National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (http://www.nflrc.iastate.edu)

Alumni Connection Newsletter - February, 2007 - Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Document Source: http://www.nflrc.iastate.edu/news/200702/

Can You Be a Bridge to the Future?

Welcome to the February 2007 electronic newsletter of the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center!

Education is truly an art. Just as no two artists represent the world in quite the same way, no two student teachers will experience the milestones in their teacher preparation program, or the things that happen to them in their field placements in the same way. A skilled cooperating teacher is one who, like an artist, can see variations on the same theme and help student teachers to craft, in conjunction with their university supervisors, works of art that are truly worth admiring. Such artists know that the art of transformative education can change the ways in which others view the world, and in so doing, create lasting bridges to the future.

Cherice Montgomery, Newsletter Editor
Marcia Rosenbusch, Director, National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center
Sonmez Pamuk, Web Designer
Guest Writers: Julia Hanley, Christene Lanphere, Carol Meyer, & Nancy Oakes

The cooperating teacher is one of the most influential and least integrated participant in the education of student teachers. This disparity poses truly vexing problems for teacher educators. In an effort to address this problem, four educators who participated in the Mentoring, Leadership, and Change 2006 Institute at the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University generated five guiding principles. These principles were designed to provide a foundation and common vision for developing effective partnerships between cooperating teachers, student teachers, and university supervisors. They are:

During the NFLRC Institute, one of the most enlightening experiences was interacting with cooperating teachers and listening to feedback on their experiences with university supervisors during the student teaching process. An important point that emerged from these discussions is that since the roles and contexts of the cooperating teacher and university supervisor are quite different, both the university supervisor and cooperating teacher often focus a majority of their time and attention on the student teacher and very little time "collaborating" or building a relationship with one another. Since the student teacher is connected to two different pedagogical influences, the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor, it is only logical that the triangle be completed with a strong, meaningful connection between the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor. Such a connection will contribute to consistent, powerful messages to the student teacher about the most effective ways to engage students in learning.

This connection relies on communication channels among all participants being open, honest, and effective. Expectations for all must be clear and consistent. Some universities provide handbooks or guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions about supporting student teachers. Finally, it is vital to consider the impressions of the focus of this partnership: the student teacher.

One logical place for cooperating teachers and university supervisors to begin working together would be to plan lessons with the new teacher in line with State and National Standards. Such a discussion might begin by familiarizing student teachers with their State Department of Education website, or discussing the latest proficiency guidelines from the ACTFL website. Also, cooperating teachers and university supervisors could work together on presentations for one of the state or national foreign language conventions such as ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) for new teachers entering the profession. Even though time and physical distance can be an impediment for cooperating teachers and university supervisors working together as a team to enhance student teaching experiences, providing models of collaboration (such as FLTEACH or the MacArthur Foundation) that show new teachers how to connect in meaningful ways with fellow professionals will certainly help build lasting bridges to a strong future in foreign language education

In reality, it is up to teacher education programs to design student teachers' experiences. However, they cannot do it alone; cooperating teachers are central to the process. There are two potential structures for supporting student teachers' learning: professional development schools and intentionally designed areas of dissonance.

Professional development schools are one model that has recently emerged in which the K-12 schools are laboratories for university-based teacher education programs. However, they are not without their issues. Professional development schools are scarce and we need to think about additional options.

All student teachers have to resolve areas of dissonance, which include integrating demands from the teacher education program into their student teaching work in their K-12 placements, and learning how to teach within the culture of another person's classroom. To date, designing areas of dissonance has not been fully explored and seems worthy of further consideration and experimentation. Instead of shying away from these areas of dissonance, teacher education programs should consider how to intentionally exploit these areas in order to create transformative learning experiences for the student teachers (this would require the deliberate integration of the cooperating teaching and university supervisor). Teacher education programs should also consider how to help student teachers craft compelling learning experiences for their own students. Visit the Domains section of the Mentoring, Leadership, and Change 2006 Wiki to explore how some foreign language educators are applying the Connections Standard in order to do just that. To see some of these components in action, take a look at Communicative 2.0: FL Education Learning with Live Video Games and Web Media from Authentic Youth Culture.

No one would argue that teacher education programs and cooperating teachers have a vested interest in creating well-prepared future teachers. The question becomes, then, how do we transform that interest into effective participation in the process?

One of the most important things for a student teacher to do as they enter the profession is to become connected to professional communities in order to network and develop professionally. They are most likely to join local, state, and national organizations through encouragement from their university supervisors and cooperating teachers.

One of the best ways to encourage student teachers to engage in career-long professional growth is for cooperating teachers and university supervisors to be active members in professional associations and to invite them to attend professional growth activities in the area. Leading by example is the best way to strive for professional excellence and to develop future leaders in the profession.

In order to maintain excellence in foreign language education, learning how to mentor new teachers (and students!) effectively in ways that will help them to teach transformatively must become an important component of the ongoing professional development of cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Part of this mentoring includes developing an understanding in classroom teachers of how to provide effective feedback to their K-12 students, which always balances “commendation” and “recommendation.” Student teachers need regular, supportive feedback as well! It is equally important that cooperating teachers and university supervisors learn to receive feedback. As we learn to learn from one another, we strengthen the links that allow the bridges we build to support the weight of responsibility we share for transforming the profession.

To the student teacher:

You’ve decided to see whether teaching is for you, or perhaps you’ve planned to teach for a long time already. You have the subject matter coursework, which you love, mostly complete. In your own schooling, there have been some happy experiences in classrooms that were dynamic, energizing, and entirely successful. You want to provide that for the next generation and to share your love of languages and cultures. You know that great teachers are always in demand. Now how do you become a great teacher?

The transformation from student to teacher may not be that much of a stretch if you have been the kind of student who sought out ways to share with fellow classmates, to mentor others, and to organize people and systems. If, however, you’ve come from another profession and are entering teaching as a second career, there may be some time gap and thus generational distance between you and potential students. Whatever the case, the team of university supervisors and cooperating teachers will be your lifeline. As you begin teaching and are nurtured by an excellent team, you will:

To the cooperating teacher:

We all want the best for our students and for them to take their place in society successfully. Every day, we strive to design and to pull off wonderful classes that move our students to change and grow. To have a student teacher in your charge is just a new way of challenging yourself to create a place and a state of mind where that teacher-to-be can thrive, a place where mistakes may happen but disaster will be avoided, where achievement is recognized and new skills are honed, where success is celebrated.

Throughout this process, don’t forget that there is almost always more than one successful way to do things! What’s yours?!

To the university supervisor:

You can create opportunities for professional growth for both the student teacher and cooperating teacher by:

QUOTES TO PONDER:

REFERENCES

Anonymous. (n.d.). Quotations about teachers. The Quote Garden. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/syris/quotes.php?show=all

Brewster & Railsback. (2001, May). Supporting beginning teachers: How administrators, teachers, and policymakers can help new teachers succeed. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved January 6, 2007, from http://www.nwrel.org/request/may01/intro.html

Dana, John Cotton. (n.d.). Education quotes. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/tea/quotes.html

Lipton, Laura, & Wellman, Bruce. (2003). Mentoring matters: A practical guide to learning-focused relationships (2nd ed.). Sherman, CT: MiraVia.

Links in this document

This Newsletter was pepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education under Title VI grant #P229A020023. The publication of products and website URLs in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply an endorsement by the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center, Iowa State University, or the positions or policies of the U. S. Department of Education.

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