Faculty Perspectives on the Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Transform Educator Preparation

• In Event: 72.048 - Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: 72.048-6 - Professional Development for Teacher Educators: Lessons Learned

Abstract

Since 2014, 39 faculty members representing all five departments in the College of Education at a major southwestern university have been involved in a grant-funded project to: 1) Transform teacher education and other professional courses through collaboration; 2) Leverage the transformation to assist struggling schools to improve K-12 instruction; and 3) Design integrated field experiences to support cultural competency. This paper presents the findings from an analysis of the faculty’s reflective writing in response to prompts that ask about perceptions of changes in expectations, attitudes, and values related to their participation in the project. The participants emphasized the rewarding and inspiring nature of their interdisciplinary work and the positive impact of reducing the professional isolation experienced by higher education faculty.

Authors

• Allison M. Borden, University of New Mexico

• Viola E. Florez, The University of New Mexico