ERIC Number: EJ1105478
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1742-5964
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Collective Self-Study to Improve Program Coherence of Clinical Experiences
Samaras, Anastasia P.; Frank, Toya Jones; Williams, Monique Apollon; Christopher, Emily; Rodick, William Harry, III.
Studying Teacher Education, v12 n2 p170-187 2016
Student feedback collected through program evaluation of secondary education licensure and Master's program clinical experiences prompted us to conduct a collective self-study. We used a reflective framework for analysis and discussion of the shifts students in our courses made as they progressed from observers to practicing teachers. Along with our graduate students, we collected and shared data and analysis from two courses--an introductory mathematics course for pre-service teachers and a capstone self-study teacher research course for in-service teachers. Data included students' reflective accounts of their clinical experiences, dialogue with peers in response memos and focus groups, and our meta-conversation about and interpretations of data captured in meeting notes, audio recordings of meetings, email exchanges, and video conferencing over a two-month period. Analysis resulted in reframed thinking about our teaching and implications for program coherence, including provision of meaningful participant observations in diverse settings, design of dialogic platforms for students to make connections, and support of a critical level of reflection to inform teacher professional practice. The results are informative to teacher educators and programs seeking to better understand their roles in designing dialogic spaces for students to think deeply about the connections of their courses to clinical experiences and in supporting ongoing teacher professional development. The study highlights the benefits of faculty collective self-studies and contributes to the literature on self-study for program development.
Descriptors: Self Evaluation (Groups), Program Improvement, Clinical Experience, Program Evaluation, Secondary Education, Certification, Masters Programs, Graduate Students, Preservice Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Introductory Courses, Mathematics Education, Educational Research, Teacher Researchers, Inservice Teacher Education, Student Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Reflection, Feedback (Response), Focus Groups, Data Interpretation, Instructional Design, Professional Development, Program Development, Participant Observation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A