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Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation

Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation. Leigh Kale D’Amico, Ed.D . Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty Francis Marion University. TCOP Standards. Teaching Children of Poverty Standards Six Standards.

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Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation

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  1. Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation Leigh Kale D’Amico, Ed.D. Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty Francis Marion University

  2. TCOP Standards • Teaching Children of Poverty Standards • Six Standards

  3. TCOP Attitudes and Beliefs Survey • Developed in 2005; redesigned in 2009 • 13-item survey administered at end-of-course • Explores student perceptions related to three areas: • Course (7 items) • Instructor (4 items) • Preparedness (1 item) • High correlation among three constructs • No significant correlation among constructs and # of courses with TCOP standards completed

  4. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Sample Items Scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree) • This course improved my understanding of teaching children of poverty. (Course Item) • I would recommend this course to other students interested in teaching children of poverty. (Course Item) • The instructor effectively presented material related to teaching children of poverty. (Instructor Item) • I am better prepared to teach children of poverty as a result of this course. (Preparation Item)

  5. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Fall 2009 (n=407 students; 20 courses) *Scale: 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree) Spring 2010 (n=433 students; 25 courses)

  6. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Sample Faculty Report

  7. TCOP Longitudinal Survey • Developed in 2006; redesigned in 2009 (maintained intent of seven original items) • 14-item survey administered at beginning of Fall & Spring semesters: nine items use Likert scale, three items use yes/no, two items request demographic information • Explores students’ perceived • knowledge • skills • confidence • preparation • ability to use diverse instructional methods • ability to accommodate instructional barriers

  8. TCOP Longitudinal Survey Sample Items Scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) • I have the knowledge I need to teach children of poverty. • I am confident in my ability to effectively teach children of poverty. • I am prepared to teach using diverse instructional methods for children of poverty.

  9. TCOP Longitudinal Survey

  10. TCOP Longitudinal Survey

  11. TCOP Mastery Assessment • Developed in Spring 2009 by assessment experts with input from content specialists • 48-item, multiple-choice assessment • 8 items per standard • Majority of items are at application level of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy • Administered via LiveText on the final day of student teaching seminar

  12. TCOP Mastery Assessment Descriptive Statistics: 48 items, 1 point per item

  13. TCOP Mastery Assessment Fall 2009 (n=21)

  14. TCOP Mastery Assessment Spring 2010 (n=35)

  15. TCOP Mastery Assessment Bookmarking • Items within each standard ranked by difficulty • Faculty members individually ranked items from easiest to hardest • Items were averaged to determine final rank • Meetings occurred to determine final ranking; areas of disagreement were discussed and explored • Bookmark placed at level at which one would deem a student proficient in material • Statistics were provided related to percent of students deemed proficient based on bookmark level

  16. TCOP Mastery Assessment

  17. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group • Conducted annually with random sample of students • Spring 2009 • 53% of student teachers selected to participate • 41% of those selected participated

  18. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group • Spring 2010 • 62% of student teachers selected to participate • 42% of those selected participated

  19. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group Findings • Use common lesson plan format and more closely aligned ideals in all certification areas • Provide more site-based experiences (e.g., observing and working in actual classrooms and/or simulation) • 2010 student teachers indicated need for more preparation related to working with students with special needs • 2009 student teachers indicated need for a better screening process for supervising teachers

  20. TCOP Teacher Focus Group • Conducted at the 2010 Summer Institute; 2 sessions • 12 participants (4 at first session, 8 at second session) • 5 current teachers • 1 former teacher • 2 administrators • 3 pre-service teachers • 1 higher education faculty member • Themes analyzed across both sessions

  21. TCOP Teacher Focus Group Findings • Include more hands-on, classroom-based experiences in pre-service programs • Engage in student teaching process earlier • Increase intensity/length of student teaching • Prepare students for realities of teaching: time management, negative dispositions of colleagues, challenging family situations, communication with families, student assessment • Facilitate more collaborative relationships between higher education faculty and PK-12 schools/teachers

  22. Future Evaluation Ideas • Survey faculty members who embed TCOP standards • Track retention of Francis Marion University graduates and non-FMU graduates at schools in Pee Dee region • Interview principals related to teacher preparation and student/school needs • Survey teachers related to perceptions of preparation • Explore PASS/MAP scores of randomly selected FMU graduates and control group of non-FMU graduates in same grades and schools • Issues: PK-12 preparation; participation in professional development

  23. Utilization Focused Evaluation What does a high-quality, effective teacher education program look like? How do we evaluate it?

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