Curriculum and Unconventional Learning Spaces: Reframing Preservice Teacher Education for Refugee and Correctional Contexts
Abstract
Teacher Education has historically centered curriculum and field-based teaching practice preparation on conventional school classrooms, despite the expansion of teaching and learning in contexts shaped by displacement, incarceration, and other adult learning needs. Yet preservice teacher education programs continue to position other learning spaces, such as refugee education and correctional education, as peripheral rather than as integral sites of professional preparation. In the context of persistent teacher shortages and expanding educational provision in carceral and displacement settings, this paper argues for a fundamental reframing of preservice teacher education to address the pedagogical realities of unconventional learning spaces, particularly refugee education programs and correctional institutions. Drawing on the conceptual framework of uncommon pedagogies, the paper advances curriculum design principles for coursework, teaching practice, and professional formation that move beyond scholarly assumptions but prepare teachers to teach under constraint and across difference. The analysis reframes teacher education as a public preparation infrastructure responsible for preparing teachers to teach under constraint and discusses the implications for curriculum design and programmatic responsibility.
Keywords
Preservice teacher educationCurriculum designuncommon pedagogiesUnconventional learning spacesTeaching practiceRefugee educationCorrectional education
References
Akin-Sabuncu, S., et al. (2024). Teacher prepared for refugee education: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Inclusive Education. Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. (n.d.). Journal of Higher Education in Prison. Retrieved from https://www.higheredinprison.orgRetrieved December 28, 2025, from https://www.higheredinprison.org Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. (n.d.). Annual report 2021–2022. https://www.higheredinprison.org/publications/annual-reports Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. (n.d.). Principles for equity and access in prison education. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from https://www.ahep.org Annamma, S. A. (2018). The pedagogy of pathologization: Dis/abled girls of color in the school- prison nexus. Routledge. Andreotti, V. (2011). Actionable postcolonial theory in education. Palgrave Macmillan. Anumenechi, C. K., & Jaga, M. R. (2025). Uncommon spaces, uncommon pedagogies: Preparing preservice teachers and informing curriculum through community?based adult learning. TPM – Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 32(S7), 2618–2626. https://tpmap.org/submission/index.php/tpm/article/view/3815 [tpmap.org] Berglund, J., Bjursell, C., & Hugo, M. (2025). Research on education in prisons: A scoping review. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 44(4), 436–449. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2025.2465740 [tandfonline.com] Boukhari, S. (2025). The Relational Refugee Child: Trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches to educational inclusion. Education Sciences, 15(6), 649. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060649 [mdpi.com] Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Learning Policy Institute. Cochran-Smith, M., Villegas, A. M., Abrams, L., Chavez-Moreno, L., Mills, T., & Stern, R. (2015). Critiquing teacher preparation research: An overview of the field, part II. Journal of Teacher Education, 66(2), 109–121. Cochran-Smith, M., Villegas, A. M., Abrams, L., Chavez-Moreno, L., Mills, T., & Stern, R. (2015). Critiquing teacher preparation research: An overview of the field, Part II. Journal of Teacher Education, 66(2), 109–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487114558268 [umaine.edu], [eric.ed.gov] Davis, L. M., Bozick, R., Steele, J. L., Saunders, J., & Miles, J. N. V. (2020). Evaluating the effectiveness of correctional education: A meta-analysis of programs that provide education to incarcerated adults. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13(2), 176–203.https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2019.1685896 Darling?Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America’s commitment to equity will determine our future. Teachers College Press. Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Powerful teacher education: Lessons from exemplary programs. Jossey-Bass. Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 97–140. Dryden-Peterson, S. (2021). Refugee education: The crossroads of globalization. Educational Researcher, 50(3), 155–164. www.ijee.io Ewert, S., & Wildhagen, T. (2011). Educational characteristics of prisoners: Data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. American Sociological Review, 76(3), 387–412. Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 1013–1055. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810110300601 Flores, J., & Barahona-López, K. (2021). Correctional education and the impact on educators’ lack of training. Curriculum Perspectives, 41(3), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-021- 00147-3 Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press. Grossman, P., Hammerness, K., & McDonald, M. (2009). Redefining teaching, re-imagining teacher education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 15(2), 273–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600902875340 INEE. (2021). Minimum standards for education in emergencies. Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies. Ingersoll, R. M., & May, H. (2016). Minority teacher recruitment, employment, and retention: 1987–2013. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/minority- teacher-recruitment-employment-retention Journal of Higher Education in Prison. (2019–present). Journal of Higher Education in Prison [Peer-reviewed journal]. Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. Retrieved from https://www.higheredinprison.org/journal-of-higher-education-in-prison [higheredinprison.org] Learning Policy Institute. (2025). An overview of teacher shortages: 2025 [Fact sheet]. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/overview-teacher-shortages-2025-factsheet Loughran, J. (2014). Developing understanding of practice: Teacher educators and teaching. Routledge. Machkour, M., El Jihaoui, M., Lamalif, L., Faris, S., & Mansouri, K. (2025). Toward an adaptive learning assessment pathway. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1498233. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1498233 Makrakis, V., Kostoulas-Makrakis, N., Ramzy, O., & Anwar, M. (2025). Training teachers to cope with refugee children’s needs through the lens of SDGs. Highlights of Sustainability, 4(2), 146–157. https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4020009 Mendenhall, M., Falk, D., Henderson, C., Hough, W., Mansour, S., & Shephard, D. (2024). Teachers in refugee and displacement settings: Challenges and strategies for teacher quality and workforce sustainability [Report]. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/teachers-in-refugee-and-displacement- settings-report.pdf Mendenhall, M., Bartlett, L., & Ghaffar-Kucher, A. (2017). Refugee education across crises: Comparative perspectives. Comparative Education Review, 61(3), 491–512. Milner, H. R. IV, Bennett, J. S., Andrisse, S., Badertscher, E., Lane-Bonds, D., Murray, I., Skudrzyk, B., Stockwell, J. F., & Steib, S. (2024). Addressing opportunity gaps in higher education in prison programs. The New Educator, 20(3–4), 148–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2024.2416735 Miles, S., & Singal, N. (2010). The education for all and inclusive education debate: Conflict, contradiction, or opportunity? International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(1), 1–15. www.ijee.io National Center for Education Statistics. (2024, December 10). U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2022–23: Highlights of the 2023 U.S. PIAAC results (NCES 2024202). U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/publications.asp [nces.ed.gov] National Academy of Education. (2024). Evaluating and improving teacher preparation programs (K. M. Zeichner, L. Darling?Hammond, A. I. Berman, D. Dong, & G. Sykes, Eds.). National Academy of Education. https://naeducation.org/wp- content/uploads/2025/01/Evaluating_and_Improving_Teacher_Preparation_Programs.pdf Organisation for Economic Co?operation and Development. (2019). Trends shaping education in 2019. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2019- Patrie, M. (2017). Teaching in juvenile justice settings: Principles and practices. National Juvenile Justice Network Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. Teachers College Press. Paetsch, J., Heppt, B., & Meyer, J. (2023). Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about linguistic and cultural diversity in schools: The role of opportunities to learn during university teacher training. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1236415. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1236415 [frontiersin.org] Sleeter, C. E., & Owuor, J. (2011). Research on the impact of teacher preparation to teach diverse students: The research we have and the research we need. Action in Teacher Education, 33(3), 242–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2011.627045 States
More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND EVALUATION
Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Mathematics Education: Perspectives of Secondary School Teachers in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Author: Charles-Owaba, Tekenate PhD Prof Isaac B. Ado
Effects of Field Trip and Demonstration-Based Teaching Methods on Students’ Academic Achievement in Basic Science
Author: ENEH, Chinecherem Precious, OFFOR, Joseph Chidiebere, MBONU-ADIGWE, Bianca Uzoamaka, CHUKWU, Peter Ndubuisi, Corresponding author Chukwu, Peter Ndubuisi
Provision of Teachers Needs for Effective Service Delivery in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Rivets State
Author: Nkechinyere Ndubuisi PhD, Prof. Okai, N. Okai
Provision of Security: A Panacea for Effective Lecturers Productivity in Universities in Rivers State
Author: Igwebuike Amaka Patience, Ochor Emeka Christian
Digital Facilities Availability and Lecturers’ Effectiveness in Federal Universities, North-Central Geo-Political Zone, Nigeria
Author: Nanpan Panshak Titus, Prof. Timson I. Ndupuechi, Prof. Theresa S. Gyang