Abstract
Research on teacher thinking has established a place for itself within the international educational research enterprise. What is not so clear is how studies of teacher thinking may be of use in improving the quality of teacher preparation programs. This paper promotes a consultant role for researchers on teacher thinking in relation to teacher educators. The current state of knowledge about teacher thinking is summarized under three headings: Preconceptions and Implicit Theories, Planning and Reflection, and Dilemmas and Uncertainty. After each summary, a list of questions is offered as food for thought in the pursuit of understanding and improving learning to teach. The author claims that research on teacher thinking can improve teacher preparation by encouraging thoughtful teacher educators to ask better questions of themselves and of their arts.
Keywords
Teacher preparationTeacher educationPedagogyMathematics educationPsychologyReflection (computer programming)Quality (philosophy)Critical thinkingEpistemology
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
From Preparation to Practice: Designing a Continuum to Strengthen and Sustain Teaching
This paper was written to stimulate discussions and debate about what a professional learning continuum from initial preparation through the early years of teaching could be lik...
The Use of Research Knowledge in Teacher Education and Teaching
How are research knowledge and good teaching practice related? This paper analyzes the concept of knowledge utilization and the nature of practical decisions to consider this qu...
The New Meaning of Educational Change
Part I Understanding Educational Change 1. A Brief History of Educational Change 2. Sources of Educational Change 3. The Meaning of Educational Change 4. The Causes and Problems...
School And Society
In the revised and expanded second edition of Schools and Society, authors Walter Feinberg and Jonas F. Soltis invite teachers and administrators to develop their ability to que...
Deconstructing Deficit Thinking
Studies of comprehensive school reform suggest that such efforts often fail because of educators’ unwillingness to examine the root causes of underachievement and of failure amo...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1988
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 5-12
- Citations
- 462
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
462
OpenAlex
Cite This
Christopher M. Clark
(1988).
Asking the Right Questions About Teacher Preparation: Contributions of Research on Teacher Thinking.
Educational Researcher
, 17
(2)
, 5-12.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x017002005
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.3102/0013189x017002005