Disrupting My Teaching Practices: A Teacher Educator Living as A Contradiction

ABSTRACT As a teacher educator, I became concerned that my practice did not reflect my constructivist perspective. This realization disrupted my belief about my teaching efficacy. I understood that teacher education is often criticized for not sufficiently preparing teachers. Was I part of the problem? As a result, I initiated this study to examine my practice to identify how I might align my beliefs and practice. Using a self-study approach, I analyzed my teaching practices in a high school science classroom and during a science teacher education course. Brooks and Brooks’ guiding principles of constructivism provided the lens, and qualitative coding mechanics provided the basis for analysis. Finally, using a modified Theory of Planned Behavior, the findings revealed that I struggled to initiate meaningful constructivist-oriented activities in a high school setting. In a subsequent teacher education course, I exhibited a deeper understanding and application of constructivist-oriented pedagogies. The results lead to recommendations for my continual development, for other teacher educators who discover that they are also living as a contradiction, and for graduate schools who prepare teacher educators.