Stability and change in US prospective teachers’ beliefs and decisions about diversity and learning to teach

Abstract

Helping prospective teachers develop the beliefs, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices necessary to meet the needs of diverse learners in the US is critical given that the teaching force remains overwhelmingly White, monolingual, and middle class and the student population is increasingly diverse. Teacher education programmes, in particular, are faced with the arduous task of creating courses and other experiences for prospective teachers that help mitigate some of the challenges that diverse learners encounter in public schools. The results of a course that attempted to help prospective teachers gain a richer understanding of diversity is reported in this article. Particular attention is placed on the stability and change of the prospective teachers' beliefs and practices around diversity and learning to teach as a result of the course. The results suggest that the extent of change in prospective teachers' beliefs and practices was linked explicitly to their interactions and experiences with diverse individuals and contexts. The development of international immersion partnerships is suggested as a means to help US prospective teachers develop the consciousness, skills, and knowledge necessary to teach culturally and ethnically diverse students in ways that optimise teaching and learning.