Innovations in Teacher Prep and Support: Resource Roundup

Before exploring the resources, read “Why Is Teacher Development Important? Because Students Deserve the Best“ to learn about the qualities of teacher-induction and teacher-preparation programs that help new teachers find success. Of course, beginning teachers needn’t rely on formal supports alone to continue improving their teaching craft; there are numerous opportunities to build professional learning networks and learn new skills. Edutopia’s list of the best resources for do-it-yourself PD and resources on the Professional Development page provide more information.

Trends in Teacher Education

• New and Old Challenges for Teacher Candidates, by Andrew Miller (2014)

  Miller, reflecting on his own experience of certification and student teaching, checks in with current candidates about the things that concern and inspire them.

• Stepping Out of Traditional Teacher Preparation Programs, by Carrie Usui Johnson (2013)

  Johnson highlights the innovative features of UCLA's teacher education program.

• New Student Teaching Model Pairs Interns With Clinical Teachers, by Dr. Teresa Washut Heck (2013)

  Heck and Nancy Bacharach, Co-Directors of the Academy for Co-Teaching and Collaboration at St. Cloud State University, enumerate the benefits of the co-teaching model in helping student teachers develop their in-class practice.

• Teaching At-Risk Youth: Looking Back 50 Years, by Maurice Elias (2013)

  Elias revisits past research still relevant and valuable on how best to serve at-risk students in urban schools and discusses the implications for teacher education programs.

• Teacher Education in Finland: What are Finnish Teachers Made Of? by Merja Paksuniemi (2013)

  In conjunction with two colleagues, Paksuniemi, a professor at the University of Lapland, explains how Finland's high standards for teacher education became a significant factor in that country's highly-regarded educational system.

• Innovations in Teacher Prep Programs, by Anne O’Brien (2011)

  O'Brien reports on how teacher preparation programs are evolving by using innovative and effective ways to better prepare future educators.

Content-Area Preparation

English Language Arts

• Modeling Close Reading for Future Teachers: Why Video Works, by Janice Dole (2014)

  Dole, a reading and literacy methods instructor, presents her experiences with video in effectively training pre-service teachers how to instruct students in the critical skill of close reading. This post is the first of three in a series. Check out Dole’s curated collection of ELA videos and webinars in part two and exceptional professional websites for reading teachers in part three.

• Fostering Adaptive Teaching Across Reading Dimensions, by Antony Smith (2014)

  Smith, an associate professor in literacy curriculum, describes his pre-service teachers' reflections on the five dimensions of reading with their elementary school buddies, and how this helps them understand adaptive teaching.

• Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Authentic Writing Instruction, by Troy Hicks (2014)

  Hicks, a teacher-educator at Central Michigan University, describes how he fosters inspiration and excitement about the craft of writing with future elementary and middle school educators.

Mathematics

• Takeaways from Math Methods: How Will You Teach Effectively? by Jennifer Bay-Williams (2014)

  Bay-Williams, educator and author, shares three critical ideas that she wants her pre-service math teachers to learn, each connected with a basic understanding of how their students will think and acquire knowledge.

• Developing a Math Teacher Knowledge Framework, by Sarah Quebec Fuentes, J. Matt Switzer (2014)

  Fuentes and Switzer, assistant professors of math education, show the building blocks of the teacher knowledge framework and share preservice teachers' reflections on learning to anticipate student thinking.

Social Studies

• Teaching History by Connecting Human Intelligence, Innovation, and Agency, by Linda Levstik (2014)

  Levstik, a professor of social studies and history education, reduces the archaeological concept of chaîne opératoire into five basic steps that help preservice teachers introduce their students to human intelligence, innovation, and agency.

• Preservice Social Studies Teachers Meet the Lesson Study Method, by Anne-Lise Halvorsen (2013)

  Halvorsen introduces the lesson study, a professional development method she uses to engage and inspire pre-service teachers around elementary social studies curriculum.

Mentoring and Coaching Teachers

• Advice from Mentor Teachers for New (and Experienced) Teachers, by Andrew Miller (2014)

  Miller checks in with two mentor teachers to discuss what they do and offer a few nuggets of wisdom for new teachers, mentor teachers, and all teachers in general.

• Closing Out vs. Fading Out: 5 Steps for Ending the Year Strong, by Petra Claflin (2014)

  Claflin of YES Prep Public Schools stresses the importance of close-out conversations with instructional teachers and suggests five steps to help educators end the year strong while looking ahead to next fall.

• The Power of Educational Coaching, by Ben Johnson (2013)

  Johnson explains how educational coaching can transform classrooms. For more about the potential impacts of coaching for teachers and schools, also check out these two posts by Elena Aguilar: "How Coaching Can Impact Teachers, Principals, and Students" and "How Instructional Coaches Can Help Transform Schools."

• The Power of Combining Coaching with a Framework for Teaching, by Elena Aguilar (2013)

  Aguilar proposes that an effective school must have a shared agreement for developing teacher practice.

• Collaborative Mentoring for New Teachers, by Lisa Dabbs (2012)

  Dabbs invites us into a new era of mentoring programs where new and not-so-new teachers can find professional development opportunities online as well as face to face.

• Mentoring and Coaching for Effective Tech Integration, by Mary Beth Hertz (2011)

  Hertz makes a case for why every school needs both a tech mentor and a tech coach.

Additional Resources on the Web

• #teacherprep, #teachered, #teacheredchat on Twitter
• EdPrepMatters, a blog from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• "Why Teacher Education Should Include Neuroscience," by Judy Willis, from TeachThought (2013)
• "Are Teachers of Tomorrow Prepared to Use Innovative Tech?" by Katrina Schwartz, from KQED's MindShift (2013)
• "Five Important Ingredients of Good Preservice Teacher Education," by Vicki Davis, from Cool Cat Teacher Blog (2013)
• "27 Tips for Mentoring New Teachers," by Katie Lepi, from Edudemic (2013)
• "Tips for Coaching New Teachers," by Elena Aguilar, from Education Week (2013)
• "Technology Education for Pre-Service Teachers," by Jayme Linton, from Free Technology for Teachers (2012)
• Coaching: The New Leadership Skill, October 2011 Issue, from ASCD's Education Leadership (2011)
• "Five Big Changes to the Future of Teacher Education," by Tina Barseghian, from KQED's MindShift (2011)
• Coaching vs. Mentoring of Novice Teachers, from the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education