scholarly journals Making the Most of Student Teaching: The Importance of Mentors and Scope for Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Goldhaber ◽  
John Krieg ◽  
Natsumi Naito ◽  
Roddy Theobald
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Effective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
K 12

A growing literature documents the importance of student teaching placements for teacher development. Emerging evidence from this literature highlights the importance of the mentor teacher who supervises this placement, as teachers tend to be more effective when they student teach with a mentor who is a more effective teacher. But the efficacy of policies that aim to have effective teachers serve as mentors depends a great deal on the availability of effective teachers to serve in this role. We therefore use data from Washington State to illustrate that there is ample scope for change in student teacher placements; in other words, there are far more effective teachers within fifty miles of a teacher education program (TEP) who could host a student teacher in each year than the number of teachers who serve in this role. We also discuss the considerable challenges to improvement efforts related to the need for better coordination between TEPs, K–12 school systems, and states. Finally, we argue that, if policy makers value teacher candidate development equivalently to teacher in-service development, they should be willing to pay substantially more than the current average compensation for mentor teachers to recruit effective teachers to serve in this role.

How the Match Gets Made: Exploring Student Teacher Placements across Teacher Education Programs, Districts, and Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. e20200014
Author(s):  
Elise St. John ◽  
Dan Goldhaber ◽  
John Krieg ◽  
Roddy Theobald
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
K 12

Emerging research finds connections between teacher candidates’ student teaching placements and their future career paths and effectiveness. Yet relatively little is known about the factors that influence these placements and how teacher education programs (TEPs) and K-12 school systems match teacher candidates to mentor teachers. In our study of this process in Washington state, we find that TEPs and K-12 systems share overarching goals related to successful student teacher placements and developing a highly effective teacher workforce. However, distinct accountabilities and day-to-day demands also sometimes lead them to prioritize other objectives. In addition, we identified informational asymmetries, which left TEPs questioning how mentor teachers were selected, and districts and schools with limited information with which to make intentional matches between teacher candidates and mentor teachers. The findings from this study inform both practice and research in teacher education and human resources. First, they illuminate practices that appear to contribute to informational gaps and institutional disadvantages in the placement of student teachers. Additionally, they raise questions about what constitutes an effective mentor teacher and provide researchers and policymakers with better insight into the professional realities of teacher educators and K-12 educators, as well as those of district human resource (HR) coordinators, which is important given their differing accountabilities and distinctive positionings in the education of teacher candidates.

Experiences That Predict Early Career Teacher Commitment to and Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 799-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan L. Whipp ◽  
Lara Geronime
Keyword(s):  
Urban Schools ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Early Career ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
K 12 ◽  
First Job ◽  
Job Location

Correlation analysis was used to analyze what experiences before and during teacher preparation for 72 graduates of an urban teacher education program were associated with urban commitment, first job location, and retention in urban schools for 3 or more years. Binary logistic regression was then used to analyze whether urban K-12 schooling, volunteer service, and student teaching in a high-poverty urban school predicted urban commitment, employment, and retention for at least 3 years in an urban school. The regressions revealed that all three factors predicted strong urban commitment and that urban commitment strongly predicted first job location and retention.

Teacher Knowledge of Educational Technology: A Case Study of Student/Mentor Teacher Pairs

2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Margerum-Leys ◽  
Ronald W. Marx
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Pedagogical Content Knowledge ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Knowledge ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Mentor Teacher ◽  
Pedagogical Content

This study had two purposes. The first was to explore the construct of teacher knowledge of educational technology through the lens of three components of Shulman's model of teachers' knowledge—content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge. A second purpose was to investigate the ways in which teacher knowledge is acquired, shared, and used by student teachers and their mentors in the context of the student teaching placement. The literature in educational technology takes, for the most part, a limited view of educational technology knowledge, reporting on teachers' awareness of technological applications and affordances. By using Shulman's model, this study constructed and considered a more comprehensive depiction of teacher knowledge. Teacher knowledge of educational technology as thus depicted was explored as it developed within a particular setting. Data were drawn from a three-month observation and interview period in the spring of 1999. Six participants—three student teachers and three mentor teachers—were observed and interviewed at a middle school in a working-class suburb of a large Midwestern city. From observations of teacher practice, inferences were made about the underlying body of knowledge evidenced by the participants. The perspective of student and mentor teacher participants was gained through a quasi-ethnographic interview process. Observation and interview data were analyzed using a shared coding system, allowing a rich description to be created. Results of the study indicated that employment of Shulman's model revealed a set of knowledge derived from and applicable to practice with educational technology. This knowledge could be considered a Pedagogical Content Knowledge of technology, corresponding to Shulman's identification of a particular understanding by teachers of content in service of teaching and teaming. Within the context of the mentor/student teacher pairs, both knowledge acquired in and brought to the setting was shared in a multi-year cycle from student teacher to mentor to subsequent student teacher. Impact on the field includes a broadening sense of the nature of knowledge of educational technology, as well as increased attention to the importance of the student teaching placement and student and mentor teachers' roles within that environment.

scholarly journals Prospective Secondary Math Teachers Encountering STEM in a Methods Course: When Math is More Than “Just Math”

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-286
Author(s):  
Lisa Marco-Bujosa
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
K 12

Education reforms in the United States and abroad have increased efforts to improve student interest and capacity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Despite these attempts, students still have little opportunity to engage in STEM learning in K-12 education. This qualitative case study was designed to investigate how incorporating STEM into teacher education can promote STEM teaching as well as enhance math instruction. The study took place in the fourth year of an undergraduate teacher education program spanning a secondary math and science Methods course and student teaching. Guided by the framework of sensemaking, individual interviews, teaching artifacts, and written reflections for four teachers were analyzed to identify moments of dissonance that pushed participants to reach new understandings about the learning and teaching of math. Findings indicated that learning to teach math through the lens of STEM shifted pre-service teachers’ instructional emphasis in two ways: 1) figuring out math vs. learning about math; and 2) teaching math through authentic STEM contexts as opposed to focusing purely on mathematics. However, experiences in student teaching can either enhance or stifle these gains. Findings suggest the role of teacher education in promoting STEM education by shifting prospective teachers’ mindsets about mathematics and teaching.

scholarly journals The import of professional development programmes for primary school teachers in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 48-55
Author(s):  
OSIESI Mensah Prince
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Effective Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Primary School Teacher ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers

The paper discussed the import of professional development programmes for primary school teachers in Nigeria. It highlighted the relevance of the primary school teacher; effective development programmes for them in relation to their teaching competences; the primary education in Nigeria, its functions and challenges confronting it; challenges facing primary school teachers. The paper further explored the objectives and forms of teachers’ development and barriers to effective teacher development programmes in Nigeria. It concluded that Mechanisms for effective teachers’ professional development should be put in place by stakeholders on a regular basis; as this is tantamount to enhancing teachers’ teaching competences and that teachers at the primary schools need regular on-the-job professional development programmes. A number of recommendations were articulated to ensure continuous and effective teachers development for practicing primary school teachers in Nigeria.

scholarly journals The import of professional development programmes for primary school teachers in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Osiesi Mensah Prince
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Effective Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Primary School Teacher ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers

The paper discussed the import of professional development programmes for primary school teachers in Nigeria. It highlighted the relevance of the primary school teacher; effective development programmes for them in relation to their teaching competences; the primary education in Nigeria, its functions and challenges confronting it; challenges facing primary school teachers. The paper further explored the objectives and forms of teachers’ development and barriers to effective teacher development programmes in Nigeria. It concluded that Mechanisms for effective teachers’ professional development should be put in place by stakeholders on a regular basis; as this is tantamount to enhancing teachers’ teaching competences and that teachers at the primary schools need regular onthe-job professional development programmes. A number of recommendations were articulated to ensure continuous and effective teachers development for practicing primary school teachers in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Action Research In Teacher Preparation: An Inclusive Seminar

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elissa Poel ◽  
Carolyn Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Curriculum And Instruction ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Institution ◽  
K 12

The article focuses on a teacher education program at a Carnegie I Research Institution in the southwestern part of the United States; also, classified as a minority-serving institution. Teacher candidates in elementary, special, and bilingual education were enrolled in a combined student teaching seminar which is a collaborative initiative between the Departments of Special Education/Communication Disorders and Curriculum and Instruction. The authors of this manuscript are the researchers, seminar instructors, and directors of their student teaching components. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of action research with teacher candidates during the student teaching semester. The research question that guided this research is: How effective is the use of action research with teacher candidates to determine evidence of student learning in the K-12 classroom?

Integrating popular music into urban schools: Assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive music teacher development program

2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142098622
Author(s):  
Hal Abeles ◽  
Lindsay Weiss-Tornatore ◽  
Bryan Powell
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
New York ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
School Year ◽  
Music Program ◽  
K 12

As popular music education programs become more common, it is essential to determine what kinds of professional development experiences that are designed to help teachers include popular music into their music education classrooms are effective—keeping in mind that the inclusion of popular music in K–12 classrooms requires a change not only in instrumentation and repertoire but also pedagogical approaches. This study examined the effects of a popular music professional development initiative on more than 600 New York City urban music teachers’ musicianship, their pedagogy, and their leadership skills throughout one school year. Results revealed increases in all three areas, most notably in teachers’ musicianship. The study also showed an increase in teachers’ positive perceptions about their music programs, specifically, their level of excitement about the state of their music program and that their music program was more effective at meeting their students’ needs than it had been previously.

Lessons learned from a search for common ground

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  
Rick Hess ◽  
Pedro Noguera
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Social And Emotional Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Common Understanding

In 2020, Rick Hess and Pedro Noguera engaged in a long-running correspondence that tackled many of the biggest questions in education — including topics like school choice, equity and diversity, testing, privatization, the achievement gap, social and emotional learning, and civics. They sought to unpack their disagreements, better understand one another’s perspectives, and seek places of agreement or points of common understanding. Their correspondence appears in their book, A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12 Education (Teachers College Press, 2021). In this article, they reflect on the exercise, what they learned from it, and what lessons it might offer to educators, education leaders, researchers, and policy makers.

A Rational and Manageable Value-Added Model for Teacher Preparation Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 728-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Brady ◽  
Katie Miller ◽  
Jazarae McCormick ◽  
Lawrence A. Heiser
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Value Added Model ◽  
K 12

Educators struggle with “value-added” teacher evaluation models based on high-stakes student assessments. Despite validity and reliability threats, these models evaluate university-based teacher preparation programs (TPPs), and play a role in state and professional accreditation. This study reports a more rational value-added evaluation model linking student performance to teacher candidates’ lessons during Practicum and Student Teaching. Results indicate that K-12 students showed learning gains on these lessons, with mixed findings on comparisons of part-time to full-time internships, academic and functional lessons, and candidates’ grade point averages (GPAs). Results indicated that teacher candidates’ lessons are a viable value-added model (VAM) alternative for TPPs.

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