Back to school: the impact of preparing student teachers to observe classroom practices.
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| Title: | Back to school: the impact of preparing student teachers to observe classroom practices. |
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| Authors: | Rusznyak, Lee1 (AUTHOR) lee.rusznyak@wits.ac.za |
| Source: | Studies in Continuing Education. Nov2025, Vol. 47 Issue 3, p597-612. 16p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Student teachers, *Observation (Educational method), *Effective teaching, *Curriculum change, *Student engagement, *Educational objectives |
| Abstract: | This article explores the assumption that student teachers are well-placed to observe teaching practices after spending years in the classroom. It reports on an in-depth analysis of the lesson observations written by three South African student teachers from different schooling backgrounds. At the beginning and middle of their first year of study, the participants watched a recorded lesson and were asked to suggest reasons for the teacher's actions. Initially, their observations centred mainly on learner participation in activities, revealing a fragmented understanding of teaching practices. Using the Semantics dimension of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), the study demonstrates that after completing coursework on teaching as a specialised practice, the complexity of their observations increased significantly. The coursework guided them in analysing knowledge-building during lessons. In later observations, the students drew on their coursework to focus on the teacher's management of content knowledge and the design of learning opportunities. Regardless of their diverse schooling backgrounds, they became better at identifying teaching patterns and interpreting the teacher's pedagogic intentions. The findings suggest that explicitly preparing students to observe and analyse teaching practices can enhance the quality of their learning in practical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Studies in Continuing Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | This article explores the assumption that student teachers are well-placed to observe teaching practices after spending years in the classroom. It reports on an in-depth analysis of the lesson observations written by three South African student teachers from different schooling backgrounds. At the beginning and middle of their first year of study, the participants watched a recorded lesson and were asked to suggest reasons for the teacher's actions. Initially, their observations centred mainly on learner participation in activities, revealing a fragmented understanding of teaching practices. Using the Semantics dimension of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), the study demonstrates that after completing coursework on teaching as a specialised practice, the complexity of their observations increased significantly. The coursework guided them in analysing knowledge-building during lessons. In later observations, the students drew on their coursework to focus on the teacher's management of content knowledge and the design of learning opportunities. Regardless of their diverse schooling backgrounds, they became better at identifying teaching patterns and interpreting the teacher's pedagogic intentions. The findings suggest that explicitly preparing students to observe and analyse teaching practices can enhance the quality of their learning in practical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 0158037X |
| DOI: | 10.1080/0158037X.2025.2463326 |
