Pushing Back Against The “Push Down”: Pre-Service Teachers Engaging In Complex Pedagogies As Pathways Of Resistance To The Accountability Movement In Early Care And Education Settings

This action research project and ethnography examined early care and education (ECAE) pre-service teachers as they engaged in complex constructivist pedagogies. This paper presents a constructivist conceptual framework and a literature review that argues that because of the accountability movement, in-service teachers are feeling pressure to abandon child-led, play-based learning experiences for didactic easily measured learning activities. This creates a problem for novice teachers. Do they stay true to what they have learned or do they change their practice to conform to the status quo? Pre-service teacher preparation programs are also feeling this pressure to adjust their teaching practice to conform to current practices. This research presents findings that support the contention that a constructivist class can support pre-service teachers’ understandings and shows the depth of learning of children engaged in constructivist pedagogies. Findings support the belief that pre-service teachers can engage in activism to “push back” and disrupt normalized practices in ECAE contexts. However, this research suggests that constructivism in itself is not enough to change the current narrative. It presents pathways for resistance that pre-service teacher preparation programs should consider in order to support students to be activists as they begin practicing in ECAE contexts.