Abstract

Increasing pressure has been placed on teacher education to prepare teachers to educate bilingual/bicultural students using scientifically-based teaching methods. Socio-cultural theory and pedagogy have emerged as a research-based foundation for diversity teacher preparation. Socio-cultural theory rests on the premise that learning is social, and that it is through social interaction with teachers and peers who are more knowledgeable that students receive assistance as needed in their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to engage in culturally meaningful tasks. An innovative solution is required, however, for distance teacher preparation to be focused on diversity: socio-cultural perspectives must be taught as well as modeled. This innovation becomes a question of design. How can a high quality distance education program (i.e., an instructional delivery system) be created that results in reflective practitioners willing to innovate in their own practices in light of a socio-cultural approach (i.e., curriculum design, course materials)? This article briefly describes Brigham Young University's (BYU) effort to evaluate the quality of its distance English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher education program, the "Bilingual/ESL Endorsement through Distance Education" ("BEEDE") program. Evaluation data is reported to document the quality and impact of the "BEEDE" program's socio-cultural design on participants' thinking and practice. Implications are discussed in light of the tensions that innovations pose to teacher education. (Contains 1 table.)

Citation

Teemant, A. (2005). Evaluating Socio-Cultural Pedagogy in a Distance Teacher Education Program. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(3), 49-62. Retrieved August 9, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/71313/.

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Keywords

• Biculturalism
• Bilingualism
• distance education
• Educational Quality
• English (Second Language)
• Instructional Innovation
• Language Teachers
• learning theories
• Program Evaluation
• Reflective Teaching
• Second Language Instruction
• second language learning
• Sociocultural Patterns
• student diversity
• teacher education
• Teacher Education Programs
• teaching methods