Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And An Alternative Teacher Preparation Model

This portion reviews research related to the purpose of this capstone. The first portion describes the perspective of teachers about their alternative teacher preparation program. The second portion provides details about the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy on students and teachers. The final portion will identify an effective alternative teacher preparation model. This literature review will demonstrate the need for more culturally competent teachers from alternative teacher preparation programs, the benefit of culturally relevant pedagogy and an effective alternative teacher preparation model.

Teacher Perspective on Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs

Teacher preparedness. Heineke and Cameron (2012) explained that the increase

Teachers from the traditional program were focused on strategies to improve the learning experiences of their students and how to integrate themselves in the context of their school (Linek et al., 2012, p.72). Both groups were concerned about parent conferences, resources and managing challenging behavior (Linek et al., 2012, p.72). The summative reflections identified two themes that represented the alternative certification group and the traditional certification group. The theme for the alternative certification group was the “struggle for survival.” The theme for the traditional certification group was “professional growth” (Linek et al., 2012, p.72). The needs assessment shows that based on the teacher preparation program, first-year teachers have different concerns. Teachers from alternative certification programs were more focused on the lesson planning, classroom management and how to work with students. Traditionally certified teachers were more focused on differentiating instruction and meeting individual student needs (Linek et al., 2012, p.77). The summative reflection showed that the teachers from the alternative certification program expressed dissatisfaction for their program (Linek et al., 2012, p.77). Since the alternative program prepared teachers at a fast pace, the teachers were exposed to an abundant amount of information, which caused teachers to struggle to survive professionally (Linek et al., 2012, p.78). Consequently, many teachers developed low self-efficacy and became stressed, which can cause harm to teachers and students (Linek et al., 2012,