The development of teaching philosophies in the absence of formal pre -service teacher education

• Main Author: Turner, B. Curtis
• Language: ENG
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 2005
• Subjects: Teacher education
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3163713

When one considers the expected shortage of qualified secondary science teachers in the next twenty years, identifying indicators, processes, catalyst and obstacles to change is crucial. Specifically, as school systems attempt to address this shortage, many will have to employ teachers who have not gone through a traditional teacher preparation program. A population of such teachers already exists on the post-secondary level since many college instructors have not had any formal training in pedagogy. Nonetheless, some of them have developed pedagogies that might be considered neoteric. This study investigated seven college instructors in science who were identified as exemplars in the instructional style. The study sought to understand how these teachers might have developed their pedagogical philosophies without formal training in pedagogy. It should be emphasized that the teachers' philosophies, not their practices, were investigated.