Teacher Induction Programs Research Articles

Beginning teacher disposition: Examining the moral/ethical domain

As the push for high-quality teachers continues, many colleges of education, teacher induction programs, and professional development supervisors are left wondering about the role dispositions play in effective teaching. This study seeks to explore the definition of dispositions as teacher professional judgment and professional action in the moral/ethical domain of adult cognition. By assessing beginning teacher judgment both quantitatively and qualitatively, convergence between predicted and observed patterns was found in addition to congruence between teacher judgment and action. Based on the findings of convergence and congruence, implications for teacher education and development are made.

Does one size fit all? The induction experience of beginning science teachers from different teacher-preparation programs

The number of induction programs available to teachers is increasing rapidly, and by necessity these programs are designed to meet the needs of all teachers regardless of their preparation and academic background. This study examines the impact of a science-focused induction program on secondary science teachers from different preparation programs. The 16 teachers were first-year secondary science teachers who graduated the previous year from one of four different teacher-preparation programs. All teachers were monitored during their first year of teaching, as they participated in the induction program, to understand their teaching beliefs, instructional practices, and experiences in the classroom. The analysis of data revealed that the preservice training of a science teacher influenced the type of support the teacher derived from the science-focused induction program. Teachers from a preservice program with an extended student-teaching experience and two science methods courses held beliefs aligned with student-centered practices and implemented more reform-based lessons than did other teachers during the year. This study reinforces the importance of induction programs for teachers and suggests that there is a need for specialized support programs for beginning science teachers. The study also provides specific suggestions for improving the preparation of secondary science teachers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 963–985, 2006

Support for Beginning Teachers: An Invitation to Participate in a Collaborative Induction Process

There is certainly no diminution of interest in teacher induction in the province of Ontario, Canada. Education Minister Gerard Kennedy has launched a concerted effort to implement the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) consisting of contextually relevant professional development opportunities for beginning teachers, an experienced teacher to serve as mentor, and school and district orientation sessions. The Minister has also proposed legislation that will streamline beginning teacher evaluation and formally credit participants for their successful completion of the program to be recorded on the Certificate of Qualification issued by the Ontario College of Teachers. The recently released NTI P Program Guideline (March, 2006) states that induction programs "will build on the faculty year experience by providing another full year of professional support” through the partnership among beginning teachers, mentors, principals, superintendents of the NTIP" etc. (pp. 3 & 4). The above measures underpin the Ministry’s initiatives to work collaboratively with education stakeholders and operationalize more pragmatic and efficient professional development initiatives to improve teacher induction practices in order to improve student learning .

Exemplary Teacher Induction: An international review

How does one become an effective teacher? What can be done to stem high attrition rates among beginning teachers? While many teachers are left to ‘sink or swim’ in their first year—learning by trial and error, there remain a number of outstanding examples of collaboration and collegiality in teacher induction programs. Analysis of the most exemplary teacher induction programs from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States revealed common attributes and exceptional features. The most successful teacher induction programs reported here include opportunities for experts and neophytes to learn together in a supportive environment promoting time for collaboration, reflection and acculturation into the profession of teaching. Furthermore, several practices unique to specific regions were highlighted. These included extended internship programs, specially trained mentors, comprehensive inservice training and reduced teaching assignments for beginning teachers with an emphasis on assistance rather than assessment.

From Preservice to Inservice Teaching

This study examines how social studies preservice teachers use pedagogical and technological applications and skills employed during their teacher education program, specifically the methods block. Data were collected from the methods course experience through student teaching and then through case study research with first-year teachers. Results indicate that technology skills and processes learned were transferred through time; however, expectations for teaching with technology and perceived challenges of doing so were complex. Participants in the study were more likely to emulate what “they were taught” than to apply individual creative technology integration plans. Common barriers to using technology in the classroom identified in the literature (Berson, 1996; Whitworth & Berson, 2003; Butler & Sellborn, 2002) were present; however, the researchers believe there is a need to enhance teacher education programs and teacher induction programs to include diverse technology integration experiences, and specifically, creative ideas to address barriers of using technology in the classroom and increasing the ability to think outside the box.

Habilitación y certificación para los profesores en Chile.

Asegurar la calidad de los nuevos profesores y profesoras que se integran al sistema escolar financiado con fondos públicos es una responsabilidad del Estado chileno. Convocando a universidades, sostenedores y profesores este artículo sugiere diseñar e implementar una política de habilitación y acreditación, que integre la evaluación docente y el desarrollo profesional. Esto involucraría, al menos, tres acciones que se describen en esta propuesta: ajustes en los criterios del proceso de acreditación, elaboración de exámenes nacionales de conocimientos disciplinarios y el diseño de programas de inducción para profesores novatos.

Receiving as well as giving: mentors' perceptions of their professional development in one teacher induction program

Although many studies examine benefits to the mentees, this study examined the growth and development of the mentors in the context of a particular teacher induction program, the University of Missouri Teaching Fellowship Program. This program is unique in that mentors are released from classroom duties to mentor two fellows, conduct professional development in their schools and work with the university. First, second and third‐year mentors were interviewed in focus groups. Results indicated that mentors believed their professional development included: relearning, seeing a bigger picture, expanding their roles, gaining insights about the process of mentoring and understanding the impact of the program on themselves. Data suggest that having various duties encourages these mentors to better understand the complexity of schooling, which increases their leadership potential and gives them more confidence. Also, mentoring is somewhat developmental; it must be learned by engaging in it and needs to be consistently supported. Implications for existing mentoring programs are discussed.

“Them That's Got Shall Get”: Understanding Teacher Recruitment, Induction, and Retention

Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of EducationVolume 103, Issue 1 p. 145-179 “Them That's Got Shall Get”: Understanding Teacher Recruitment, Induction, and Retention SUZANNE M. WILSON, SUZANNE M. WILSON Suzanne M Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorCOURTNEY BELL, COURTNEY BELL Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorJODIE A. GALOSY, JODIE A. GALOSY Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorANDREW W. SHOUSE, ANDREW W. SHOUSE Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this author SUZANNE M. WILSON, SUZANNE M. WILSON Suzanne M Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorCOURTNEY BELL, COURTNEY BELL Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorJODIE A. GALOSY, JODIE A. GALOSY Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this authorANDREW W. SHOUSE, ANDREW W. SHOUSE Courtney Bell, Jodie A. Galosy, and Andrew W. Shouse are doctoral candidates in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.Search for more papers by this author First published: 04 April 2005 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2004.tb00033.xCitations: 3 Authors' Note Work on this chapter was supported by the Educational Policy Center at Michigan State University, as well as two National Science Foundation grants. The first grant funds an evaluation of the New Teacher Induction program at the Exploratorium (a collaboration between Wilson, Galosy, and Shouse at MSU); the second supports a study of mathematics and science teacher induction in the United States (a collaboration between Edward Britton, Tania Madfes, and Frances Montell at WestEd and Lynn Paine, Brian Delany, Steve Ryan, and Suzanne Wilson at MSU). AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume103, Issue1April 2004Pages 145-179 RelatedInformation

Creating a Continuum: Considering Induction Programs for Secondary Social Studies Teachers

The call for support of beginning teachers has ebbed and flowed over the years with the tide of educational reform. Recently, the call has taken on a more urgent and distinct tenor, focusing on specialized support for secondary teachers. This paper reviews social studies education literature in view of making the case for specialized support programs for beginning secondary social studies teachers. The authors argue that creating a teacher education continuum that includes induction programs would strengthen both teaching and research in social studies education. In addition, the authors discuss one pilot program for beginning secondary social studies teachers, including program elements and participant responses.

Recruiting and Retaining "Highly Qualified Teachers" for Hard-to-Staff Schools

What is known about recruiting and retaining teachers for hard-to-staff-schools runs counter to many of the assumptions undergirding the teacher quality provisions of No Child Left Behind. Evidence regarding incentives, recruitment pathways, new teacher induction programs, and alternative routes shed considerable light on what needs to be done to ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every student. Educators, armed with the right knowledge, can play an important role in getting both the funding and politics in place to create and support the policies and programs that can make a difference.

Induction Programs That Keep New Teachers Teaching and Improving

This article features schools and school districts with successful induction programs, all easily replicable. Increasingly, research confirms that teacher and teaching quality are the most powerful predictors of student success. In short, principals ensure higher student achievement by assuring better teaching. To do this, effective administrators have a new teacher induction program available for all newly hired teachers, which then seamlessly becomes part of the lifelong, sustained professional development program for the district or school. What keeps a good teacher are structured, sustained, intensive professional development programs that allow new teachers to observe others, to be observed by others, and to be part of networks or study groups where all teachers share together, grow together, and learn to respect each other's work.

Finding a name for what they want: a study of New York City's Teaching Fellows

Faced with an acute shortage of teachers in the United States, New York City has initiated an alternative teacher induction program called the Teaching Fellows (NYCTF). This study, focusing on the verbal and written narratives of 38 participants, examines the various foci of these new teachers through their first year of teaching. The participants develop their understanding of themselves as teachers, and of the teaching craft, through a clear cycle where initial ideals and knowledge are silenced in favor of their relationships with their students. The Fellows ask for assistance to better articulate the stages of development in becoming teachers.

Educating Culturally Responsive Teachers: A Coherent Approach

Educating Culturally Responsive Teachers: A Coherent Approach, by Ana Maria Villegas & Tamara Lucas. Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 2002, 246 pp. $21.95, paperback. central claim in this book is that in order to facilitate coherence across coursework and fieldwork, of teacher education need to articulate a vision of the role of schools and of the processes of teaching and in a multicultural (p. 197). Courses and field experiences can become more successful, the authors argue, only through developing and upholding a strong, guiding, vision among faculty, administrators, and students in any teacher preparation program. The vision we have proposed is anchored in the belief that a primary role of schools is to promote a more equitable and just society and is informed by constructivist views of teaching and learning (p. 197). This focus on creating a meaningful vision makes the book equally important for the administrators coordinating programs or departments and the faculty teaching in or affiliated with colleges of education. Given that Educating Culturally Responsive Teachers: A Coherent Approach includes attention to facilitating collaborations among and across education faculty, arts and sciences faculty, and school districts, it may also be useful for district-based directors of teacher induction programs. Students enrolled in teacher credential or certification programs may not attach importance to the higher education applications of the text, but students are likely to appreciate some of the 25 useful charts and figures (e.g., demographics related to public school teaching, interview questions for exploring school communities, and recommended culturally responsive teaching practices) as well as the effects of being students in such preparation programs. authors are professors in the Montclair State University education program and their research has been on promoting equity in secondary and higher education settings. text sometimes offers successful examples from their university. Overall, the book adds to the knowledge base on designing or re-designing (e.g., for accreditation reviews or strategic planning) university-based teacher training to better reflect the needs and aspirations of the current and projected K-12 student populations. book begins and ends by referring to the persistent and increasing cultural differences between the teaching force and the student force; this is the primary justification for the authors' programmatic recommendations. first chapter describes the shifting demographic landscape of the U.S. and its impact in teacher education. Nationwide, as much as 91% of K-12 teachers are White while only 65% of students are White. By 2050 it is predicted that only 44% of students will have Anglo-American backgrounds. next three chapters present what are called curriculum meant to direct program planning to respond to this growing gap. A total of six strands comprise the coherent approach to preparing new teachers for culturally responsive teaching. These are (a) gaining sociocultural consciousness, (b) developing an affirming attitude toward students from culturally diverse backgrounds, (c) developing the commitment and skills to act as agents of change, (d) embracing the constructivist foundations of culturally responsive teaching, (e) about students and their communities, and (f) cultivating the practice of culturally responsive teaching. New teachers should understand and embrace these six areas as they move through their university experiences. A significant seventh strand might have been modeling culturally responsive research methodologies and dissemination in addition to teaching practices. Faculty members of teacher preparation programs, although also mostly White, should model culturally responsive teaching. While consistently and convincingly advocating for culturally responsive teaching for the growing cultural diversity among public school students, the authors do not explicitly locate themselves in the demographics of the teacher or teacher educator population. …

Case studies of teacher development: an in-depth look at how thinking about pedagogy develops over time

This book represents the results of a 15-year longitudinal study based on in-depth case studies of the development of four teachers' pedagogical thinking. These studies illustrate how teachers' thinking--about children's behavior, development, learning, and teaching--develops over time, based on their personal and professional life experiences. It is an especially significant book because understanding how pedagogical thought develops over time and how these ideas are put into action in classrooms can be used to improve teacher education, teacher induction, and teacher retention programs. Case Studies of Teacher Development: An In-Depth Look At How Thinking About Pedagogy Develops Over Time: *provides insight into reasons why some teachers remain and others leave the teaching profession; *combines narrative with scholarship; *highlights the voices of four educators through extensive quotes from their interviewers, includes vignettes of their classroom teaching, and incorporates their own writing; *contributes to the field of teacher education and teacher development because of the long duration of the four case studies (1985-2000) and the accompanying scholarly analysis of internal and external influences on their lives as teachers; and *addresses changes in the nature of qualitative research as it influenced this longitudinal study over time. At a time when teacher induction and teacher retention are critically important, this book will help teacher educators, school and district leaders, and policymakers understand better how to retain novice and experienced teachers by supporting their professional growth and development.

Teachers' Experiences of the Probation Period of Teaching in Kenya: implications for teacher induction policies and programmes

Teachers' Experiences of the Probation Period of Teaching in Kenya: implications for teacher induction policies and programmes

Teachers' Experiences of the Probation Period of Teaching in Kenya: implications for teacher induction policies and programmes

The probation period for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in Kenya has hardly been studied. Universities have produced thousands of teachers, but it is not clear as to their experiences in schools. This study examines the experiences of graduate teachers during their probation period (first 2 years of service) in order to find out their expectations, surprises, difficulties and the extent of assistance received from mentors. Finally, teachers' suggestions for improvement of the induction process are examined. The study shows that induction of NQTs in Kenya is haphazard and informal. Teachers seldom benefit from it. Recommendations are made about how to improve the NQT induction process, particularly the content, organisation, delivery and evaluation.

The Problems of Beginning Special Education Teachers: Exploring the Contextual Factors Influencing Their Work

The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary results of a three-year investigation of the problems of practice of beginning special education teachers and the contexts in which they work. Our research study was designed to answer the following research questions: (a) What are beginning special educators' problems of practice? and; (b) What contextual factors facilitate or impede beginning special education Teachers' efforts to solve their problems of practice? The most frequently cited problems were related to insufficient curricular materials, dealing with behavior management/discipline, and obstacles to collaboration with general educators. The most significant sources of support were from other special education teachers; in general, novice special education teachers perceived themselves as segregated from the general education community, isolated from their general education peers and administrative staff. Discussion and implications regarding novice teacher induction programs and teacher education curriculum are presented.

Contrasting landscapes: A comparison of the impact of different induction programs on beginning secondary science teachers' practices, beliefs, and experiences

AbstractInduction programs are essential in addressing the unique pedagogical and content needs of secondary science teachers. Yet most secondary science teachers have little access to general induction programs, and even less opportunity to participate in specialized science induction programs. This study examines the impact of three different induction programs on secondary science teachers. The teachers were matched by grade level among three groups; one group participated in a science‐focused support program, another participated in a general support program, and a third had no formal support. All teachers were monitored during the spring semester to understand their teaching beliefs, instructional practices, and experiences in the classroom. The analysis of data revealed that the secondary science teachers in the science‐focused support program implemented more student‐centered inquiry lessons, held beliefs aligned with student‐centered practices, and felt fewer constraints in their teaching than did the other two groups of teachers. This study reinforces the importance of induction programs for teachers, suggests there is a need for specialized support programs for beginning science teachers, and recommends that universities and school districts work together to develop such programs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 77–97, 2003

ANALYZING STATE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FOR BEGINNING TEACHER INDUCTION: A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK

ABSTRACTThis study developed a framework for evaluating beginning teacher induction policies and programs. This framework consists of three main categories: 1) Legislation and Funding, 2) State, District, and Union Roles, and 3) Program Components. Comparison of these three categories reveals 1) the differences in priority states currently place on beginning teacher induction, 2) the extent of shared responsibilities between state and school districts on overseeing and evaluating the beginning teacher induction program, and 3) the extent of alignment between the beginning teacher induction program and state standards, between eligibility criteria and compensation for beginning teachers, and between the incentives used to attract qualified mentor teachers and the specified qualifications of these mentor teachers. Application of this framework to the current policy guidelines of sixteen heterogeneous states in terms of state activities in educational initiatives found that funded mandatory policies on beginning teacher induction: a) are less fragmented, b) have a stronger state role, c) are heterogeneous in their program features, d) have a narrower definition of what constitutes a beginning teacher, and e) generally provide stronger incentives for mentor teachers to participate.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF TEACHING EVENTS AND FORMS OF BEGINNING TEACHER ASSISTANCE AS EXPERIENCED BY MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

This study examined the nature and impact of teaching events and selected forms of assistance provided by local school district personnel to beginning agricultural education teachers. The initial five forms of assistance that had a major impact on the beginning teachers included: parental support of students for their program; adequate supply of materials, textbooks, and workbooks are provided; planning time was available before school started; curriculum guides are available for the program area; and principals provide helpful evaluation and feedback. Initial events or experiences that had a major or critical impact, and occurred often or always were: feeling in control of their program, students are respectful toward the beginning teacher, beginning teacher has self-confidence in their teaching, satisfaction is experienced after successful activities, and they see their students succeeding in their classes. The beginning teachers were experiencing elevated levels of stress and moderate amounts of job satisfaction during the early weeks of the school year. Less than 40% of the teachers were participating in district-sponsored teacher induction programs. It was concluded the initial teaching experiences of beginning teachers were, indeed, impacted by selected forms of assistance and events. Additional research was recommended to determine how the nature and impact of the measures change with teaching experience.