Walking Alongside Teacher Candidates: Embracing Collaboration During Clinical Practice and Teaching Performance Assessments

• In Event: 79.037 - Walking Alongside Teacher Candidates: Embracing Collaboration During Clinical Practice and Teaching Performance Assessments

Abstract

Collaboration within and amongst our PK-12 stakeholders is paramount to the success of our educational outcomes. For in-service teachers, collaboration often comes in the form of professional learning communities (PLC) aimed at supporting student growth (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; DuFour, 2004). Student growth and achievement hinges upon differentiation for the diverse learners in the classroom, engaging students in higher order thinking, putting technology in the hands of students, fostering a positive learning environment and assessing student understandings (Stronge, Ward & Grant, 2011). While PLCs provide opportunities for in-service teachers to share best practices, our attention turns to opportunities afforded to teacher candidates in acquiring these critical skills. The current model of student teaching, which perpetuates a sink or swim environment, lacks a coherent approach in preparing highly qualified teachers; candidates need opportunities to learn in an interactive professional community, which calls for a radical shift in how they are prepared (NCATE, 2010).

Co-teaching, one model of clinical practice, has gained attention for its dependency on the collaboration of master teacher and candidate. Used primarily in special education until recently, co-teaching is contingent upon shared planning, communication, teaching and reflection (Bacharch, Heck & Dahlberg, 2010; Thousand & Nevin, 2013). Through the co-teaching process, candidates gain a shared language, increased confidence, efficiency in planning as well as differentiation strategies (Thousand & Nevin, 2013). Teacher preparation programs that have embraced co-teaching report increased PK-12 academic achievements, in particular amongst marginalized students (Bacharch, Heck & Dahlberg, 2010).

Much like the traditional clinical practice model, Teaching Performance Assessments (TPA) have often been a sink or swim phenomenon. This has been especially true for candidates of color and linguistic minority groups who continue to be underrepresented in the teaching force. (Greenblatt & O’Hara, 2015). The reconstructed TPA, however, incorporates the same collaborative approaches as co-teaching, which addresses the consequences of this sink or swim approach head on. The policies surrounding the reconstructed TPA ask faculty, university supervisors and master teachers to walk this path with candidates by engaging candidates in self-assessment, reflection, peer-to-peer support and modeling effective teaching strategies. Teacher preparation programs that adopt a co-teaching clinical practice model, in conjunction with a collaborative mindset surrounding the TPA, align with Ball and Cohen’s (1999) term “learning in and from practice” master teachers support candidates’ daily growth and reflection, while the TPA provides formative and summative feedback.

The purpose of this paper is to: 1) highlight the need for clinical practice that fosters collaboration, such as the co-teaching model, thus increasing candidates’ readiness and ultimately student academic outcomes; 2) explore TPA policies which call for collaboration and support from all stakeholders, most significantly during clinical practice; and 3) consider best “collaborative” practices teacher preparation programs are implementing to prepare candidates for the TPA.

Author

• Karen Escalante, California State University - Long Beach