The Imperatives of Voice and Context in the Preparation of Community Teachers: Conceptualizing Learning-To-Teach Cycles

Abstract

In this conceptual/theoretical paper, we present an argument about the importance of preparing community teachers, articulating tenets of youth voice, community voice, and context in this undertaking. We operationalize these tenets by proposing a Learning-to-Teach Cycle as an organizing structure for teacher candidates to encounter across their programs through four interrelated elements-- observing; identifying; reflecting/synthesizing; and designing/implementing--that center and leverage community issues, knowledge, and voice. This approach is urgently needed in urban contexts amid increasingly porous boundaries between schools and broader communities, and in recognition of youth and communities as sources of knowledge integral to the preparation of teachers.