Ensuring Safe and High-Quality Feedback to Candidates with Video Observation

By Caroline Forrest and Cori Woytek

This is the second article in a two-part series. Read the first part, titled “Video Observation Improves Teacher Preparation and Enhances Collaboration.” Authors Caroline Forrest and Cori Woytek will be presenting a live Q&A session at the 2021 Annual Meeting, “Using Video Across Diverse Settings to Provide Meaningful Feedback & Facilitate Reflective Conversations,” Thursday, February 25, 1:30 – 2:30 pm.

Caroline Forrest

Cori Woytek

Many teacher preparation programs have faced unprecedented challenges this past year because of COVID-19. Schools have moved to online instruction and in-person support of student teachers has become difficult, if not impossible.

In response to the crisis, many institutions have incorporated videoed observations and feedback as part of their programs—a move that our teacher education program here at Western Colorado University took four years ago prior to the pandemic.

Fortunately, having a video feedback structure in place has enabled us to continue to support our residents – and continue to provide them with effective, rich, and applicable feedback – during this time.

Register by February 19 for #AACTE21

By Jerrica Thurman

Friday, February 19, is the last the day to register for the virtual AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting, February 24-26. Prepare to revolutionize education with innovative tools and resources on display in the Conference Community Center. Connect with our sponsors and exhibitors through hands-on demonstrations of new products, discuss solutions to your needs, and gain new insights to grow your programs!

Centering Equity within Social Emotional Learning in Teacher Preparation and Development

By Wendy Burke

Wendy Burke of Eastern Michigan University, Paul Gorski of Equity Literacy Institute, and Lori Piowlski of National University are presenters at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting session, Advancing Equity through Social Emotional Learning on Friday, February 26, 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In this article, Burke shares her experience in preparing educators to attend to the social emotional learning needs of P-12 students.

My point of entry into thinking about the relationship between equity and SEL began about 12 years ago when I became involved in a grant program for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (G.E.A.R-U.P). This program provided me the critical professional learning I needed while working for six years with a cohort of 60 middle schools as they matriculated from middle school into high school and then post-secondary institutions. I witnessed the many inequitable and often discriminatory practices within classrooms these students experienced while trying to lift themselves out of poverty.

What are Your Peers Saying About their AACTE Virtual Meeting Experience?

By Linda Minor

As the AACTE 73^rd Annual Meeting gets closer, some of our past attendees from our first virtual event, Washington Week, talk about what they are most looking forward to and what attendees can expect from the online experience.

“As a reluctant virtual conference attendee, I can say that my experience during Washington Week in September changed my perspective!  The way in which AACTE handled Washington Week was absolutely phenomenal. The interaction, attention to detail, and ability to connect with colleagues and presenters made the experience first rate and I have definitely changed my mind about virtual conferences and I am looking forward to AACTE Annual Meeting in February!”

Jon E. Pedersen, University of South Carolina

Take a Break During the AACTE Annual Meeting

By Linda Minor

Join your friends and colleagues at the end of the first day of the Annual Meeting for our Dueling DJs reception, Wednesday, February 24 from 5:15 – 6:00pm. The host DJs will play songs through the decades that you know and will want to sing along to.  Then you can vote on which DJ is spinning the best, or your favorite, songs.

Our Curriculum isn’t Already Anti-racist? A Reflective Journey

By K. Stanley Brooks

K. Stanley Brooks of Chosen Path Consulting, Marvin Lynn of Portland State University, and Christina “V” Villarreal of the Harvard Graduate School of Education will present the session, “Identifying, Understanding, and Replacing Racist Curricula” at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting, Wednesday, February 24, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. In this article, Brooks offers a preview of the session by asking key questions for inquiry and reflection on what it means to engage in an anti-racist manner in the academic space.

Our curriculum is not already anti-racist? If our curriculum is not already anti-racist, then what have we been allowing and promoting all these years?

Greetings to you from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This city was the center of world news on May 25, 2020, and the days following the reaction to the killing of George Floyd. It is not just one person, but a disturbing pattern that can be linked to the interactions between the first enslaved Africans and White Americans to the banks of Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Perhaps you have heard the names of Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Aubrey, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and many more. Many assume that college campuses are places of higher thought and scholarship, where students and faculty/staff of color are immune to the horrors of racial microaggressions and assaults. One of the primary ways these spaces are hostile toward people of color is through the academic plans (practicum, course content, course selection, guest speakers, hiring practices, athletics, etc.) for our students.

Join Me at AACTE’s 2021 Annual Meeting

By Robert Floden

As chair-elect of the AACTE Board of Directors, I invite you to join me and your colleagues at the AACTE virtual 2021 Annual Meeting, February 24-26. Education leaders from across the nation will convene and share innovative perspectives, orientations, strategies, and technologies designed to address equity and inclusivity among diverse groups of learners and school contexts.

 

Inclusion and equity are overarching principles that should guide all educational policies, preparation programs, and practices. To do so effectively, educators must recognize the principle that education, particularly in an inclusive democracy, is both a fundamental right and the foundation for more equitable, inclusive, and cohesive communities.

 

Themed “Resisting Hate, Restoring Hope: Engaging in Courageous Action,” this year’s conference will feature four strands: Equity and Inclusivity in Preparation and Practice; Activism for Renewing Democracy; Establishing a Sustainable and Diverse Profession; and Clinical Practice and Community Engagement. The Equity and Inclusivity in Preparation and Practice strand will leverage the collective knowledge and experience of leading experts on ways to advance AACTE’s strategic direction to revolutionize education for all learners and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 

Watch the video to learn more about the virtual conference. The February 19 registration deadline is quickly approaching! Register now and invite your colleagues and students to participate in AACTE’s 2021 Annual Meeting. View the event schedule and details at www.aacte.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTE21.

 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact AACTE’s Events Team at events@aacte.org. 

 

I look forward to greeting you at AACTE’s virtual conference in two weeks!

Sincerely, 

Robert Floden, Ph.D. 
Chair-Elect, AACTE Board of Directors  
Dean, College of Education, Michigan State University 

Have No Fear, the AACTE Conference Community Center is Still Here

By Meghan Grenda

AACTE invites all members of the 73^rd Annual Meeting to visit the virtual Conference Community Center.  Learn about member resources, connect with other attendees and AACTE staff, and test your AACTE trivia knowledge for a chance to win one of many prizes!  The Conference Community Center will feature a number of activities:

AACTE Connect360

This new members-only resource is an engaging and interactive virtual platform that brings together AACTE’s community of 15,000+ individuals in an exciting way.  You will be able to start discussions and ask questions of fellow AACTE members, comment on each other’s posts, share best practices, and create your own unique member profile.  Visit the Conference Community Center for a demonstration of how the community works.

Celebrating HBCU Icons of Teacher Education

By Terrance McNeil

The members of AACTE’s HBCU Teacher Education Topical Action Group (TAG) are very proud of the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCU) educators and researchers and the work that they have done within and beyond academia. More importantly, we commend the contributions made through the discourse and praxis on equity in education. We want to celebrate these contributions and promote the excellence that emanates from HBCU educator preparation programs. We look forward to your participation at our annual business virtual meeting on February 23, 2021 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

In keeping with this year’s theme, Resisting Hate, Restoring Hope: Engaging in Courageous Action, The HBCU Teacher Education TAG will engage in a discussion on how we are instrumental in this purpose by using our unique positionally to provide leadership on issues of diversity and inclusion. We hope you will consider joining us.

Teacher Performance Assessments as a Tool for Teacher Learning, Program Improvement, and Accountability: The Case of edTPA

By Robert Floden

One feature of the AACTE Annual Meeting will be panel discussion about the uses of edTPA, for accountability, support for teacher learning, and program improvement.  The session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, from 4:00 – 5:15 pm EST.

Some teacher educators see edTPA as a valuable tool, but other have concerns. Recent research has described its weaknesses as a criterion for high-stakes decisions about individual teachers.  This session is intended to help teacher educators and policy makers appreciate the variety of ways edTPA is being conceptualized and implemented, with the associated variation in positive and negative consequences.

Café Con Leche: Navigating Student Supports in a Financial Crisis at William Paterson University

By David Fuentes and Johanna Torres

Authors David A. Fuentes and Johanna Torres of William Paterson University, along with Andrew Morse of the University of Northern Iowa, will present a Learning Lab during the AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting, “Navigating Student Supports in a Financial Crisis” on Wednesday, February 24, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. In this article, Fuentes and Torres highlights their university’s efforts to support its diverse student population.

The unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic that hit in earnest of March of last year resulted in an abrupt disruption of teaching and learning at William Paterson University in northern New Jersey, as it did at institutions of higher education throughout the country. Students, faculty, and staff readied to quickly acclimate to our new learning ecology, one that was rife with technological challenges, but we were less prepared to understand the scope and breadth of the other hardships to come. Like other public universities located in the Mid-Atlantic region, March 2020 brought about changes at our institution that included the closure of our physical campus space, a loss of the varied and structured physical learning communities, and many of the physical opportunities that drove our community and kept us in touch with students and each other. Our offices designed around student support, civic engagement and campus life had to be re-imagined embracing the digital learning environments that faculty and students were creating. Adding to the dynamic change was a sense of urgency as our community, like others, began experiencing loss of a magnitude only experienced by previous, war-ravaged generations.

Applying Technology-enhanced Teaching Strategies to the New Normal in 2021 and Beyond

By Jon Clausen, Lisa Dieker, Liz Kolb, Michael McVey, Robert Moody and David Slykhuis

The AACTE Committee on Information and Technology will host a Deeper Dive session at the AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting, “Applying Technology-enhanced Teaching Strategies to the New Normal in 2021 and Beyond” on Thursday, February 25, 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The committee members offer a preview of the panel discussion in the following article.

Over the past year, educators have learned much about technology in teacher education. Technology has become the classroom and often the location of field placements. While many of these learnings were forced due to the pandemic, lessons learned can be carried forward into 2021 and beyond to create improved responsive teacher preparation programs in the future at all levels of education.  As a result, the AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology Committee is offering a Deeper Dive session that includes teacher preparation experts discussing the lessons learned from remote learning and ways to move forward post-COVID with technology in teacher preparation.  The Deeper Dive session will include panelists from a wide variety of teacher preparation institutions to discuss their particular lessons learned from the challenges of the pandemic. Furthermore, our panelists will share how we can move forward in teacher preparation to prepare new and veteran teachers to teach with technology in 2021 and beyond. Our panelists include the following:

Video Observation Improves Teacher Preparation and Enhances Collaboration

By Caroline Forrest and Cori Woytek

Authors Caroline Forrest and Cori Woytek will be presenting a live Q&A session at the 2021 Annual Meeting, “Using Video Across Diverse Settings to Provide Meaningful Feedback & Facilitate Reflective Conversations,” Thursday, February 25, 1:30 – 2:30 pm.

Providing resident teachers with meaningful feedback to improve their instructional practices is—and always has always been—a hallmark of our teacher education program here at Western Colorado University. Through the use of video coaching, which we implemented four years ago, we’ve been able to ensure this feedback is even more effective, rich, and applicable.

How to Get the Best Virtual Experience at #AACTE21

By Linda Minor

As AACTE’s hosts its first virtual Annual Meeting, we talked with our AV production company, Manor Hill Productions, to share information on what the attendees can expect during the meeting. 

Many associations have transitioned their conference to a virtual setting due to COVID-19. What are important aspects for a successful virtual conference/platform to ensure attendees have a valuable experience?

To get the most out of their virtual experience, we encourage you to explore the platform and familiarize yourself with where things are and how to navigate around. Similar to entering a hotel or convention center and finding where the meeting rooms are, the same can be said about a virtual environment. Click around the space and follow the links to understand where everything is located. Visit the exhibit floor, see where the breakouts and main stage sessions will be. Look at the agenda and decide when your desired sessions will be taking place. Everyone wants to network. If you are looking for specific people you can seek them out to chat and catch up. Just because it is a virtual environment does not mean you lose the ability to connect.

Engage in Courageous Action at #AACTE21

By Jerrica Thurman