Teacher Candidate Rehearsals With Mentor Teachers: "Do I Really Have to Do This?"

• In Event: Can We Talk? Conversations and Dialogue to Improve Teaching and Assessment in the Field Experience

Abstract

“Rehearsals” are one aspect of a practice-based theory of teacher learning gaining purchase in higher education settings intended to address problems of enactment. This qualitative study investigated the impact of rehearsals (verbatim enactment of a lesson with feedback prior to implementation with students) as a mentoring strategy with teacher candidates in a clinical setting. Two research questions were addressed: What do mentors and teacher candidates do during rehearsal sessions? Do rehearsals influence teacher candidates’ practice? Results indicate that teacher candidates are reticent to rehearse and implementation fidelity requires support; rehearsals “redistribute” mentoring time, allocating time to rehearse reduces time spent debriefing or reteaching lessons; and the contextually specific feedback and problem solving mentors provide contributed to improved lesson enactment.

Author

• Wendy L. Gardiner, National Louis University