No abstract

As teacher education programs shift to more practice‐based methods in the preparation of literacy teachers, the ways in which teacher educators support the learning of their preservice teachers (PSTs) becomes paramount. In an effort to support PSTs in developing competency in instructional literacy routines, coaching has been found to support PSTs’ understandings of how to teach for student learning. In this article, three approaches to coaching are explored: rehearsals, a modified behind‐the‐glass approach, and structured video reflection. Drawing from rich examples of practice, attention is paid to the ways each method of coaching supports novice teachers in developing competency and the contexts in which each is used.

This chapter outlines five instructional routines utilized by teacher educators to support the development of not only critical thinking but critical doing for future educators. The five routines—collaborative facilitation, behind-the-glass peer reviews, lesson play, virtual peer coaching, and rehearsals—are both described and expanded in a worked example using data from undergraduate coursework for pre-service teachers in literacy education. Individual routines foreground and background particular elements of the teaching process; however, all maintain an emphasis on critical thinking and doing as a core competency. Importantly, these instructional routines were found to be most effective when (1) preservice teachers are given opportunities to engage in multiple iterations of each routine and (2) preservice teacher doing is surrounded by substantial amounts of teacher educator feedback.

Practitioner research is a powerful stance for understanding one's own practice and reporting out to other practitioners for adaptations within their own contexts. This article focuses on how engagement in a longitudinal, digitally-mediated community of practice supports essential work in practitioner research in regards to collective work as teacher educators. Drawing upon our own experiences, we explore the affordances of four digitally mediated communication channels (video meetings, shared file systems, text messaging, and collaborative writing) to promote practitioner research in teacher education across geographically disparate institutions. The authors also share a series of recommendations for teacher educators interested in sustaining long-term, collaborative practitioner research across digital spaces.

We explore how digital tools can support children's creativity in classroom. In response to a growing need for tools to support children's digital literacy, we take a step forward to explore digital tools to support children's digital creativity. We draw insights from interviewing twelve K-6 teachers about their experience using digital tools in the classroom. Findings uncover teachers' perceptions of the role digital tools play in the classroom, intersections between accessibility, usability, and developmental appropriateness of digital tools. The article generates insights on the role of digital tools used by teachers, pedagogic methods, school contexts, and access to interactive technology.