A PREPARATION PROGRAM FOR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Abstract

This investigation was designed to aid in the development of a teacher preparation program for alternative teachers. A "Theory of Intersubjective Personal Relationships" was established and utilized throughout the study. The theoretical framework was formulated from a series of concepts derived from the literature of social psychology to guide in collecting and reporting the data, as well as constructing a teacher preparation program for alternative schools. The framework consisted of four key words: (1) choicing, (2) awareness, (3) acceptance, and (4) sharing. The focus of the investigation was concerned with the intersubjective relationships as related to alternative students and their teacher. The case study approach grounded in ethnography and existentialism, was employed in gathering and reporting the data. It permitted the investigator to observe, interact, and record the multiple phenomenon. The investigation focused on the "in school lives" of five alternative students and their teacher. Each of the five students in her/his personal school relationship became the subject of a case study. The investigator, as participant observer, was the instructor of each of the five students. The teacher maintained records of the various interactions with the students. Moreover, she had available documents such as diaries, term papers, journals, and other student-produced artifacts. The case studies were presented using the theory of intersubjective personal relationships. The presentation of each case was organized using the four terms of the theory. Each case was presented to demonstrate at least one of the theoretical behavioral concepts. The resulting data were recorded and analyzed according to the four behavioral concepts. A proposal for a teacher preparation program for alternative teachers was developed from the case studies. The program featured the following provisions: (1) alternative high school student consultants, (2) the study and discussion of the theory, (3) the opportunity to operationalize the theory, (4) the opportunity to develop and understand "support networks," (5) the opportunity to meet, consult, and work with community representatives, (6) the opportunity to maintain diaries and develop other records of experiences, and (7) the opportunity for daily meetings to interact and operationalize the "Theory of Intersubjective Personal Relationships."