ERIC Number: EJ914927
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 20
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-5328
EISSN: N/A
Imagining the Knowledge, Strengths, and Skills of a Latina Prospective Teacher
Gomez, Mary Louise; Rodriguez, Terri L.
Teacher Education Quarterly, v38 n1 p127-146 Win 2011
Today in the United States, there is a shortage of teachers who culturally and linguistically match the increasing United States school-age population of Latinos/as. Latino/a youth are not faring well academically in U.S. schools. One widely discussed remedy for the low achievement and high dropout rate of Latino/a students is developing a larger pool of Latino/a teachers with whom students can affiliate. In addition to increasing the number of Latino/a prospective teachers, the authors advocate for institutions that prepare teachers to focus on the strengths, knowledge, and skills that Latino/a teacher candidates bring to teacher education and work to improve their experiences on campus and in their course work. This article presents a case study which is embedded within a larger study that aims to understand how Latino/a prospective teachers experience success in their teacher education program, and how they draw upon linguistic and cultural resources in the crafting of professional identities and practices. The authors first present a review of literature that is divided into three thematic parts: (1) making family-school connections; (2) orientations towards political consciousness; and (3) developing personal relationships. These are prominent themes they see as grounding the literature on Latino/a practicing and prospective teachers and paraprofessionals. They then present a snapshot of how one Latina understands her own knowledge, strengths, and skills as a teacher, and contrast that with how several White teacher educators understood these dimensions of her identity. In doing so, they hope to uncover some encouragements and barriers to educating more Latino/a teachers in predominantly white teacher education programs.
Descriptors: Teacher Shortage, Hispanic American Students, Dropout Rate, Low Achievement, Achievement Gap, Teacher Recruitment, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Education Programs, Teacher Educators, Family School Relationship, Politics of Education, Interpersonal Relationship, Student Teacher Evaluation, Context Effect
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A