Personalizing State-Required Teacher Preparation to Teach Multilingual Learners

• In Event: Open Education: Empirical Evidence on Innovations Across Disciplines

Abstract

Background. Teachers seek professional learning that addresses the urgent needs of their students (Kimmons & Hall, 2016). However, external credentialing structures and state approved course syllabi often lead to standardized teacher education, not responsive to teacher needs (Gabriel, 2010). Although studies show that teachers benefit from analyzing the each other’s work (Sun & Van Es, 2015). Teachers demonstrate learning through products, such as lesson plans, in isolation without building on the previous work of colleagues. These persistent teacher education problems of relevance, responsiveness, and transfer to daily practice are addressed through personalized assignments accessed through an online database.

Problem. Preparation to teach multilingual learners is required for teacher certification and often taught through a dictated curriculum, standard assessments, and limited time. Within these constraints,personalization may increase relevance and provide optimal challenge ensuring teachers both achieve desired competencies and are equipped for their students’ needs. For personalization, standardized assessments were divided into smaller tasks organized in a matrix including five topic rows (e.g. language objectives, discussion, vocabulary, reading, writing, and language/culture/identity) and five learning method columns (e.g. read research, analyze student work, use technology, create materials, and plan lessons). Each week, teachers searched previously completed task examples by grade level and subject from a freely available database at https://dimensions.gse.harvard.edu/ to select relevant tasks.

Aim. This research examined the extent that standard graduate course evaluation and task submission data from four courses pre- and post personalization could measure changes in teacher responses to personalized learning.

Methods.
Prior to personalization, 81 teachers participated in four different courses compared to 149 post-personalization. Pre-testing equivalence was not measured beyond the qualifications for master’s degree admissions. Likert scale responses from course evaluation items aligned to elements of personalization were averaged comparing four in-person unique modules pre-post personalization. In addition, online submission data including frequency and sequence of completed tasks were analyzed to explore teacher learning trajectories and relevance of tasks.

Results. The following changes were observed pre-post personalization. After personalization, moduled enrollment increased by 46%. On average, each teachers contributed 10 tasks, submitting 1,527 into the database. The most frequently submitted tasks used the reading research learning method and addressed topics of language objectives, discussion, vocabulary. Least submitted learning method was using technology in the topic areas of reading, writing, and culture. Individual learning trajectories or the sequence of task completion varied from the instructor’s topic sequence. Course evaluation means pre-post revealed increases in: technology enabled discussion (+16%), assignment time (+12%), work load (+9%), outside class time (+9%), diversity addressed well (+8%), technology deepened understanding (+7%), application to real problems (+4%), overall course benefit (+2%). Teacher satisfaction decreased in the areas of course organization (-7%) and timely feedback (-5%).

Significance. The research transformed a required licensure course into a personalized learning experience; relevant to the urgent needs of teachers. Future studies should explore how personalization relates to teacher autonomy and commitment to P-12 personalizing learning and how the free materials website may support learning transfer to daily practice.

Author

• Rhonda Suzanne Bondie, Hunter College - CUNY
  Presenting Author