“I Came with a Notebook and Pens”: A Study of Student Teachers’ Perceptions about Learning

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It goes without saying that learning is a central axis of teacher education programs. As future teachers, it is important that students understand their own learning and learning processes. As teacher educators, understanding our students' thoughts about learning helps us help them achieve their professional development goals. Examining these thoughts in light of our educational intentions helps us learn about ourselves and continue our own professional development as teacher educators.
At the end of the first year of a two-year program our students prepare a “middle of the road” summative journal entry where they are asked to step back and look at their learning journey in light of the ongoing portfolio they assembled during the year. Through narrative analysis of approximately 40 of these journal entries, we explore our students’ perceptions of their own learning and that of others. Our research looks at questions such as what do they think learning is all about after a year in the program? How do they view their own learning processes and learning preferences? What do they think about pupil learning? How are these issues connected?
Our analysis also allows us to better understand the learning processes they have experienced during the year. For example, a process of 'unlearning' can be identified in the following statements describing students' reactions to their first encounters with the program:
"The first day I came equipped with a notebook and pens. It wasn’t what I expected to learn and write. It’s all talking … then I started asking questions."
"I always thought that academic learning was when everyone sits and listens to the lecturers and acquires the necessary knowledge."
This presentation will look at our students' insights about learning which will be discussed in light of our educational intentions.

Stream: Teacher Training and Professional Development

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Teacher educator in the ACE (Active Collaborative Education) program in the Kaye Academic College of Education, Beer Sheva, Israel; Ph.D. in organizational psychology. Member of the CETI (Center for Educational Technology Initiatives) lead team in the college. Interests include organizational learning and organizational change, the use of technology in education to improve teaching and learning, and the professional development of teachers and teacher educators.

Educator in the ACE (Active Collaborative Education) teacher education program and in the School Counselor M.Ed. program in the Kaye Academic College of Education, Beer Sheva, Israel. Degrees in psychology, philosophy and educational counseling. Research interests include qualitative research, children with conduct disorder and developmental problems, inclusion and stratification in regular schools, professional development of teachers and educational counselors.