Democratic Teacher Education Practices

Abstract

A democratic pedagogy for teacher education refers to the dynamic and deliberate process of assembling a professional learning community committed to enacting democratic principles. The key principle among these is the presupposition of equality among all participants as a starting point rather than a goal to be achieved. The learning community is then enriched and shaped by the connections it makes both within the teacher education institution and beyond. The aim is to allow teacher candidates to engage with practicing teachers, school students, parents, elders of cultural groups, academics, policymakers, and other community members. In this way, a democratic pedagogy for teacher education utilizes a community’s funds of knowledge, both local and distant, as an integral component of the teacher education curriculum that emerges through such interaction. It seeks to embrace diversity, participation, inquiry, connectivity, and voice as a means for teacher education.