BC’s Education Plan includes a commitment to ensure university teacher preparation programs provide new teachers with the skills to support new approaches to student learning. What should the first priority be to achieve this goal?
172 Responses to “ Question 16: Preparing new teachers for success ”
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The learning curve would not just be for the teachers but for the school system as a whole. Have each student have a computer tablet that can upload/be connected to the teachers/school computer. This tablet will have the tests on it, text books, assignments, work, journal/communication/planner, etc… This would eliminate the need for all the paper we are required to purchase for our children. It is expensive and needless in a time that is thriving/craving for a technological change in our school environment. The children when doing an assignment could get instant feedback on tests, assignments and have direct comments/support for continued/further development/academic growth. It would drastically reduce the consumption of school supplies, and so much needless purchases. Instead of us purchasing backpacks for students who cannot afford it instead the tablets would be used/puchased/donated by the government, parents (in the community like the backpack purchasing idea), or better yet the contract the government would get from a computer company who we would be buying bulk computers from (which could donate a percentage of the computer tablets to those in need). An idea for our new age, reduce the waste and our footprint and also debt ratio that we incur as parents each year. Also why do we even need textbooks anymore…e-books are common and more user friendly….and eco-friendly. Train our teachers and our government to push this forward….we are ready!!!
Hi Anita,
So is it your thinking that spending less on some things (like textbooks) will offset the additional cost of purchasing computers for students? As another option, what do you think about a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) system?
It is extremely important for (new/all) teachers to have a basic understanding of how the brain learns. Specifically, what kinds of interactions nurture and promote meaningful and inspired learning and perhaps, more importantly, what kinds interactions inhibit and discourage learning. Neuroscience has discovered many key insights into how the brain learns and should form a major component of teacher education and professional development.
Any good research links to share, Jim?
Have a few questions if you don’t mind… are teacher candidates, student teachers or pre-service teachers or both? Do you (teachers)think that B.C.’s teaching institutions should establish a consistent curriculum for student teachers? Do you think a 1 year PDP is sufficient? Many of you mentioned longer practicum experience… how do you see this fitting into a 1 year PDP? I don’t see that there is a solid mentorship program for novice teachers currently in the lower mainland… is this a school or district responsibility? thanks in advance for your response!
Ms. Doing Research:
Good questions! I worked for several years in a university teacher professional preparation program at a BC university. Student teachers or pre-servic teachers need a professional program that includes significant amounts of classroom experience balanced with university course and seminar material that integrates with their classroom experience. At the university I worked at, teacher education candidates required two years teacher professional development if they came into the programme with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in specific academic areas. Our programme encouraged students to take our degree programme that gave them increasing classroom experience over at least three years, culminating in a ‘professional development year’ where most of the time is spent classroom teaching and is balanced with on-campus seminars building on that experience. One year PDP is not sufficient in my estimation. I also advocate for a strong and consistent mentorship programme for novice teachers. This should be built in to provincial teaching certification guidelines.
Teachers must learn new methods of teaching that include socialization through peer interaction and less teacher control. this would be more like Montessori.Also courses like real personal finance need to be taught by people who know what they are talking about. Other courses needing consideration are; Real nutrition,Relationships and all of the components, Consumer education, Family growth and interaction. These ideas are needed as we do not really teach these to our young people. Do we need as much Algebra and geometry or science.
Teacher selection process is critically important as I feel we need teachers who can get along very well with young people and not motivate with fear. Lets give these teachers the tools to do their job and if they are not fit to teach this way maybe teaching is not for them.
I must insist that what is needed most is accountability, both for new teachers and those with experience. They have so much union protectionthat a problem teacher’s behavior must go from abusive to criminal before they can be reprimanded in any way! Even the districts are powerless. it’s hurting our kids and it has to stop. A problem teacher can be identified empirically, and should be considered in breach of contract or denied whatever red tape keeps them insulated.
We need to remember that the BCTF did not hire teachers teaching, but it has a legal obligation to defend its members when/if they are being accused of something.
I believe the employer has done a wonderful job of promoting that the union impedes them from taking action. Their hands are not tied. However, as with teachers’ workload this decade, administrative workloads have increased. Many administrators are not evaluating new employees in their first two years of teaching (which is their right). New teachers needing support may not be identified.
Once a concern is identified with a teacher, there is a process to follow. False accusations can occur; it is imperative that employers have a process to go through to ensure a situation is assessed before reacting.
It’s a fallacy that teachers don’t get fired. They do in districts all across the province every year.
I agree with all the comments urging more field work in education programs. You can only learn how to teach by teaching, thereby suggesting that the majority of any education program should be learning in the field. That being said, if we move to having classroom teachers expected to teach new teachers how to teach in addition to all the students assigned to them, they will need to be compensated, specifically in time. It would be interesting to see any research done on the work load associated with taking on a student teacher. Does any one know of any studies done on this?
A good question, Devon. I’ll ask my colleagues here at the ministry as well. Maybe one of them has heard of literature about this.
Teacher education programs continue to focus on content – what is to be taught (curriculum)and methods by which to deliver it. For secondary teachers the focus is on methods for delivering specific content in specific disciplines (math, science, English, history, etc). For elementary teachers methods courses focus on delivering curriculum associated with learning to read and acquiring basic computational skills.
It is assumed that those entering the teacher education programs have sufficient exposure to a discipline (teachable subject)in a baccalaureate degree program to be able to teach the content required for K-12 schooling. While this is a debatable proposition, it is the assumption on which teacher education programs are currently based.
At no time in the preparation of a teacher is the individual student required to focus on human physical, cognitive, emotional or conceptual development. Neither do they focus on how a developing human person interacts with the world in order to learn or how developmental age and/or stage affects the way specific humans learn. There is little to no attention given to WHO is being taught. Rather the focus is on WHAT is to be taught and HOW.
Research related to brain development and neuro-plasticity has fundamentally changed the understanding of human learning which informed the early 1900′s model for public schooling. Stated differently, our collective knowledge and understanding about WHO is being taught has grown exponentially. Despite this, how we prepare teachers remains fundamentally unchanged and focused on WHAT to teach and HOW to teach it.
Albeit, teacher education programs add classes related to Aboriginal content or learning disability or they create optional classes related to English as an additional language (EAL). However, the underlying assumptions related to delivering content remain unchanged.
What would I change if I could run the zoo? I cannot provide a definitive response. However, I would argue there are possible options it would be useful to consider.
First, make it mandatory for all those who want to enter teacher education programs to complete an undergraduate degree that includes at least:
1)Specified courses that focus on human growth, development and learning;
2)Specified courses related to language acquisition and linguistics. (All teachers at all levels require an understanding of language – how we as humans acquire it, use it, expand it and refine it through acquisition of the specific language and jargon for any of the academic or practical disciplines such a music, history, chemistry, mathematics,law, medicine etc.);
3)Specified courses in mediation. (Classrooms in which active, problem-based learning occurs require explicit understanding and skill in mediation to model and to develop in students the ability to be self-regulating, to resolve conflicts and to respectfully interact with each other.)
4) Courses that include quasi-empirical methods such as systematic observation and recording of human behavior as a necessary basis for assessment and evaluation.
With this as minimal undergraduate preparation, then provide a structured internship not a practicum. Internship that provides rotations and varied exposure similar to that provided by medical internships. Similar to medicine, interning teachers could receive reduced salary or stipend. Boards, unions, university faculty and the Teacher Regulation Branch together could develop the criteria to be met for completion and certification as a teacher.
Similar to other professions such as medicine, law, engineering, nursing, and etc., The Teacher Regulation Branch, in cooperation with the unions, Boards and Faculties, could also provide continuing professional education and stipulate the required number and type of continuing professional courses required each year to maintain certification to teach.
It would be a very different program than currently exits. However, as the emphasis shifts from being the “sage on the stage” to being the “guide on the side” what educators need to know to be competent practitioners must also change.
Agreed.
I believe better, more specialized training for both the identification and handling of learning disorders would go a long way to improving the education system. Teachers complain about too many special needs children in their classrooms, but maybe if they were better equipped to handle these children and their unique situations, they would not face the same issues.
Hi Jessica!
Being a “special ed” teacher myself, I concur that more specialized training in the areas of learning differences = money well spent. I don’t think this is something that ought to be done (solely) during Teacher Ed programs though, for the simple reason that your first 2 years of teaching are largely about keeping your head above water. All the Educational Practice Courses in the world aren’t going to amount to a hill of beans until Johnny Autism and the Learning Disability Triplets walk into your class. That’s when you truly develop understanding, because necessity means you’ll take the POPARD course and collaborate with other teachers about “what do I do when my Grade 5 student is reading at a Grade 1/2 level?” Fostering/promoting/ensuring collaborative relationships grow between Classroom Teachers and Learning Assistance Teachers and/or district coaches (consider the mentorship model or DuFour/Eaker’s Professional Learning Communities model) are my favorite ways to ensure this professional development & growth occurs.
A gentle note to conclude with: The teachers I work with don’t “complain” that there are too many special needs children in our classrooms – they “complain” (worry, express concern, ask for help) because the diverse nature of our learners means we ALL need to be “Special Ed” teachers. Not everyone has a M.Ed in Special Ed, right? Most of us are generalists. “Growing [skills & understanding] together” is a process that spans entire careers.
My teachers would LOVE to have me in their classrooms for 45-60 min each day so we could team-teach and plan and talk about what would best meet the needs of our diverse clientele.
Unfortunately, Learning Assistance Teachers positions are hired based on a population formula, so most of my teachers got 30 minutes of service from me x 4 days/ week. 1 of my teachers only got me when there were fires that needed to be put out. Not best practice, but what do you do?
If I could wish for one thing – it would be to be a full time Learning Assistance Teacher (versus .6) so my Classroom Teachers and I could “grow together.”
It seems like everything I experienced in practicum including my own teaching and other teacher advice is akin to climbing up a straight cliff with your own bare hands and emotional willpower. “It’ll get easier”, they all say. The first year of a new teacher’s career is the hardest because you have to have it all figured out in terms of how to mark, your rules, your assignments, etc. and to be able to justify it to students, parents, and teachers who are scrunitizing you. It seems that many teachers are just surviving in that first year. If you survive the first few years and don’t burn out, then maybe you can start climbing an easier mountain. Sadly, it seems that many teachers get to this point crushed by their workload and the hours they put in and they become jaded. They become complacent in their practice and stop innovating, because they don’t see the point. In this vein, mentorship and “easing in” to teaching may be a solution to this that can lead to new teachers that start strong and get better at teaching. To implement this however, will require time put in by a mentor teacher, which they have little or nothing of.
What killed me was the constant changes that someone at the top sitting in a nice little office with a nice salary, trying to justify his position and his or her salary made? And, those guys are under pressure to make it happen FAST so that they can show to the people above that all is fine! I have seen so many changes –some good some bad– that needed to be implemented YESTERDAY! A teacher puts a lot of effort into creating this new program or unit and then, POOF, a bureaucrat decides that next year this unit will be done in Grade 5! And, then of course, after 3 years there are more changes. Maybe even the change that took place 6 years ago is scrapped. How would anyone feel when someone can just negate all that work? And these MBA people can’t figure out why there is low morale! AHAHAH! No innovation! Well! DUH!
Fabulous Miss Teacher Candidate,
Don’t give up. I wanted to quit over and over again too. I was just telling my kids this morning, “If you quit, you’ll never get better at anything.” (Then I joked about how I moved from being the worst Shop Teacher in the province to becoming the least qualified Special Ed Teacher in the district… and now… 15 years of collaborative practice and a M.Ed later, I’m in hot demand as a Learning Assistance Teacher.) It DOES get better. You’ll find your niche. Your colleagues and admin will help you grow – just ask for help and believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
I shared a bus in Vancouver with a teacher who was a newly christened member of the BCTF ranks. (Funny how you can spot a teacher in a crowd of strangers, eh?) She and I spoke of her vision for Teacher Mentorship in the province and compared “what might be” with our personal experiences and beliefs. By the looks of this wonderful Forum, the Min of Ed is leaning in the same direction.
Imagine if a “new teacher” meant one with 0-5 years of experience.
Imagine being paired with a teacher or teachers who could take you under wing throughout those 5 years.
Imagine saying, “I’d like to get better at this aspect in my teaching” and being coached by a numeracy/literacy/tech ed/Special Ed master.
Imagine having “built in” time to collaborate during the school week.
Tell this forum what you need. Your colleagues, your administrators and the government are listening… and God knows, we got into this business because we care and we want to help make a difference.
This profession chose you for a reason, so when you feel like quitting, go hang out with your Learning Assistance Teacher and/or admin. Ask for some extra time & support so you can get your head above water. They can make it happen & it WILL get better.
e.
Thanks for your encouraging words, Elaine. And yes, we are listening so please tell us what is on your mind.
As a teacher candidate, I believe that the top priority is to get classroom experience. From the classroom teaching experience, we could then reflect upon what we did. On the one hand, we could improve what went wrong or what we struggled with. On the other hand, we could share our positive experiences and working ideas with other colleagues.
With the way the education program is set up right now, we have our methods course in the beginning of the program. In the methods course we learn strategies and ways to teach our specific discipline. This is then followed by a long practicum in February where we used what we learn in the classroom setting. Once the long practicum is over, we come back to UBC where we have classes on school organization and language literacy.
I strongly believe that we should continue with our methods course after the long practicum. This would be a class where we could discuss our teaching experience with other colleagues in the same discipline. I believe that this would help us work together to improve our practice. We could share our teaching resources with one another, improve our activities, discuss student-based teaching strategies, classroom management techniques and etc. I think this is what the education program needs: an opportunity for us to reflect on our recent teaching practicum and find ways to improve our practice.
Thank you for your comment. What do others think? Should there be more opportunity after the long practicum for students to reflect on their classroom experiences and learn from others?
I completely agree. I feel like we would benefit greatly from hearing eachother’s experiences, learning from their mistakes and their successes etc. I also think it would be beneficial to do a “resource share” of sorts. If they had any lessons that were particularly successful, or if they have any rubrics or projects that they are proud of, I would like to have a chance to glean from others. I’m feeling a huge disconnect with all of this seemingly useless theory we are now forced to endure.
I would like to second the suggestion that teacher candidates have more on-the-job training. The current setup through schools such as UBC or SFU is for teacher candidates to perform a three month practicum. It is my opinion that this should be preceeded by an extensive mentorship with the candidate in the physical classroom, as a teaching assistant. This would be far more valuable than many of the courses currently required for a BEd degree. I also feel (from painful personal experience) that teachers are not being taught enough about new educational technology. Many of the current crop of young educators are technological cusp babies, and are far less tech savvy than their students. Technology only works well in the classroom when the teacher is not afraid to use it! Otherwise, time is wasted troubleshooting and students may underachieve because they perceive the teachers competency as less than their own and lose motivation to impress.
I am yet another Teacher Candidate eager to go out and share my enthusiasm for learning with my students but alas am not looking at such a rosy job market. =(
Echoing what another TC said, what we need as budding professionals is more practice. After all, practice makes perfect right?
During our program we get a 15-week practicum in a BC school to learn the ropes, but there are a lot of ropes! The practicum has been, by far, the best forum for trying to plan engaging lessons, honing classroom management skills and implementing fair assessment and evaluation strategies. UBC has done a great job to provide us with practical advice, tips and tricks to complement our “auditions”, but it is hard to equal the level of professional learning we get within the walls of practicum school with those of UBC. Being on the “hot seat” really forces us to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the best practices for teaching today’s student.
If longer practicums aren’t an option, I suppose Teacher Ed programs could try to weed out more of the theoretical courses and encourage their professors (who in fact have been really great) to keep focusing on tips and tricks of the trade, student-centered activities that are ready to take to the classroom, and case-based (classroom scenario) methods.
I support the teacher Candidates’ suggestions that are: continue on with the methods course after the long practicum and a longer practicum.
How about “combining” them as:
> 6 week practicum
> 1-2 week back with the methods course
> 9 week back to practicum
And blog with reflection and discussion over the teaching experiences on school’s Web site through the course?
I agree with you but course content is so important too.