The Trifecta Framework: Preparing Agents of Change in Urban Education

Abstract

The research reported on in this article investigates a question that continues to perplex educators: How might a carefully designed course that provides opportunities for changes in participants’ learning and practices be used in the preparation of the next generation of scholars/practitioners as equity-minded agents of change? Data analyzed from a course, taught to students for over a decade, designed around this question revealed development of conceptual, epistemological, and behavioral change in participants. We propose that instruction that strategically combines three critical components of the course—referred to as a trifecta—could facilitate generative thinking and serve as a catalyst in preparing agents of change who are able to confront inequality and enact social justice in urban schools.

Action learning and public health pedagogy: Student reflections from an experiential public health course

“…The combination of applied learning and critical reflection is essential to a continual process of thinking and doing (13). Similarly, Ball et al 's framework for training educators to advance equity suggests that epistemological change is generated when learners are simultaneously (1) exposed to theoretical frameworks, (2) challenged with real-world problem solving, and (3) engaged in critical selfreflection (15). Thematic elements gleaned from these studies can help educators better understand how students construct meaning from their practicum and classroom experiences.…”