The current state of education embodies increasing public demands and policy
mandates for teacher accountability in all classrooms, pre-kindergarten through
Grade 12. Leaders expect increased academic performance to meet grade-level
curriculum standards within a multicultural society. Teacher preparation programs
are tasked to create and manage field experiences that guide practice within
diverse learning communities. Teacher candidates interact with the cultural, social,
and historical context of schools, of professional colleagues, and of the pupils they
teach. In addition, teacher candidates should be prepared to develop practices that
are intentional, personalized, differentiated, and purposeful for the pupils within
their classrooms. This paper offers a case study of one university’s re-design of
field experience supervision in its teacher preparation programs. The curriculum
designers sought to ensure support for teacher candidates based on each student’s
individual needs, while fostering systemic change responsive to ideas of race,
gender, and other areas of intersectionality in a multicultural society. The field
supervisor was the key to connect the practical, field-based experiences with the
vision and mission of the university. Thus, program leaders identified the need to
invest in the professional development of field supervisors in a way that brought
the vision and mission to life—from words to action. The resulting framework
included a multi-faceted approach of coaching / mentoring, professional
development, and reflective discourse with colleagues.
ENHANCING THE ROLE OF FIELD EXPERIENCE SUPERVISORS:
TOWARD MULTICULTURAL EQUITY IN A TEACHER
PREPARATION PROGRAM
