Pushing the field of practitioner research: Utilizing ‘reflective third spaces’ to explore educational practice

TL;DRAbstract

For decades, literature in the field of education has been rife with descriptions of the divides between theory and practice, research and implementation, and universities and public schools. Beginning with an examination of these divides, this chapter explores the ways that teacher educators can capitalize on their positioning in order to better understand educational practice. Following a brief introduction, an examination of third space theory and its usefulness to teacher educators— especially those engaged in practitioner research— ensues. Building on the work of early theorists in fields such as literature and cultural geography, third space theory has typically been used in educational research to address the gaps between home and school cultures. In this piece, however, third space theory is proposed as a theoretical framework for examining the disconnect between preservice teacher education and classroom practice. The chapter discusses the ways that third space theory can push

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