The Authority of Experience in Learning to Teach: Messages from a Physics Methods Class

This paper develops idea of the authority of to explain unease about teacher education represented in comments of 19 graduate students enrolled in a preservice physics education methods course which combined on-campus classes and teaching placements. Interviews with student teachers after first half of year-long course are organized under four themes: expectations about learning to teach, observation skills, credibility of a professor who teaches every day, and overall perspectives on teacher education. The study found that teacher education is a transition from being under authority to being in authority, and this is an uneasy transition: some students wished to be told what to do when they assume authority, and some did not; some students saw no point to classes that did not speak directly to what to do as teachers, and others found such discussions appealing; some found professor to be authoritative because he was also teaching secondary school physics, while others found his colleagues no less credible for other reasons. The paper recommends that authority of experience be brought to surface so that it is not ignored by students. This can be accomplished through metaphor, life histories, narrative, and journals. (Contains 18 references.) (JDD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are best that can be made from original document. *********************************************************************** THE AUTHORITY OF EXPERIENCE IN LEARNING TO TEACH: MESSAGES FROM A PHYSICS METHODS CLASS' U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Once or Educational Research and linorovemen1 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC, 0 This documenl has teen reoroduce<, as recotved from Me person or organisation originating et 0 Minor changes neve bean made ro improve reprOduCtiOn Quality POints Of view Or OcsnionS Slated in MIS dccumerit do r.ol necessarily represenl official OERI position or policy Hugh Munby and Tom Russell Faculty of Education Queen's University Kingston, Ontario Canada K7L 3N6 Introduction PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATE IAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY