|
Items in cart [1] |
Questions? Call 888-624-8373 |
| Copyright © 2009. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement |
Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 560
Page 560
63
Integrating Technology with Practice: A Technology-enhanced,
Field-based Teacher Preparation Program
Ronald D. Zellner, Jon Denton, and Luana
Zellner
Texas A&M University
State Initiative Centers for
Professional Development and Technology
This report describes the development and structure of the Texas
Education Collaborative (TEC), which was established at Texas
A&M University as a means of restructuring the teacher
preparation program and improving public education. The TEC was
funded as part of a statewide initiative calling for a series of
centers to foster collaboration between K-12 and higher education
institutions and the incorporation of technology into the
educational process.
Texas has recognized a need, as have most states, for the
systematic restructuring of its educational system to meet the
needs of a changing society and world community. As part of its
response to this need, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) funded a
program to develop such centers throughout the state. The program
for these centers was established by the Texas State Legislature in
1991, enabling the State Board of Education (SBOE) and the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish competitive
procedures for one or more institutions of higher education to
establish a center. The initial allocation for the centers was
$10.2 million. To qualify, centers needed to include a university
with an approved teacher education program, members from public
schools, regional Education Service centers, and other entities or
businesses. Eight centers were approved by the SBOE in 1992, six in
1993, and three in 1994. Currently, this collaborative effort
includes 31 institutions of higher education, 7 junior colleges, 15
regional service centers, and 193 campus sites.
Focus of the State Initiative
The state of Texas, like most states, is currently undertaking a
general review of teacher preparation and certification processes.
Texas is a culturally diverse state, with the school population
spread out over a wide and diverse geographical area. For example,
El Paso is closer to Los Angeles, California, than it is to
Beaumont, Texas, and closer to two other state capitals (Phoenix
and Sante Fe) than it is to the Texas capital, Austin; and Amarillo
is closer to four other state capitals (Sante Fe, Oklahoma City,
Topeka, and Denver) than it is to Austin. Texas is divided into 254
counties with 1,063 school districts and 6,322 public schools (972
high schools, 955 junior high, intermediate, or middle schools,
3,618 elementary schools, 743 elementary and secondary schools, and
34 schools in correctional institutions). As a means of aiding
these districts, the state is divided into 20 geographical regions,
each with an Education Service Center (ESC) that has support staff,
services, and training for all of the school districts located
within its boundaries.
Consideration, partly related to this diversity, is being given
to processes and certification requirements, which may vary from
one region to another according to the needs of the particular
geographical areas, a
OCR for page 561
Page 561
consideration that has potential for a variety of outcomes.
Other factors influencing the acceptance of multiple certification
requirements are related to philosophical, political, and financial
concerns.
The centers were established to take a leading role in the
revision of the certification process. They are intended to improve
teacher preparation through the integration of technology and the
development of innovative teaching practices and staff development
programs throughout the state's colleges of education. This
initiative was based on the premise that the success of schools and
students is directly linked to the success of the state's teacher
preparation programs. All centers are to focus on five components:
collaboration, restructuring educator preparation, staff
development, technology, and addressing the needs of a
multicultural student population.
Collaboration between the institutions of higher education and
K-12 institutions is to be a major component of the centers'
activities. Classroom teachers are to serve as mentors and role
models for their interns; teachers, principals, and ESC personnel
may help develop courses, teach, or co-teach university courses at
their home base or at the university. University professors are to
be in the schools as resources and consultants, and to learn from
the mentor teachers. The governance structure must reflect the
cultural diversity of the state, and no category of representation
may be larger than the K-12 teacher representation.
The intended restructuring of educator preparation programs, in
conjunction with the collaboration emphasis, is focused primarily
on establishing programs and instruction that are field based. New
programs are also to include regular collaborative decision making
by all partners; an emphasis on teachers as lifelong learners;
routine use of technologies (multimedia, computer based,
long-distance telecommunications technologies); research and
development of new technology-based instructional techniques; and
innovative teaching practices in multicultural classrooms. These
developments are intended to influence several major components in
the structure of teacher preparation programs, including the
composition, location, and structure of methods courses, the
constitution of the teacher preparation faculty, the role of
technology, and the cultural diversity represented.
The following presents a comparison of traditional preparation
approaches to program components found in the various centers.
To help ensure complete success in restructuring education,
these centers are also to include major staff development
components that will provide in-service training to practicing
teachers. A major emphasis of this staff development effort is on
helping teachers to become lifelong learners. Thus, by keeping
current throughout their teaching careers, these teachers will be
able to teach their students the skills that they will need to be
successful in the twenty-first century. In this way, student
achievement will be linked to teacher performance, and both will be
enhanced through campus improvement plans.
Another major initiative is the incorporation of technology into
the centers to expand the delivery of instruction in the K-12
classroom and in teacher preparation classes. Coupled with
field-based instruction, this endeavor will help to prepare
students majoring in education to teach in the classrooms of
tomorrow. The centers are also to provide for the development of
new technology-based instructional techniques and innovative
teaching practices. Through direct contact with these activities,
in-service and pre-service teachers will learn the appropriate
skills and will be encouraged to integrate technology into their
teaching practices.
Multicultural education provides information about various
groups as well as the skills needed to work with them. To provide
cultural diversity and adequately prepare in-service and
pre-service teachers, the centers are required to implement public
school programs and services that reflect diverse cultural,
socioeconomic, and grade-level environments. The inclusion of
minority teacher candidates in the centers' recruiting and training
efforts will also be a high priority, particularly in subject areas
where teacher demand exceeds supply.
Systemic Development and
Evaluation
Each center is implemented and evaluated in an ongoing
developmental program involving K-12, higher education, and state
constituents. This collaboration reflects the program's commitment
to systemic change and recognizes that all shareholders must be
involved if adequate systemic change is to occur. To provide
programs and services throughout the state and prepare teachers to
meet the full range of learner diversity and needs, the State Board
of Education funding requirements for the centers indicate that
funding may be made to centers by geographical areas. This is
particularly important in a state as culturally and geographically
diverse as Texas.
OCR for page 562
Page 562
These centers have also been identified as one of the critical
communities to be involved in a program of professional development
grants under the Texas Statewide Systemic Initiative. The centers
will thus provide a structure for subsequent, related initiatives
and help ensure that the needs of education will be met throughout
the state.
Each center is required to develop an extensive ongoing
evaluation design composed of both internal and external
evaluations. Progress reports to the Texas Education Agency are
required from each center quarterly as well as annually. Visits by
statewide evaluators are conducted to review the progress of the
centers regarding the five main components—collaboration,
restructuring educator preparation, staff development, technology,
and multicultural education. Both qualitative and quantitative data
are to be considered in the statewide evaluation of the centers'
activities and progress.
The Texas Education Collaborative
The Texas Education Collaborative (TEC) was established in 1992
as one of the eight original centers funded by TEA. There are
currently 17 Centers for Professional Development and Technology
throughout the state. In the first year, the TEC partners included
two universities with approved teacher education programs, Texas
A&M University and Prairie View A&M University, in
collaboration with eight schools representing five independent
school districts; two state Regional Education Service centers; a
community college; and parent and business representatives. The
five independent school districts were Bryan I.S.D., College
Station I.S.D., Conroe I.S.D., Somerville I.S.D., and Waller I.S.D.
Original business partners included Apple Computer, GTE, IBM, 3M,
and Digital Equipment Corporation. The goals and activities of the
collaborative were established in conjunction with the TEA
guidelines and included the following components.
Teacher Education Programs and
Environments for Teaching and Learning
•
The general goals in this area were directed at
the establishment of a framework for curriculum development and
included the following:
—Coordinated efforts of faculty across all
College of Education (CoE) departments for collaboration on
research, proposal writing, course development and delivery, and
coordination of course contents related to cultural issues;
—Integration of technology into CoE course
instruction, content, and management;
—More university faculty delivering courses
in schools via partnerships with school faculty;
—Change from course evaluation to content
evaluation by peer groups; and
—Shift from Carnegie course units to block
units over 5 years.
•
School faculty, administrators, and counselors
will become determine instructional methods and materials, identify
and develop interdisciplinary curricular themes, schedule classes,
and evaluate student performance.
•
Schools will be designated as field-based TEC
sites for pre-service and in-service professional development and
practicum activities for teachers, teaching candidates and
administrative interns (thus providing "real-world" experience and
the involvement of expert teachers).
•
Each TEC site will become a resource institution
for restructuring K-12 education and teacher education at all
levels (focusing on issues such as in-service training of new
techniques, involvement of parents and community, collaboration,
strategies for students from minority cultural groups, mentoring,
etc.).
State-of-the-art Teaching Practices,
Curriculum, and InstructionalKnowledge
•
TEC sites will become centers for intellectual
inquiry where everyone is both a teacher and a learner. Academic
and clinical experiences will include the following:
—Technology applications and
technology-assisted instruction;
OCR for page 563
Page 563
—Integration of interdisciplinary content and
pedagogical methods;
—Collaboration and teamwork among school and
university faculty and pre-service teachers;
—Reflective decisionmaking; and
—Self-evaluation.
•
Pre-service and in-service professional
development will emphasize cultural diversity, incorporate
strategies for dropout prevention, and encourage students from
underrepresented groups in all subject areas.
•
Teaching candidates will demonstrate conceptual
understanding by applying information to new situations. Assessment
will be done by school and university faculty and will include
observation of teaching behavior and candidate-produced portfolios
of multimedia projects.
•
New technologies will be used to help students
solve problems, synthesize ideas, apply information to new
situations, and develop oral and written communication skills.
Governance Structure of the TEC
The governance structure will include teachers, administrators,
education service center staff, and university faculty and
administrators. This structure is to reflect the cultural diversity
of the state. The coordinating council is composed according to TEA
requirements, including the provision that no one group be larger
than the K-12 teacher group.
Budget
The initial funding allocation was for 1 year, with subsequent
funding potential for 4 additional years. The first 2 years of the
TEC were funded at $2 million; $1.5 million of this was slated for
equipment and the remainder for personnel and operating
expenses.
The equipment expenditures represent the need to equip faculty
and classrooms with computer and related technologies to foster
important, needed changes in teaching and operating activities. A
number of compressed video sites for two-way video teleconferencing
and instruction were established and utilized for instruction.
Summary of TEC Activities
During the 1992–93 year, the TEC activities focused
primarily on the acquisition and setup of technology hardware and
software at university and school sites, training in the use of the
technology, and development of collaborative structures among
school and university faculty. Activities included technology staff
development at school and university sites, technology conferences
for school and university faculty, frequent sharing meetings,
collaboration within and among schools, team-building activities, a
retreat for school and university faculty to develop a shared
vision for restructuring teacher preparation, and development of
proposals for five programs related to various aspects of
restructuring.
Technology Hardware and Software
Acquisitions
Year One
The bulk of the first year's acquisitions were computers,
productivity software, network hardware, and support multimedia
presentation resources. These resources were considered necessary
to prepare teachers and university faculty in the use of
technologies in order to begin the process of changing teaching
activities in classrooms at both levels. If student teachers are
eventually to use such technologies in their classroom activities
as teachers, they will need to experience such benefits as
learners. All teacher preparation university faculty received
computers for their offices to encourage the transformation of
their daily activities. In addition, fully
OCR for page 564
Page 564
equipped laboratories, networks, and multimedia workstations
were established for faculty and student use. Classroom
presentation stations were also provided to ensure infusion of
these technologies into the actual teaching process. Computer
teaching laboratories were updated for undergraduate and graduate
educational technology classes. Consequently, student teachers
would ultimately learn about the use of technology, learn from
technology based materials, and learn with technology through their
own developmental projects. A similar model was maintained for
teachers and students in the schools.
Table 1 gives a breakdown of the number of computers acquired
during this period.
TABLE 1 Computers Acquired During Year One
Universities
Schools
Total
Macintosh
75
68
143
PowerBook
29
14
43
IBM
37
37
IBM Notebook
2
2
Total
143
82
225
Year Two
The second year's equipment purchases, using the remainder of
the initial $1.5 million equipment budget, included more computers
for faculty, teachers, and classrooms. Additional faculty became
involved in the TEC activities and were equipped with the necessary
hardware and software. The multimedia workstation labs were
enhanced with more and more powerful computers and support
hardware. Additional software was provided for the development of
presentation and instructional materials. Multimedia presentation
stations were acquired for classrooms in the various curriculum
units to support the use of technologies in methods classes and
additional portable presentation units were provided for
instructional use throughout the college. E-mail systems were
established and incorporated into a major part of the communication
process. Again, parallel resources were acquired for the classrooms
in the participating schools and were used in a wide variety of
activities by teachers and students. Several local computer
networks were established in the schools to support instructional
and management functions. Software consisted primarily of
productivity packages (word processing, spreadsheet, database),
presentation packages, hypertext development programs, and graphics
production packages.
A major component for the delivery of instruction and faculty
training was the acquisition and establishment of a compressed
video teleconference network linking schools in the participating
districts with the university and one another. At least one school
in each of the participating districts was supplied with a complete
teleconferencing station and the necessary support components.
These sites were established in association with the Trans-Texas
Teleconferencing Network (TTVN), which is centered at Texas A&M
and has sites located throughout the state. This association
greatly enhanced the ability to quickly create a functional network
and provided an extensive network for instruction and conferencing
for meetings and supervision of students in the field. This
provided additional opportunities for collaboration between
university faculty and teachers and students in the schools. Each
teleconference site provides two-way video and audio communication
with the addition of interactive video and computer-based materials
that can be viewed and accessed at any of the participating sites
in a session. Table 2 presents the timetable for the establishment
and initial use of these teleconferencing sites.
Year Three (First Quarter)
As the TEC began its third year, the focus was shifting from
technology and skill acquisition to the development of applications
and programs. The majority of the equipment was purchased in the
first 2 years of
OCR for page 565
Page 565
TABLE 2 Timetable for Establishment and Initial
Use of Teleconferencing Sites
Number of Site Sessions
Site
Installation date
Dec.—Feb.
March—May
Total
Anson Jones Academy
Dec. 93
12
7
19
Jones Intermediate
Feb. 94
3
15
18
Somerville Jr. High
Dec. 93
22
20
42
Southwood Valley Elem.
Dec. 93
12
7
19
Washington Jr. High
March 94
0
9
9
COE-PVAMU
April 94
1
0
1
COE-TAMU
Feb. 94
14
27
41
the program. Recent acquisitions were directed at improvement of
existingfacilities through software purchasesand upgrades, memory
upgrades, video boards, and so on. Two extensive networkfacilities
and file serverswereacquired and are currently being established as
a resource forcommunications and resource delivery. Thefocus in
technology resources is now on keeping up with new advances
inhardware and software and on meetingmaintenance concerns such as
monthly charges for telecommunications and videoteleconference
activities. Fiveschools were added during the past year as evolving
TEC sites and willcontinue their involvement, and six moreschools
were added as evolving TEC sites this quarter. These eleven
schoolsreceived $13,000 each in start-upfunds for equipment and
staff development. Table 3 gives a breakdown of theresources in the
current TECinventory.
TABLE 3 Breakdown of Resources in TEC
Inventory
Item
Schools
University
Total
Desktop computers
96
109
205
Portable computers
17
29
46
Network resources
1
1
2
Video teleconferencing sites
5
2
7
Projection systems
13
5
18
VCRs
0
5
5
Televisions
3
4
7
Laser disk players
15
15
30
Compact disk players
7
0
7
Printers
34
15
49
Camcorders
0
8
8
Staff Development: Teachers,
Administration, and University Faculty
Year One
Each TEC school site council held at least four meetings during
1992–93. Each council included at least site coordinators,
two teachers, a principal, and business, parent, and ESC
representatives as voting members. Ex officio members are
university liaisons and other university and school district
representatives. Main topics of discussion during these meetings
were the definition of roles, technology (acquisition of hardware
and software, networking, access, demonstration), staff
development, budget expenditures, and field experiences for
teaching candidates. Discussions at TEC staff meetings focused on
issues of alternative, authentic, and integrated assessment as well
as implications of such assessment techniques on classroom context
and curricular reform.
OCR for page 566
Page 566
Several individual faculty and administrators from TEC schools
and universities attended seminars and courses on professional
development schools to increase their understanding of
school-university collaboration. Furthermore, the TEC sponsored
several events to foster school-university collaboration and to
empower teachers as full participants in restructuring teacher
preparation programs.
The TEC facilitated collaboration among school and university
faculty and administrators through TEC staff meetings, challenge
events, a planning retreat, school site council meetings, and
curriculum planning groups at schools and universities.
Collaborative meetings and events included the following:
•
A series of challenge events were held to bring
together school and university representatives to work on team
building, trust building, and group problem solving, and to begin
conversations about restructured teacher preparation. The challenge
events helped break down communication barriers among constituency
groups, but little was accomplished in actual planning of
restructured teacher preparation programs. Teachers reported using
similar team building strategies with their students and
colleagues. Approximately 75 people participated in at least one
challenge event, 35 people in two events, and 18 people in all
three events. Nearly half of the participants were classroom
teachers.
•
Seven TEC staff meetings were held in 1993,
providing opportunities for collaborative sharing and planning
among site coordinators across TEC school and university sites.
Staff included TEC site coordinators, university liaisons, a
director, evaluation personnel, and technology personnel. The TAMU
College of Education issued requests for proposals from faculty of
various departments who work with schools on restructuring teacher
education.
Discussion included arrangements for compressed video setups at
school sites, a technology sharing time for site coordinators, the
need for site coordinators to visit other school sites,
expectations for pre-service teachers in the TEC, development of a
TEC newsletter, and the development of multimedia interdisciplinary
units.
•
Five TEC school partners each had at least five
site council meetings in 1992–93. Groups also discussed time
involved in planning field experiences, how to implement them, what
early field experiences might look like, and what the final product
might look like. Teachers received training on restructuring and
peer coaching.
•
The TAMU College of Education held all-day
workshops for faculty across departments to explore the
organizational structure of teacher education programs. A
technology integration task force held several meetings to redesign
upper-division teacher education courses for the integration of
evolving technologies. A secondary teacher preparation committee
composed of university and school faculty met several times in
spring 1993 and developed a training proposal.
•
All TEC school site coordinators are kept informed
regarding exemplary software through staff meetings, conferences,
catalogs, and other listings; in addition, a special technology
workshop, "TEC Talk," was held on April 16 for TEC site
coordinators. Teachers at TEC school sites received technology
staff development training approximately once a week, beginning in
October 1992. These sessions were conducted by TAMU technology
facilitators. Staff development at school sites included word
processing, graphics, spreadsheet and database components of
ClarisWorks, Aldus Persuasion, and HyperCard, and multimedia
applications, as well as individualized training and instructional
applications.
Several projects were funded with TEC funds to address the
various goals in the state initiative. One project, the Alternative
School Leadership Program, was designed to prepare leaders for the
different leadership roles required in an emerging full-service
professional development school. Project TIME was designed to
prepare teachers who would serve as instructional leaders within
their schools. It was also designed to assist colleagues in general
education, and teachers who can collaborate with community leaders
and health and human service agency personnel. A critical element
of this program was early identification of at-risk and special
needs students, which would result in referral to appropriate
support services in the community.
Both the university faculty and the classroom teachers were
provided a series of workshops on the operation of the new
equipment, the use of the various software packages, and the
application of the software to daily maintenance and instructional
materials development. These workshops were conducted in both the
university and school labs. Educational technology faculty and a
technical staff of graduate students were made
OCR for page 567
Page 567
available as needed to assist faculty with questions and
problems as they developed to ensure smooth integration of these
resources into their teaching.
Year Two
During the second year, the TEC was expanded to include faculty
from 12 schools, and plans were made to expand to 18 schools.
Training workshops continued to be offered in the schools by both
university and school personnel. Workshops and help sessions for
university faculty were continued. Many training sessions were
offered over the videoconferencing networks to help provide
training without interfering with the teachers' daily routines. A
number of formal workshops were offered at the university for
teachers from participating schools and focused on applying
software to their areas of teaching. Some teachers took existing
university technology classes that were appropriate to their needs.
The TEC sponsored attendance at a number of national technology and
educational research conferences for teachers and university
faculty.
Year Three (First Quarter)
There are two general changes regarding staff development
activities. First, expertise and support have evolved at some of
the sites to the extent that recently trained site specialists can
now deliver staff development support. Second, there has been a
move from general orientation and basic skills training to more
advanced training and individualized instruction in specific topics
and locations. However, there are several new evolving sites with
faculty in need of general orientation. A staff of technologists
has been available for trouble-shooting problems and training
individuals who have questions or problems. During this quarter,
there were 201 participants in group training sessions and 46
people scheduled in individual sessions. More individuals were
introduced to video teleconferencing operation and capabilities by
participating in sessions and through special training materials
that were developed. These activities involved both university
faculty and teachers. Also, topics were no longer focused only on
the hardware and software needs of the participants. For example, a
series of workshops initiated in the fall of 1994 covered the
following topics:
•
The Role of School-University Partnerships in
Creating the Professional Development School of the Future;
•
Multimedia Use in Collaboratives;
•
National Standards;
•
Teacher Tactics, Portfolio Preparation, Classroom
Management; and
•
Future Roles of Field-based Education.
There were several ancillary activities this quarter that
highlighted the collaborative component of the TEC through
functions extending its resources and influence to other groups and
that brought benefits from these groups for TEC participants. A
conference on education, inclusion, and diversity was conducted by
the College of Education at Prairie View A&M with partial
support from the TEC. Between 300 and 350 educators participated in
activities related to cultural diversity in education. Another
program was cosponsored by the TEC site school system and a city
government to highlight the accomplishments of the schools with
support from GTE and the TEC. Approximately 400 citizens and
educators attended this activity.
A 2-day educational technology conference, cosponsored by the
TAMU Educational Technology program, the TEC, and the Region VI
Educational Service Center, was attended by more than 400 teachers,
administrators, university faculty, and students. Some
participating sites used TEC funds to send teachers as part of
their staff development efforts. This conference provided an arena
for presentation of projects and activities and an opportunity for
teachers and university faculty from all curriculum areas to
interact on topics relating to instructional technology.
OCR for page 568
Page 568
Development of Teacher
Preparation/Pre-service Courses
Year One
It is intended that all students involved in the TEC will be
"prepared" for using technology in their student teaching
experience. Since teachers tend to teach as they were taught, one
of the first initiatives here was, as described above, aimed at
changing the instructional processes and techniques used in methods
classes to model the use of technologies. Faculty training and
resource acquisition was a necessary prerequisite for this to
happen. In addition, courses in educational technology for
pre-service teachers were maintained and closely allied to the
equipment and applications needs of the field-based activities.
Thus, all of the various activities of the TEC are interlinked and
dependent on one another. Regarding the actual restructuring of
teacher education, program efforts during the first year were
focused on establishing technological and social systems
infrastructures for the TEC partner schools to facilitate
restructuring of teacher education programs in a collaborative
manner. Examples of these activities include the following:
•
More than 40 site council meetings, involving over
80 teachers, university faculty, and parents, were held to
formulate the instructional programs of 169 teachers and some 3,900
students during the past year.
•
Work began on a program for secondary school
teacher preparation (grades 7 though 12) that includes a holistic
approach to educational issues, sensitivity to the needs of
teachers, and particular attention to the needs of students with
diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
•
Community members, Texas A&M faculty, and
pre-service teachers spent quality time each week with at-risk
learners in order to provide each one with a support network.
•
Pre-service teachers worked one-on-one with
learners who have emotional and behavioral disorders.
•
Teachers and 80 students from four grade levels
worked together in a multilevel learning community and conducted
research on an interdisciplinary experience-based curriculum.
•
Efforts were made to recruit and support cohorts
of pre-service teachers from socially, culturally, and
linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to involve them in the
governance of teacher preparation programs. Direct field experience
in diverse community settings and classroom/teaching experience in
schools representing culturally diverse communities are
intended.
Year Two
A college-wide review team identified three program orientations
that span the range of professional training for pre-service
teachers: Young Learners, Middle School, and Secondary School.
Because of the number of pre-service teachers (approximately 1,400)
being served by current programs, a gradual transition was planned
for the implementation of these programs.
These programs will provide distinct phases for the pre-service
preparation of students. The first phase is entitled Children,
Families, and Communities for the Young Learners and Middle
School programs and Self-Directed Experiences for the
Secondary School program. This phase occurs before actual admission
to teacher education and includes experiences where potential
candidates learn about children, communities, and families and
explore education as a profession. This phase involves field work
in the community. Future teachers must demonstrate that they can
communicate with children and families who speak a language other
than English and they must develop a portfolio that includes
meaningful interactions and involvement with a child or children
from backgrounds different from their own.
The second phase also occurs before admission to teacher
education and is entitled Children, Schools, and Society for
the Young Learners and Middle School programs and Teaching and
Schools in Modern Society for the Secondary program.
Prospective students study the impact of schooling on society and
consider what it means to educate children for their roles in
democracy. Both phases require potential teacher candidates to
collect evidence of experiences that illustrate their awareness of
linguistic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity.
OCR for page 569
Page 569
Students in the Secondary program also complete a third phase,
Developing Skills to Meet the Needs of Society and Students,
before they apply for admission.
Candidates in the Secondary program proceed to two semesters of
practicums after being admitted to teacher education, while
candidates in the Young Learners and Middle School programs are
assigned to cohorts that are guided by teams consisting of a
university faculty member, a school-based clinical faculty member,
and a doctoral student specializing in teacher education.
Candidates in the Young Learners and Middle School programs then
proceed through the professional development phase, entitled
Children, Teachers, and Classrooms.
A number of trial and experimental programs have been conducted
at various TEC sites. Twelve university faculty and 24 school
based-faculty have designed, implemented, and taught university
courses to 65 future middle school teachers on one campus. A pilot
program, called Writing Buddies, was implemented at a middle
school site. Pre-service teachers who enrolled in an undergraduate
reading methods course participated in this field experience, which
provided a tutorial program for students. The program was
supervised by practicing professional teachers. A university
professor conducted the lecture on campus while selected teachers
conducted seminars ''on site" with students enrolled in the course.
A similar program was conducted in an elementary school in which
undergraduates are paired with elementary students to work on
writing skills. The future teachers meet with their "writing
buddies" at least once a week. Another elementary school served as
a site for bilingual programs in the district. Additional goals
include the establishment of a block of field-based methods courses
taught there. The first block of courses was offered during the
spring semester, 1994, and taught on site by a team of university
professors. A high school program involved approximately 80
students in the pilot of an interdisciplinary program where the
traditional freshman English and U.S. history courses were
integrated. Teachers and student teachers participating in
90-minute instructional blocks used instructional strategies on
central themes that integrated topics across the traditional
subject areas. Through these activities, pre-service students not
only gain classroom experience but are also involved with the
conceptualization and planning of the activities.
Year Three (First Quarter)
During the fall of 1994, 100 pre-service teachers registered for
an undergraduate course that required them to spend 2 hours a week
in lecture at the university for instruction in language arts
methods. The students were assigned to 1-hour labs on an elementary
school campus. Nine teachers served as lab instructors supporting
this methods course. Twenty students were selected from the 100
participants in the reading methods course and Writing
Buddies program to continue for two more semesters. This is one
example of putting the goals of collaboration and field-based
instruction into action and will serve as a model for other
courses.
A Collaborative Model for Teacher
Preparation
Collaboration
The "need" for establishing centers for professional development
and technology was determined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Once established, members of the collaborative focused on the
educational goals of the state by specifically addressing
educational concerns of the individual site members. It was agreed
that they would address these concerns together, working on
solutions that would benefit site needs and teacher preparation
programs. They did this through a series of meetings that included
the following:
1.
Site council meetings at school site campuses;
2.
Specific program focus group meetings at the
university level concerned with teacher preparation; and
3.
Development council meetings, which included site
council representatives as well as university faculty interested in
working with collaborative members on specific programmatic
change.
OCR for page 570
Page 570
Public school problems addressed by the collaborative included
the following:
1.
Raising TAAS (Test for Academic Assessment of
Skills) scores of children at school sites identified as being at
risk for school failure;
2.
Lowering the dropout rate;
3.
Improving attendance and interest in school;
4.
Providing staff development opportunities to
improve teacher instructional skills in the use of technology in
classroom instruction;
5.
Developing inclusion models for teaching
strategies that help all learners succeed;
6.
Providing time for teachers to collectively plan
integrated learning experiences;
7.
Providing time for teachers to create computer
programs that enhance learning; and
8.
Improving teacher retention.
Teacher training program problems addressed by the collaborative
included the following:
1.
Tying real-world experience with methods courses
to accommodate 900 pre-service teachers in a training program per
year, 18 TEC sites, and 13 actively involved tenure track faculty
plus 2 adjunct faculty;
2.
Providing more "practice" in application of
pedagogy through field experiences coupled with methods
courses;
3.
Providing instruction for teacher-training faculty
in the integration of technology into course content;
4.
Ensuring that pre-service teachers see "best
practice" in their field experiences. Examples: integrated
instruction by teachers, application of technology into classroom
instruction by teachers, and collaboration between teachers in
planning instruction;
5.
Ensuring that technology is used by
teacher-training faculty in instruction;
6.
Redesigning methods courses so they can be taught
in a multitude of settings. Examples: university class setting
(traditional approach), school site setting, through
telecommunication, broadcasting from site to site or university
broadcasting to site(s); and
7.
Developing a system of communication between TEC
sites, site coordinators, university liaisons, and teacher
trainers.
The following are examples of collaborative efforts:
1.
Development of a totally integrated,
technology-enhanced curriculum for a fourth grade focusing on the
general theme of Texas for interdisciplinary investigations in
history, cultures, ecology, commerce, and the arts. This
collaborative project was designed by teachers and university
faculty.
2.
Blocked teacher preparation methods courses taught
on site by either tenure track faculty or by trained clinical
faculty (teachers) in pilot programs at six TEC sites in the
collaborative. The courses include field experiences designed by
the classroom teachers in collaboration with university professors.
Classroom teachers serve as mentors to pre-service teachers with
some projects offering seminars conducted by participating
classroom teachers.
3.
Several conferences on subjects such as distance
learning; a language institute for minorities; linking of families,
school, and culture; best practices for inclusion of children with
disabilities; and aspects of technology.
4.
A monthly newsletter documenting activities taking
place among the sites, advertising for pen pals between sites,
describing university courses taught through the use of
telecommunications, and publicizing staff development opportunities
at sites.
OCR for page 571
Page 571
Restructuring Teacher Preparation
The mission of the TEC is to develop and implement restructured
teacher preparation programs that are technology enhanced and field
based. The TEC is actively engaging faculty from schools,
universities, and ESCs to work together as agents of change in
creating new approaches for preparing teachers and administrators
for all levels of public education. Restructuring was defined by
Goodlad in 1990 as reexamining the purposes of education, and
reworking the structures and practices of schools and university
preparation programs in order to improve teaching and learning. As
defined by TEA,
Teacher preparation programs must be developed
which integrate field experiences in school and community human
service. These programs should include advice and counsel from
parents, care providers and governmental agencies. Teachers
completing these programs shall be lifelong learners who continue
to seek new levels of understanding content, pedagogy and
culture.
Three New Teacher Preparation
Programs
In addition to elementary and secondary teacher preparation
programs, a third program has been added for specific training in
middle school methodology. This was a result of efforts to
restructure teacher training programs that followed the 1987 Texas
standards for teacher training programs. These programs are
currently considered pilots for those to be adopted in the fall of
1995. Final approval of the restructured programs will come about
in April 1995 when the TEC conducts its program presentation to the
Texas Commission on Standards for the Teaching Profession. The
newly restructured programs are described as follows.
Young Learners Program. This program is designed
for candidates in Texas A&M's teacher training program who seek
certification in grades K through 4. The Young Learners Program has
methods and field experiences designed to address the needs of
educating the young child. There is a preprofessional sequence of
course work that teacher training candidates must complete before
being admitted to the professional sequence, which is designed to
cover three semesters of professional development course work,
including field experiences that give progressive teaching
responsibility to the pre-service teacher.
Preprofessional Sequence of Courses I—Children,
Families, and Communities. Methods courses focus on language
and literacy, educational psychology, and human development. One
course serves as a place holder with a field experience
requirement. Students are required to work with families, agencies,
and services in their field experience.
Preprofessional Sequence of Courses II—Children,
Schools, and Society. The second suggested sequence of courses
before admission to teacher education focuses on the foundations of
education in a multicultural society and understanding special
populations.
Professional Semester I—Admission to Teacher Education:
Focus on Young Learners, Teachers, and Schools. Upon admission
to teacher education, pre-service teachers sign up for a 12-hour
block of courses with a field experience requirement. Different TEC
sites offer different beginning field experiences, but all require
students to interact with children in a tutorial arrangement. These
tutorial mentoring experiences have a variety of titles and themes.
All reflect the needs of the individual campuses. Writing Buddies,
Reading Buddies, Aggie Friends, Math Magicians, and HOST Volunteers
are some of the programs that serve as vehicles for more than 125
pre-service teachers at a time on each campus. It is a win-win
situation for the schools and for the teacher training program.
Pre-service teachers are strongly encouraged to take a university
course in microcomputer awareness during this semester.
Professional Semesters II and III—Focus on Young
Learners, Teachers, and Schools. Pre-service teachers enroll in
a 12-hour block that includes a practicum experience focusing on
working with and teaching small groups of children. Students are
given increased experience in instruction that prepares them for
the student teaching experience in the third semester.
OCR for page 572
Page 572
Middle School Program. This program is designed
for candidates in Texas A&M's teacher training program who seek
certification in grades 4 through 8. The Middle School Program has
methods and field experiences designed to address the needs of
educating the young adolescent. There is a preprofessional sequence
of course work that teacher training candidates must complete
before being admitted to the professional sequence. The
professional sequence is designed to cover three semesters of
professional development course work that includes field
experiences at the middle school, junior high, and high school
levels. Teaching responsibilities are progressive and offer a
variety of settings.
Preprofessional Sequence of Courses I—Children,
Families, and Communities. The 6 hours of suggested courses
focus on language and literacy, and adolescent development. One of
the two courses serves as a place holder with a field experience
requirement. Students are required to work with families, agencies,
and services in a middle school setting. They become part of a
School Families program, shadowing various school personnel
during the semester. This could be working with the school nurse,
secretary, counselor, truancy officer, principal, or special
education teacher.
Preprofessional Sequence of Courses II—Children,
Schools, and Society. The second suggested sequence of courses
before admission to teacher education focuses on the foundations of
education in a multicultural society and understanding special
populations. A course in microcomputer awareness is a
requirement.
Professional Semester I—Admission to Teacher Education:
Focus on Middle School Students, Teachers, and Schools. Upon
admission to teacher education, pre-service teachers enroll in a
block of course work that includes a field experience requiring
assignments that integrate the curriculum. These courses are taught
at a school site.
Professional Semesters II and III—Focus on Middle School
Students, Teachers, and Schools. Blocked courses are similar to
the Young Learners program except that specific methods
courses are designed to address the needs of the middle school
student.
Secondary Program. This program is designed for
candidates in Texas A&M's teacher training program who seek
certification in grades 9 through 12. It consists of four phases
and two practicums (the practicums occur in Phase IV of the
program). The use of technology is stressed in Phases II through
IV. In Phase II the pre-service teacher learns about
technology and how to use it. In Phase III, pre-service teachers
study how students can learn from technology, and in Phase
IV of the training program, pre-service teachers study how their
students can learn with technology as an integral part of
their instruction.
Phase I—Self-Directed Experiences with Children.
Students document their experiences in a variety of settings before
admission to the teacher education program in Phase III.
Phase II—Understanding Teaching and Schools in Modern
Society. The goal is for pre-service teachers to develop an
understanding of responsibilities of the teaching profession.
Pre-service teachers shadow professional teachers working with
students in the middle school, junior high, and high school
settings.
Phase III—Developing Skills to Meet the Needs of Society
and Students, Admission into Teacher Education. The goal is to
develop teaching skills responsive to the cultural styles, values,
and identity of children and adults from all racial, ethnic,
linguistic, class, and religious backgrounds regardless of learning
and/or behavioral characteristics.
Phase IV—Developing and Demonstrating Skills to Organize
Content and Technology for Use in Classrooms. The goal in the
first practicum experience of Phase IV is for pre-service teachers
to develop skills in organizing content and technology for use in
classrooms. The goal of the second practicum experience is to
demonstrate skills of organizing content and technology.
Pre-service teachers demonstrate proficiency in instructional skill
during this practicum (similar to the traditional student teaching
experience).
Additional Staff and Role Changes
As stated above in the description of collaborative activities,
current pilot teacher training programs are addressing Texas
Education Agency's expectations in restructuring teacher education.
The need for coordination
OCR for page 573
Page 573
of collaborative efforts between TEC sites and university
teacher training programs has required the addition of personnel to
ensure progress toward meeting the goals of the TEC as well as the
different expectations of cooperating teachers, university
supervisors, and student teachers:
•
Role and Requirements of the University
Liaison. The university liaison serves as a facilitator of
information between the collaborative, the assigned site, and the
universities involved. The site assesses its needs; the liaison and
site coordinators work collaboratively in finding solutions to meet
the needs identified.
•
Requirements of Cooperating Teachers Who Have a
TEC Student Teacher. Cooperating teachers agree to promote and
learn along with their student teachers the uses of technology and
innovative teaching practices in their classrooms. They agree to
assist in guiding the student teacher to plan and implement
technology and innovative practices in the classroom.
•
Requirements of Student Teachers Assigned to a
TEC Site. Student teacher candidates agree to the
following:
—Demonstrate a strong interest in learning
and using technology and innovative teaching practices in the
classroom;
—Design a unit that has a multimedia
component and/or interdisciplinary focus; and
—Incorporate technology in classroom
activities such as record keeping, lesson plans, instructional
activities, and student projects.
Following are examples of the number of pre-service teachers
affected by new field-based programs at TEC sites:
•
South Knoll Elementary School (125 pre-service
teachers): Writing Buddies program, a tutorial program.
•
Southwood Valley Elementary School, College
Station (20 pre-service teachers): Pre-service teachers
interested in the Young Learners program enroll in two
blocked courses taught by a team of two faculty members and a
clinical faculty member from the elementary campus.
•
Jane Long Middle School, Bryan (40 pre-service
teachers): As part of a methods course requirement, pre-service
teachers observe and assist in all aspects of a school. They shadow
different personnel, observing a variety of roles. Some examples
include the school office staff, the counselor, a physical
education and wellness class, in-school suspension, and/or a
classroom one day per week. This fits with the theme of Phase I of
the Middle School Program, which focuses on children, families, and
communities. These same students observe life at an elementary
school on a different day each week.
•
A&M Consolidated High & College Station
Junior High Schools (40 pre-service teachers): Students in this
methods course, which is designed for pre-service teachers
interested in secondary education, work in two school environments.
Twenty students are located at the high school and participate in
observation and assigned activities that involve all functions of
the school. Another 20 students participate in similar activities
at the junior high campus. At midterm, the groups switch. The field
experience is designed to give students the opportunity to study
adolescent behavior, develop an appreciation for human diversity,
and model professional behavior.
•
Crockett Elementary, Bryan (27 pre-service
teachers): Students enroll in 15 hours of methods courses. They
are assigned to specific classes with instruction conducted by
Texas A&M faculty and clinical faculty. They participate in
this experience prior to their semester of student teaching. This
is just a short overview of some of our site activities.
•
Somerville Middle School Block, Somerville (27
pre-service teachers): Students are enrolled in five courses
taught by clinical faculty who are mentored by a professor from
Texas A&M. The pre-service teachers are in the field every
afternoon 4 days a week. They participate in classes and follow-up
seminars after school with clinical faculty.
•
Somerville High School: Integrated units,
integrated class curriculum, team planning every day, block
scheduling.
OCR for page 574
Page 574
Other TEC sites are participating in the collaborative in
different ways. They either have student teachers and are actively
involved in redesigning student teaching experiences, or they
participate in compressed video lectures by doing projects with
classes at different sites in the collaborative. The last 3 years
have brought about many significant changes in the way we teach at
the university and in the way students are taught in the
schools.
Staff Development
Activities have included in-service training for university
faculty, teachers, student teachers, and undergraduates in the use
of Macintosh computers, and computer software such as HyperStudio,
ClarisWorks, Inspiration, and FileMaker Pro. Staff development is
also offered in e-mail, Internet, Telnet, compressed video,
development of interdisciplinary instruction, understanding diverse
cultures, and mentoring pre-service teachers. At one site, 5th-,
6th-, and 7th-grade students are trained to be a part of the
school's "Tech Team." They help teachers and students with
technology in their classrooms. They also learn how to use Telnet
and how to access information via the Internet.
Technology
Distance Learning
Compressed video units located at five TEC sites are currently
used for instruction and conferences between Texas A&M
University and the sites. They are also used for student projects
collaboratively planned between classrooms at different sites.
Some examples of ongoing and future projects include the
following:
•
The "Global Village" project is currently
conducted through the Center for International Business Studies,
Texas A&M College of Business Administration. Some of the
topics covered in past compressed video sessions have included (1)
comparison of communism, socialism, and capitalism, (2) NAFTA, (3)
the European economy, and (4) Japan.
•
The "Totally Texas" project is a collaborative
effort of people from several TEC sites who are creating an
integrated multimedia curriculum for 4th and 7th grades. The
material will be stored on CD-ROM. Sites connect via the distance
learning system either weekly or biweekly to discuss the various
units each site will contribute to the curriculum. Teachers share
ideas and resources with each other without having to travel great
distances to do so.
•
Distance learning was used in conducting a
presentation on technology usage to legislators in Austin.
Legislators were able to talk directly to students and teachers at
TEC sites regarding their use of distance learning and computer
programs in instruction. Students and teachers were able to
demonstrate various student projects and computer programs to TEC
sites and legislators at the same time. Eight sites throughout
Texas—Lubbock, Laredo, the state capital in Austin, and the
five TEC sites—were online at the same time.
•
A teleconference via compressed video is planned
between students in Sweden and students at a 4th-grade class in
Bryan, Texas. The students plan to exchange information about a
typical day in their schools and towns. This project is being
funded by the Swedish government. Another distance learning project
includes students from Somerville, Texas, sharing their multimedia
projects with students in Laramie, Wyoming.
Internet
Several Turkish schools will have connections to the Internet in
early March with students in Texas. They will become "keypals."
OCR for page 575
Page 575
Multimedia Projects for the
Classroom
Undergraduates enrolled in a technology course on the Texas
A&M campus meet via compressed video with practicing teachers
at a TEC site to develop instructional materials that support
interdisciplinary themes. Materials have been created to support
such themes as "Africa" and "Westward Expansion."
Representative terms from entire chapter:
university faculty
