Abstract
Teacher preparation programs in the United States are expected to educate preservice teacher candidates through instructor-learner partnerships. Collaborative learning, project-based learning, and authentic assessment therefore are vital for preparing teacher candidates to teach in 7-12 grades. This chapter shares instances of instructor-learner partnership from an undergraduate educational psychology course via course-based and field-based assignments. First, an overview of constructivism is presented as foundational theory anchoring instructor-learner partnership in the teacher preparation course. Next, instructor-learner partnership is illustrated within a simulation task, technology-enhanced project, and fieldwork experience. Finally, instructor-learner partnership in formative assessment of course-based and field-based activities are illustrated. The chapter concludes with recommendations for inculcating instructor-learner partnership in teacher education courses, and directions for future research pertinent to instructor-learner partnership in teacher preparation programs.
TopBackground
Constructivist View of Learning
Constructivist view of learning is based on the premises that learners acquire knowledge by actively investigating and manipulating complex information encountered within their learning space. Findings from Borba, Alves, and Campagnolo (2020) study indicated that there was important relationship between learning space and student engagement in learning as well as student-faculty interactions in higher education. Teaching approaches adopted within the constructivist view is customarily student-centered, wherein the teacher is a facilitator, guide, and mediator and the learner, a designer, manager, and evaluator of one’s own knowledge construction (Vanhorn et al., 2019).
Interactions with teachers and peers, another salient element of constructivist view of learning, contribute towards acquisition of information. In addition to emphasizing teacher and peer interactions, constructivist view of learning also advocates teacher-mediated learning and peer-assisted learning as student-centered approaches for building higher thinking such as problem-solving (Bruner,1985).
This chapter showcases instances of instructor-learner interactions and peer interactions from collaborative activities. The purpose of presenting excerpts from collaborative activities completed during face-to-face weekly meetings is to illustrate the social nature of student-centered learning which gets supported via teacher-mediated learning and peer-assisted learning, thereby promoting instructor-learner partnership and student learning within active learning environments (Lee, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Simulation: Participating in an educational activity that could be replicated in a real situation.
Collaborative Learning: Working on educational task with peers to learn course information.
Self-Evaluation: Review one’s learning and performance with checklist, rubric, or rating scale.
Instructor-Learner Partnership: College faculty and student collaboratively selecting and developing educational materials, course assignments, and grading protocols.
Scaffolding: Facilitating learning through prompts, cues, examples, and demonstrations.
Authentic Assessment: Judging students’ learning and performance in real life situations.
Teacher Candidates: College students enrolled in a teacher education program which leads to teacher certification and bachelor’s degree upon completion of their undergraduate education.
Assessment Rubric: A table consisting of criteria for rating students’ learning and performance on a point system, where 1 = Poor, 2 = Average, 3 = Good, and 4 = Excellent.
Learner-Centered Instruction: Learning through independent research, peer interaction, and instructor guidance.
Technology-Enhanced Instruction: Teaching and learning process involving use of interactive computer software and internet applications.