Teacher Preparation Practices Research Articles

Video Performance Feedback and Video Self-Monitoring to Improve Systematic Instruction Implementation for Pre-Service Teachers

Although special education teachers are expected to implement evidence-based practices, teachers of students with extensive support needs have reported challenges in identifying and implementing effective practices to meet the unique needs of their students. Systematic instruction has been identified as an evidence-based practice for students with extensive support needs and can be used to support students across a wide range of skill domains. We used an experimental pretest–posttest design to examine the effectiveness of two training approaches, video performance feedback and video self-monitoring, on the implementation of systematic instruction among pre-service special education teachers. Overall, both approaches resulted in improved implementation of systematic instruction by pre-service special education teachers and were viewed as socially valid. We present directions for future research and implications for practice in special education teacher preparation.

Hard Time Seeing the Relevance

Perceptions of linguistic deficiency represent an extension of the devaluation of Black and racialized speakers which impacts their participation and representation, particularly within language classrooms. Though racism is directly challenged in current education research, language education remains a fertile space for weaponizing seemingly race-neutral terms like ‘culture’ and ‘identity’ as a means of minimizing the importance of race and other sociocultural factors on classroom language learning. Through semistructured interviews, this critical qualitative case study investigates the racial ideologies of three language teacher educators (LTEs) at Franklin University. Findings suggest the de-racialization of ‘culture’ and ‘identity’ influences the goals, design, and execution of instruction in this language teacher preparation program. Implications include guidance for language teacher preparation research and practice inclusive of centering race and clarifying the roles of race and power in language teacher preparation. Critically confronting who benefits or suffers when we use the term ‘culture’ in lieu of race in teacher preparation is also recommended.

Digital practice spaces and clinical practice in teacher preparation: Current uses and future possibilities

This paper explores how the use of digital practice spaces (DPSs) can inform teacher preparation through a reimagining of clinical practice in teacher preparation by addressing the question: what roles might DPSs play in the ecology of apprenticeship opportunities for future educators? We leveraged AACTE’s Essential Proclamations and Tenets for Highly Effective Clinical Educator Preparation as an analytical framework to examine our own experiences using DPSs in our teacher education coursework. We discuss the alignment between these proclamations and the theoretical, conceptual, and practical underpinnings of DPSs. Finally, we consider the remaining proclamations that represent the horizons of DPSs within teacher preparation, a task we undertook as a set of informed provocations, envisioning how DPSs could be designed to support the proclamations not currently supported.

Korean novice music teachers’ perceptions of their first years’ challenges

ABSTRACT Recently, there have been attempts to improve the support for beginning music teachers by investigating their difficulties during their first teaching years. The purpose of the study was to describe Korean novice music teachers’ perceptions of their first years’ challenges. In this study, data were generated through participants’ reflective journals, two individual interviews per participant and class observations. The findings indicated that beginning music teachers commonly felt insufficient in terms of music subject matter knowledge and skills as music educators as well as their assessments of students’ performances in music classes. They also mentioned their challenges, especially their relationships with students. Suggestions not only for practice in music teacher preparation and support but for future research on beginning music teachers are provided.

Systematic Identification, Implementation, and Evaluation of High-Leverage Practices in Teacher Preparation

An emphasis on practice-based teacher education has led the Council for Exceptional Children to develop 22 high-leverage practices (HLPs). Each HLP is research based, used frequently in classrooms, and applicable across age, grade, and content area. In this article, we discuss the importance of a systematic process for teacher preparation programs to consider when identifying, implementing, and evaluating HLPs. The extent and quality that HLPs are integrated within preparation programs will affect graduating teacher’s professional readiness and their ability to immediately affect student outcomes. It is our intent that this article supports teacher educators and scholars to continue the conversation around HLPs in teacher preparation. In addition, we encourage preparation programs to consider data-based decision making when identifying, implementing, and evaluating HLPs within program curricula.

Preservice teacher performance assessment and novice teacher assessment literacy

ABSTRACT To address increasing national interest in teacher candidate performance assessments, this multiple case study examined three novice teachers’ assessment literacy practices from their completion of a teacher candidate performance assessment through their first year of teaching. Drawing on the literature on assessment literacy and novice teacher learning, we analyzed multiple data sources including a performance assessment completed at the end of teacher preparation, and interviews and observations over the first year of teaching. Findings suggest that novice teachers’ practice of assessment can be traced back to the performance assessment, particularly in the areas of designing assessments, analyzing assessment data, providing feedback to students, and using assessment information to inform instructional decisions. In some instances, change in assessment practice across time was attributable to specific teacher preparation components, professional support, and personal factors. This study contributes to the limited body of research that explores the relationship of performance assessments completed at the end of teacher preparation and classroom practice during the first year of teaching.

An Exploration of Teacher Preparation Practices with Foundational Knowledge of Literacy

The Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 published by the International Literacy Association provide the basis for high-quality literacy teacher preparation. This study used qualitative survey responses to explore the literacy practices that teacher educators use to promote understandings among preservice teachers for each grade-level band (i.e., Pre-K/Primary, Elementary/Intermediate, Middle/High School). The researchers used conceptualizations of teacher knowledge as a theoretical lens to better understand reported preparation practices. Data analysis revealed three themes: Teacher Educator Pedagogy, Course Content, Student and Program Expectations. Researchers posit that teacher educators do not evenly focus on all components of literacy and contend that preparation programs must examine their respective curricula to ensure that all components of literacy associated with foundational knowledge are addressed sufficiently.

Practicing Policy: Preservice Teachers’ Experiences with a Proficiency-Based Education Model

Abstract: Varying policy on the implementation of proficiency-based education (PBE) presents a challenge in the preparation of future educators. It becomes critical to include structures and strategies in teacher education programs that support learning and application in different assessment frameworks. This study explores a piloted PBE model in a university teacher preparation course to better understand the enactment of PBE in classrooms, and the associated teaching and learning implications in a university setting. Results point toward reflection, choice, and standards as objectives as benefits of a PBE model, while challenges include time and scalability in classrooms. Implications focus on the instructional practices identified as benefits in a PBE model and the implementation of those practices in teacher preparation.

Opportunities to Study, Practice, and Rehearse Teaching in Teacher Preparation: An International Perspective

Background Around the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention to how teacher candidates learn to study and enact teaching and to grounding preparation more deeply in teachers’ classroom practice. Evidence from the United States and the Netherlands suggests that efforts to tie preparation to practice may significantly impact pupils’ learning. However, the nature of teacher candidates’ opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching remains underexplored, especially in international studies. Purpose Our research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any typical patterns and connections that teacher education students encounter more often than others? Research Design Our multiple case study design uses data from surveys of program candidates, observations of methods courses, and interviews with program faculty and students. We highlight our inclusion of observation of methods courses, which are relatively rare in studies of teacher education. We collected these data in five programs in five countries: Chile, Cuba, Finland, Norway, and the United States. Findings Analysis of all data revealed frequent opportunities for candidates to analyze artifacts from teaching and to do work that pupils will do. Candidates had some opportunities to plan, to rehearse teaching strategies, and to experience their teacher educator modeling teaching practices. Despite a growing focus on student learning in the United States and in other countries, there were few opportunities for teacher candidates to analyze student learning or to examine samples of students’ work. The dearth of opportunities for candidates to examine and analyze student learning was especially surprising: We underscore this finding as critical for teacher education. Conclusions These findings about opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching can provide helpful lenses for teacher education programs to examine where and how they offer these opportunities. Teacher educators may wish to consider the balance of learning opportunities within programs. The programs offered ample opportunities to plan for teaching, for instance. However, substantial experiences may come at the expense of others, especially when compared with the few opportunities to examine student learning.

Integrating Comprehensive Trauma Informed Practices in Teacher Preparation

Integrating Comprehensive Trauma Informed Practices in Teacher Preparation

Understanding culturally responsive practices in teacher preparation: an avenue to address disproportionality in special education

ABSTRACT With the rapid increase of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds bringing a shift in the landscape in today’s schools, equity discourses continue to arise. For example, more than four decades of data have pointed towards the disproportionality (i.e. over- or -under-representation) of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in special education in the United States, Europe, and beyond. As a continuous problem, there have not been enough studies exploring the state of general education teacher preparation programs and pre-service teachers’ use of culturally responsive practices (CRP) within referral models for special education. Knowing that teacher preparation is a key formation period for practicing teachers’ beliefs and knowledge the current study examined pre-service teachers’ knowledge and skills of culturally responsive practices within pre-referral models in order to address equity issues in special education (e.g. service delivery). Results from a fully integrated mixed methods study showed to be contradictory as the rating of pre-service teachers’ perceived knowledge and skills of CRP and pre-referral models to be high but their work indicated otherwise. Implications for teacher preparation programs include more in-depth learning experiences on CRP, disabilities, and engaging in equity discourses as part of pre-service teachers’ preparation.

Performative enactments of teacher evaluation: Two preservice teachers and the edTPA

Teacher preparation and preservice evaluation practices in the US have seen increasing influence from social efficiency and productivity logics. While analyses of the impacts of such neoliberal ascendancies are diverse and numerous, this article focuses closely on the impact of neoliberalism in preservice teacher evaluation and its impact on new teacher development. In particular, the teacher candidates who participated in this study shared their experiences with and perceptions of the edTPA, a relatively new, standardized portfolio licensure assessment published by Pearson, Inc. Analysis of qualitative case study data found that the regulatory influence of external surveillance created tensions with teacher candidates’ desire to learn and grow whilst completing their evaluation materials. Furthermore, analysis found that these candidates’ critical perspectives implicated their completion of evaluation materials. When more critical of neoliberal influences in evaluation policy, candidates’ materials were constructed in a performative manner.

Transforming Teacher Education in India: Ten New Roles for Departments of Education in Universities

The Departments of Education in Universities mainly focus on running pre-service and in-service teacher education programs and facilitating educationally relevant researches. Upcoming the National Education Policy of India expects from the Departments of Education in Universities to play a significant role in transforming teacher education. To fulfill, l this mandate, Departments of Education are expected to look beyond their routine activities and envision new roles for moving their boundaries. Extending this argument, the present paper suggests ten new roles for consideration of the Departments of Education. The suggested roles are: (i) offer professional development support to teacher educators, (ii) run academic clubs for teacher educators to share and connect, (iii) help teacher educators to become a good researcher, (iv) promote ICT usage among teacher educators, (v) compile and use best practices in teacher preparation, (vi) cultivate University-School partnerships, (vii) initiate teacher-trainee exchange programs, (viii) start Diploma programs to train School Principals/Leaders, (ix) conduct more researches on teacher education issues, and (xi) hold hands of beginning teachers.

Faculty Perceptions of Expertise for Inclusive Education for Students With Significant Disabilities

Teacher preparation for inclusive education of students with significant disabilities requires an understanding of the requisite skills and dispositions to be taught during the teacher preparation period. Given the relative scarcity of inclusive placements for this population, as well as limited research-based teacher preparation practices to promote inclusive education, a Delphi study was completed to query expert faculty on the priority skills and activities used in teacher preparation. Consensus emerged through the Delphi study over three rounds of surveys to faculty, centering on essential skills of special education teachers, practices used by faculty to teach and evaluate these skills, and conditions that support and constrain teacher development of these essential skills. Although faculty largely supported research-based practices, new areas emerged, including teacher leadership skills. Implications for research and practice are included.

Qualitative self-coding as reflection: empowering teacher candidates with the tools of the researcher

ABSTRACTReflective journaling is common practice in teacher preparation and often utilized as a tool to cultivate teacher candidates’ dispositional development. This paper details a study that implemented a methodology of teaching self-coding to 45 preservice teacher candidates as a pedagogical tool to support reflective practices within a field-based course. Analysis of teacher candidates’ codes and written reflections on the process suggest that the authors’ self-coding method helped teacher candidates develop concrete understandings of the relationship between professional teaching dispositions and pedagogical decision-making. Further, findings suggest that two cycles of self-coding facilitated a continuum of reflection wherein teacher candidates initially gained tangible awareness about professional teaching dispositions, and over time translated their new understandings to deeper analysis of their reflections, which elicited asset-based views of diverse learners. Findings suggest that by sharing the tools of a researcher, teacher educators can enhance candidates’ reflective capacities, which in turn can support dispositional growth, deeper reflection and reflexivity.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Social Justice Pedagogical Knowledge: Re-Envisioning A Model for Teacher Practice

The nature of teacher knowledge and preparation has incited many significant debates over the years. The major point of contention being what knowledge do teachers need for effective practice? Research have presented arguments distinguishing between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. A key study on teacher knowledge is Shulman’s (1987) study on Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) where he defines teacher knowledge as knowledge which integrates the knowledge of a specific subject and the pedagogical knowledge for teaching that particular subject. I question however what other knowledge component can contribute to effective teaching? Shulman’s model has been criticized for its non-inclusion of social justice knowledge. I argue Social Justice Knowledge can support Pedagogical Content Knowledge especially for teacher preparation practices in postcolonial Jamaica. Social Justice Pedagogical Content Knowledge empowers teachers to illuminate their voices inside and outside of the classroom. Hence, the purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore the relationship between Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Social Justice Knowledge as a model for teacher practice in the Jamaican context. What are the benefits to teacher practice? And how can it inform a stronger model for teacher preparation; essentially supporting a teacher preparation model which is not siloed from social justice knowledge.

Research Synthesis of Meta-Analyses of Preservice Teacher Preparation Practices in Higher Education

Findings from a meta-analysis of meta-analyses of 14 different types of preservice student and beginning teacher preparation practices are described. The research synthesis included 118 meta-analyses and 12 other research studies of preservice practices-preservice student and beginning teacher outcomes. The research reports included between 5000 and 6000 studies and an estimated 2.5 to 3 million study participants. The outcomes included two different teacher quality measures and two different preservice student and beginning teacher measures. Mean difference effect sizes, confidence intervals for the average effect sizes, and generalized patterns of results were used to identify very high impact, high impact, medium impact, low impact, and no impact preservice practices. Results showed that clinically rich field experiences (extended and limited student teaching), learning experiences that included multiple opportunities for deliberate practice, faculty and school-based coaching, clinical supervision and performance feedback, different types of experiences and opportunities to learn to teach, course-based experiential learning experiences, and cooperative learning opportunities stood out as especially important practices that were related to optimal preservice and beginning teacher outcomes. The patterns of results are consistent with a practice-based approach to teacher preparation where the focus of preservice and beginning teacher education is the learning experiences and opportunities to learn and use optimal effective teaching practices.

Mixed methods study of middle school mathematics teachers’ content knowledge in usa and russia using sequential nested design

The sequential nested mixed methods study focused on comparative analysis of middle school mathematics teachers’ content knowledge in two countries. The study consisted of two stages: (1) quantitative study of teacher content knowledge; (2) qualitative study of teacher topic-specific content knowledge. The initial sample for the first stage included lower secondary mathematics teachers from the U.S. (grades 6–9, N=102) and Russia (grades 5–9, N=97). The Teacher Content Knowledge Survey (TCKS) was applied to assess teacher content knowledge based on the cognitive domains of Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning, as well as addressing the lower secondary mathematics topics of Number, Algebra, Geometry, Data and Chance. The second stage – an interpretive cross-case study – aimed at the examination of the U.S. and Russian teachers’ topic-specific knowledge on the division of fractions. For the second stage, N=16 teachers (8 – from the U.S., and 8 – from Russia) were selected for the study using non-probability purposive sampling technique based on teachers’ scores on the TCKS. Teachers were interviewed on the topic of fraction division using questions addressing their content and pedagogical content knowledge. The study revealed that there are explicit similarities and differences in teachers’ content knowledge as well as its cognitive types. The study results may inform the field on priorities placed on lower secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge in the USA and Russia. It also suggests close comparison and learning about issues related to teacher knowledge in both countries with a potential focus on re-examining practices in teacher preparation and professional development.

Reflecting on Others Before Reflecting on Self: Using Video Evidence to Guide Teacher Candidates’ Reflective Practices

A convergent parallel mixed methods study investigated the potential of one teacher preparation approach for promoting candidate reflection. Thirteen candidates participated in clinical field experiences and four corresponding seminar classes with guided video analysis activities. Candidates were systematically guided through focusing on others before focusing on self and explicitly learned about a reflection continuum using an instructional framework to build prerequisite skills and ultimately improve reflective abilities. Results of paired-sample t tests indicated candidates demonstrated significantly higher reflective ability scores over time as measured by a reflection checklist. Qualitative analysis of structured interviews revealed candidates felt activities were (a) a systematic approach to authentic growth, (b) a challenging approach to necessary self-confrontation, and (c) allowed for connections between self and other. Methodological triangulation was used to validate the findings. Implications for teacher preparation research and practice are discussed.

“I believe in home language, but the tests don't”: Addressing Linguistic Diversity within Assessment Practices across Literacy Teacher Preparation and Classroom Practice

Background/ContextIssues of policy, practice, and assessment and the relationships between them have been a persistent focus in the practice and research of teacher preparation. However, the field has also long appreciated the tensions that persist between assessment approaches espoused in most teacher education programs and the realities of practices in K–12 schools. These issues are of particular importance and consideration in the current climate of increasing standardization and accountability measures. There is a need to consider how teacher preparation programs prepare candidates to handle these pressures. Additional research following early-career teachers into the field is also needed to better understand the challenges and possibilities they face within their own literacy assessment approaches.Focus of StudyBuilding on linguistic diversity work and issues of epistemic privilege and inequality related to literacy assessment in schools, the author theorizes practice within teacher education as inextricably linked to K–12 practices and policies, calling for a shift in teacher education to directly explore, and prepare teachers to navigate and circumnavigate, current policies and contexts. Focusing on linguistic diversity and assessment, I trace the tensions between the teachers’ asset-based beliefs and their practices within the current accountability climate.Research DesignThis study followed 10 early-career literacy teachers from their teacher preparation program into their first year of teaching. All the candidates completed their studies having strongly demonstrated beliefs in asset-based assessment practices and the need for clear links between assessment and practice. Through survey data—both qualitative and quantitative—and in-depth interview data gathered over a year, the study investigated shifts in the teachers’ beliefs and practices as well as the role of their school context in mediating the relationship between the two.FindingsMy focus in my analysis of the findings was understanding the impact of linguistic diversity as it relates to equitable assessment practices. These findings indicated that early-career teachers had differing degrees of difficulty implementing even strongly held beliefs. The early-career teachers described tensions between their goals and school expectations, increasing frustrations with standardized assessment measures, and disempowerment regarding their ability to support diverse students in the classroom through assessment measures.ConclusionAlthough teacher preparation programs can have a strong impact on candidates’ mindsets, simply focusing on shifting beliefs is not enough. I conclude by offering specific suggestions for how to better meet these needs through both pedagogical and theoretical changes within the field of literacy teacher education. “I believe in home language, but the tests don't. So, I'm—I'm stuck, you know? Because when I make assignments where the kids can use AAVE, or Spanglish, or whatever feels comfortable for them, then I worry I'm not preparing them. And my principal worries too, because our charter requires us to do as well or better than public schools on the [state test]. He suggested that I only do that when it's an in-class activity, and not for a grade, you know? But then—what am I saying to the kids? What message is that really sending? It seemed so easy when we talked about it in class.” —Kallie1