research was concerned with poetry which was the central focus of her English
methods course. Student teachers engaged with and often contributed to an online
poetry archive which she created and studied. Drawing on their research meant the
LTEs were teaching from their strength and interests.
Government mandates notwithstanding, each LTE created a unique course. The
LTEs’prior experiences significantly influenced their priorities for their courses and
their pedagogies. They come to their work as“whole”individuals whose successes,
challenges, interests, and commitments shaped their courses and interactions with
others.
9.7 Developing a Pedagogy
As Loughran ( 2006 ) notes, a pedagogy of teacher education is distinct from a
pedagogy for teaching children. Both goals and practices need to be appropriate for
those learning to become teachers.
Using a Personalized Approach. When describing their work as classroom
teachers it was clear the LTEs were very committed to their pupils: getting to know
them individually and tailoring curriculum for individual needs. This personalized
approach continued into their work in higher education because almost all felt that
in order to teach well they needed to know their student teachers as individuals.
Figure9.4shows the importance of developing a relationship with their student
teachers which was a top priority.
Some LTEs engaged in social activities with their student teachers (e.g. going to
the pub, inviting student teachers to their home for a potluck dinner) while others
spent time beyond class hours meeting with students. Bob’s (Australia) beliefs
summarized the views of many when he stated you need to have“productive
relationships”with student teachers. A number involved their student teachers in
their research and a few included student teachers in their work in the community.
Hope (US) said“dear to my heart is a relationship with students that invites them to
co-construct a community space. And what that means to me is being honest, being
transparent, being vulnerable, being willing to change and knowing how to listen.
And to expect the same, that same kind of professional integrity from them as they
respond to me”. By building relationships and a supportive community the LTEs
were modelling a particular kind of teacher, one that Lance (Canada) described as
“creating caring classrooms...building healthy relationships with kids”(Fig.9.5).
Although learning about literacy and acquiring pedagogical strategies were
common goals, interpretations of what student teachers need to know about literacy
theory and teaching strategies varied. Some like Melissa, Dominique, and Maya (all
from US) focused on critical literacy while Amelia and Jessie (both from Canada)
had multiliteracies as the framework for their courses. Jane and Lance (both from
Canada) focused on children’s literature, while Sharon and Margie (both from
9 You Teach Who You Are Until the Government Comes to Class... 143