Learning to Teach

Author(s):  
Gabrièle Abowd Damico ◽  
Lawrence J. Ruich ◽  
John M. Andrésen ◽  
Gretchen Butera

This chapter describes an approach to field experience that provides the opportunity for a long-term relationship between a teacher candidate and their supervising teacher in a teacher preparation program called Community of Teachers (CoT). CoT emphasizes the importance of this relationship in several ways. The program empowers teacher candidates and their mentors to choose one another. In addition, the length of the field experience provides an opportunity for teacher candidates to more deeply engage in the process of becoming a teacher within the context of a classroom and a school that they come to know well. A triadic relationship between the teacher candidate, supervising teacher, and university supervisor provides the opportunity for support as well as evaluative feedback for the teacher candidate. Benefits also accrue to the supervising teacher.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
Glenda L. Black

Action research has the potential to reconstruct schools into professional learning communities that are able to identify educational issues and develop appropriate solutions for 21st century learning. Increasingly, teacher education programs are providing action research experiences to encourage analytical thinking and problem-solving skills (Darling-Hammond, 2009, 2012). The purpose of this study was to critically examine the experiences of the teacher educator and teacher candidates involved in the implementation of an action research component over four years in a revised consecutive initial teacher preparation program. A case study design using action research methodology was used in the research, which provided the tools to explore a complex phenomenon within its context: the implementation of an action research assignment in a core course in a teacher preparation program. The perceptions of the faculty teaching the course and the teacher candidates (n=544) in each of the four years provided insight into challenges, benefits, and lessons learned.  The discussion centers on the implementation of action research in a compulsory course in a teacher education program; identifying opportunities and limitations settled into four main categories: structural incongruence, reflection, growth, and recommendations.


Author(s):  
Lisa VASQUEZ

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.


Author(s):  
Stefanie D. Livers ◽  
Liang-Yin. Lin

Research suggests that K-12 teacher candidates are not prepared to meet the needs of English Learners (ELs) (O'Neal, Ringler, & Rodriguez, 2008), and that their belief systems about teaching impact their ability to learn best practices for instruction (Nosich, 2009). In order to be successful teachers of ELs, teacher candidates must be adequately prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners by making targeted changes to instruction. It is essential that teacher preparation programs include opportunities to develop knowledge and skills. The goal of this study was to evaluate one preparation program's effect on knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, and self-efficacy of teacher candidates in regard to teaching ELs. The study examined perceptions, experience and knowledge of ELs and the effectiveness of a teacher preparation program in changing teacher candidates' beliefs about ELs. This exploratory study builds on previous research from a four-phase elementary teacher preparation program at a research institution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-184
Author(s):  
Kelley Regan ◽  
Margaret P. Weiss

Practice-based opportunities are provided throughout a teacher preparation program. During these opportunities, teachers demonstrate learned skills and strategies and receive performance feedback. Real-time feedback is delivered when the teaching behavior is occurring, allowing for more immediate and, typically, more targeted performance feedback. A technology-enabled practice for providing real-time feedback is bug-in-ear (BIE) coaching. This article provides a step-by-step guide for BIE coaching.


10.28945/4129 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 423-440
Author(s):  
Gregory M Francom ◽  
Andria L Moon

Aim/Purpose: This study describes and evaluates a teacher preparation program that combines a school-university partnership and a 1:1 device initiative. Background: This educational design research report combines a 1:1 technology device experience with a school-university partnership to enhance teacher preparation for educational technology use. Methodology: This is a mixed-methods educational design research study. Interview responses share benefits and lessons learned from the program experience. Survey responses give information about educational technology confidence among teacher candidates who took part in this program. Contribution: This study provides a description of a unique teacher preparation program designed to enhance educational technology confidence among teacher candidates and shares lessons learned from this experience in light of collected data. Findings: Teacher candidates’ social outcome expectations for using technology were increased. Qualitative data indicate that the program also benefitted elementary school teachers by enhancing educational technology confidence and providing extra help. Recommendations for Practitioners: University teacher candidates should be given more embedded technology-focused classroom experiences. Smaller university class sizes are necessary to support these types of experiences. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies could more deeply investigate how school-university partnership programs with technology affect teacher candidates’ social outcome expectations and educational technology confidence. Impact on Society: Approaches to teacher preparation similar to the one presented in this study can enhance students’ social outcome expectations for using technology. Future Research: Future studies could investigate various educational technology initiatives’ effects on teacher candidates’ educational technology confidence and share teacher preparation program designs aimed at enhancing educational technology use.


Author(s):  
Jessica A. Manzone ◽  
Rebecca J. Peeples

The transfer of knowledge and skills to the K-12 classroom is a central objective for any teacher preparation program. This chapter highlights how the skill of developing critical conversations around diverse literature can be woven into the coursework of any teacher preparation program. Theories such as Rings of Culture, Authentic Text, and Implicit Learning anchor this chapter. This chapter provides a practical strategy for building the capacity in teacher candidates necessary to transfer the authentic application of diverse literature to promote social justice and action to the K-12 classroom. The authors articulate how the high-leverage practice of developing Curated Conversations can be used to create environments that foster student voice, student choice, and student interest in any classroom. When modeled for teacher candidates, this strategy can become internalized into their practice and promote the development of professional educators committed to social justice and action.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-44
Author(s):  
Alice W. Terry ◽  
Catherine Head

A university near a major city in Georgia and a large, urban school district established a Professional Development School (PDS) in which the majority of junior and senior-level pre-service teacher coursework and fieldwork took place at seven urban, high-needs public schools.  The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary feedback to the middle grades teacher preparation program concerning the UE (Urban Education) program in preparation for the second cohort of UE interns and the second year of study with the first cohort.  What emerged from the study was evidence that the program, for its participating teacher candidates, leads to commitment, strengthens self-efficacy, and fosters early development of teacher efficacy, but which ultimately evolves into teacher candidate overconfidence.  As pressure continues to mount concerning the quality of education in America, teacher preparation programs must improve their programs in order to better prepare teachers for diverse classrooms.  This study relates one such effort toward that end.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina G. Dorsch ◽  
Diane H. Jackman

Teacher preparation programs assess students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions throughout the program.  When concerns about student performance arise, the Student Performance Review is a vehicle for “saving” teacher candidates.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document