WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS?

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WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS?

• KEN ZEICHNER
• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
• MAY, 2006

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THE HOPES OF SOME

• THAT RESEARCH ON TEACHING AND TEACHER EDUCATION
  WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CLEAR ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT
  WE SHOULD DO IN TEACHER EDUCATION (EVIDENCE-BASED
  OR RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICE).

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THE INFLUENCE OF RESEARCH ON POLICY AND PRACTICE

• ALTHOUGH RESEARCH CAN MAKE IMPORTANT
  CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLICY AND PRACTICE IN TEACHER
  EDUCATION, ITS INFLUENCE IS MEDIATED BY MORAL,
  ETHICAL, AND POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS.
• RESEARCH CAN HELP US THINK ABOUT TEACHER
  EDUCATION IN USEFUL WAYS, BUT IT CANNOT TELL US
  WHAT TO DO EVEN UNDER THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

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JOHN GOODLAD, 1990

• CONDITIONS OF EXEMPLARY TEACHER EDUCATION
  PROGRAMS ARE TIED TO MORAL POSITIONS ABOUT THE
  NATURE OF TEACHING, LEARNING, SCHOOLING AND
  SOCIETY AND ARE NOT SUBJECT TO PROOF BY EMPIRICAL
  TESTS.

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• TEACHING AND TEACHER EDUCATION ARE INHERENTLY
  COMPLEX AND ARE NOT REDUCIBLE TO SIMPLE
  PRESCRIPTIONS FOR PRACTICE.

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COMMENTS ON THE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE

• WE LOOK FOR MEDICINE TO BE AN ORDERLY FIELD OF
  KNOWLEDGE AND PROCEDURE. BUT IT IS NOT. IT IS AN
  IMPERFECT SCIENCE, AN ENTERPRISE OF CONSTANTLY
  CHANGING KNOWLEDGE, UNCERTAIN INFORMATION,
  FALLIBLE INDIVIDUALS, AND AT THE SAME TIME LIVES
  ON THE LINE. THERE IS A SCIENCE IN WHAT WE DO,
  YES, BUT ALSO HABIT, INTUITION, AND SOMETIMES
  PLAIN OLD GUESSING. THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE KNOW
  AND WHAT WE AIM FOR PERSISTS. AND THIS GAP
  COMPLICATES EVERYTHING WE DO (GWANDE, 2002).

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WHAT MAKES A TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM GOOD?
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VIEW OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

• TEACHERS AS ADAPTIVE EXPERTS VS. TEACHERS AS
  COMPLIANT IMPLEMENTERS OF SCRIPTS (THE GOOD
  ENOUGH TEACHER.).
• LEARNING AS PERFORMANCE ON STANDARDIZED
  ACHIEVEMENT TESTS VS. LEARNING AS MUCH MORE THAN
  TEST SCORES (PROBLEM SOLVING, AESTHETICS, CIVIC,
  SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT)

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OVERSIMPLIFIED VIEW OF EXCELLENCE-1

• ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT THE SURFACE FEATURES OF
  TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS (E.G., THEIR LENGTH)
  TO VARIOUS TEACHER AND STUDENT OUTCOMES WITHOUT
  ACCOUNTING FOR THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT
  CANDIDATES BRING TO THEIR PREPARATION.

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RAYMOND AND FLETCHER STUDY OF TFA 2002 (HOUSTON)

• MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN AND IT WOULD BE IMPRUDENT
  TO EXTRAPOLATE TOO GENERALLY FROM THIS ANALYSIS.
  WE CANNOT SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT ASPECTS OF TFA
  AND OTHER TEACHERS ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENCES IN
  THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR STUDENTS. THE EVALUATION
  FOCUSED ON TFA AS A WHOLE, SO WE DO NOT KNOW IF
  THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TFA TEACHERS IS DUE TO THE
  TYPE OF PEOPLE BEING RECRUITED, THE DIFFERENCE IN
  ACADEMIC BACKGROUND, THE SUPPORT PROVIDED BY TFA,
  THE ACP TRAINING, OR A COMBINATION OF FACTORS.

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OVERSIMPLIFIED VIEW OF EXCELLENCE-2

• ATTEMPTING TO DEFINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
  TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY THE MERE PRESENCE
  OR ABSENCE OF CERTAIN PROGRAM ELEMENTS WITHOUT
  ADDRESSING HOW THESE ELEMENTS ARE DEFINED AND
  USED AND FOR WHAT PURPOSES.

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ELABORATING PROGRAM ELEMENTS- MENTORING

• HOW MENTORS ARE CHOSEN.
• IN THE SAME SCHOOL?
• IN THE SAME DISCIPLINE?
• TYPE OF PREPARATION AND SUPPORT.
• CONNECTION TO TEACHER EVALUATION.
• WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

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MENTORING ACTIVITIES VALUED BY CANDIDATES IN THE
SRI STUDY

• WATCHING LESSONS DEMONSTRATED BY MENTORS.
• PLANNING LESSONS TOGETHER WITH THE MENTORS.
• TALKING WITH THE MENTORS ABOUT SPECIFIC STUDENTS.
• RECEIVING CURRICULUM MATERIALS FROM MENTORS.

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ELABORATING PROGRAM ELEMENTS- PORTFOLIOS

• PURPOSES
• HOW CONCEPTUALIZED AND INTRODUCED.
• HOW THEY ARE IMPLEMENTED (E.G., IS THERE
  DISCUSSION OF ARTIFACTS?).
• HOW THE WORK IS SUPPORTED.
• THE PROGRAM CONTEXT IN WHICH PORTFOLIOS ARE USED.

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OVERSIMPLIFIED VIEW OF EXCELLENCE-3

• ATTEMPTING TO LINK PARTICULAR KINDS OF TEACHER
  EDUCATION PROGRAMS AS PLANNED AND WRITTEN ABOUT
  TO OUTCOMES WITHOUT EXAMINING HOW THESE PROGRAMS
  ARE EXPERIENCED BY DIFFERENT CANDIDATES.

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PROGRAMS AS PLANNED VS. AS DELIVERED

• TELT STUDY OF A 5-YEAR PROGRAM.
• MENTORING EXPERIENCED BY BEGINNING TEACHERS IN
  SEVERAL STUDIES (E.G., 13 TFA 11 N.J. REPORTED
  NO MENTOR SUPPORT IN SRI STUDY).
• MY OWN EXPERIENCE AS AN INTERN IN THE URBAN
  TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM.

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SRI STUDY FINDINGS ON MENTORING

• THE STRUCTURE OF MOST PROGRAMS MENTORING
  COMPONENT LEAVES FAR TOO MUCH TO CHANCE
  AVAILABILITY OF THE MENTOR TO PROVIDE SUPPORT
• MOST PROGRAMS DO NOT HAVE A DETAILED PROCESS FOR
  SELECTING MENTORS, NOR DO THEY INVEST SIGNIFICANT
  TIME OR MONEY INTO TRAINING MENTORS ON WHAT
  SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES OR SUPPORTS ARE MOST
  EFFECTIVE IN TRAINING NEW TEACHERS.

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• WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A TEACHER
  EDUCATION PROGRAM WHEN THINKING ABOUT PROGRAM
  EFFECTIVENESS?

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EXISTING RESEARCH

• THE EXISTING RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
  DIFFERENT PATHWAYS INTO TEACHING HAS DESCRIBED
  PROGRAMS MOSTLY IN TERMS OF THEIR SURFACE
  CHARACTERISTICS.

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DOMINANT COMPARISONS

• 4-YEAR VS. 5-YEAR PROGRAMS
• GRADUATE VS. UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS.
• TRADITIONAL VS ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS

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PROBLEMS IN DEFINING PROGRAMS BY THEIR STRUCTURE

• INCONSISTENT DEFINITIONS OF PARTICULAR TYPES
  (E.G., ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION)
• VARIATION BY INSTITUTIONAL TYPE (GOODLAD, 1990).
• VARIATION BY STATE POLICY CONTEXT.
• VARIATION BY DISCIPLINES (E.G. MATH ED VS SOCIAL
  STUDIES ED).
• SIGNIFICANT VARIATION WITHIN PROGRAMS AS TO HOW
  CANDIDATES EXPERIENCE A PROGRAM.

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DEFINING A TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

• TWO CURRENT STUDIES (NYC PATHWAYS AND MATHEMATICA
  STUDY REPRESENT AN IMPROVEMENT OVER DOMINANT
  RESEARCH PRACTICE.
• E.G., MATHEMATICA STUDY
• ADMISISONS PROCESS- HIGHLY SELECTIVE VS. LESS
  SELECTIVE.
• REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COURSE LOAD-
  MINIMAL VS. SUBSTANTIAL.

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NYC PATHWAYS INTO TEACHING STUDY

• PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
• PROGRAM MISSION AND COHERENCE.
• - ARTICULATES A CLEAR VISION OF TL.
• -CRITERIA USED TO EVALUATE IN STG ARE CONSISTENT
  WITH WHAT TAUGHT IN METHODS CLASSES.
• PROGRAM FACULTY
• PREPARATION ABOUT LEARNERS.
• FIELD EXPERIENCES.

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A FRAMEWORK FOR DESCRIBING A TEACHER EDUCATION
PROGRAM

• VIEW OF TEACHING, LEARNING SCHOOLING, THE
  TEACHERS ROLE AND LEARNING TO TEACH.
• HOW CLEARLY DEFINED?
• HOW WIDELY SHARED?
• DEGREE OF COMMITMENT TO THEM?

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• 2. ADMISSIONS PROCESS
• CONTENT OF ADMISSIONS CRITERIA.
• DEGREE OF SELECTIVITY.
• LINK TO PROGRAM MISSION.

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• 3. CURRICULUM AND COURSEWORK.
• EMPHASIS ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS (E.G., SUBJECT
  MATTER PEDAGOGY)..
• PLACEMENT WITHIN THE PROGRAM OF DIFFERENT
  CURRICULAR COMPONENTS.
• CONNECTION TO PROGRAM MISSION.
• REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN THE
  CURRICULUM.
• ACADEMIC RIGOR.
• HOW MUCH BEFORE BECOMING TOR.

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• 4. FIELD EXPERIENCES
• NUMBER, LENGTH AND PLACEMENT IN THE CURRICULUM.
• RELATIONSHIP OF WHAT IS EXPERIENCED TO WHAT IS
  TAUGHT IN THE COURSES.
• NATURE AND QUALITY OF MENTORING AND ASSESSMENT.

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• 5. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES.
• WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES?
• ARE THE STRATEGIES ADVOCATED FOR CANDIDATES
  MODELED IN THE PROGRAM?
• HOW ARE THE STRATEGIES USED? FOR WHAT PURPOSES?
  HOW ARE THEY INTRODUCED AND SUPPORTED?

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• 6. INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL FEATURES.
• USE OF STUDENT COHORTS OR NOT.
• STAFFING- HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL.
• WHO ARE THE TEACHER EDUCATORS AND HOW ARE THEY
  PREPARED AND SUPPORTED IN THEIR ROLES?

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• 7. USE OF DATA
• HOW ARE DATA COLLECTED ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND THEN
  USED TO INFORM DECISIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM?

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PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAY MATTER

• DARLING-HAMMOND 2006 (LEARNER-CENTERED AND
  LEARNING-CENTERED TEACHING).
• SHARED AND CLEAR UNDERSTANDING AMONG FACULTY,
  STUDENTS, AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL ABOUT GOOD
  TEACHING THAT PERMEATES ALL COURSES AND FIELD
  EXPERIENCES.
• WELL-DEFINED STANDARDS OF PRACTICE ARE USED TO
  GUIDE AND EVALUATE CANDIDATES COURSEWORK AND
  CLINICAL WORK.

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• EXTENDED CLINICAL EXPERIENCES ARE CAREFULLY
  DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT THE IDEAS AND PRACTICES
  PRESENTED IN SIMULTANEOUS, CLOSELY INTERWOVEN
  COURSEWORK.
• EXPLICIT STRATEGIES TO HELP CANDIDATES (1)
  CONFRONT THEIR OWN DEEP-SEATED BELIEFS AND
  ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT LEARNING AND STUDENTS AND (2)
  LEARN ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE DIFFERENT
  FROM THEMSELVES.

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• STRONG RELATIONSHIPS, COMMON KNOWLEDGE, AND
  SHARED BELIEFS LINK SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY-BASED
  FACULTY.
• CASE STUDY METHODS, TEACHER RESEARCH, PERFORMANCE
  ASSESSMENTS AND PORTFOLIO EVALUATION APPLY
  LEARNING TO REAL PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE.

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• CURRICULUM IS GROUNDED IN KNOWLEDGE OF CHILD AND
  ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING, SOCIAL
  CONTEXTS, AND SUBJECT MATTER PEDAGOGY, TAUGHT IN
  THE CONTEXT OF PRACTICE.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS IN THE TELT
STUDY

• CHANGES IN CANDIDATE ORIENTATIONS TOWARD PROGRAM
  GOALS. (TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT ORIENTED VS.
  REFORM ORIENTED). FOUR FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH
  FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN TEACHER BELIEFS AND
  PRACTICES..
• TEACHERS NEED
• A CHANCE TO CONSIDER WHY THE NEW PRACTICES ARE
  BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL ONES.
• OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE EXAMPLES OF THE NEW
  PRACTICES.
• EXPERIENCE IN LEARNING THE NEW PRACTICES
  FIRSTHAND.
• ON-SITE ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT IN LEARNING TO PUT
  THE NEW PRACTICES IN PLACE.

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TELT

• PROGRAMS THAT HAD SIMILAR STRUCTURES (E.G.,
  FOUR-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE) SOMETIMES HAD REMARKABLY
  DIFFERENT INFLUENCES ON TEACHER LEARNING.
• PROGRAM S WITH DIFFERENT STRUCTURES SOMETIMES
  HAD VERY SIMILAR INFLUENCES ON TEACHERS.
• DEPENDING ON THE SUBSTANCE
• OF THE PROGRAM

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KEY PROGRAM ELEMENTS SRI STUDY

• THE SCHOOL CONTEXT
• - COLLEGIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN WHICH TEACHERS
  ANALYZE STUDENT WORK SAMPLES TOGETHER, SEEK EACH
  OTHERS ADVICE ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL ISSUES AND
  PROBLEMS, OBSERVED EACH OTHERS CLASSROOMS AND
  OFFERRED FEEDBACK AND/OR EXCHANGE IDEAS AND
  DISCUSS STUDENT ASSESSMENT DATA TO MAKE DECISIONS
  ABOUT INSTRUCTION.

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SRI STUDY CONTINUED

• THE SCHOOL CONTEXT
• -STRONG LEADERSHIP, ADEQUATE SUPPLIES AND
  MATERIALS.
• COURSEWORK
• MENTORING
• CANDIDATE BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS- PREVIOUS
  CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE AND UNIVERSITY SELECTIVITY.

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• MUCH OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH
  PROGRAM EXCELLENCE WITH REGARD TO PARTICULAR
  GOALS CANNOT CURRENTLY BE SUPPORTED WITH
  EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE.

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CONCLUSIONS ABOUT RESEARCH ON TEACHER EDUCATION
PROGRAMS

• THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A RANGE OF QUALITY WITHIN
  ANY MODEL.
• THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST EFFECTIVE PROGRAM MODEL
  WILL FAIL.
• THE PROGRAM IS THE WRONG LEVEL OF ANALYSIS-FOCUS
  SHOULD BE ON PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS.
• ELABORATING THE FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAM
  CHARACTERISTICS FOR MEETING PARTICULAR GOALS, FOR
  PARTICULAR POPULATIONS, AND CONTEXTS IS IMPORTANT.