Exploring The Development Of Preservice English Teachers’ PCK Through Probation:a Case Study

One of the basic ways for the growth and development of teacher is to cultivate beginning teachers through teacher education, which provides fundamental knowledge and teaching skills for them. Besides theoretical knowledge learnt in college, preservice English teachers need to enrich their Pedagogical Content Knowledge through experiencing practical classroom teaching. In order to provide preservice English teacher with opportunities to experience teaching and construct their PCK, the College of Foreign Languages of Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) signs an agreement named "A University&Secondary School Collaborative Partnership Program" with local key secondary school, whose main activity is "Entering the Secondary School". The college organizes preservice English teachers to participate in a7-9weeks’"Entering the Secondary School" activity. Under the guidance of both college instructors and middle school mentors, preservice English teachers observed and experience middle school English classroom teaching and teaching research. Moreover, they probed deeply into the new curriculum reform. After observation, they shared and explained wonderful classroom teaching clips they observed. Further more, with profound discussion and reflection, they expanded what they had learned into paper.This paper attempts to explore:1) How does the PCK gradually grow among preservice English Teachers during their probation period?2) What factors influence the development of preservice English teachers’PCK? This research was based on the probation the preservice English teachers participated, and they were the object of this research, especially focusing on three of them (Lisa, Sophia, Susan). In this study, the research method included case story method, narrative inquiry, interview, observation, and so on. It cost4months to collect the data from March to June in2012. Data had been obtained through a variety of data sources, including probation portfolios, reflective dairies, classroom records, classroom observation, interview records etc. It also took many related educators’works at home and abroad as reference. On the basis of the analyzing and constructing of the data, three different preservice English teachers’ case stories were formed. Based upon the theoretical frameworks informed by Shulman, Grossman, Cochran, and so on, this research attempts to investigate the factors influencing the development of preservice English teacher’PCK. The paper analyzed that preserve English teachers could develop their PCK through mentorship approach and being a reflective practitioner. The particular influential factors of the growth of PCK include knowledge of subject matter, classroom observation, portfolio construction, and participating in the seminar. It emphasized on the classroom observation and the analyzing of expert English teachers’ class, which could improve preservice teachers’ability of teaching content knowledge and managing the classroom. Moreover, preservice teacher could examine and promote themselves through reflective thinking. Two potential suggestions were given for the improvement of the "Entering the Secondary School" probation program, namely, improving the function of teaching design process and the assessment of probation process.This study ventures to advocate an alternative way to understand the practical teaching model of teacher education for the preservice English teachers. Preservice English teacher can improve their PCK through experiencing practical classroom teaching.