While we love engaging conversations within Connect360, we also love seeing friendly faces and updated bios on profiles! Updating your profile enables others to learn more about you. Adding your bio, job history, and interests encourages your colleagues to engage and collaborate with you within the community.
Watch this video to learn more about AACTE Connect360 and visit aacteconnect360.org to get involved. For the latest in what’s happening with AACTE’s new online community, follow us at #AACTE360.
How can we train teachers to elicit student thinking in ways that position students as sense-makers without being able to place them directly in the field?
The newest episode of Mursion’s Education Roundtable Series will dive into Oakland University’s account of how its math and social studies training program is implementing mixed reality simulations to replace and/or augment field experiences during the global coronavirus pandemic.
On June 8, Sue Wiley will be joined by Dawn Woods, Linda Doornbos, and Cynthia Carver from Oakland University in Rochester, MI. to present their findings. During the Roundtable, the team will discuss emerging themes from their research, such as how simulations supported the development of justice-oriented high-leverage practices within their teacher education program.
The Education Roundtable: The Argument for Mixed Reality Simulations in Teacher Preparation, will include a live simulation demo, as well as a Q&A session where attendees can ask questions about their findings as well as funding, vouchers, and more.
President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) in March, which includes $122 billion for the ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund. The ARP ESSER funds are intended to help state educational agencies and school districts safely reopen and address the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s students. AACTE has developed the Educating the Future, Today toolkit to help members navigate conversations with state or local education leaders, encouraging them to use ESSER funds to staff classrooms with teacher candidates.
These funds provide a unique opportunity for school districts and educator preparation programs to address the teacher pipeline. As the U.S. Department of Education’s noted in its COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students’ Needs, ARP ESSER funds can be used to staff classrooms with teacher candidates, thereby providing them with practical experience while helping alleviate the challenges teachers are encountering with the transition back to in person teaching.
In just a few weeks, Connect360 has become the go-to source for AACTE members to explore innovative solutions for revolutionizing educator preparation. With over 20 communities, and more on the way, this is the place to address trending topics in education, engage with colleagues around areas of interest, and expand your knowledge and network.
Recent posts in the Open Forum, a community where members share best practices and resources, address effective ways to prepare teacher candidates to work for racial justice. Here is a sample of what members have to say:
Connect360 is the place for you to tap into the knowledge of the AACTE community anytime, from anywhere. Watch the video to learn more about AACTE Connect360 and visit aacteconnect360.org to get involved. For the latest in what’s happening with AACTE’s new online community, follow us at #AACTE360.
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) today officially launched its new online community, AACTE Connect360, the premier connection circle for engaging and collaborating to advance educator preparation. The virtual platform enables teacher educators, candidates, and partners to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange ideas and resources, and share best practices on real-time issues impacting the profession. With user-friendly features, AACTE Connect360 enables the Association’s members to easily access their professional community for the support they need during these unprecedented times in education.
“AACTE members are committed to advancing educator preparation through cutting edge research and innovative practice and offer a wealth of knowledge on best practices in preparing high-quality teachers. AACTE developed the Connect360 online community to enhance the exchange of knowledge and provide access on-demand to solutions that address the rising challenges in education today,” said Matthew J. Wales, AACTE vice president, member services and events. “AACTE Connect360 gives members a place to connect virtually, which is especially critical while not able to convene in-person meetings and events due to COVID-19. This interactive platform brings together AACTE’s community in an exciting and engaging way.”
AACTE is the leading voice on educator preparation and is dedicated to providing member resources to support the profession. As such, AACTE has developed materials to help members respond to the reports produced by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). The NCTQ reports reflect flawed methodologies and practices to rate educator preparation programs, and AACTE members should make their voices heard to address the misrepresentation of their programs.
Members of the AACTE Government Relations Committee and Advisory Council of State Representatives collaborated to produce recommendations to assist members’ efforts in taking control of the narrative about their educator preparation programs. The NCTQ Checklist is designed to help AACTE members develop strategic and tactical solutions to reframe the misinformation that NCTQ has published.
In the following article, David A. Fuentes and Amy Ginsberg of the College of Education at William Paterson, a member of AACTE’s Network Improvement Community (NIC) Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teacher Initiative, take a deep dive into their efforts to increase dual enrollment opportunities as a preemptive recruitment strategy. They provide insight into how network improvement science can be used to identify levers within education preparation program systems that can improve recruitment and retention of diverse teacher candidates.
To learn more about NIC members’ initiatives to recruit and retain Black and Latina males, watch the Building Recruitment Pathways, a segment of AACTE’s new NIC video case studies series.
Building and Sustaining Recruitment Pathways for Black and Latino Male Teachers
In 2014, our College of Education at William Paterson University, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority Serving Institution (MSI), located in the greater New York City area, was selected as one of ten universities to participate in the AACTE Network Improvement Community (NIC), aimed at increasing the number of Black and Latino/Hispanic male teachers (BLMs). Since that time, we have been engaged in iterative cycles of plan-do-study-act (PDSA). This systematic research first led to our becoming NIC mindful and then to several structural changes in our College of Education that make our efforts aimed at teacher diversification more possible today in both theory and practice. We have uncovered, implemented, and tested the efficacy of several structural changes at our institution targeting key drivers, recruitment and retention, while implementing new structures based on network improvement science and our desire and commitment to diversify our teacher candidate pool.
The newest installment of the AACTE and Mursion Education Roundtable series features high school students using virtual reality (VR) to demonstrate their curriculum-building skills for a chance to earn a scholarship. The roundtable discussion, Innovative Training for Everyday Heroes: University of Wyoming on the use of Virtual Practice for the next Generation of Educators, will take place on April 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Sue Wiley, business development director for education at Mursion, will host Lindsay Freeman and Colby Gull from the University of Wyoming to discuss the WYTeach Contest. During the session, the group will discuss this innovative project and how the team is using Mursion VR Simulations to recreate the classroom environment and replicate a real-world teaching experience.
AACTE understands that 2020 was a difficult year for higher education institutions and many are still facing operational challenges. As such, AACTE is extending the membership renewal deadline to May 31, 2021.
To renew your AACTE membership
There are several great reasons for starting an online community, like the continuous learning it offers participants and the sense of pride in being part of a group. For members of AACTE, the new online community it is about connecting members, building meaningful relationships, and engaging in critical conversations with each other, Board members and staff. That is why the virtual AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting was a perfect initial launching point for AACTE Connect360.
Through the online community, attendees responded to different threads in the “73rd Annual Meeting” community group. The “Introduce Yourself” thread was a popular choice for new users, allowing others on the platform to learn a little bit more about them and sharing the best piece of advice they received from a mentor or colleague.
AACTE is in the final stages of launching the AACTE Connect360 online community. This week, Annual Meeting attendees will be among the first to preview and engage with colleagues in the new, members-only platform. As a registered attendee, members can create their profile, introduce themselves, and start or respond to a conversation during the 2021 virtual conference.
Attendees are invited to stop by the virtual Conference Community Center on Wednesday, February 24 or Thursday, February 25 for a tutorial on AACTE Connect360, where they can learn more about how to make and maintain professional connections during and after the annual conference. The AACTE team will be available to answer questions and guide members through the digital, collaborative tool. Plus, there will be plenty of opportunities to participate in online discussions with Annual Meeting colleagues over the next few days.
