Bridges to Understanding: Reading and Talking about Children's Literature in Teacher Education

Children's literature holds potential as texts for teacher preparation. Preservice teachers are frequently asked to read children's novels as they explore teaching, learning, students and classrooms. Using lenses of constructivist and narrative theories, this paper documents the learning constructed by two preservice teachers, Renee and Elise. Renee illustrates ways that preservice teachers may interpret children's to help them understand and apply academic theory. Elise illustrates ways that preservice teachers may generate their own theories about the nature of teaching, learning, and classrooms as they interpret children's novels. Both cases point out the importance of providing students with multiple opportunities to articulate and revise their interpretations of children's literature within the context of the education classroom.