Colleges and universities compete for students, faculty, research dollars, and status. Coupled with competitive and siloed models of higher education, there are few incentives for institutions to invest in collaborations with each other. However, the authors argue that it is often more effective to address the complex and persistent challenges…

The unprecedented introduction of COVID-19 in Spring 2020 has created an academic earthquake in higher education. There was an instant halt to academic programs, student support, the learning environment, instructional methods, and delivery at all levels. Teacher educational programs were no exception. These programs consist of both coursework and…

Racial literacy is critical pedagogy that seeks to end racism. Developing racial literacy in math teacher education programs is a crucial step in preparing preservice teachers to acknowledge and resist prejudiced and racist math teaching policies and practices before they enter the K-12 classroom. In this essay, I unpack and share how I engaged in…

This article presents a case focused on the experiences of a queer-identifying teacher candidate placed in an educational practicum setting lacking an open and affirming environment. The study examines the challenges faced by the student and explores strategies employed to navigate these difficulties. By analyzing the impact of a non-supportive…

It is critical that pre-service teachers have exposure to practice in order to be successful in their future classrooms. This article describes a step-by-step process of implementing mixed-reality simulation (real-time interaction with avatars, similar to what one would find in a video game) in teacher preparation courses in order to provide…

In response to national and state trends promoting inquiry-based social studies over the last decade, social studies teacher educators at the University of Kentucky revamped their pre-service program to create alignment around the key inquiry concepts of questions, tasks, and sources. Part of the program revision involved the creation of a new…

Research on teacher educators' professional learning has gained increasing interest within science education. Curriculum materials have been suggested as a means of supporting "teacher" learning for several decades but have not yet been examined as a potential tool for supporting the learning of "teacher educators." In this…

In this paper, we put forward a theoretical framework for understanding data literacy in initial teacher education. We have come to understand that data literacy is non-linear, non-hierarchical, and requires pre-service teachers to be able to work with a range of data sources to respond to the complexities of a classroom. Knowledge, therefore, can…

Two teacher educators and two preservice teachers reflect on a culminating creative reflection activity with suggestions for adapting the practice in future teacher education classrooms and implications of the benefits of group reflection practices, particularly in times of crisis. We noted how reflection can help students craft an ideal future…

Practice-based pedagogies, such as representations of practice and approximations of practice, are increasingly common in mathematics teacher education. More needs to be known about how teacher candidates' (TCs') productions through such activities make visible the resources they bring to the work of teaching. In this paper, we highlight our use…

This article describes lessons learned from the implementation of an instructional strategy that was conducted with preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate literacy course highlighting reading and writing as instructional tools to teach content area material across the curriculum. One requirement in the course was a Poetry Project. This…

Reflective practice is foundational in what preservice educators should know and be able to do as noted in professional preparation standards for Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE). Reflection aids preservice educators in connecting course content with field and clinical experiences…

The Creative Arts Laboratory (CAL) was the embodiment of Lee Pogonowski's teaching philosophy and an outgrowth of her work with the Manhattanville Music Curriculum Project (MMCP). Through frequent workshops and weekly in-class mentoring by CAL Teaching Artists, CAL facilitated teachers' capacities to help students make connections across subject…

This article describes a collaboration between the "Rubin Center" and my "Methods of Teaching Art" class and explores how constructivist practices support democratic citizenship and idea-based art education curriculum building. The collaboration came about as a revived attempt to expand the performance-based and experiential…

This article describes the creation of a university-based cross-disciplinary collaboration with elementary schools to address the challenges faced by teacher preparation programs in providing preservice teachers opportunities to design integrated STEM learning environments. The partnership focused on the design of an electric car unit and…