Critically Reflective Thinking in Urban Teacher Education: A Comparative Case Study of Two Participants' Experiences as Content Area Teachers.

Abstract

As teacher educators, we explored the impact of a range of teaching approaches to encourage the development of critically reflective thinking (CRT) in teacher candidates. Our study, the second in a series of three investigations, examined differences in two preservice secondary teachers’ responses to CRT as part of a teacher licensure program. We discuss the influence of content area conventions and views on curriculum when preservice teachers are exposed to tools that promote CRT. Our study includes data analyses of the experiences of preservice teachers’ work in urban student-teaching classrooms, along with the university coursework in a teacher preparation program. Our research questions examine the perspectives of two preservice teachers and address the following: On completion of a year-long teacher preparation program focused on encouraging CRT, what are the differences between two preservice teachers in their critically reflective thinking as evidenced by their reflections on teaching? In what ways do the perspectives differ between two content area teachers? And after a first year of teaching, what are these same teachers’ CRT perspectives? Our study is designed to produce usable knowledge—that is, findings that other teacher educators should consider in the design and implementation of field-based experiences and curriculum development for preservice teachers working with diverse student populations.