Enhancing Teacher Candidates' Experience and Competencies: A Two-Year Pilot Implementation of Adaptive Cycles of Teaching

• In Event: Collaborative Approaches to Enhance Preservice Teachers' Teaching Practices

Abstract

This paper describes a two-year implementation of the Adaptive Cycles of Teaching (ACT) curriculum model piloted in a new undergraduate special education program. Emphasizing learning by doing through iterative cycles of teaching pre-identified teaching practices in the real classroom, the ACT model has played an important role in creating an innovative and authentic teacher preparation experience for the special education teacher candidates. The key ACT elements of modeling, scaffolding, viewing of videotaped lessons taught, and synthesis of coach and peer feedback, have positively impacted on the undergraduate special education teacher candidates’ teaching competencies. On the other hand, the two-year pilot also revealed issues that warrant close examination before this model of practice-based teaching can be scaled up and sustainable.

Author

• Xiuwen Wu, National Louis University