Transcript Teacher-Intern Partnerships: Co-Teaching as Transformative

TEACHER-INTERN PARTNERSHIPS
Co-Teaching as Transformative Practice
in ECE Clinical Settings
OCTEO
Spring
Conference
Deborah J. Ranz-Smith -- Qiuping Cao -- Lynn Kline
with Barb Trube and Pam Owens
Introduction
2010
In 2010, the Blue Ribbon Panel Report
recommended clinical practice as the focus of
teacher preparation.
Simultaneously, Co-teaching, since the late nineties,
was continuing to emerge as an intentional practice
to advance students’ learning in all classrooms.
COLLABORATIVE PRACTICES EMERGED
within the CO-TEACHING MODEL . . .
CO-PLANNING
CO-ASSESSMENT
CO-INSTRUCTION
Questions emerged . . .
What does co-teaching look like?
What does it sound like within the Early
Childhood classroom?
How is it structured?
Is it just for partnering with Special
Educators and Instructional Assistants?
Intention of the Pilot Study
Q: To what degree are Ohio’s pre-service candidates
being invited into the co-teaching model—
or are they not included?
Q: IF included, how do
mentor teachers accomplish
this?
Co-Teaching Working Definition
From the Teacher Quality Enhancement Center :
Co-teaching is defined as “two or more teachers working
together with groups of students, sharing the planning,
organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction as
well as the physical classroom space”
Bacharach, Heck, & Dahlberg, 2010, p. 3
Strategies of Co-Teaching further defined . . .
Bacharach, Heck, and Dahlberg (2010), Friend and Cook (2003), and Villa, Thousand, & Nevin (2008)
One Teach, One Observe - One teacher has primary responsibility while the other gathers specific observational
information on children or the teacher who instructs the children.
One Teach, One Assist - One teacher has primary instructional responsibility while the other assists children with their
work, monitors behaviors, or corrects assignments.
Center/Station Teaching - The co-teaching pair divides the instructional content into parts - Each teacher instructs one
of the groups, groups then rotate or spend a designated amount of time at each center/station - often an independent
station will be used along with the teacher led stations.
Parallel Teaching - Each teacher instructs half the children. The two teachers are addressing the same instructional
material and presenting the material using the same teaching strategy.
Supplemental Teaching - This strategy allows one teacher to work with children at their expected grade level, while
the other teacher works with those children who need the information and/or materials retaught, extended or
remediated
Alternative (Differentiated) Teaching - Alternative teaching strategies provide two different approaches to teaching
the same information. The learning outcome is the same for all children, however, the avenue for getting there is
different.
Team Teaching - Well planned, team taught lessons, exhibit an invisible flow of instruction with no prescribed division
of authority. Using a team teaching strategy, both mentor teacher and teacher candidate or intern are actively
involved in the lesson. From the children's perspectives, there is no clearly defined leader - as both individuals share
instruction, are free to interject information, and available to assist children and answer questions.
CO-TEACHING RANGE OF BEHAVIORS
AA
AB
A
B
One
Teach
One
Teach
One
Teach
One
Teach
One
Prepare
One
Tutor
or
Assess
One
Observe
ONE TEACHER LEADS
AS ONE SUPPORTS
One
Assist
C
D
E
F
Center/
SuppleAlternParallel
Station
mental
ative
Teaching
Teach
Teaching Teaching
TEACHERS EACH ENGAGED IN
SIMILAR ROLES SIMULTANEOUSLY
G
Team
Teach
H
I
J
One
Teach
One
Teach
One
Engage
One
Demo
One
Transition
One
Facilitate
TEACHERS EACH LEAD IN
DIFFERENT ROLES
The Research Protocol for the Pilot
• Participants:
• Eighty-two P-3 teachers from rural, suburban, urban, public, private, federal
programs and typical and developmental delayed inclusion programs.
• The respondents worked with eight campuses: four universities and
four regional campuses
• Instrument:
• Qualtrics Survey: 34 items including
• Nine statements about co-teaching
• Nice open-ended prompts about co-teaching
• Four prompts related to transformative practices
The Findings & Discussion – 1
Co-Teaching Practices
The following forms of co-teaching were practiced by over 50% of
respondents
• One Teach, One Observe (68.5%)
• One Teach, One Assist (78%)
• Center/Station Teaching (73%)
• Supplemental Teaching (64.5%)
• Team Teaching (50%)
The Findings & Discussion – 2
Co-Teaching Practices
The following forms of co-teaching were practiced by
less than 50% of the respondents:
• One Teach, One Demonstrate (31%)
• Parallel Teaching (36%)
• Alternative (Differentiated) Teaching (43%)
The Findings & Discussions—3
Transformational Practices
• Forty-seven respondents (55%) indicated some transformational
practices in teaching with their teacher candidates and professional
interns
• Forty-five teachers indicated some form of co-teaching as
transformational practices. Station/Center Teaching, Alternative
teaching and team teaching were considered to be most
transformational followed by “One Teach, One Observe”, “One Teach,
One Assist”, and “Supplemental Teaching”.
The Findings & Discussions—4
Transformation in Teacher Candidates or Professional Interns
• A total of 23 participating teachers provided examples of transformation they perceived
in a teacher candidate or intern under their mentorship. Examples include:
• Proving more opportunities [for students] to work in smaller groups on skill levels in reading.
When we do this together, we are able to meet the needs of more students on a regular basis.
Students that need more practice on a daily basis will receive it every day, and the typical and
higher reading skilled students will not miss out on their time as well.
• We co-planned the lesson and developed what we would do. This allowed reflection as we
planned, and the candidate could experience what I did as a mentor when planning lesson. We
then reflected afterwards together.
• During math while using the alternative teaching approach, student teacher was able to focus on
struggling learners, pinpoint the error and help correct students. Post-tests indicated growth and
understanding of number sense. Student teacher did an excellent job of getting students to direct
their own work and check it for errors and completion
• Through team teaching, the teacher candidate in my room is confident in planning and carrying
out lessons she plans on her own with just a little guidance from me.
• One student teacher I had found research on the Internet and incorporated it into her teaching to
help her with discipline since she felt this could be an area of improvement. This demonstrated to
me that she was a self-motivated learner.
The Findings & Discussions—5
Transformation in Himself/Herself
• Mentor teachers (21) also indicated their own transformation as a result of
working with teacher candidates or interns in a co-teaching arrangement.
Selective examples include:
• I have realized and begun to be able to give up some power in the classroom. By
doing this with the student teacher, I think I may be better able to let my students
make more of their own decisions, too.
• While hosting teacher candidates in my room, I have embraced new ideas and
learned how to sue technology as I work with students and curriculum.
• Team teaching—seeing how other people approach instruction. I believe mentoring
students helps me to reflect on my own teaching.
• “One teach, one observe” has really helped me look at my classroom on both a
larger and smaller scale. I can brainstorm and relate with the student who needs
more practice paying attention, and what that child needs to do, or how they can be
more readily involved in their own learning. By stepping back from the “front line” I
am able to really look, listen, and get to know my students on a deeper level which in
tern enables my relationship to grow.
The Findings & Discussions—6
Transformational for Student Learning
Those who responded seemed to point out the impact of co-teaching
on student learning. One summed this up by stating:
“shared classroom = better learning for all students”
The Findings & Discussions—7
Closer Relationship
• Mentor teachers suggest that with co-teaching, teacher candidates are able
to form closer relationship with their mentor teachers because they stay
longer in the classroom instead of just completing their college assignments.
• Longer time and close relationships also lead to teacher candidates being
involved in various areas of teaching
• Once close relationships are established, the nature of teaching and learning
for all involved transforms into mutual support, collaboration, and trust
• This close relationship becomes reciprocal and teacher candidates develop
ownership of the classroom practice and are more empowered to take
criticism and suggestions from mentor teachers for improvement of student
learning.
Limitations of the Study
1) Small sample size 82 participants, not all responded to all items
(mean 54; mode 70)
2) Redesign tool to enable participants to select more than one
strategy that they believe to be transformative practice. Perhaps
a Q mythology that would force respondents to rank responses.
3) A few participants noted they would have chosen several options
of co-teaching strategies if they had the option.
4) Multiple choice items did not include the options of One teach,
one prepare or one teach, one tutor or assist; however,
participants included these strategies in their comments.
st
Strengths
of
the
Research
Findings
–
1
.
Co-teaching in its many forms has the potential to transform!
Learning Opportunities For All Children:
Careful observation affords educators the
time and prospective to design and delivers
learning opportunities that meet the needs
of all learners.
Strengths of the Research Findings – 2nd
Co-teaching in its many forms has the potential to transform!
Reexamination of Instructional Practice Of
Novice And Veteran Teachers: Co-teaching
fosters critical self-reflection to revise
assumptions, ways of interpreting the
experience and perspectives.
Strengths of the Research Findings – 3rd
Co-teaching in its many forms has the potential to transform!
University- School Partnership: It empowers the mentor
teacher to have an active role in the partnership. Beyond
completing university requirements, the mentor’s professional
decisions guide the novice through practices that are
meaningful to the specific teaching pair.
Possibilities for Future Research –
st
1
This research looks at the synergistic relationship
between the veteran mentor teacher and the preservice candidate teacher, but what about the impact
on student learning? We often look at the academic
support these partnerships provide for individual
students but, what about the emotional support
provided?
Possibilities for Future Research – 2nd
When co-teaching strategies are used in an
inclusion setting, can they foster the children’s
ability in organizing tasks, time management,
flexibility, and goal-directed persistence?
Possibilities for Future Research –
rd
3
The notion of distributed leadership and negotiation
of who leads and who follows was not explored in this
study. How does this notion impact teaching and
learning in co-teaching contexts? Does the flexibility of
roles enhance the novice or mentor’s sense of teacher
efficacy?
Your Questions, Experiences, Ideas?
REFERENCES
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