Toward a Bidirectional and Co-Constructed Mentorship: Rethinking the Mentor and Student–Teacher Relationship

2021 ◽  
pp. 238133772110335
Author(s):  
Rick Coppola ◽  
Daniel J. Rocha ◽  
Rebecca Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Student Teacher Relationship ◽  
Strategic Partnering ◽  
Artifact Analysis

Cooperating teachers are vital in the professional development of teacher candidates. Yet, little research has been done to explore the generative and bidirectional nature of mentoring in the context of a student teaching-mentoring dyad—including the ways that teacher candidates are vital to the professional development of cooperating teachers. This case study addresses this gap by exploring the realized potential of adopting a transformative activist stance in relation to the mentoring of a preservice teacher candidate. The strategic partnering of a veteran teacher (Rick) and undergraduate teacher candidate (Daniel)—both committed to culturally sustaining pedagogies—created an opportunity to reimagine the student teaching experience in one English language arts classroom. Through collaborative reflection and artifact analysis, we examine our roles in contributing to bidirectional mentorship that stressed innovative collaboration rather than adaptation to existing power differentials.

Assessing Pre-Service Teachers' Assessment Literacy

2019 ◽  
pp. 42-57
Author(s):  
Beth Clark-Gareca
Keyword(s):  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Classroom Assessments ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
K 12

Conducting classroom assessments is a regular part of teachers' daily work. Despite the centrality of tests in K-12 classrooms, teacher candidates consistently demonstrate fundamental weakness in their understanding and implementation of assessment. Student teaching has the potential to be an important training ground for teacher candidates to grow in their assessment practices, and by focusing on assessment during the student teaching experience, teacher candidates can more easily develop a deeper understanding of the myriad ways to evaluate student learning. This chapter explores the assessment relationships between teacher candidates and their mentors (i.e., cooperating teachers, student teaching supervisors, and seminar instructors) and provides a framework through which intentional and incidental classroom assessment can be considered. Ways to teach assessment through planning, debriefing, and raising awareness through noticing are discussed, and recommendations are made to help teacher candidates build the foundation of a strong assessment repertoire.

scholarly journals An Exploration of Factors Contributing to the Perceptions of Preparedness for Elementary Candidates in a Clinically Based Program

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McMahon Giles ◽  
Andrea M. Kent
Keyword(s):  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Collaborative Teaching ◽  
Research Model ◽  
University Supervisors ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive ◽  
Prior Experiences

A quantitative, descriptive research model was used to investigate the perceptions of teacher candidates (n=32) in a clinically based dual certification program regarding their culminating student teaching experience. Data consisted of candidates’ responses to both multiple choice and open ended survey items. Results indicated that teacher candidates within an undergraduate program leading to state teaching certification in both elementary and collaborative teaching (K-6) had positive perceptions regarding their preparedness as a result of prior experiences working in K-6 classrooms (44%) and interactions with in-service teachers (28%). In addition, teacher candidates perceived strong relationships with their university supervisors reporting that they received a greater amount of encouragement and feedback for improved teaching from their university supervisors than from their cooperating teachers.

scholarly journals “It Just Works Better”: Introducing the 2:1 Model of Co-Teaching in Teacher Preparation

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Tschida ◽  
Judith J. Smith ◽  
Elizabeth A. Fogarty
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cooperating Teacher ◽  
Teaching Standards ◽  
Professional Teaching

Many issues influence reform in teacher preparation including national accountability efforts, professional teaching standards, and local or regional factors. This study examines a rurally-located teacher education program’s efforts to reform clinical preparation through co-teaching. Researchers argue that their adaption of the typical one-to-one (1:1) model of co-teaching to a two-to-one (2:1) model, where two teacher candidates work collaboratively with one cooperating teacher, greatly enhances the student teaching experience. This phenomenological research describes the first year of implementation. Despite cooperating teacher concerns about teacher candidates being prepared for their own classrooms, student teachers learned valuable lessons in collaboration and co-planning, built strong relationships with peers and cooperating teachers, and greatly impacted K-6 student learning. Implications suggest a 2:1 co-teaching model of student teaching allows for fewer placements, which ultimately allows selection of quality cooperating teachers who mentor teacher candidates in powerful ways.  

scholarly journals Female English Teachers Perceptions and Experience of Continuing Professional Development in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Saba Qadhi ◽  
Alan Floyd
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching

The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs’ perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional “one size fits all” CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.

What If We Can't Apply What We Have Learned?

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Lucila T. Rudge ◽  
Althea M. Gyde
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Certificate Program ◽  
The U.S

This study examines the experience of an IB science teacher candidate enrolled in the IB Educator Certificate Program, who completed her student teaching in an IB public school in the U.S. Using critical reflection as a method of inquiry, this study examines her expectations for student teaching, explore her assumptions as an IB teacher candidate, describes her experience, and discusses the implications of her student teaching experience. This study addresses the inconsistency of student teaching placements in IB schools.

Cooperating Music Teachers’ Opinions Regarding the Importance of Selected Traits, Behaviors, and Skills as Predictors of Successful Student Teaching Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-468
Author(s):  
Philip B. Edelman
Keyword(s):  
Student Teaching ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Personal Traits ◽  
Successful Student ◽  
Teacher Success ◽  
Selected Traits ◽  
Teacher Traits

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of cooperating teachers regarding the importance of certain teacher traits, behaviors, and skills as predictors of a successful student teaching experience. The sample consisted of teachers who had served as cooperating teachers ( N = 519). Participants rated a list of 40 teacher traits, behaviors, and skills based on their (perceived) importance as predictors of student teacher success. I constructed ranked lists for each demographic grouping of respondents by the mean score for each item, and these lists were examined using a method put forward by Teachout. Results revealed that the highest-rated items regardless of demographic grouping variables were demonstrating appropriate social behavior, stress management, fostering appropriate student behavior, establishing a positive rapport with others, and enthusiasm. All participant groups rated personal traits, behaviors, and skills as most important; followed by teaching traits, behaviors, and skills; then musical traits, behaviors, and skills. Content analyses of open-ended questions revealed that no items had a universal meaning among participants in this study.

scholarly journals Support for teacher candidates and the edTPA

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-182
Author(s):  
Dia Gary ◽  
Dylan Thomas ◽  
Joseph Miller
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Passing Rate ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Support Teacher

Equipping new teachers in today’s society is a noble and challenging task. Of late, many additional licensing standards for teachers create additional responsibilities for universities that provide pedagogy, knowledge, and content for teacher candidates. Identification of best practices that support teacher candidates on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) is of interest to many teacher education programs. The purpose of this research was to analyze whether incorporating a mock edTPA had beneficial results on the passage of the edTPA. This study spanned fourteen ten-week quarters and included 688 teacher candidates who were preparing to become certificated teachers at a university in Washington State. The questions that were posited were: a) Does a capstone class requiring a mock edTPA benefit students? b) Which edTPA rubrics are the most challenging, and why are they challenging? This research study found that adding a mock edTPA prior to the student teaching experience did not produce a statistically significant difference in scores when compared to the group who received an embedded curriculum. When comparing the two different time periods, the passing rate was not significantly different and there was little difference in the mean scores of both groups.

Supporting Teacher Candidates Completing the edTPA

2018 ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Deborah Greenblatt
Keyword(s):  
Student Teaching ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Stressful Situation ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Schools Of Education ◽  
Support Teacher

The edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) is an enormous undertaking that requires much time and effort. This can create a stressful situation that can have an impact on the teacher candidates and affect their student teaching experience. With this in mind, schools of education have to look for ways to support teacher candidate and make the process less burdensome while not losing sight of the goals of student teaching or their school missions. This chapter will start with an explanation of the acceptable guidelines for support for the edTPA. It will then move into explaining the challenges teacher candidates face such as mastering unfamiliar language, test documents, and digital literacy skills followed by support strategies. The next section considers the populations of teacher candidates who might need specialized support due to the lack of local scoring and the inherent biases embedded in standardized assessments for a diverse population. The chapter concludes with the benefits and consequences of providing support for teacher candidates to pass the edTPA.

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