Journal Article

Toward a Theory of Generative Change in Culturally and Linguistically Complex Classrooms

Ball, Arnetha F.

2009

Overview

This article situates the preparation of teachers to teach in culturally and linguistically complex classrooms in international contexts. It investigates long-term social and institutional effects of professional development and documents processes that facilitate teachers' continued learning. Data from a decade-long study of U.S. and South African teachers supported a model of generative change that explained how professional development could be internalized by teachers, subsequently serving as a heuristic to help them organize their individual programs of instruction. Drawing primarily on two case studies, this article documents teachers' development of generative knowledge and illustrates how they drew on that knowledge in thinking about students and teaching. The results were to facilitate generative thinking on the part of their students as well.

• Publisher: SAGE Publications,American Educational Research Association
• Subject: Academic failure / Art teachers / Case Studies / Changes / Classrooms / Cultural Awareness / Cultural Differences / Cultural Pluralism / Demographics / Educational Needs / Educational Resources / Faculty Development / Foreign Countries / Heuristics / Investigations / Knowledge / Learning / Literacy / Longitudinal studies / Metacognition / Multilingualism / Pedagogy / Preservice Teacher Education / Preservice Teachers / Problem solving / Professional development / Reflection / Reflective teaching / Secondary Education / Social and Institutional Analysis / South Africa / Student diversity / Students / Teacher education / Teachers / Teaching / Teaching methods / United States / Urban schools / Writing implements / Writing instruction / Writing teachers