Chapter 2: Transparent Pedagogy: Promoting Metacognition for Students of Teaching

When we were young teachers, we were told we should be like ducks: smooth and calm on the surface, while paddling furiously underneath. It can be helpful advice for a novice. Yet, as teacher educators, we have found this mindset to be counterproductive. When teaching teacher candidates (TCs) and practicing teachers about how students learn, we cannot continue to allow students to see only the smooth and calm duck on the surface. The details of growing in this profession are earned through analyzing the actions and thought processes that occur underneath the surface. While the outward-facing goal of colleges and departments of education across the country is to ensure that our universities prepare high quality TCs, it is also our responsibility to ensure that these actions create avenues for TCs to support their students to success as well. Thus, we have centered our practice around the premise that it is our responsibility to engage future teachers in the work of understanding the smooth and calm performance we observe from our most experienced and qualified teachers by exposing the furious and hidden paddling that propels this performance.