Acquiring practical knowledge: A study of development through observations of student teaching practice and dialogues of community.

Abstract

This study focuses on the development of practical knowledge during student teaching. Five student teachers participated in a seminar setting with the researcher. Dialogues of experiences and concerns were generated within the seminars in an open forum format. The transcripted dialogues from this small community of learners were combined with fieldnotes from classroom observations and interviews with the student teachers throughout the semester long placement. Growth in practical knowledge was observed using four indicators of change to analyze the seminar transcripts as well as evidences of enactment by observation with the classrooms. Changes in the following areas were observed: perceptions, regarded actions, perspectives, and implied metaphors. Findings revealed that practical knowledge is an integrated enactment of personal biography with formal knowledge and opportunities for learning provided by the student teaching experience. All student teachers showed some change. However, the student teacher who had the most opportunity to enact her beliefs and her developing sense of pedagogical content knowledge showed the highest level of self-conscious awareness of issues and concerns of teaching. This student teacher evidenced the most growth of practical knowledge as she integrated her growing skills with her beliefs. The study serves as partial evidence of the need to consider what factors in student teaching placements and supervision encourage or inhibit reflective practice and the development of practical knowledge.