A Focus on Pedagogy
Abstract
This paper explores the ways in which the authors transitioned a mandatory face-to-face course, Diversity and Inclusion, for pre-service teacher candidates (TCs), to a fully online, asynchronous environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The course content is emotionally-loaded generating many tensions that challenge TCs’ understandings of their identities and positionalities. In teaching this course, we intentionally seek ways to unsettle TCs’ thinking through critical pedagogy and specifically a pedagogy of disruption. We explore how we adapted and modified the pedagogy to complement our content knowledge in a manner that leveraged technology. Drawing from the concepts of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TCPK), we describe the ways in which we remade and re/visioned the course and share the challenges and successes we experienced. TCPK refers to a teacher’s understanding of pedagogical strategies for delivering course content through the integration of technology. Our paper examines the factors that influenced our use of TCPK in three related domains: Technological Knowledge (TK); Pedagogical Knowledge (PK); Content Knowledge (CK). The three domains cannot be viewed as separate entities, but rather are basic domains that function in relation to the four overlapping domains: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK); Technology Content Knowledge (TCK); Technology Pedagogy Knowledge (TPK) and Technology Pedagogic and Content Knowledge (TCPK). At the forefront of our thinking throughout the planning process were two key questions, “How does a pedagogy of disruption translate to an online environment? and How do we support our TCs’ learning and discomfort in an asynchronous environment?” The paper concludes by identifying next steps specifically with regards to supporting the fragility of TCs’ emotional responses to the course content.
Christine L. Cho, PhD is an Associate Professor at Nipissing University’s Schulich School of Education. A practicing visual artist and a former elementary school teacher, Christine utilizes visual media and critical pedagogy to expand upon diverse ways of knowing to trouble “the way things are” in schools. Her research contributes to current educational conversations on racial, ethnic, socio-economic, linguistic and LGBTQ2+ representation in schools, specifically exploring the constructions and understandings of teacher identity, particularly immigrant teacher aspirations. Christine’s research also explores technology pedagogy and the flipped classroom. Christine is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Teacher Education.
Dr. Julie K. Corkett holds a Bachelor of Office Management (1992), Bachelor of Arts, honours psychology (1995), Masters of Education in psychopedagogy (1997), Bachelor of Education (1998), and a Ph. D. in Learning, Development and Assessment (2006). Dr. Corkett has worked as an intermediate and high school teacher and is currently a tenured Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Education. Dr. Corkett’s research interests pertain to special education, educational psychology, teacher education, pedagogy, and technology. She has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters pertaining to these topics. Her most recent book publication by Routledge is Global Perspectives on Microaggressions in Schools: Understanding and Combating Covert Violence. Dr. Corkett has presented her research at numerous international and national conferences; and has been invited guest lecturer both nationally and internationally.