar to school-university cooperative efforts. Specific cooperative projects are examined in terms of domain and ideological consensus, interorganizational evaluation and work coordination; and their combined effect on resource maintenance/acquisition and political authority/power. Implications for practitioners, administrators and educational theorists are drawn

Functional Relationships Between Universities and Public Schools

This is the publisher's official version, also available electronically from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=5e28d26e-18a7-43f5-a314-cd656efba2cf%40sessionmgr112&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ266088.This article presents a general model for university-public school cooperation based on the experiences of the authors engaged in such activity. Elements of the cooperation model are: volunteerism, responsiveness bilateral decision making, a nucleus of commitment, and a sense of organizational evolution. These characteristics are operationalized through activities in the areas of curriculum development, organizational and staff development, and educational research