LEARNING TO TEACH - KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

How does knowledge acquisition contribute to the process of learning t o teach? To answer this question, qualitative and quantitative data we re collected to investigate the development of teacher candidate knowl edge about classroom management within an elementary teacher education program. Specifically, concept maps and interviews revealed patterns of cognitive change over a two-quarter sequence of courses. Analysis o f concept maps showed turbulent and idiosyncratic change influence by program experiences, with an apparent decline in cognitive organizatio n. In interviews candidates deemphasized program influences, focusing instead on clinical experiences as the impetus of cognitive change. Th ese findings--the turbulent apparent decline in cognitive structure an d the primacy of field experiences--are explained in terms of Anderson 's ACT learning theory. Implications for future research in teachers' conceptual development are discussed.