ECUR 273 is an introductory language arts methodology course. In it, I provide students with opportunities to develop a vision of themselves as teachers which reflects and encompasses their knowledge of children as situated in the context of their families and communities. To this end, we talk about welcoming parents and building relationships with them, about engaging parents in their children’s schooling experiences, and we explore how classroom and student programming decisions can be made collaboratively with parents.
For one of their assignments, teacher candidates come to know an elementary school-aged student as an individual, as a reader and writer, and as a member of a family and community. As they spend time engaging with the student both in and out of school, they reflect on, discuss with colleagues and demonstrate to me how their beliefs and practices as a teacher (e.g. planning, classroom design, instructional strategies and activities, selection of literature) will be shaped by the contextual knowledge they gained of the child.
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