Conceptualizing dispositions: intellectual, cultural, and moral domains of teaching

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, we provide a heuristic that organizes dispositions in a manner that is useful for prospective teachers and teacher educators. The heuristic is organized around three domains of dispositions – intellectual, cultural, and moral. We use a small sample of teacher candidate journal entries to ground the discussion of each disposition domain. Our goal is to explore how teacher candidates are inclined to think through issues of content and pedagogy, the cultural backgrounds of their students, and the values driving their moral reasoning. A significant part of this exploration includes examining teacher candidate assumptions. We offer recommendations for how teacher education programs can provide opportunities for prospective teachers to consider their dispositions and to identify how their dispositions influence teaching decisions.

Keywords:

• preservice teacher education
• teacher attitudes
• attitude change
• consciousness raising
• self‐awareness

Notes

1. The authors are merely pointing out the controversy caused by the term ‘social justice’ and are not evaluating its merits as a worthwhile goal in teacher education.