Transformative Learning in Teacher Education

Abstract

This article describes a partnership between teacher education candidates in a small, rural, private university and students in a large, public, urban junior/ senior high school. This partnership utilized technology and used a Literature as a Bridge (LAAB) program to foster discussions designed to be vehicles of learning for all participants. The objectives of this program were to 1) have urban youth see higher education as an option for their future by giving them experience with college students, college expectations, and a college campus, 2) increase cultural competence by providing opportunities for teacher candidates to work with culturally and ethnically diverse students with experiences different from their own, and 3) allow literature to be a vehicle to bridge diverse groups. The dynamic relationship between teacher candidate and high school students set the stage for transformational learning for both the teacher candidates and the junior/senior high school students.