Volume 16, Issue 1 (2021) Threads of Consistency

The work of preparing teachers is dynamic and ever-evolving, while also responsive to local and regional needs. This can result in certain levels of incongruence within the teacher-education realm. Rather than being perceived as a weakness, however, this inconsistency serves as evidence that teacher-training is not a static or prescriptive process but rather a perceptive and reflective endeavor, ever willing to adjust for the sake of its stakeholders. Not to be forgotten is the fact that teacher preparation is also pervaded by threads of consistency that transcend geographic differences and political dynamics. Educating future teachers is a task laden with such significant levels of thoughtfulness and reflection that even the most under-appreciated elements of our practice should be explored for all to learn about, no matter their location or positionality. In this issue of the Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, authors from across North America - Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, and Alberta, Canada - remind us of just that.

The first article from Bacevich emphasizes the critical role that clinical supervisors play in the learning trajectories of pre-service teachers and establishes a model for supporting that essential work. In the second article, Equipping Preservice Teachers with Trauma Informed Care for the Classroom, Foreman and Bates examine the impact of trauma on the learning process. Creelman’s piece, the third in this issue, offers a review of the literature that focuses on classroom supports for students with ADHD and concludes that these supports (when focused on executive function in particular) can bear significant fruit. Finally, Raymond, Benavente-McEnery, and Toman provide insight into the role of feedback in the writing development of elementary students, and the ways in which preservice educators can be better equipped to offer it in a meaningful and intentional manner.

In the end, these four articles testify to the fact that the teaching vocation - and thus the act of preparing individuals to enter into it - benefits from deep investigation of every facet of the work. Otherwise stated, one never knows how shining a light on one particular practice can improve preparation overall, and thus illuminate those threads of consistency.

Matt Ridenour, Co-Editor