Investigating student investment curriculum outcomes during a year-long
clinical experience
Kent Sabo
Sanford Inspire Program
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Arizona State University
Valerie (Howell) Simmons
Sanford Inspire Program
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Arizona State University
Ryen Borden
Sanford Inspire Program
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Arizona State University
Section I: Content
Problem Statement and Literature Review
This presentation describes the teacher candidate outcomes of a student investment project resulting from a unique partnership between a large teachers college and a non-profit organization taking place within a clinically-focused teacher preparation program. The experiences that teacher candidates have in their clinical experiences are critical to the success of teacher candidates and teacher education programs. Novice teachers often report that their clinical experience was a key component in preparing them for their first position (Ralph, Walker, & Wimmer, 2008). Teacher education program characteristics like stringent teacher candidate selection, academic preparation, significant clinical experience, and assessment of teaching effectiveness have been called for as foundational components (Schwab, Defranco, & McGivney-Burelle, 2003). The importance of on-site faculty support, a cooperating teacher experienced in mentoring teacher candidates and a consistent cohort group throughout the clinical experience have all been established (Smith & Avetisian, 2011; Wyss, Siebert, & Dowling, 2012).
The premise for any clinical experience is that authentic and meaningful learning happens when teacher candidates apply what they have learned in their preparation programs to real problems in the classroom with real students (Ralph et al., 2008). It was in this vein that the student investment project described in this study was developed and implemented. The challenge for teacher education programs is to develop learning experiences that will be applicable in a teacher candidate’s classroom (Alderman & Beyeler, 2008). This project aimed to help teacher candidates develop planning and implementation skills to address the issues of student motivation, academic reinforcement, the use of role models, creating a welcome environment and mobilizing family members to support students’ academic efforts.
Student motivation is linked to students’ interest in and enjoyment of school, in academic study, and their level of academic achievement (Martin, 2006). Teachers who develop positive relationships with their students, who are accepting of their students, and support student autonomy facilitate positive engagement in class and greater student motivation (Martin, 2006). Studies suggest that an overwhelming percentage of students desire positive feedback on both their ability and their effort and that this feedback can lead to more positive student attitudes about math and reading (Burnett & Mandel, 2010). Further, positive feedback is related to students’ positive perception of their relationship with their teacher and a healthy classroom environment (Burnett & Mandel, 2010). Related, nearly 30 years of research suggests that the classroom environment has a significant influence on academic achievement (Dorman, 2008). When asked to name their role models, students most often mention their family members (Sanderse, 2013). However, researchers suggest that non-family role models are of critical importance in students social development and academic achievement (Stanton-Salazar & Urson Spina, 2003). The benefits of family involvement in their child’s schooling has been demonstrated to support learning and school success from elementary to high school (Carter, 2002). However, encouraging appropriate family involvement can be challenging, so teacher candidates need training in promoting effective involvement in their child’s academic endeavors (Carter, 2002). Each of the areas addressed by this project and described above are complex, nuanced, and critical for teacher candidates to master. The student investment project was designed to help teacher candidates transfer their knowledge of these concepts to their K-12 classrooms in a concrete and measurable way.
Methods
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the investment plans employed by teacher candidates during the final semester of their year-long student teaching experience. Two questionnaires were developed to measure the teacher candidates’ investment strategy proficiency based on a well known teaching/leadership rubric. Additionally, teacher candidate-developed investment plans were collected, which included teacher candidate-student interviews.
Those that participated in the questionnaires were 40 teacher candidates and 22 mentor teachers from local school districts. Investment plans were submitted by 31 teacher candidates, while 38 teacher candidates submitted their first round student interviews and 22 submitted their second round student interviews. A total of 49 teacher candidates and 49 mentor teachers were members of the two cohorts.
As part of their final semester of their year-long student teaching experience, the 49 teacher candidates were concurrently enrolled in a student teaching course which focuses on curriculum, instruction and classroom management. Within this course teacher candidates participated in two two-hour class sessions in which they learned about student investment. These two instructional sessions were based on a well known teaching/leadership framework and rubric. The purpose of investing students within this framework is to “build confidence and eagerness that leads them to work hard toward short and long-term goals(Teach for America, 2014).”
The outcome of the two instructional sessions was an investment plan that teacher candidates would implement into their student-teaching classrooms. The plan consisted of a statement of the big goal, a class-wide tracking system, individual student tracking system, plans for communication with families, building in time for student reflection, and a plan for revealing the plan to their students. As part of the investment plan development process, teacher candidates were required to interview three of their students before they completed their investment plan in an effort to discover how they may best invest their students. Teacher candidates (n = 22) were also asked to interview the same three students at the end of the semester to learn how their investment plan may have impacted their students.
Prior to the semester’s end, questionnaires were administered to both teacher candidates and their mentor teachers. Teacher candidates responded to items that prompted them to rate their student investment proficiency and to describe examples of their student investment strategies. Mentor teachers responded to similar items that prompted them to rate their teacher candidate’s proficiency and to describe their teacher candidate’s strategies. Items were based on the student investment section of a well known teaching/leadership rubric. The proficiency selections for both the teacher candidate and mentor teacher items were: Pre-novice, Novice, Beginning Proficiency, Advanced Proficiency, and Exemplary. The items were as follows:
- I develop my students’ understanding so that they can achieve by working hard.
- I develop my students’ understanding that they will benefit from achievement.
- In my teaching, I use appropriate role models who work hard, value academic achievement, and that my students identify with.
- I consistently reinforce academic efforts toward the big goals.
- I create a welcoming environment for my students.
- I mobilize students’ influencers (e.g., family, peers, coaches) to actively invest in students' work toward big goals.
Contribution, Strand III: The Curricular Imperative: Innovative Practice
This presentation is directly to the Curricular Imperative strand as it describes an innovative practice that resulted from a unique partnership between a large college of education and a non-profit teaching/leadership group. The program and project described in this study focus on practical clinical experiences that are based on research and best practices in the field, two focus areas promoted by AACTE.
Relevance
This proposal related to two of the relevance perspectives: using qualitative or quantitative evidence to inform policy or practice and successful practices. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate a clinically-based project intended to influence teacher candidate practice. The results of this study suggest that the project shows promise in transferring teacher candidate skills from their teacher education program to their classroom.
Implication for Action
Though the results of this study are preliminary and on a relatively small portion of the hundreds of teacher candidates in their clinical experience, the project shows promise. This project was an example of an attempt to transfer learning from the teacher education program to actionable and measurable behaviors in the classroom. Calls for this type of learning transfer has been called for by AACTE and other organizations seeking to improve teacher education by focusing on how to implement theory into the K-12 classroom, rather than simply studying the theory in the teacher education program.
Section II: Outcomes and Methods
Participant Outcomes
- Participants will learn about an innovative clinically-focused project in which teacher candidates take action in their K-12 classrooms with their understanding of motivation, academic reinforcement, classroom environment, role models, and family involvement.
- Participants will consider the value of this type of project in a teacher education program.
- Participants will evaluate how this type of project may fit into their own teacher education programs.
Presentation Methods
This presentation is intended to be presented in an individual paper session format, so extended audience interaction is not appropriate. However, the second two participant outcomes listed above will be achieved through a discussion with the audience about their opinions on the value of the project and how it may fit into their programs. The first outcome will be accomplished by delivering a detailed visual and oral presentation.
References
Alderman, M. K., & Beyeler, J. (2008). Motivation in Preservice Teacher Education : Possibilities for Transfer of Learning. Teaching Educational Psychology, 3(2), 1–23.
Burnett, P. C., & Mandel, V. (2010). Praise and Feedback in the Primary Classroom : Teachers ’ and Students ’ Perspectives. Austrailian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 10, 145–154.
Carter, S. (2002). The Impact of Parent / Family Involvement on Student Outcomes : An Annotated Bibliography Past Decade (p. 44). Eugene, OR.
Dorman, J. P. (2008). Using student perceptions to compare actual and preferred classroom environment in Queensland schools. Educational Studies, 34(4), 299–308. doi:10.1080/03055690802034484
Martin, A. J. (2006). The Relationship Between Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Motivation and Engagement and Teachers' Enjoyment of and Confidence in Teaching. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 73–93. doi:10.1080/13598660500480100
Ralph, E. G., Walker, K., & Wimmer, R. (2008). The Clinical / Practicum Experience in Professional Preparation : Preliminary Findings. McGill Journal of Education, 43(2), 157–172.
Sanderse, W. (2013). The meaning of role modelling in moral and character education. Journal of Moral Education, 42(1), 28–42. doi:10.1080/03057240.2012.690727
Schwab, R. L., Defranco, T. C., & McGivney-Burelle, J. (2003). Preparing Future Teacher-Leaders : Experiences from the University of Connecticut ’s Five-Year Teacher Education Program. Educational Perspectives, 36(1-2), 20–25.
Smith, E. R., & Avetisian, V. (2011). Learning to Teach with Two Mentors: Revisiting the “Two-Worlds Pitfall” in Student Teaching. The Teacher Educator, 46(4), 335–354. doi:10.1080/08878730.2011.604400
Stanton-Salazar, R. D., & Urson Spina, S. (2003). Informal Mentors and Role Models in the Lives of Urban Mexican-Origin Adolescents. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 34(3), 231–254.
Teach for America. (2014). Teaching as leadership comprehensive rubric. Retrieved from
Wyss, V. L., Siebert, C. J., & Dowling, K. A. (2012). Structuring effective practicum experiences for pre-service teachers. Education, 132(3), 600–607.