Transcript Shared Classroom Experiences

2012 NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
Conference
Dr. Jeff Carpenter, Elon University
Elon Noyce Scholars Program PI
Coordinator of Secondary and K-12 Teacher
Education Programs
Shared Classroom
Experiences
Context
Elon – ~5000 students, private, liberal arts university in
Elon, NC
Fall semester, senior year teaching methods course
EDU 424 Methods of Teaching Middle & Secondary Science
EDU 422 Methods of Teaching Middle & Secondary Math
Before: individual 50-hour field placement including
teaching responsibilities (3rd field placement in sequence)
Now:
Same individual placement PLUS
Shared classroom experiences
Why bother?
Our own questions
What happens when students are in field experiences?
How can we talk productively about field experiences
in a teaching methods course?
How can we prepare teachers to effectively collaborate?
More why bother?
External validation of our curiosity
National Research Council (2010) report – “clinical
experiences” one of three most important elements of
teacher prep
NCATE & AACTE (2010) concur
Research does not clearly define what particular kinds
of field experiences are most beneficial (Boyd et al.,
2007; Clift & Brady, 2005)
Some literature on classroom
experiences
Teacher candidates do not always know what to
look for in their clinical experiences (e.g., Sherf
& Singer, 2012).
Importance of planned & guided field
experiences (Clift & Brady, 2005)
Discrepancies between emphases of cooperating teachers &
teacher education programs (e.g., Frykholm, 1996, 1999).
• Field experiences increasingly connected to and embedded
within methods courses (Clift & Brady, 2005)
•
Shared Classroom Experiences
Methods course pairs with local master teacher
Entire methods course (5-10 teacher candidates +
instructor) together observes 2-3 lessons in the master
teachers classroom
Semi-guided observation
Lessons debriefed with master teacher
Starts w/ master teacher, then moves to student
questions
Shared Classroom Experiences
Teacher candidates design & implement a lesson in
the same classroom
topic provided by master teacher
Lesson debriefed with master teacher
starts w/ students self-critique
Why this design?
Entire methods course (5-10 teacher candidates +
instructor) together observes 2-3 lessons in the master
teachers classroom
Lessons debriefed with master teacher
To make transparent teacher planning processes, inlesson thinking and decision making, and reflection
Challenges of learning how to
teach
Lortie (1975) – apprenticeship of observation –
understanding of teaching based on experiences as a
student
Labaree (2004) – what teachers do vs. why they do it
Wieman yesterday - Expert teacher - mental
organizational framework
Why this design?
Teacher candidates design & implement a lesson in
the same classroom
Lesson debriefed with master teacher
To make transparent teacher candidates planning
processes, in-lesson thinking and decision making, and
reflection
To provide guided practice in collaboration
Challenges of collaboration
Profession traditionally characterized by isolation
(Lortie, 1975)
Failure to move beyond generalities & polite talk (e.g.,
Bezzina 2007; Russo & Beyerbach, 2001)
Conflict avoidance (Chokshi & Fernandez, 2004)
Why this design
Methods course pairs with local master teacher
Builds TEP relationship w/ more teachers
More reciprocal relationship w/ teachers
Methods course ideas validated / corroborated by
“real” teachers
Hohenbrink et al. (1997) – development of
appreciation for complimentary knowledge
Challenges of relationships w/
master teachers
Competing / contradictory beliefs and/or actions of K12 teachers and university faculty
Fragile partnership between educators not accustomed
to public self-examination, professional debate
surrounding practice (Clift & Brady, 2005)
What has happened thus far …
Fall 2010 – Math methods course taught by Janice Richardson
Fall 2011 – Math methods courses + two additional math methods
courses
Generally positive response:
Instructors: “My students learned more from this experience
than they would have in a traditional method's class school
placement” (Celia)
Teacher candidates: value opportunity to “get in the [teacher’s]
mind” (Tim) and “talk to [the teacher] about why he planned the
lesson how he did.” (John)
Master Teachers – all expressed willingness to participate again in
Fall 2012
SCE as text
Teacher candidates connected university classroom
discourse to shared classroom experiences
e.g., referencing examples of differentiation, formative
assessment techniques, instructional techniques,
classroom management strategies
Connections in methods courses
Connections in other courses
Participant Critiques
Instructors
“By midterm, however, they really had moved on and I
didn’t bring it up much.”
“Heck, I’d like to do it with several different teachers as part
of the class, instead of just one.”
Teacher Candidates
Imperfections in the observed lessons
“There were too many teachers in the classroom … it had
this cramped, vulture type feeling.”
Moving forward
More Fall 2012 sections
Modeling analysis of student work w/ samples
generated from co-designed and taught lesson
References
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (2010). The clinical preparation of teachers: A policy brief. Retrieved from http://aacte.org/Research-Policy/Clinical-Preparation/the-clinical-preparation-of-teachersa-policy-brief.html.
Bezzina, C. (2006). The road less traveled: Professional communities in secondary schools. Theory into Practice, 45(2), 159-167
Boyd, D., Goldhaber, D., Lankford, H., & Wyckoff, J. (2007). The effect of certification and preparation on teacher quality. The Future of Children, 17 (1), 45-68).
Chokshi, S., & Fernandez, C. (2004). Challenges to importing Japanese lesson study: Concerns, misconceptions, and nuances. Phi Delta Kappan, 85, 520-525.
Clift, R.T., & Brady, P. (2005). Research on methods courses and field experiences. In M. Cochran-Smith and K. Zeichner (Eds.), Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Frykholm, J. (1999). Assessment in mathematics teacher education. The Teacher Educator, 34 (4), 244-258.
Hohenbrink, J., Johnston, M., Westhoven, L. (1997). Collaborative teaching of a social studies methods course: Intimidation and Change. Journal of Teacher Education, 48 (4), 293-300.
Labaree, D.F. (2004). The trouble with ed schools. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Lortie, D. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
National Research Council (2010). Preparing teachers: Building evidence for sound policy. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12882.
Russo, P., & Beyerbach, B. (2001). Moving from polite talk to candid conversation: Infusing foundations into a professional development project. Educational Foundations, 15(2), 71-90.
Scherff, L. & Singer, N.R. (2012). The preservice teachers are watching: Framing and reframing the field experience. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 263-272.