Interrogating Authenticity in Outdoor Education Teacher Education: Applications in Practice (Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 21)

This book addresses student passivity in teacher education. Using a developed metaphor, the author critically examines the use of authentic learning to design and implement learning experiences for preservice teachers, and reveals the opportunities and limitations of a focus on authenticity. This book prepares teachers for outdoor education using practice-based exemplars of applied teaching theories. Focusing on authentic pedagogies, it applies to all teacher educators who seek to engage in high-impact learning for their students, and is relevant for in-service educators, preservice teachers and researchers in the field of self-study. Overview of the Contents 7 References 9 Acknowledgements 10 Prologue 11 Reference 13 Contents 14 Part I: Contextual and Methodological Aspects of the Study 17 Context of the Study 18 Introduction 18 Situating the Study: My Beliefs About Teaching and Learning 19 A Moderate Constructivist Stance 19 Description of the Curriculum Course 21 Situating the Study: The Education Literature 22 Context: Outdoor Education in Aotearoa New Zealand 22 Health and Physical Education Curriculum 23 Advantages of OE Within the HPE Document 24 Potential Problems Having OE Within the HPE Document 24 The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) 26 Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) Guidelines 26 Outdoor Education as It Occurs in Schools 27 What Constitutes Legitimate Knowledge in Outdoor Education? 28 Implications of Fatalities in Outdoor Education 29 Context: Initial Teacher Education 30 National Prescriptions for Teacher Education 32 Outdoor Education Teacher Education Within the Curriculum Course 33 Gaps in the Literature 34 Summary 34 References 35 Passivity and Authenticity in Teacher Education 39 Initial Teacher Education 39 Challenges for Teacher Education 40 Challenging Unhelpful Beliefs of Pre-Service Teachers 41 Unhelpful Practices in Teacher Education 42 Quality Learning 43 Authentic Learning 44 Authenticity Defined 45 Scaffolding 47 Section Summary: Authenticity and Scaffolding 50 Developing a Metaphor 50 Using a Metaphor as a Research Tool 50 Using Metaphors: Some Benefits 51 Using Metaphors: Some Challenges 51 An Aspirational Metaphor: EOTC Guidelines 52 My Negative Metaphor: A Back-Bearing on Passenger Roles in Initial Teacher Education 53 Implications for This Book 54 Opportunities to Investigate Authentic Learning Within My Course 55 Summary 55 References 56 Self-Study Informed by Pragmatism and Schwab’s Commonplaces 60 Introduction 60 Using Pragmatism to Cope with Conflicting Discourses 61 Applying Pragmatism to Schwab’s “Commonplaces” Framework 62 What Is Self-Study? 64 Why Self-Study? 66 Trustworthiness 67 Trustworthiness Through the Use of Multiple, Established Data Gathering Techniques 67 Credibility Beyond the Self-Study Community 68 Critiques from Within the Self-Study Community 69 Methodological Framework 69 Schwab’s Commonplaces: Self-Study with Others 70 Commonplace of the Teacher Educator 71 Participant Description: Myself as Teacher Educator in This Study 72 Commonplace of the Pre-Service Teachers 72 Participant Description: Learners 72 Commonplace of the Subject Matter 73 Participant Description: Subject Matter 73 Commonplace of the Milieu 74 The Role of Literature in this Research 74 Interpretation and Analysis 75 Challenging Personal Theories and Seeking Other Plausible Explanations 76 Summary 79 References 79 Part II: Applying Authenticity to Teacher Education 84 Transparent Teaching 85 Transparency in Teaching: Think Aloud and Open Journaling 86 Using an Open Journal 87 Think Aloud 90 Teacher Position and Power 94 Phase 1: Becoming Infatuated 95 Phase 2: Feeling Disillusioned 99 Reframing the Power of Physical Position 102 My Insights from Investigating Transparent Teaching 103 Summary 104 References 105 Modelling 108 Introduction 109 Teaching as Inquiry: The Proposed Standards 110 The Proposed Graduating Teacher Standards 112 Modelling the Standards 113 Modelling Proposed Graduating Teacher Standards 114 Making the Modelling Explicit 114 Linking Modelling to Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences and Practices 114 Modelling Must Be Linked with Theory 116 Access External Evaluation 117 Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses to the Model 118 Evidence from Student Work 119 The Teaching for Better Learning Model as a Tool to Develop My Own Teaching 122 Ways in Which I Was Extended by Engaging with This Model 123 My Colonisation of the Teaching for Better Learning Model 123 My Insights from Modelling the Standards 126 Summary 129 References 129 Fatality Case Studies 133 Introduction 134 Case-Based Teaching in Teacher Education 136 Perspectives of Pre-Service Teachers 138 Perspectives of Colleagues 140 My Insights from Examining Fatality Case Studies 141 The Role of Fear and Anxiety in Learning 141 How to Differentiate Learning? 143 Summary 144 References 145 Context of the Camp 148 Description of the Camp 148 References 152 Into the Outdoors 153 Introduction 153 Outdoor Education as “Beyond the School Setting” 156 Outdoor Education as “Going Somewhere Special” 157 The Weather: An Important Part of the Natural Environment 159 Positive Responses to the Weather 159 Negative Experiences of the Weather 160 Implications for My Romantic-Inspired Framing of OE 162 Reframing My Romantic Approach 163 Aspects of the Environment Beyond the Weather 164 The Influence of Milieu 164 My Insights from Taking Students Outdoors 165 Summary 166 References 167 Handing Over 171 Introduction 172 Scaffolding Experiences and Miseducation 172 Challenges to Scaffolding on the Camp 173 Preparing for the Camp 174 Changing Roles of Teacher Educators and Pre-service Teachers 175 Strategies for Handing Over Control 175 Teacher Educator Discomfort 175 PSTs’ Roles in Taking Control 177 Open-Mindedness Versus Discernment 178 Three Cases of Pre-Service Teachers “Taking Control” 179 Unacceptable Pre-Service Teacher Scripts 181 Acceptable Pre-Service Teacher Scripts 183 Pragmatism and Consequences 184 Pre-Service Teacher Learning from the Camp 185 Miseducative Possibilities from Teaching at Camp 185 My Insights from Handing Over Control 186 Summary 187 References 188 Part III: Implications of the Research 191 Reframing Authenticity: Eclecticism as a Framework 192 Introduction 192 Overview of the Chapters 193 Aeroplane Metaphor 195 Interrogating My Aeroplane Metaphor 196 The Future of the Aeroplane Metaphor 198 Reframings: From Authenticity to Inauthenticity 199 Inauthenticity and Scaffolding 201 Inauthenticity 201 Eclecticism: Working with Disparate Concepts 202 Applying Eclecticism to Inauthenticity and Authenticity 204 Education and Miseducation from Learning Experiences 204 Experience and Education 205 Experience and Miseducation 205 Inauthenticity and Miseducation 206 Authenticity and Miseducation 207 Developing the (In)authenticity Model 208 Benefits of the (In)authenticity Model 210 Implications for My Teaching 210 Schwab’s Commonplaces 211 Commonplace of the Learners 211 Commonplace of the Subject Matter 213 Commonplace Teacher Educator 214 Commonplace: Milieu 214 Summary of Commonplaces 215 Summary 216 References 216 The Slipperiness of Improvement 221 Introduction 221 Example 1: Change Undone: Finishing with Camp Rather than Fatality Studies 222 Example 2: Temporary Satisfaction: Quizzes on the Readings 223 Example 3: Uneasy Success 224 Viewing Change as an Improvement 224 Implicit and Embodied Practice 226 What Is an Enduring Improvement? 227 Example 4: Dealing with Uncertainty: Inquiry as a Stance 231 Summary 231 References 232 Epilogue 235 References 236 Appendix: Methodology 237 Methods Which Illuminate Perspectives of Teacher Educator 237 Autobiography 237 Journal Writing 238 Video Recording of My Class 239 Methods to Illuminate the Perspectives of Learners 240 Interviews 240 Learner Interviews 240 Focus Groups 241 Critical Incident Questionnaires 242 Assignment Analysis 242 Methods to Illuminate the Perspectives of Subject Matter 243 Observation of My Classes by Curriculum Experts 243 Ethical Considerations 243 References 244