“In Each Others’ Spaces”: Cooperating Teachers’ Perspectives on Partnership Activities With Elementary Math Teacher Educators

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 5:25 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Promoting Equity and Excellence in Math Teacher Education (Table 8)

Abstract

Cooperating teachers (CTs) are central to effective teacher education, but in the ongoing struggles for coherence between what teacher candidates observe in placement and learn in math methods courses, there is little emphasis on CTs’ perspectives nor collaboration possibilities between CTs and teacher educators. Engaging frameworks of boundary-crossing and teacher education partnerships that center non-hierarchical collaboration, we examined three CTs’ perspectives in relation to a year-long study on partnership activities spanning university-based and school-based teacher education sites. Interviews revealed how CTs: (a) reflected on their mentoring through mutual learning experiences and (b) generated ideas for increased collaboration and community and © surfaced challenges to shared learning. Findings suggest that boundary-crossing activities offer CTs important re-positioning opportunities, but must be sustainable.

Authors

• Faith Kwon, Stanford University

• Meghan Smith Durkin, Stanford University

• Miriam Simone Leshin, University of Virginia

• Jim Malamut, Stanford University

• Jennifer M. Langer-Osuna, Stanford University