Abstract
The public education system in the United States has long been under assault from neoliberal educational reforms. Those reforms have been characterized by anti-democratic and homogenizing assessment methods and systems that reinforce the banking model of education. In this model, students learn to passively and uncritically consume the knowledge transmitted to them in school. In order to counteract the banking model, this research urged first-year, pre-service teachers (PSTs) in an Introduction with Internship in Bilingual/ESL Education college coursework to engage in a dialogic problem-posing pedagogy grounded in a Freirian perspective. PSTs conducted a mini research-based practicum (RBP) that was six weeks long and required a total of 24-hour field observations across local public elementary schools. The RBP framework consisted of a research question, a mini literature review, practicum observations, findings, a group-written report, and a group presentation. In this study, we analyzed the RBP process and data sources that responded to our guiding question: What counts as good teaching according to PSTs? The major findings included: (a) good teaching means relationship building, (b) good teaching starts with understanding the multiple roles of the teacher, and (c) good teaching is inclusive. We discussed the transformative moves that PSTs went through while engaging in a dialogic problem-posing pedagogy. Teacher-educators (TEs) can benefit from this study, as the viability of the transformative effects of a dialogic problem-posing pedagogy, along with its challenges and coping methods, were discussed.
Highlights
The public education system in the United States has long been under assault from neoliberal educational reforms (Giroux, 2014, 2015; Ravitch, 2010)
One pre-service teachers (PSTs) shared her difficulty coping with children who presented a pattern of misbehavior during instruction time or individual and group activities
Another PST shared her ideas about children misbehavior, noting, “I see that the majority of the kids misbehave or disrupt the classroom due to their age, lack of independence, as well as lack of attention they receive from home” (Fernanda, field experience report)
Summary
The public education system in the United States has long been under assault from neoliberal educational reforms (Giroux, 2014, 2015; Ravitch, 2010) Those reforms have been characterized by antidemocratic and homogenizing assessment methods and systems that reinforce the banking model (as coined in Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (2010) of education. Students learn to passively and uncritically consume the knowledge transmitted in school This is problematic because students complete their schooling without gaining the skills or understanding to participate in a democratic society. Pre-service teachers can gain clarity by working to expand their views during their Teacher Education Program (TEP). Their experiences, knowledge, and practices will determine the future of their students’ learning environment, classroom structure, assessment type, and, eventually, the overall educational system
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