Caroline Pronai, Jennifer Gallo-Fox, Ph.D.

Developing thoughtful, reflective preservice teachers through undergraduate literacy field experiences: A review of assessments

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The current study encompasses one semester of an undergraduate preservice teacher literacy field experience. Preservice teachers participated in a 10-week after-school program in conjunction with a co-requisite instruction and assessment literacy course. The preservice teachers worked with elementary students in an urban setting to help support and strengthen the student’s literacy abilities. The main goal of this study was to understand the student learning that occurred over the course of the semester. The current research focuses on teaching practice and outcomes, interactions with students, and the shaping of learning opportunities within coursework. As a result, this study seeks to examine how this literacy field experience shaped preservice teachers’ practice as thoughtful, reflective practitioners. Data sources included: 170 weekly journal papers and 17 binders documenting weekly work with students, student assessments, and case study reports.