Purpose: This qualitative study extends jigsaw lesson study (JLS) by focusing specifically on the impact of feedback on teacher candidates' (TCs') professional knowledge and instructional growth in the teacher-educator classroom. Design/methodology/approach: For this study, JLS took place in two different methods courses and followed the lesson…

Five years after an initial self-study on my dialogic teaching practices in a teacher preparation course, I conducted a follow up study to see if I grew as a dialogic teacher in the same class. This article describes the a second self-study of my dialogic teaching practices in an English methods course, and compares findings with the initial…

Secondary English Language Arts classrooms are spaces where teachers can pursue justice through curricular, pedagogical, assessment, and discretionary decisions they make, using popular asset (i.e., cultural modeling, culturally responsive pedagogy) and justice pedagogies (i.e., critical literacies, culturally sustaining pedagogy, restorative…

This case study examines six English Language Arts (ELA) preservice teachers (PSTs) and the ways they recognize injustice and inequity in education, plan for addressing such issues, and engage as teacher-activists toward impacting the issues they recognize. This research was guided by the following two questions: In what ways do ELA PSTs use their…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine undergraduate elementary education teacher candidates' abilities to successfully integrate social justice teaching into their interdisciplinary ELA and social studies thematic units. The projects were analyzed to determine the extent to which, if any, social justice education has been addressed.…

Preservice teachers' (PSTs) writing attitudes have been well formed through countless positive and negative interactions by the time they enter higher education. The present study examined 17 PSTs' beliefs about teaching writing, confidence levels, and plans for future instruction, before and after a semester-long language arts methods course.…

This paper foregrounds sociocultural learning theory and dialogic pedagogy to describe how instructors at two universities, one in the Midwest and one in the mid-South, used a web-based social annotation tool to spark conversations among English language arts methods students who crossed geographic boundaries and invited all students to share…

Set in English Language Arts, this article takes up recent trends in literacy toward investigating ontological notions of digital texts. Two teacher educators recently implemented a series of readings and activities in their methods courses designed to help preservice teachers sophisticate their conceptions of texts beyond autonomous, neutral…

This phenomenological study explored best practices to increase preservice teacher self-efficacy before the student teaching semester. The research was guided by this central inquiry and three sub-questions. Using a pre- and post-phenomenon survey instrument as well as an initial questionnaire and a final reflection, preservice teachers who were…

Teacher education research is in still in the process of developing a robust set of tools that can measure the key features of coursework and fieldwork. This article focuses on the design of measures of "opportunities to learn" (OTLs) in content method courses that can be used across large populations of candidates at diverse preparation…

This qualitative analysis of experiential reflections in two English methods courses considers the ways that perceptions of literacy can shape understandings of social justice and social justice pedagogy. Although social justice is an essential component of English teacher education, scholars are still attempting to transcend theoretical…

As part of a literacy development course and a subsequent language arts methods course, teacher candidates (TCs) participated in a twenty-week community service learning partnership tutoring elementary students in reading. Through TCs' case study course assignments, survey data, and a focus group interview, the researchers analyzed TCs' growth…

Black students and their linguistic resources are undervalued, disdained, disrespected, and disregarded in language arts classrooms. Not only is Black Language often ignored in English language arts instruction, but language more generally remains largely hidden within elementary ELA. Elementary ELA educators are tasked with teaching a vast array…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how preservice teachers (PTs) learn about disciplinary literacy in English language arts (ELA). In mathematics and writing, research has found that teachers' participation in disciplinary work can support their understanding of domain-specific inquiry, problem-solving and argumentation.…

The author asks, "Where can we, as English language arts teachers, create room in our classrooms for curiosity--for students and for ourselves?" She outlines ways to use Genius Hour to help create an equitable, level classroom with access and ownership for all.