To
increase effectiveness, teacher preparation and induction programs must align
the intent of reform efforts to research-based leading indicators for successful
pedagogy. Reform efforts cannot be to
content alone. Innovative teacher
preparation and induction programs should endeavor to exhibit balanced support
between the development of the teacher candidate’s pedagogy, promotion of the
teacher candidate’s active inquiry, and engagement of faculty across the
disciplines. This endeavor raises
expectations for critical thinking, professionalism, and self-efficacy. Monitoring and adjusting these leading
indicators of success requires a clear mission, action-based vision, and systemic
invitations to promote intentionality, care, optimism, respect, and trust
(I-CORT).
Clinical-based training models,
inspired a panel commissioned by the National Center for the Accreditation of
Teacher Education to endorse “programs that are fully grounded in clinical
practice and interwoven with academic content and professional courses” (NCATE,
2010, p. ii).
The report recommended “sweeping changes in how we deliver, monitor,
evaluate, oversee, and staff clinically-based preparation to nurture a whole
new form of teacher education” (p. iii). To develop the desired skills and professional
competencies, teacher preparation and induction programs must focus upon
improving the leading indicators of success.
However,
many teacher preparation programs may erroneously focus upon one trailing
indicator: the
edTPA. "The
edTPA is designed to align with the authentic teaching practice of the teacher
candidate" (SCALE,
2017). As an authentic
assessment of actual practice, the
edTPA should encourage teacher preparation and induction programs to ensure its
teacher candidates plan, implement and assess, thorough lessons that exhibit
differentiated instruction to diverse learners that promote progress monitoring
of learning.
However,
poor communication and rushed timelines during the implementation of more
stringent accountability requirements resulted in unintended consequences. Significant to this was the fear of failure
became the single most powerful force guiding a program’s change initiatives. Without the time for development and
integration of the leading indicators for success, teacher preparation and
induction programs will remain subject to unintended consequences.
To begin the process of developing
teacher competencies that sustain professional success and promotes attainment
of the learning for all mission, teacher preparation and induction programs
seeking to be high performing need to utilize an aligned lesson plan. Minimally, adoption and utilization of an aligned
lesson plan will elicit every teacher candidate’s
understanding of:
- The context for learning;
- The state’s learning standards such as the Common Core, etc…;
- The connection to previous learning;
- The group’s measurable learning objective;
- The central focus for the group;
- The need for differentiated instruction that includes:
o
any focus learner’s primary learning
target,
o
necessary instructional supports,
o
how to incorporate academic language,
o
the range of diverse instructional
strategies, and
o
a reliable assessment of learning that is
linked to the measurable learning objective.
Thus,
a standards-based measurable learning objective becomes the foundation for an
aligned lesson plan. Effective teacher
preparation and induction programs that expect utilization of an aligned lesson
plan would not ask, “How do we help our students pass the edTPA?” Rather, by teaching its teacher candidates to
utilize a formative
and summative perspective, an effective teacher preparation and
induction program would empower its teacher candidates to master the
development of measurable learning objectives and the other areas of the
aligned lesson plan. When this occurs, the
leading indicators of success positively influence the results of trailing
indicators such as the edTPA.
An effective teacher preparation and
induction program emphasizes an action research approach to promote
sustainability of success. Through
curriculum mapping and a respect for learning progressions (Idol
& West, 1993), an effective teacher preparation and
induction program ensures the establishment of solid learning outcomes for its
preparation course work. Once the three-pronged
foundations are engrained systemically, the teacher preparation and induction program
is freed to monitor how to deliver, evaluate, oversee, and staff a clinically-rich,
teacher preparation and induction program.
Effective teacher preparation and
induction programs seek to create a solid foundation formed from research-based
leading indicators for success. Matching
a program’s non-negotiable goals with individual
school needs will expand rather than limit the availability of research-based
and success-proven strategies and interventions. Programs that promote such a clearinghouse of support
ensure professional development is available and within reach.
Optimized support empowers stakeholders to access, review, and implement
a range of interventions, thereby enriching teacher candidates through defined
autonomy. This systematizes
sustained pedagogical success by ensuring the foundational indicators are available
to and mastered by its teacher candidates.
The stakeholders of an effective program can then be more reflective,
data-driven, and innovative, as the engrained systems reinforce the concept of defined autonomy
(Marzano
& Waters, 2009). By
focusing upon the leading indicators rather than trailing indicators, teacher preparation
and induction programs ensure its teacher candidates successfully develop the
competencies that are essential for attaining the learning for all mission
(Edmonds, 1979). That is a far, far,
better outcome than focusing upon how to craft commentaries that would yield a proficient
score on a teacher preparation test.
To cite:
Anderson,
C.J. (October 31, 2018) Effective teacher induction programs optimize teacher
competencies
that
sustain success.[Web log post]
Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/
References:
Edmonds,
R. (1979). Effective Schools for the urban poor. Educational Leadership,
37, 15-24.
Marzano,
R. & Waters, T.(2009). District leadership that works. Bloomington,
In: Solution Tree Press
