Using uncertainty as a learning opportunity during pre-lesson conferences in the teaching practicum

Abstract

This qualitative study examined transcripts and video-data from 32 pre-lesson conferences of 14 cooperating teacher-student teacher dyads during the teaching practicum. It used a linguistic approach to capture student teacher uncertainty, while also considering their teaching experience and pedagogical content knowledge. Cooperating teachers' responses to uncertainty were explored in relation to student teachers’ instructional quality (as perceived by the student teachers and their pupils). This study illustrates the potential of using uncertainty as a learning opportunity and suggests new possibilities for how cooperating teachers could constructively respond to uncertainty in mentoring conversations.