Improving Teacher Quality through Clinically Rich Experiences

1. Improving Teacher Quality through Clinically Rich Experiences A Residency Program A Collaboration between The College of Saint Rose and Pine Hills Elementary School (Albany City School District)

2. What is teacher quality? • It depends on who you ask • NCLB, Race to the Top grants & the new Teacher Evaluations – a skillful teacher is one who improves students’ test scores • Darling-Hammond (2000) – a skillful teacher is one who understands their content and knows how to teach and connect with ALL of their students

3. Producing Skillful P-12 Teachers • We already do! • But are there things we can do better? • One strategy agreed upon by most is that clinically rich field experiences during the pre-service period is a way to increase the quality of teachers • Student teaching needs to be longer! NYSED requires childhood ed students to complete two seven week student teaching placements, one in grades 1-3 and one in grades 4-6

4. Project Goals • To increase clinically rich field experiences prior to student teaching • In our project students are getting these experiences by spending one full academic year in classrooms as opposed to a single semester • Goals of this additional time is to allow students to: • Become immersed in the school and classroom culture • Develop relationships with collaborating teachers and their students • Observe classroom practices and procedures • Assume increasing levels of responsibility for student learning

5. Project Components • Year 3 of a 3 year pilot • Students selected at the end of their junior year who are planning to student teach in the spring of their senior year • Each student is paired with two teachers from PHES, our PDS partner • Students volunteer in the classrooms of collaborating teachers in the fall and then student teach in both classrooms in the spring • Students register for a one-credit course and are supervised by a Saint Rose professor who will be their student teaching supervisor during the spring semester • Requirements…..

6. Studying the Effectiveness of our Project • Research Questions • How do collaborating teachers describe their experiences with the residents . What do they see as the benefits and challenges? • How do the residents describe the benefits and challenges of their experiences in the residency program? • How do the student teaching experiences of the residents compare to the student teaching experiences of students enrolled in the traditional student teaching? (year 3 only)

7. Data Collection and Review– Year Oneand Two • In year one and year two the research team • Conducted, transcribed and analyzed interviews with student residents and their cooperating teachers • Reviewed and analyzed notes from minutes of monthly meetings • Reviewed and analyzed log entries of resident students • Reviewed and analyzed teacher debriefing sessions at the end of the year

8. Results – Year One and Two – Teachers’ Positive Reflections • The residents • Were better prepared for student teaching – “my resident hit the ground running at the start of student teaching” • Often spent more time in the classroom than required in the semester prior to student teaching – “my resident was sometimes here all day” • Took initiative to get to know elementary students – “I turned around one day and my resident was working with one of my most difficult students”

9. Results – Year One and Two – Teachers’ Negative Reflections • The residents • Sometimes engaged in strategies not consistent with the strategies used by the teachers – “the resident taught a math lesson and never asked a question” • Sometimes struggled with classroom management issues – “when my resident was left in charge of a small group, she sometimes couldn’t find ways to get all the students on-task”

10. Results – Year One and Two – Residents Positive Reflections • Overall students felt they were better prepared for student teaching • “I already knew my kids, so I felt comfortable in the role of a teacher” • “I was already for teaching on day one of my student teaching” • “I knew the culture of the school and the strengths and weakness of my kids” • “My observations during my residency didn’t count. I could make my mistakes here and then correct them when I got to student teaching”

11. Results – Year One and Two – Residents Negative Reflections • Negative reflections were minimal but helpful • “Some kids viewed me as a ‘helper’ and not a teacher” • “My transition to the second placement was not as smooth as my transition into the first placement” • “I wanted to do more early on in my residency. My teacher didn’t let me do enough.”

12. Additions/changes made in Year Three • Comparison to students not enrolled in the Residency Program selected and matched to the Residents • During the fall, residents spend equal amount of time in the two classrooms they will be placed for student teaching • The role of the residents as a “teacher” made clear to elementary students at the start of the year • Teachers asked to give residents more responsibilities when appropriate • A Saint Rose faculty member observes with the residents and help them to identify particular strategies and behaviors of the collaborating teacher

13. Current Residents – In their own Voices • I believe the most important thing I learned so far is classroom management. I have learned many different ways to manage my classroom whether it is arranging my students in small learning groups, encouraging cooperative behavior or promoting leadership skills. • Getting to know the students that I will be teaching in the future is essential. I already know which students need to extra attention with which subject; it will make my life a lot easier next semester.

14. Current Residents – In their own Voices • I know now how imperative transitioning from subject to subject….   • The biggest challenge I’ve learned in my residency is how to effectively teach the new Math curriculum based on the common core. I believe that students struggle with the new Math program simply because it is completely new to them as well as the elementary teachers. I believe the best strategy is for me to continue to review the new curriculum and to allow my students the time to practice Math more and more each and every day.

15. Where We Go from Here? • Listen carefully the voices to our participants and make changes and corrections as we move forward • Continue to analyze our data in order to determine the degree to which the residency influences preparation for student teaching • Develop several options for institutionalizing the residency, if our outcomes prove to be positive