scholarly journals How Does Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Influence Novices’ First-Year Instruction?

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosun Kang ◽  
Mark Windschitl
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
First Year Teachers ◽  
Core Practices ◽  
Research Questions

Background/Context Teacher preparation suffers from a lack of evidence that guides the design of learning experiences to produce well-prepared beginners. An increasing number of teacher educators are experimenting with practice-embedded approaches to prepare novices for ambitious instruction. This study examines the role of core instructional practices introduced during preparatory experiences in shaping novices’ first-year teaching. Research design Employing a mixed-methods approach, we compare the first-year teaching of two groups of individuals with secondary science certification, one of which comprises graduates from a practice-embedded preparation program, and the other graduates from programs that did not feature practice-embedded preparation. A total of 116 science lessons taught by 41 first-year teachers were analyzed, focusing on the quality of student opportunities to learn (OTL) observed during the lessons. Research questions This study sought answers to two research questions: 1) What are the characteristics of students’ OTL from first-year teachers, one group of whom learned a set of core instructional practices during their preparation program and the other group of whom were not exposed to core practices? 2) Who provides opportunities for students to engage in meaningful disciplinary practices as outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards, during the first year of teaching, if any? How did they create such opportunities? Findings Independent-sample t-tests showed that there are significant mean differences between the two groups (t=3.1∼8.9; p <.001), on four metrics associated with their students’ opportunities to learn. In-depth qualitative case studies reveal two ways that core practices shape instruction in new teachers’ classrooms: (a) they support novices in formulating an actionable curricular vision as advocated by the science education community, and (b) they appear to help novices notice, attend to, and build upon students’ ideas in classrooms with the use of strategies and tools recommended by the program. Conclusions/Recommendations A focus on a set of strategic and intentional practices, designed to help teachers achieve rigorous and equitable learning goals, has potential as a curricular frame for teacher preparation. But the emphasis should be placed on the vision and pedagogical goals that underlie the core practices, rather than the ungrounded use of strategies or tools themselves.

Perceptions of Beginning Teachers, Their Mentors, and Administrators Regarding Preservice Music Teacher Preparation

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Conway
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
First Year Teachers ◽  
Validity Of Results ◽  
Music Teacher Preparation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preservice music teacher preparation program at a large midwestem university (in this article called “BTU” for “Big Ten University”) through an examination of the perceptions of beginning teachers and their mentors and administrators. Primary research participants included seven first-year teachers from BTU's class of 1999 and seven first-year teachers from the class of 2000. Data from these participants included individual interviews, focus group interviews, teacher journals, classroom observations by the researcher, mentor interviews, administrator interviews, and responses on an open-ended “End-of-Year Questionnaire.”In addition, secondary participants (n = 11) completed the End-of Year Questionnaire regarding their first-year experiences and the teacher preparation program. Results and discussion include descriptions of the perceptions regarding the most valuable parts of preparation and the least valuable parts of preparation, as well as suggestions for preservice teacher preparation made by teachers, mentors, administrators, and the researcher. Issues of validity of results and transferability of findings to other settings are discussed in addition to possible implications for teacher education and music education program evaluation research.

scholarly journals Collaboration of Researchers and Stakeholders: Transforming Educator Preparation

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Bobbette M Morgan ◽  
Alma D. Rodriquez ◽  
Irma Jones ◽  
James Telese ◽  
Sandra Musanti
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
First Year Teachers ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Educator Preparation Program

This study contributes to the literature on first year teachers by identifying complexities and struggles of becoming a teacher and the implications of district-university partnerships to strengthen our educator preparation program. The importance of partnerships with stakeholders, memorandum of agreements to share data, observations of first year teachers by university faculty, employer surveys, and the first year teacher’s perspectives about how well our university prepared them, as well as how they compare with other first year teachers nationally is addressed. Multiple sources of data were used to provide information about completers, individuals that graduated from the educator preparation program. These include state reports, national trends, and review of survey results next to universities across the United States involved in teacher preparation. Graduates of our teacher preparation program have a 93% retention rate after five years of teaching. The national average is 50% after five years. 

District Policy and Beginning Teachers: A Lens on Teacher Learning

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Grossman ◽  
Clarissa Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Teachers ◽  
District Policy ◽  
Policy Environments ◽  
Opportunities For Learning

This analysis considers the role district policy environments play in the lives of beginning teachers. As part of a larger longitudinal study of teacher learning in the language arts, the authors analyzed the experiences of three first-year teachers in two contrasting school districts. This article assesses the role of policies concerning curriculum, professional development, and mentoring in teachers’ opportunities in learning to teach language arts. The ways in which districts were organized had consequences for what these beginning teachers learned about teaching; district structures either encouraged or deflected conversations about teaching English. In addition, the authors found that districts served powerful roles as teacher educators. The tasks the districts assigned the teachers, the resources they provided, the learning environments they created, and the conversations they provoked proved to be consequential in shaping both teachers’ concerns and their opportunities for learning about teaching language arts.

Using Lesson Study to Prepare Preservice Special Educators

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly A. Roberts ◽  
Amber E. Benedict ◽  
So Yeon Kim ◽  
Jacob Tandy
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Knowledge And Skills

Learning to teach students with disabilities is challenging. Preservice special educators must develop critical knowledge of content as well as skill for enacting evidence-based practices effectively. Preservice special educators need increased opportunities to learn core knowledge coupled with a mechanism to support them in situating their newly acquired knowledge and skills in classroom practice. This column describes lesson study (LS), a practice-based approach that can be integrated within a teacher preparation program preparing preservice special educators to teach students with high-incidence disabilities. The column includes (a) a description of steps that teacher educators can take to integrate the LS process into their teacher preparation program, (b) reproducible items needed to facilitate LS, and (c) recommendations for evaluating the effect of LS on preservice special educators’ knowledge and skills.

scholarly journals Learning to Be Rural: Lessons about Being Rural in Teacher Education Programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Moffa ◽  
Erin McHenry-Sorber
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
First Year Teachers ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Program Of Study ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Community Types ◽  
Rural Place

This qualitative study investigated the evolving perceptions of rurality of five Appalachian native, first-year teachers as influenced by their teacher preparation program. Findings suggested tensions between participants’ rural upbringings and programmatic and non-rural peer conceptions of rurality that surfaced during their program of study. Responses to these tensions included participants positioning themselves as “rural representatives” in their courses and, in some cases, the adoption of revised conceptions of rurality. Intra-Appalachian diversity, such as different childhood community types and childhood social class, influenced participants’ conceptualizations of rurality and their perceptions of its representation in their programs. The majority of participants perceived a trend toward generalized notions of rural place that were not necessarily representative of their personal experiences. Transitioning to first-year teachers, participants relied on their community-driven knowledge and teacher preparation to guide their practice in home or new rural, Appalachian communities

scholarly journals A Multidimensional Analysis of Teacher Preparation in Texas

2019 ◽  
pp. 106-113
Author(s):  
Daniella G. Varela ◽  
Lori Kupczynski ◽  
Marie-Anne Mundy
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Educators ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Standards Compliance ◽  
Educator Preparation Program ◽  
Administrative Code ◽  
Survey Evaluation

Despite a healthy production of teachers, teacher attrition is a significant concern facing school administrators across the state of Texas. This study sought to determine the extent to which questions on the Exit and Principal Surveys reflect three sets of standards which guide educator preparation in Texas: Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Standards for Teacher Educators, Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Educator Preparation Program Curriculum Standards, and Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam Standards. This analysis provides important information about the validity of survey questions as a measure of standards compliance for educator preparation in Texas and also sought to determine if there is a difference between teacher candidates’ Exit Survey evaluation of preparation and principals’ Principal Survey evaluation of first-year teachers’ preparation. Findings indicated a clear disconnect. Recommendations are provided as contributions for future discussion on much needed educator preparation program standards reform.

Embedding Diverse Children's Literature Throughout a Teacher Preparation Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 501-524
Author(s):  
Amy Tondreau ◽  
Zachary T. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Book Club ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Administrative Team

This chapter explores the incorporation of diverse children's literature into a teacher preparation program, both in and beyond a required Literature for Children course. With the aim of cultivating positive reading identities for pre-service teachers, the authors focus on the process for implementing changes to build a culture of reading, so that pre-service teachers identify as life-long readers, and specifically readers who understand the importance of diverse texts. Changes to curriculum in writing, social studies, and special education methods courses are described, as is the creation of a college-wide book club. The goal of embedding children's literature in and across teacher preparation programs is for pre-service teachers to feel prepared to bring these texts into their own classrooms and to facilitate discussions on the topics that these texts raise with their students, administrative team, and parents. In order to do this, teacher educators need to provide ample opportunities for students to practice selecting, analyzing, and discussing diverse children's literature.

A Study of Some Results of an Educational Media Course within a Teacher Preparation Program

1976 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-203
Author(s):  
William McCavitt
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Physical Science ◽  
Behavioral Science ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Instructional Media ◽  
Preparation Program

This study sought to examine one dimension of the on-the-job behavior of secondary public school teachers who have completed a teacher preparation program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. More specifically, the study examined the on-the-job behaviors and attitudes of these teachers in the following terms: (1) use of instructional media in the classroom, (2) use of instructional media in making student assignments, (3) use of instructional media in conducting student evaluation, (4) years experience (first year or fifth year teacher), (5) teaching area (behavioral science or physical science). The data revealed that differences do exist between the secondary teachers in the behavioral sciences in their attitudes toward and use of instructional media in student assignments and evaluation with physical science teachers scoring higher. Study data also seem to indicate that, regardless of the number of years of teaching experience teachers have, attitudes and uses of instructional media differ very little. It should be pointed out, however, that the attitudes and behaviors toward the use of instructional media by first year teachers, as shown by their mean scores, were slightly higher than those with five years teaching experience.

Student Teaching for a Specialized View of Professional Practice? Opportunities to Learn in and for Urban, High-Needs Schools

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 446-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Anderson ◽  
Jamy Stillman
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
First Year ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
Underserved Students ◽  
The Face ◽  
High Needs Schools

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of first-year elementary teachers who assessed the strengths and weaknesses of their preservice student teaching experiences vis-à-vis their inservice realities. Specifically, the study explores opportunities to learn across student teaching placements and analyzes the degree to which placements present participants with equitable opportunities to build a specialized view of professional practice—one that can support them to enact in urban, high-needs schools the kind of practices that research suggests are crucial to the academic success of historically underserved students. Findings highlight the importance of providing preservice teachers with examples of “what’s possible” in the face of tightly regulated, accountability-driven policies. The authors conclude with suggestions for teacher educators concerning the reorganization of student teaching and the strategic mediation of preservice teachers’ learning to ensure that all preservice teachers receive equitable opportunities to learn in and through their placements in the field.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PEDAGOGICAL INTERNSHIP: ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, IMPROVEMENT

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-45
Author(s):  
Vincentas Lamanauskas ◽  
Vilhelmina Lukavičienė ◽  
Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
University Students ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Other Hand

Teacher preparation remains an urgent and significant part of education system. Changing socioeconomic, political, technological concrete country conditions require constant changes in teacher preparation system. As never before, such a demand is even more strengthened by an occurring link between education and labour market. Teachers is an undoubted integrating part of education policy and internship. The carried out scientific surveys show, that in Europe as well as in other countries teachers and schools encounter with similar pedagogue preparation problems: there are discussions on the selection of candidates to teacher’s profession, professional and subject teacher preparation, competence, preparation length, teachers’ professional self-consciousness, prestige, teacher educators’ partnerships and so on. The research was carried out between January and February 2014, i. e., at the beginning of the second study semester. The research is based on the attitude, that students’ opinion and evaluation researches are important, because they allow establishing urgent problems and clarifying the known ones. Referring to the respondent proposal analysis, one can suggest problem solution ways and evaluate possible consequences. Opinion researches is an effective means seeking to initiate the changes, in this case, to improve pedagogical internship organisation. Pedagogical internship, undoubtedly, remains a very significant element of pedagogical study structure and process. Competence, practical experience acquisition, personal improvement and all-round knowledge of educational institution are considered the most important advantages of the internship. This is not only a certain future teacher’s self-examination in a real educational environment, but also a proper way to improve. On the other hand, internship organisation is not appropriate enough. A few very important things are obvious: a short pedagogical internship time, coherence with the studies at university, and not sufficiently purposefully defined internship activities (content aspect). Mentors’ work should be improved; however, this is not treated as a very important drawback. Also, two improvement spheres have been exposed: internship content/programme improvement (to concretise, optimise, and more clearly regulate the activities) and strengthening interaction effectiveness between university and basic practical schools. Pedagogical internship effectiveness (from the point of view of pedagogical ability consolidation, improvement) remains undoubted. On the other hand, certain requirements should be raised for the institution, in which students would like and could perform pedagogical internship. Educational institution’s democracy and openness, technological supply, ecological friendliness/suitability are considered the most essential requirements. The existing pedagogical internship model in Lithuania has to be improved in two main directions – process (internship length increasing, guaranteeing the acquaintance with the variety of pedagogical institutions, interaction with the internship leaders and mentors improvement) and content (activity optimisation, innovativeness, variety increase) improvement. Key words: future teachers, pedagogical internship, teacher education, university students.

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