- How Teachers Learn and Develop
- The Design of Teacher Education Programs - Implementing Curriculum Renewal in Teacher Education: Managing Organizational and Policy Change Summary This begins with a review of the history and current research theory regarding how teachers learn and develop as professionals. It is broken into main themes: adaptive expertise, teaching strategies, efficiency versus innovation, the process and theories of teacher development in communities of practice, teacher identify development, and a framework for teacher learning. Learning to teach in a community has five components. These include a vision of what is possible, tools, disposition, understanding, and practices. Teachers needs to have a deep understanding of their content and effective ways to share this knowledge with others. Learning tools include both conceptual as well as practical. A repertoire of these tools allows the teacher to be responsive to the needs of her students, and flexible when faced with challenges presented by diverse learners. These include instructional strategies, resources, assessments, frameworks, ideas, and leaning theories. A disposition of an inquiry stance, the self as a lifelong learner, is considered an important component of becoming an effective teacher. Equally important is working in a community of learners, such as a team of teachers or working in a peer group. Considering one’s identity includes being aware of self in areas such as moral agency, child advocate, scholar, and professional. Identity as a member of a racial/ethnic group influences each of these components, either directly or through a hidden curriculum created by the teacher as s/he creates a learning environment shaped by her own unique experiences. An oft-cited problem identified in teacher education is the disconnect between the theoretical and the practical, namely between course work and field experiences. Coherence in program design and among faculty is also a standard complaint of critics. Creating a strong program with unified vision and connections between theory and practice have been shown to have had a positive impact on teacher candidates. Content, process and context have a large influence on the effectiveness of a teacher education program, and should be considered when organizing scope and sequence of an educational plan. This includes engaging practices which merge course work and the opportunity to practice these skills in productive real world settings. Again, collaboration, such as in professional learning communities, can lead to increased use of effective strategies. Common features among programs which are considered successful in teacher preparation include: a shared vision of good teaching that is consistent in course and clinical work, well-defined standards of practice, rich clinical experiences lasting at least thirty weeks, strong school -university relationships, and extensive use of case study methods, teacher research performance assessments and portfolio examinations. (p. 406) Although there is no one size fits all solution for addressing these challenges, the strengths of these programs can serve as a guide for others in developing the most effective teacher preparation programs possible. Professional Development Schools are a key component in pre-service teacher preparation and success. They create a purposeful connection between the university and the school, and foster an inquiry based learning experience which promotes the idea of the teacher as a lifelong learner. This intensive experience is facilitated by strong supervisory contact, and purposeful connections between concept and practice. Students who graduate from PDSs have indicated a greater satisfaction with their preparation to become a teacher, and a well-developed knowledge base (p. 415). Connections “Teacher educators argue that teachers need to develop consciousness about their own racial identity and consider how they can support positive racial identity development among their students.” (p. 384). This is a goal I share, along with the university and program I teach within. How to facilitate this awareness for my interns is something I continue to wrestle with. I feel it’s important. Having taken a critical pedagogy course as part of my own studies, I understand the importance of being self-aware and in touch with any cultural biases one might have, which can influence your teaching and interactions with students. I want my pre-service teachers to have this same understanding as they move into their own classrooms. How can I get them there? Providing them with a rich and robust variety of written material is a start. Reading different pieces by different authors offers them a perspective from each, allowing them multiple opportunities to connect to the writings. This allows them to make connections between their own experiences and the new material. This addresses the “apprenticeship of observation” dilemma, a term coined by Lortie in 1975. Additionally, creating a safe space and encouraging dialogue among peers can facilitate learning gains. This shared discourse is a proven method of effective learning. (Friere, 1970). Utilizing a tool proposed in Darling-Hammonds work, providing a framework for metacognitive reflection is also something I use in my courses. Borrowing from Dr. J. Jacobs, as well as the ideas shared by Darling-Hammond, I would also like to incorporate more opportunities for students to reflect on their own ideas and experiences through written reflections such as an auto ethnography. The strength of the current practice of practitioner inquiry woven throughout the two years our interns are with us is a strong step in the right direction. Our interns have an exemplary preparation, with very strong clinical experiences. I also had a great interest in the section on using video analysis to reflect on and improve teaching. This brief section talks about how Northwest University had interns complete video-based assignments that drew on “explicit feedback from mentor teachers, university faculty, and program peers” (p. 428). Having conducted my own research on the use of video in enhancing teacher preparation, I found the idea of other ways to use video in self-reflection through technology of note. This practice was cited as helping to create a connection between the university and clinical experience, which is a context I had not explicitly considered prior to reading this, however, it does make sense. I see many correlations between the best practices and plethora of ideas presented in the Darling-Hammond text and the clinically rich and well-structured program at USF. It affirms that we are doing what is best for our students, and offering them an experience which will prepare them to be successful teachers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., Berliner, D., Cochran-Smith, M., McDonald, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). How teachers learn and develop. In Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J. (Eds). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (327- 357). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Darling-Hammond, L., Hammerness, K., Grossman, P., Rust, F. & Shuman, L. (2005). The design of teacher education programs. In Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J. (Eds). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (327-357). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Darling-Hammond, L., Pacheco, A., J., Michelli, N., LePage, P., Hammerness, K. & Youngs, P. (2005). Implementing curriculum renewal in teacher education: Managing organization and policy change. In Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J. (Eds). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (327-357). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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