Teachers as researchers: Classroom inquiry initiatives at undergraduate and graduate levels in early childhood education

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of including a teacher‐as‐researcher strand in college courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It describes four competency areas that contribute to the ability to engage in classroom inquiry including frequent and quality clinical experiences, practicing data collection methods of authentic assessment, opportunities to learn reflective practices, and experience using the inquiry cycle. Two undergraduate courses in early childhood education and a masters degree program in teaching & learning provide illustrations for embedding the teacher‐as‐researcher strand into the teacher education program. The article discusses the potential for classroom inquiry to stimulate renewal in university and public school settings. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.     

Navigating Mandates and Working toward Coherence: Our Journey with a High-Stakes Teacher Performance Assessment

Abstract

This article details the experiences of four teacher education faculty members as we navigated the consequential implementation of a state-mandated high stakes teacher performance assessment in our educator preparation program. By shifting our perspective from simply complying with an assessment mandate to considering how we can leverage implementation of high stakes performance assessment as a vehicle for program inquiry, we were able to gain significant insight into our practice.     

Early field experience: A question of effectiveness

Abstract

This paper offers a historical perspective of field‐based experiences in teacher preparation. The literature review presents information from studies that support the educative value of early field experiences and studies reporting results that do not lend empirical support for endorsing early field experiences.

Based on the information reported in the literature review, the writer offers guidelines for program development designed to increase the likelihood that an early field experience program will have the beneficial results that educators intend. The key issues for program development are: (a) determine the purpose of the experience, (b) determine the administrative feasibility of the experience, and (c) determine the method of evaluation for the experience.

In summary, the writer expresses a need for congruence between the university's teacher education program and the classroom sites for early field experiences. He further states that the goals, methods, and philosophy of university and classroom teachers need to be mutually understood and endorsed.     

A Systemic Approach to Teacher Development: lessons from a national Logo‐based computers in education program

ABSTRACT

Teacher training is a key component of any computers in education program. This article addresses how success in teacher training depends on long‐term planning and on a flexible systemic approach to training and support. It describes the system of teacher development established within the context of a widespread national program reaching one out of three elementary school children in Costa Rica and the lessons learned over a five year implementation process.     

The teacher work sample: A tool for scaffolding and assessing preservice teachers' early field experiences

Abstract

This article describes adapting teacher work sample methodology from the student teaching level to a 4‐week, 25‐hour field experience occurring relatively early in a teacher education program. The goals of the project were twofold: (a) to examine whether an adapted version of the teacher work sample would promote planning and reflection in preservice teachers, and (b) to explore the potential of an adapted teacher work sample as an assessment tool. Adaptations to the original, such as emphasizing formative over summative assessment, are briefly described. Survey and focus group data from a pilot combined with survey data from a semester of full implementation with 270 teacher candidates indicate the teacher work sample is useful for promoting reflection and an understanding of student assessment. The advantages of the teacher work sample are maximized when teacher candidates are engaged in whole class instruction.     

Impact of early clinical experiences on student attitudes about diversity

Abstract

Undergraduate pre‐service teachers enrolled in the first professional semester of an early childhood teacher preparation program were assigned clinical placements in schools with diverse student populations. Pretest and posttest self‐report questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to gain insight into the impact of the experience. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the feedback indicate that early clinical placements in diverse settings can positively impact student attitudes toward children of religious and cultural groups different from their own. Such experiences can also impact student views of priorities in teacher education. Implications for teacher preparation programs are offered.     

Issues in secondary teacher preparation

As teacher educators who have had extensive experience working in the field‐based secondary programs of two universities, the authors recognize the benefits, as well as the challenges, of forming partnerships with secondary educators to design and deliver collaboratively the teacher preparation program. In this article, experiences are shared and some of the major issues related to secondary teacher preparation that have been identified and contemplated are discussed.     

Informatique Pour Tous: a case study of information technology in teacher education in France

ABSTRACT

The national program Informatique Pour Tous was announced in France in 1985. This paper describes a resulting training program conducted in French secondary schools, the assessment of this program, and conclusions that can be drawn from it in terms of contents for pre‐service and in‐service teacher training in the educational use of computers. In this article, after a short background on the French policy of computer equipment in schools, the objectives of the training program are presented. Then the activities of the teachers who were trained in this program are analyzed, on the one hand through information gathered during their annual meetings and on another hand through interviews with the heads of some of the teachers' schools. Requirements for training contents and practices in teacher education are developed.     

Pds verses campus preparation: Through the eyes of the students

Abstract

Researchers interviewed 22 teacher education students prepared in an experimental high school professional development school (PDS) and 20 teacher education students simultaneously prepared in the campus‐based traditional program (TP). The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of program location on preservice teachers' program‐related beliefs and experiences. Results demonstrated that those preservice teachers prepared in the PDS participated in a greater variety of experiences, became more involved with the public school classes, interacted more with teachers and students, and were more satisfied with their preparation than were the TP students. Additionally, PDS‐prepared students made more frequent connections between theory and practice and exhibited greater confidence in their readiness to student teach. Campus‐based students voiced more dissatisfaction with the relevancy and currency of their courses and also with the quality and amount of their field experiences.     

FROM PRESERVICE PREPARATION TO WORKING LIFE: CAREER EXPERIENCES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS IN FINLAND

ABSTRACT

This is a case study of four students in an early childhood teacher preparation program at a large, state university that intentionally seeks to emphasize supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds and using culturally responsive pedagogy. The program includes a family engagement course in the first semester that is designed to facilitate students’ recognition of the perspectives of diverse families, as well as practica in schools serving children and families from a range of backgrounds. Our investigation revealed that not all of our participants were willing to completely let go of their preconceived understandings of family diversity and engagement, but those who did were very willing to try multiple ways of building mutually beneficial relationships with families. Our findings suggest that teacher educators must have an understanding of the cultural and family backgrounds of teacher preparation students so as to better support students in decentering and resisting normalizing their own family and school experiences.     

A person-centered analysis of teacher candidates’ approaches to assessment

This study analyzed teacher candidates’ approaches to classroom assessment, self-perception of assessment competence, motivation for completing teacher education, and assessment education experiences at the end of their teacher education program. Through latent class analysis, three subgroups of teachers were identified: eager, contemporary, and hesitant assessors. Membership to each class was further characterized by perceived relevance of classroom assessment, motivation for pursuing teacher education, methods of assessment education, and teacher certification. Results from this study support the notion that teacher candidates’ approaches to assessment should not be viewed as a stable characteristic, but one shaped by learning experiences, context, and personal dispositions.     

Peer coach during field experiences: cultivating teacher candidates’ peer feedback and reflective practices

ABSTRACT

Designing field embedded experiences for teacher candidates poses a unique challenge for large teacher education programs. Field experiences must include working with students, enhanced pedagogical coaching, and interaction within a professional community. Coursework coupled with field work should engage teacher candidates in a process of planning, implementing, analyzing and reflecting, and then modifying future teaching as evidence of reflective practice. Skilled coaching by the university based teacher educator or classroom mentor is one avenue for teaching novice educators how to analyze their classroom experiences. However, in large teacher education programs the ratio of candidates to UBTEs can make adequate coaching impossible. Thus, peer coaching can provide a feasible option for UBTE coaching. The purpose of this article is to describe the peer coaching experiences of teacher candidates and their university based teacher educators during junior level clinical block courses focused on developmentally appropriate practices for students in grades 1-3. Presented are a discussion of reflective practice, a rationale for peer coaching, and the application of peer coaching within three early childhood and elementary courses. Recommendations and challenges of peer coaching in a clinical pre-service teacher education program and implications for further studies are explored in the closing.     

Through the looking glass … preservice professional portfolio's

Abstract

This article shares one institution's experiences using professional portfolios to assist future teachers in becoming effective practitioners and making the transition between school and work. It describes the portfolio development process and the exit presentations. Both give students a peer/faculty forum to showcase their competencies, growth, and promote reflection, self‐confidence, job search preparedness, and an increased awareness of professional standards. In order to ascertain students’ perceptions regarding the development of a professional portfolio, faculty administered a questionnaire. Student feedback highlighted the benefits of portfolio development and offered suggestions for future improvements. They overwhelmingly viewed the invested time as worthwhile, saw the process as an appropriate program exit assessment, and recommended its continuation with future students. In addition, their suggestions held implications for portfolio use in teacher training programs.     

MAKING THE CONNECTION THROUGH STAFFING: MECHANISMS TO INCREASE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN UNIVERSITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COURSES AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LAB SCHOOL PRACTICES

Abstract

A team of early childhood teacher education faculty developed the 3‐D talent development model of teacher education, blending theory and research from many sources. These sources include research on talent development, nonuniversal development, and roles of teachers and their professional growth. The faculty integrated constructs from these sources into a program rooted in principles of social constructivism. Using the 3‐D model, the faculty team identified their task as taking students of teaching through the phases of discovery, discipline, and divergence. Assessments that we developed needed to correspond to this conceptual framework, moving us away from traditional types of student assessment. In this article we offer a synopsis of the talent development model; review five of the approaches to student assessment we use, including alternative assessment activities, “Employmee” feedback forms, electronic portfolios, state teacher evaluation frameworks, and action research projects; and articulate the linkages between our approach to assessment and the talent development model of teacher education.     

Arriving on a fast track: Perceptions of teachers from an alternative licensing program about their first four years in the classroom

Abstract

In a 4‐year study of new teachers who completed the MINT (Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers) alternative teacher‐licensing program, we found that this particular fast‐track model recruited a group of highly committed new teachers. However, these new teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of their teacher education program. Many of the teachers tended to use traditional teaching methods. Some regarded their professional development and mentoring experiences as insufficient. Some believed their potential for school leadership was not being fully realized. A similar set of perceptions were reported by a group of new teachers who had completed college‐based teacher preparation programs, although the college program‐prepared teachers tended to give higher ratings to their teacher preparation program and to use a wider variety of teaching strategies in the classroom.     

A phenomenological case study of teacher candidate experiences during a yearlong teacher residency program

Abstract

This phenomenological case study investigated teacher candidates’ experiences in a yearlong undergraduate teacher residency program to identify candidate conceptualizations of the effective design elements of an intentionally created practice-based teacher education program. Such experiences are generally characterized by full-year co-teaching experiences in PK–12 classrooms alongside a mentor teacher within a district whose values closely align with the preparation program, while simultaneously taking relevant coursework with supporting university faculty . Researchers interviewed 16 teacher candidates to develop deeper understandings of the meaningful structures of the residency program as manifested through their experiences. Through an analysis of candidate statements, multiple key design elements and candidates’ perceived impact of the residency were unveiled. Findings demonstrate a paradigmatic challenge to current preparation models, and the potential of practice-base preparation, in particular teacher residency programs.     

Another type of diversity: A student teacher with a learning disability

Carrie wanted to be a teacher more than anything else. But Carrie had a learning disability which interfered with the basic literacy skills of reading, writing, and language processing. Although she had entered the university through a special private program designed to identify and support studentswith learning disabilities,Carrie kept her disability a secret when she was admitted to the teacher education program. She did not tell her cooperating teachers or university supervisors about her difficulties until the incident in the high school resource room. Her experiences and the immediate and future dilemmas created for all teacher educators by Carrie's experiences raise larger issues about the balance between individual rights and public interest.     

Assessing student teachers: The promise of developmental portfolios

Abstract

This article describes the results of qualitative research using portfolios in a preservice teacher education program. Our study involved participant observation of 26 portfolio review sessions, and open‐ended interviews with 13 student teachers and 13 cooperating teachers. We sought to understand how portfolios might contribute to the assessment and professional development of prospective teachers. We discuss potential benefits and identify several important practical issues that others might consider when introducing portfolio assessment into their own preparation programs.     

Evaluation of the peacemakers program: School‐based violence prevention for students in grades four through eight

This study evaluated the violence prevention effects of The Peacemakers Program, a school‐based intervention for students in grades four through eight. The program includes a primary prevention component delivered by teachers and a remedial component implemented by school psychologists and counselors with referred students. The teacher‐delivered component consists of a psychoeducational curriculum and procedures for infusing program content into the school environment. The study included almost 2,000 students in an urban public school system, with pre‐ and post‐program assessment and comparison to a control group. There were significant, positive program effects on six of the seven variables assessed, including knowledge of psychosocial skills, self‐reported aggression, and teacher‐reported aggression, with a 41% decrease in aggression‐related disciplinary incidents and a 67% reduction in suspensions for violent behavior. On some outcome variables, intervention effects were stronger for boys than girls and for middle school compared to upper elementary school students. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

PREPARING PERSONNEL FOR INTEGRATION: NEEDS AND STRENGTHS OF EARLY INTERVENTION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

One early childhood teacher preparation program includes “Aesthetics As Learning,” a course which emphasizes that aesthetics is another way of knowing—another domain of development. The course has a reading, writing, discussion and experiential component—and all are integrated, but the experiential component (weekly arts activities) is showcased in this article.

One significant and innovative component of the experiential approach is that the students do not react to the use of the arts from a child's perspective but respond as an adult. This provides for an authentic experience with the arts. The college classroom uses a constructivist approach in which students construct their own meaning from their experiences and a feminist pedagogical approach that develops a classroom community of learners. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.