scholarly journals Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of School Organization: Fundamental inconsistencies between expectations and experiences

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-228
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Cherubini
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teacher ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
School Organization ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Practice Teaching ◽  
Negative Effect

Abstract Preservice teacher-candidates enrolled in teacher education programs across Canada are exposed to the nuances of school organization during their practice-teaching assignments. Although the literature is full of scholarship about the concerns of new teachers, less attention has been given to school organizational factors as sources of dissonance for new teachers and preservice teacher education candidates. This study employed quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the effect of the practicum experience on prospective teachers’ beliefs about school organization in Ontario. The fundamental finding of the study was that participants’ experiences during their teaching-practicum assignments had a significantly negative effect upon their beliefs about school organization.

From Collaborative Inquiry to Critical, Project-Based Clinical Experiences

2018 ◽  
pp. 89-116
Author(s):  
Kristien Zenkov ◽  
Seth A. Parsons ◽  
Audra K. Parker ◽  
Elizabeth Levine Brown ◽  
Lois A. Groth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Education Practice

Unprecedented and long-overdue attention has recently been given to the role of field-based clinical experiences in teacher preparation. Traditional models of university coursework disconnected from real world field-based clinical experiences serve neither prospective teachers nor PreK-12 students. This chapter presents a broader notion of field-based teacher preparation structures occurring in school-university partnership contexts and professional development schools, with the authors drawing from data of four field-based experiences, which fall along a continuum of partnership, from three teacher education programs at two universities. These partnerships illustrate a developmental framework for building mutually beneficial relationships that enhance the engagement of all stakeholders and acknowledge the need for differentiation in teacher education practice. A pathways orientation to school-university partnerships/PDSs and a project-based clinical approach offer chances to develop mutually beneficial learning opportunities for PreK-12 students and teacher candidates.

Differentiated Fieldwork and Practicum Experiences

2018 ◽  
pp. 2119-2139
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Schroth ◽  
Jason A. Helfer
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Practicum Experiences ◽  
Different Levels

Teacher education programs are charged by administrators, legislative bodies, parents, and others to produce new teachers who are “classroom ready” upon graduation. Many interns and teacher candidates, however, come to their programs with very different levels of preparation and skills in dealing with children. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, teacher educators should differentiate fieldwork and practicum experiences to better meet candidates' varying readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles to create placements that fit the interns' needs and skills. Differentiating the fieldwork and practicum experiences of interns has the dual benefit of increasing retention rates of teacher education programs and better preparing new teachers for their first classrooms. Suggestions are made regarding ways teacher educators can differentiate placements for interns and teacher candidates.

Differentiated Fieldwork and Practicum Experiences

2017 ◽  
pp. 306-326
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Schroth ◽  
Jason A. Helfer
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Practicum Experiences ◽  
Different Levels

Teacher education programs are charged by administrators, legislative bodies, parents, and others to produce new teachers who are “classroom ready” upon graduation. Many interns and teacher candidates, however, come to their programs with very different levels of preparation and skills in dealing with children. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, teacher educators should differentiate fieldwork and practicum experiences to better meet candidates' varying readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles to create placements that fit the interns' needs and skills. Differentiating the fieldwork and practicum experiences of interns has the dual benefit of increasing retention rates of teacher education programs and better preparing new teachers for their first classrooms. Suggestions are made regarding ways teacher educators can differentiate placements for interns and teacher candidates.

scholarly journals Practice Teaching to Teaching Practice: An Autoethnography of Early Autonomy and Relatedness in New Teachers

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402093387
Author(s):  
Eleftherios K. Soleas ◽  
Mary A. Code
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Practice Teaching ◽  
Difficult Transition

The first steps that new teachers take in their classrooms lead them down a path that presents many challenges, and these challenges are the reason that beginning teachers are a vulnerable population in the context of educational practitioners. This autoethnography examines two new teachers as they transition from their teacher education programs to teaching in the classroom. This research frames their experiences using the perspective of self-determination theory to characterize the psychological nature of beginning teachers’ challenges as they transition into a community of educational practice. Participants reported how they perceived feeling ill-prepared for the realities of classrooms and provide ideas on what desired changes in teacher education might look like. The novel contribution of this study highlights intervention sites for alleviating the unique vulnerability of the newest teachers as they make a difficult transition from practice teaching to teaching practice.

scholarly journals Learning to Teach, Imaginatively: Supporting the Development of New Teachers Through Cognitive Tools

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 999-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieran Egan ◽  
Shawn Michael Bullock ◽  
Anne Chodakowski
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Learning To Teach ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Cognitive Tools ◽  
Complex Sentence ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Imaginative Education

We propose that teacher candidates need to have extended experiences with learning to teach imaginatively, which is to say that teacher candidates need to have experiences that enable them to consider new possibilities in education. We first attend to the general theoretical framework offered by imaginative education before moving on to consider the implications of imaginative education for teacher education programs. We conclude with some provocations to the field that we hope will be of use for those who might wish to join us in considering how we might teach teachers to teach in imaginative ways — a complex sentence with an even more complicated set of implications.

Community-Based Field Experiences in Teacher Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 348-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi L. Hallman
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Field Experiences ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Community Based

This chapter proposes the value of offering teacher candidates an opportunity to participate in community-based field experiences during their teacher education programs. Community-based field experiences, in contrast to traditional, classroom-based placements usually offered at this stage in prospective teachers' professional preparation, enable beginning teachers to conceptualize their own learning and the learning of their students in new ways. As part of teacher education programs, the community-based field experience serves a distinct purpose and place, and one that is often underexplored. This chapter describes the integration of community-based field experiences into teacher education programs and discusses the unique quality of community-based settings as potential sites for teachers' learning.

scholarly journals Profiles of Pre-service Teacher Education: An Investigation into the Nature of Selected Exemplary Programs in Jamaica and Michigan

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Heather Smith-Sherwood
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Quality Teachers ◽  
Effect Change ◽  
Pre Service Teacher Education ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

This qualitative multi-case study investigated thre exemplary pre-service teacher education programs in Jamaica and Michigan in order to provide an account of how they are structured in different contexts of tertiary institutions and, to identify how they ensure that their graduates are prepared to function effectively in today’s schools. Five categories of stakeholders across the three institutions were interviewed regarding their perception and expectations of pre-service teacher education in general as well as in the context of their program. The responses from these persons were described in narrative form, then analyzed and compared based on the similarities and differences that existed among them. The analysis led to the emergence of various themes across the three institutions, and these were used to draw conclusions relative to the structure of pre-service teacher education. The findings revealed eight distinguishing features of exemplary/effective pre-service teacher education programs whether university or college-based. (a) coherent program vision (b) cultural competence (c) collaborative partnership (d) contextualization (e) quality standards (f) well-planned and implemented field experiences (g) continuous assessment (h) experienced committed faculty and (i) a harmonious blend of theory and practice. To be effective, pre-service teacher education programs must prepare prospective teachers to adequately meet the challenges of teaching in today’s classrooms. To effect change, quality teachers are needed, and to produce quality teachers, quality preparation is a necessity. 

Key Competencies in Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Mentoring and Instruction for Clinically-based Grow-Your-Own Teacher Education Programs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Kibler ◽  
René Pyatt ◽  
Jason Greenberg Motamedi ◽  
Ozen Guven
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Grow Your Own ◽  
Mentoring Practices ◽  
Instructional Competencies

Grow-Your-Own (GYO) Teacher Education programs that aim to diversify and strengthen the teacher workforce must provide high-quality learning experiences that support the success and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) teacher candidates and bilingual teacher candidates. Such work requires a holistic and systematic approach to conceptualizing instruction and mentoring that is both linguistically and culturally sustaining. To guide this work in the Master of Arts in Teaching in Clinically Based Elementary program at Oregon State University’s College of Education, we conducted a review of relevant literature and frameworks related to linguistically responsive and/or sustaining teaching or mentoring practices. We developed a set of ten mentoring competencies for school-based cooperating/clinical teachers and university supervisors. They are grouped into the domains of: Facilitating Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Instruction, Engaging with Mentees, Recognizing and Interrupting Inequitable Practices and Policies, and Advocating for Equity. We also developed a set of twelve instructional competencies for teacher candidates as well as the university instructors who teach them. The instructional competencies are grouped into the domains of: Engaging in Self-reflection and Taking Action, Learning About Students and Re-visioning Instruction, Creating Community, and Facilitating Language and Literacy Development in Context. We are currently operationalizing these competencies to develop and conduct surveys and focus groups with various GYO stakeholders for the purposes of ongoing program evaluation and improvement, as well as further refinement of these competencies.

Listening to the Experiences and Concerns of Pre-Service Teachers During Teaching Practice Programme

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Darshana Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Teacher Education Programme ◽  
Practice Teaching

Teaching Practice is widely recognised as the sine-qua-non of any teacher education programme. It is a component in the teacher preparation programme where prospective teachers are provided with an opportunity to put their theoretical studies into practice, get feedback, reflect on practice and consequently further improve their teaching skills. As teaching practice is an important component of a teacher education programme, considerable attention must be given to make it more effective and fruitful. This paper is based on a research study conducted to know pre-service teachers' experiences of the quality of teaching practice and the common concerns they have during teaching practice. On the basis of focussed group discussion a total of five themes were identified, these are (1) usefulness of teaching practice (2) experiences/concerns with pupils' behaviour (3) experiences/concerns with own behaviour (4) experiences/concerns with supervisors' behaviour (5) experiences/concerns with institutional and personal adjustments. The outcome of the focussed group discussion was used to prepare a structured questionnaire. Among other things, the study recommended rigorous practical training in lesson planning, demonstration lessons by teacher educators, simulated teaching before the commencement of practice teaching, school orientation programmes, a separate internship of two weeks and writing a journal by student teachers during teaching practice.

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.

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