Are Methods Enough? Situating English Education Programs within the Multiple Settings of Learning to Teach
Randi Dickson and Peter Smagorinsky with Jonathan Bush, Leila Christenbury, Bobby Cummings, Marshall George, Peg Graham, Pamela Hartman, Carmen Kynard, Hephzibah Roskelly, Susan Steffel, Ruth Vinz, and Susan Weinstein In this piece, the authors argue that we should reconsider several critical programmatic issues, including the need for greater program coherence, the continuing dilemma of the gulf between schools and universities, and both the promise and the problems of student cohorts. In addition, the authors offer a brief review of the current political climate that questions the value of pedagogical coursework. They urge us to reconsider the value of course work and field experiences, and to look more closely at the observational component in an effort to make it more meaningful. They also call for more investigations into the nature and effects of teacher preparation, “research that can help us and our students articulate the ways our work has import,” especially in these new and challenging times.
English Education, Volume 38, Number 4, July 2006
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