![Sample our Education journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5932/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Education.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
When the research team began its qualitative exploration of what and how a cohort of preservice elementary/early childhood teachers’ in the University of California, Los Angeles' IMPACT Urban Teacher Residency Program learned, the 12-member team did not anticipate the degree to which preservice teachers would credit peers in their learning. On the urging of participants, the team began to systematically consider peer interactions. Curious about coherence in teacher education experiences, the team also attended to the program’s promotion of collaborative approaches. This article details ways that preservice teachers collaborated, inside the classroom and beyond, to support their learning and teaching. It also explores university features that supported collaboration including curricular inclusions, cohort models, student-centered seminars, mentor relationships, consistent modeling and feedback, and placement swaps. Findings suggest that peer relationships may be especially important to preservice teachers’ learning and also that university messages can reinforce the value and practices of collaboration.
Acknowledgements
Research for this project was conducted by Kathryn Anderson-Levitt, Kristine Chan, Helen Davis, Jamie Gravell, Fang-Tzu Hsu, Sebastian Lemire, Melody Liao, Sarah Lillo, Justin Mendez, Kate Riedell, Alicia Thomas, and Jenna van Draanen Earwaker. The project was supported by a US Department of Education Teacher Quality Partnership Grant.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Sarah Lillo
Dr. Sarah Lillo is an Assistant Professor of Middle and Secondary Education at Southeast Missouri State University. Her scholarly interests include teacher education, civic engagement, secondary English literature curriculum, and international education.