Online ELT Practicum: Views of Student Teachers, Cooperating Teachers and Faculty Supervisors

Teaching practicum is a vital and challenging phase of English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher education in which student teachers experience their first teaching practices In line with the global pandemic status quo, official regulations that leaded educational activities at state primary schools and universities to be carried out online, have also changed the modes and means in the practices and experiences of in-service and pre-service ELT teachers. Therefore, in respect of three participant groups of the practicum process as student teachers, cooperating teachers and university supervisors, it is essential to examine the impact of this new coercive teaching practice system on them. This study attempts to gain insight into the teaching practicum period that ELT student teachers, cooperative teachers and university supervisors cooperatively carried out fully online through English lessons administered by state primary schools. The results elicited by the participants’ views on online practicum revealed that pupilrelated issues like their low attendance and participation in online English lessons and technological problems such as internet access or computer-related malfunctions were compelling factors for student teachers and cooperative teachers. Regarding practicum performances, cooperative teachers confirmed student teachers’ technological skills and the use of a variety of web 2 tools in their practices was found as an opportunity for student teachers to develop their teaching skills.

Online ELT Practicum: Views of Student Teachers, Cooperating Teachers and Faculty Supervisors

Teaching practicum is a vital and challenging phase of English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher education in which student teachers experience their first teaching practices In line with the global pandemic status quo, official regulations that leaded educational activities at state primary schools and universities to be carried out online, have also changed the modes and means in the practices and experiences of in-service and pre-service ELT teachers. Therefore, in respect of three participant groups of the practicum process as student teachers, cooperating teachers and university supervisors, it is essential to examine the impact of this new coercive teaching practice system on them. This study attempts to gain insight into the teaching practicum period that ELT student teachers, cooperative teachers and university supervisors cooperatively carried out fully online through English lessons administered by state primary schools. The results elicited by the participants’ views on online practicum revealed that pupilrelated issues like their low attendance and participation in online English lessons and technological problems such as internet access or computer-related malfunctions were compelling factors for student teachers and cooperative teachers. Regarding practicum performances, cooperative teachers confirmed student teachers’ technological skills and the use of a variety of web 2 tools in their practices was found as an opportunity for student teachers to develop their teaching skills.

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

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.

Mentoring Support of Cooperating Teachers: Insights from Filipino Practice Teachers

ABSTRACT The literature reveals the indispensable role of mentoring in practice teaching. However, little is known about the mentoring support the Filipino cooperating teachers (CTs) extended to their practice teachers (PTs). Also, no study has been conducted yet on mentoring using a constructively aligned scale with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST). Through sequential explanatory mixed-method design, this study determined the extent of CTs’ mentoring support from the viewpoint of the PTs. There were 840 PTs (680 females, 160 males) from a public university who participated in the survey using the Mentoring Practices Scale. Besides, 25 randomly selected PTs’ portfolios were content analysed to substantiate the quantitative data. Findings revealed that the CTs provided mentoring to a very great extent along with personal, career, professional knowledge, instructional process, and role modelling supports. Indeed, though preliminary research, this study serves as a take-off for strengthening the mentoring activities to benefit both Filipino CTs and PTs.

A Multiple Case Study of Music Cooperating Teacher Roles in Mentoring Dialogues

While music education researchers have examined cooperating teacher and student teacher interactions via classroom observations and interviews, there is little research on extended dialogues between the cooperating teacher and student teacher or various mentoring roles (coach, guide, model, and evaluator) assumed by cooperating teachers. During one 8-week student teaching placement period, I recorded extended dialogues between four student teacher-cooperating teacher pairs, along with individual interviews. Data were analyzed using the mentor roles in dialogues model. The mentoring role assumed during dialogues reflected the student teaching context, perceptions about appropriate roles, cooperating teacher and student teacher personalities, and their relationship. Mentoring dialogues were especially influenced by unique features of the music ensemble class.

Giving a Listening Ear: Male Student Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives of Practicum Supervision

Exploring the minute number of male teachers within the classroom is certainly not a new discourse as teaching has increasingly become a feminised profession. Therefore, as male student teachers take on the challenge of becoming teachers, it is imperative that we listen to them as they recount their supervision experiences. These experiences are significantly influenced and impacted by teacher educators and cooperating teachers who are tasked with the responsibility to provide high quality and effective supervision, especially during teaching practicum. Additionally, acknowledging that to attain positive outcomes attached to student teaching experiences, Hunt et al. (2015) have reasoned that teaching practicum is essential in the process of developing quality teachers. Thus, the quality of supervision male student teachers need is heavily dependent on the capacity and expertise of those who supervise them. However, Slick (as cited in Bates & Burbank, 2008) posited that within teacher training programmes and colleges, student teacher supervision is not highly regarded. The purpose, therefore, of this study was to explore, through a phenomenological qualitative nature, the experiences, and perceptions that three final year male student teachers have of the quality and level of supervision they received from college supervisors and cooperating teachers throughout teaching practicum. The insights shared, therefore, provide a reference point to influence the practice and dispositions of college supervisors and cooperating teachers. Additionally, this study provides a premise to conduct additional studies of male student teachers’ experiences and perceptions of teaching practicum and supervision, especially within the Jamaican context.

What was it like to be an ESL teacher in 2020? Reflections from the prek-12 community

Suddenly, with the advent of COVID-19, our familiar teaching tools disappeared. How, in a two-dimensional world, were teachers to connect with students? This is a question we have all been asking ourselves since last spring — and when we began to discuss this forum, it was the question we posed to our community. We asked student teachers, cooperating teachers, and student-teacher supervisors to reflect on a single moment from this past year. We hoped to document — and to share — a few moments from the actual experience being an ESL teacher during the 2020 school year.