Author Archive

Preservice Residency Helps Candidates Develop Teaching Style, Confidence

Two new videos are available this week in AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series highlighting the St. John’s University (NY) School of Education clinical preparation program known as RISE. This week’s videos show how the experience teacher candidates have in the classroom contributes to their teaching style and to their readiness to teach after completing their 1-year internships. See this introduction to the series for more information about RISE.

The School of Education at St. John’s University (SJU) and its Residential Internship for St. John’s Educators (RISE) in partnership with Queens school districts develop high-quality teachers by exposing candidates intensively to classrooms during their collegiate career. SJU students develop their teaching style and voice and enter the profession feeling confident and prepared, thanks to their residential internship experiences and prolonged mentorship by veteran teachers.

Teacher Educators Discuss School-Community Partnerships on ‘Education Talk Radio’

Education Talk Radio, an online radio show airing PK-12 and higher education discussions for education professionals, hosted AACTE members last week for the first of several monthly segments that will highlight aspects of members’ teacher preparation work.

Diane Fogarty from Loyola Marymount University (CA), John Henning from Monmouth University (NJ), John Jacobson from Ball State University (IN), and AACTE’s Rod Lucero joined Larry Jacobs, host of Education Talk Radio, for the April 17 show.

The discussion centered on clinical practice models employed by these three institutions to provide teacher candidates not only strong classroom experience but also an understanding of the context of students’ local communities.

Major Forum Highlights PK-12, Higher Education Work to Develop Educator Pipeline

On March 4, AACTE convened representatives from organizations working with different stages of the educator pipeline to speak at the major forum “Acting as One to Support Educator Development.” The forum, one of six held during the 69th Annual Meeting, covered issues such as student recruitment, candidate support across the continuum of preparation through induction, the role of school-university partnerships, and ensuring novice teachers are prepared to engage their students in deeper learning. In the interest of collaborating as one across this continuum, panelists discussed how their roles intertwine by sharing their perspectives on the best way to achieve a national, cohesive effort supporting high-quality educator preparation.

The forum was moderated by Michael Dennehy, director of college access and completion at Boston University (MA). Panelists included Dan Brown of Educators Rising, Kimberly Tobey of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP), and Linda Darling-Hammond and Maria Hyler of the Learning Policy Institute.

Educators Called to Disrupt Inequality at TeachingWorks Forum

How does the work of teaching become the work of justice and equity? At AACTE’s 69th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, TeachingWorks organized one of the six major forums around this question, convening panelists from across the nation to discuss high-leverage practices for teachers to disrupt inequity in the classroom. Speakers at the March 3 forum emphasized the need for teachers to orient their practice around valuing community and students’ individual voices in order to advance social justice and learning for all.

Deborah Loewenberg Ball, education dean at the University of Michigan and head of TeachingWorks, moderated the forum with panel conversations based on building relationships with students, leading group discussions, and implementing routines for classroom discourse. Audience questions were also incorporated in the forum via live interaction and the hashtag #TWforum on Twitter.

Darling-Hammond: Time to Keep Our Hand on the Plow (Hold On!)

The 2017 AACTE Speaker Spotlight Session featured a rousing address from Linda Darling-Hammond, who encouraged educators to persist in their focus on educational equity and advocacy despite the barrage of obstacles and distractions in the current environment.

Although teacher educators have been hard at work and have much to celebrate, she said, there is not a moment to relax in confronting the challenges of the day. Citing issues such as child homelessness, access to healthcare, funding cuts, and policy centered on “testing without investing,” she urged attendees to step up their work with candidates to engage in equity-focused practices. Recent surges in racist and anti-immigrant incidents further hamper students’ well-being and ability to learn.

Elementary Students Enjoy Having Two Teachers in the Classroom Through Mason’s PDS Model

The final segments of AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series featuring the George Mason University (VA) clinical model are now available online. This week’s videos present the voices of first and fourth graders from Westlawn Elementary School and Daniels Run Elementary School discussing their experience learning from interns alongside their experienced teachers.

PDS Partnership Benefits PK-12 Students From Many Angles

Two new videos are available this week on AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series highlighting the George Mason University (VA) College of Education and Human Development’s clinical preparation program. This week’s videos present partner elementary schools’ experience with having multiple teachers in the classroom and display the readiness of George Mason students after completing their 1-year internships.

The College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University (GMU) and its network of professional development schools (PDSs) benefit PK-12 student learning in several ways. Students enjoy having access to a second adult in the room dedicated to helping them succeed; teacher mentors gain new perspectives and techniques they can integrate in their classroom; and teacher candidates are prepared through a yearlong internship to hit the ground running in their own classrooms in the future.

Collaborative Learning, Strong Partnerships Yield Mutual Benefits in Mason PDS Model

AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series featuring the George Mason University (VA) College of Education and Human Development continues this week with two new videos exploring the effects of the college’s clinical practice model. These videos highlight the mutual benefits enjoyed by participants at both George Mason and its partner elementary schools as well as changes that teacher candidates and their mentors are seeing in their classrooms and in their teaching styles.

The strong partnership between the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University (GMU) and its professional development schools (PDSs) brings benefits to all involved. Teacher candidates enjoy the yearlong clinical placement in a local school where they are immersed with the staff and community from the beginning and gain a real-world teaching experience. On the school side, teacher mentors who provide their expertise to help prepare candidates end up learning from their interns as well. Add in the benefit to schools of having many extra adults working toward common goals and the fresh perspectives gained by participating GMU faculty, and it’s easy to see why the PDS model is worth the effort to run.