Learning from our Students: Natalie's Story

Abstract

As a result of an amalgamation of teacher education institutions in Auckland, NZ, in 2005, the teacher education programmes were restructured. Lexie Grudnoff (Director of Teacher Education) and I worked with the Dean (Graeme Aitken) and a mathematics teacher educator and researcher (Fiona Ell) to investigate the effects of these new programs. One of these studies involved interviewing four graduates six months into their first teaching position. This poster describes the effects the mathematics courses, and other influences, had on one student teacher’s learning to become an effective teacher. Natalie’s exit results in an earlier quantitative study (Ell, Aitken et al. 2008) showed gains in content knowledge, as well as noticing recognizing and responding to the children’s responses as an expert teacher. Natalie’s story shows the importance of investigating the effects of our own practices and how certification of teachers through gaining academic qualifications can make a difference for children in low income communities. In light of the worldwide interest about whether certifying teachers leads to improved student outcomes, especially for minority students and those in low income communities, detailed studies of student’s perspectives such as this one are important components of evaluation studies.