How Cooperating Teachers and Interns Understand “Teaching for a Better World†During Internship

Twyla Salm, Val Mulholland

Abstract


This study utilized a descriptive questionnaire to determine how interns and cooperating teachers translate the faculty’s expectations for teaching for social justice into practice during internship. The following research questions were formulated to guide the study: what are the similarities and differences between the intern’s and cooperating teacher’s receptiveness to teaching for social justice during in internship? And, how do interns and cooperating teachers differ in their perception of being controversial and integrating world views and perspectives in content and instructional approaches during internship? The participants included 142 cooperating teachers and 54 interns. Just over half of the cooperating teachers described their interns as either rigorously or actively finding some opportunities to teach for social justice. And, even though over a third of the interns reported that they were either rigorously or actively integrating some opportunities, it is notable that fewer interns than cooperating teachers were certain that they were teaching for social justice. The site of greatest tension between interns and cooperating teachers appeared to be in relation to discussing personal biases and what it means to be intentionally controversial.

Keywords


teacher education; social justice; internship

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References


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