Trouble Teaching

Abstract

In our early childhood teacher education program the young child is positioned as a competent and resourceful participant in his/her own learning. Reflection on this image led me to recognise that some aspects of tertiary institutions mean students themselves can be positioned as less empowered learners. As a result of this recognition, new methods of learning/teaching have been employed in a course that focuses on extending students' teaching practices and their skills in reflecting, in an attempt to reposition students as co-constructors of their own knowledge. Strategies used over the past four years include student participation in decisions about content and assessment criteria; cooperative group-work; jigsaw reading tasks; weekly reflective journals; and audio taping, transcribing and reflecting on my own teaching. In order to include a student perspective, students' comments on the process from end-of-course evaluations are included.