The Benefits of Reteaching Lessons in Preservice Methods Classes

Teacher educators should examine current practices in teacher education and “understand what makes them wise and what makes them flawed” (Falk, 2006, p. 76). This study investigated possible changes in the pedagogical content knowledge of 26 middle-level preservice teachers after teaching a mathematics lesson twice to two groups of peers. Aspects of this study followed the Japanese lesson study design as peers and veteran educators debriefed after the first teaching of the lesson, and then a final debriefing occurred after the second teaching. A qualitative analysis of the preservice teachers' written lesson reflections and comments in field-based notebooks revealed remarks relating to (a) lesson modification, (b) lesson delivery, (c) multiple feedback, and (d) real-world applications. Implications for common practices in teacher education methods courses are discussed.