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A Look at Coursework and Characteristics of Student
and Cooperating Teachers
ACE-DHH 2008
Nanci A. Scheetz
Valdosta State University
[email protected]
And
David S. Martin
Gallaudet University
[email protected]
Background Information
 The concept of master teacher is widely used in
teacher education
 Research conducted by Scheetz & Martin (2004)
surveyed three constituencies:
 Teacher educators
 Experienced teachers
 Administrators of schools and programs serving D/HH
students
Results of the 2003 Research
 A consensus was found among all three constituencies
regarding the characteristics that were regarded as
hallmarks of “master teachers” in the field of deaf
education.
 Nearly universal agreement was found in relation to six
characteristics
Master Teachers: A Look at Six
Characteristics

The characteristics are as follows:
1. Shows a Passion for Teaching
2. Uses up-to-date Teaching Methods
3. Asks Higher-order Thinking Questions
4. Collaborates with Other Professionals
5. Communicates Effectively
6. Carries our Activities which Encourage
Independent Learning
A Look at Teacher Training Programs
 Based on the consensus of the six characteristics, the
present study was conducted to determine how
teacher educators are preparing their candidates (if at
all) to attain these characteristics when they become
full-fledged teachers.
Research Questions
 The investigators:
 Examined a wide sampling of teacher education
programs to determine the degree that these
characteristics exist in candidates by the end of their
student teaching
 Surveyed the degree to which these characteristics are
typically found in cooperating practitioners who work
with candidates during their final internships
Research Questions, Continued
 The study further inquired of program chairs in
different universities as to how the identified
characteristics are being provided for candidates
through course components and experiences within
the teacher education programs.
Research Method

Three separate but related questionnaires were
prepared by the investigators.
1.
The first questionnaire was intended to be completed
by the person who is in charge of the evaluation of
student teachers.

The questionnaire inquired as to which of the 6
characteristics and at what level were noted in the three
top-performing student teachers by the end of their full
time student teaching practicum
Research Method, Continued
 The second questionnaire was designed to be
completed by the person in charge of practicum
experiences at the same universities.
 This questionnaire asked which of the same 6
characteristics are seen and at what level in the 3
highest-rated cooperating practitioners (experienced
teachers who supervise student teachers in schools) who
work with the same universities.
Research Method, Continued
 The third questionnaire was provided to the head of
the teacher education program in each of several
universities and inquired as to which teacher
education experiences and/or courses address which
(if any) of these same six characteristics.
Questionnaires
 The questionnaires were drafted by the investigators
 They were then subjected to a validity study by two
experienced teachers of d/hh students
 The questionnaires were then revised and used by the
same experienced teachers to conduct an inter-rater
reliability check.
Questionnaires, Continued
 The three different questionnaires were returned by 10
different teacher education programs.
 Results represented some larger and some smaller
university teacher education programs.
Analysis of the Data: Student Teacher
Characteristics
 Student-Teacher Characteristics
 Student teachers’ most frequently displayed
characteristic was a:

“Passion for teaching”, followed by
“Uses up-to-date teaching methods”

This was closely followed by:
“Communicates effectively”

Additional Data Analysis: Student
Teacher Characteristics
Less frequently noted were:

Collaborates with other professionals

Asks higher-order thinking questions

Carries out activities which encourage independent learning
Data Analysis: Cooperating Teacher
Characteristics
When the cooperating teachers were rated, they were
awarded the highest ratings for both:
 Communicates effectively, and
 Collaborates with other professionals
Slightly less frequently checked were:
 Asks higher-order thinking questions
 Uses up-to-date teaching methods
 Encourages independent learning
Data Analysis, Continued: Cooperating
Teacher Characteristics
 The lowest trait checked for the cooperating teachers
was:
 Shows a passion for teaching – this may be due to the
fact that these professionals have passed beyond the
initial stage of high enthusiasm for teaching which is
often found in novices
Profile of the Cooperating Teacher as
Master Teacher
 This individual is one who is:
 Collaborative
 A strong communicator with learners
 Encouraging of independent learning
 Up-to-date in his or her methodologies
Data Analysis: Teacher Education
Programs
 Teacher education programs that responded
specifically address the pro-active teaching of certain
characteristics in the following courses:
 Methods coursework & field experiences
 Passion for teaching
 Up-to-date teaching methods
 Encouraging independent learning characteristics
 Asking higher-order questions
Data Analysis, Continued:
Teacher Education Programs
Field Experiences


Collaborating with other professionals
Communicates effectively (this is also used as one criterion for
admission to the teacher-education program)
Results of Focus Group
 An interactive focus group met at ACE-DHH in
2007 and was asked to evaluate the list of 6
characteristics of master teachers
 All agreed that all 6 characteristics were appropriate
 They suggested the addition of:
 Strong content knowledge
 Ability to integrate supplemental services
 Skill in behavior management
 Skills for working with students who have secondary disabilities
Additional Insights Provided by the
Focus Group
 Regarding teacher-training programs, the focus group
made the following comments:
 Passion for teaching is an innate ability
 Staying up-to-date could be accomplished by bringing
in guest speakers or visits to classrooms
 Higher-order questioning of students should be
broadened to include teaching for concepts instead of
facts
Additional Insights
 Clear signing skills were mentioned as an essential for
clarity in asking questions
 Collaboration with other professionals was stressed,
but no examples were given of how professors can
collaborate across disciplines
 Clear communication was emphasized
 Fostering independent learning by students was
encouraged
Limitations of the Study
 The study had the following limitations
 Only 10 institutions responded to the survey out of the more than
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
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
60 university-based teacher education programs in the country
Some possible divergence in the understanding of the 6 terms may
have affected the consistency of the results
No on-site evidence was collected first-hand on teachers themselves
No teacher education program documents (such as course syllabi)
were collected
No differential was able to be made between on-line versus
interactive courses in terms of how each covers the six
characteristics for candidates
Conclusions
 Based on the responses to the questionnaire and
the responses to the interactive focus group, it is
concluded that:
 Student teachers do not generally possess all, although
they do exhibit some, of the characteristics of the Master
Teacher
 Cooperating teachers who work with student teachers
tend to possess nearly all of these characteristics
associated with the Master Teacher.
Conclusions, Continued
 Teacher education programs in general seem to
address explicitly only some of the characteristics of
the Master Teacher in their preparation experiences.
 Those attending the Focus Group further emphasized
the need for clear communication skills, mastery of
subject area, and the ability to effectively relate to
parents, colleagues, and administrators.
Recommendations
 1. Another research study could examine which
candidates have the 6 characteristics and then through
“backward design” trace the university location of their
preparation.
 2. Another research study could examine the models
set by university professors in teacher education as
exemplars of one or more of these 6 characteristics.
Recommendations Continued
 3. A large-scale multi-campus multi-year grant could
now be applied for to further examine the acquisition
of these characteristics, to include:
 Observing candidates teaching in internships
 Examining university documents
 Interviewing university professors and candidates