Extending the knowledge base for (rural) teacher educators

Authors

  • Simone White Monash University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v25i3.103

Abstract

This paper, and its position within this special issue, seeks to contribute to the growing discussion and debates about the importance of adding the 'rural' to all matters 'education'. Advocating that indeed rurality is everybody's business, not just for those who live in rural places. The central argument of 'adding the rural' is that in its absence, 'a metro-urban normative approach' (Green, 2013) remains the dominant position thereby marginalising and silencing those who live beyond the city. In this paper I seek to contribute further to the debate and explore the notion of 'adding the rural' to teacher educators' knowledge base and their professional learning. I thus examine the 'good theoretical tools' (Corbett, 2016) that all teacher educators might need to equip themselves with, in order to be inclusive of rural students' needs. To think through this question I revisit and draw from the growing rural education literature and recent rural studies, identifying three emerging themes: Namely 'funds of knowledge' (Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzalez, 1992); 'rural social space' (Reid, Green, Cooper, Hastings, Lock &White, 2010) and 'place consciousness' (Gruenwald, 2003). These three unfold as key theoretical tools, for all teacher educators to utilise. The themes offer a form of trialectical thinking for teacher educators, opening new spaces to explore the preparation of teachers. The triad is consistent with the notion of 'third or hybrid spaces' (Zeichner, 2010) which can move us away from unhelpful rural-urban binaries and towards a more activist, generative and transformative response for teacher education and the broader rural education research community to consider.

Author Biography

Simone White, Monash University

Professor Simone White is the Chair of Teacher Education in the Faculty of Education at Monash University and currently the President of the Australian Teacher Education Association. Simone’s publications, research and teaching are focused on the key question of how to best prepare teachers and leaders for diverse communities. Her current research areas focus on teacher education policy and research, professional experience and building and maintaining university-school/community partnerships. Through this work, she aims to connect research, policy and practice in ways that bring school and university teacher educators together and break down traditional borders between academics, policy makers, communities and practitioners.

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Published

02-12-2015

How to Cite

White, S. (2015). Extending the knowledge base for (rural) teacher educators. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 25(3), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v25i3.103

Issue

Vol 25, No. 3 (2015) Special Issue: What next for rural education research?

Section

JOURNAL PAPERS

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