University/Public School Interface:

1. University/Public School Interface: Cluster-Driven Professional Development Schools (PDSs) Model for Transformational Teacher Education By Seth Agbo School of Education Pacific University Forest Grove, OR.

2. The Culture of the University • Preservation of academic culture and resistance to change • Elite institution—pursuit of theoretical rationality • Empiricist tradition--Detachment of subject from object. • Disregard of practice in favor of theory.

3. Cultural Impact on Teacher Education • Focus on theoretical academic preparation • Ideological struggles between competing virtues of University and public schools. • Societal idea of a distinct definition of the good teacher—narrowly construed teaching skills to which teachers must strive to achieve. • Pre-service teachers face hurdles in teaching because of deficiency in preparation in content of academic area. • General perspective--pre-service teachers do better with watered-down lower academic standards.

4. Teacher Training vs. Teacher Education • Training—Grounding in content knowledge, instruction in education theories and process of imparting knowledge, distinct from the myriad of things teachers do from day-to-day basis. • Education—building of a professional community of learners and empowering relations.

5. Professional Development Schools (PDSs). • An integrated professional development and school reform process. • Concurrent process of pre-service teacher education, veteran teacher development and school improvement. • The activities required at all levels to cope with learning and teaching, from the public school to the school of education classroom. • Emphasis on collaboration—via shared decision-making within schools and between schools and universities, and collaborative research among teachers, students and teacher educators.

6. Cluster-Driven PDS Model

7. The Education Clusters • Integration of two or more courses into learning communities to enable students to develop cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching. • University faculty members come together to coordinate educational courses centered on a pedagogical theme, e.g. “Social Studies and Literacy in a School Context”.

8. Learning Community • Linking together any two or more of existing courses for a cohort of students so that they have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning and more interaction with one another and their teachers.

9. Cluster as a Type 2 Field Experience is an: • Interdisciplinary learning community that will enable teacher education students to reflect on implementing cross-disciplinary approaches for teaching.

10. Cluster Enrollment • About 20 students enroll in all courses simultaneously • Enrolling in cluster blocks out students’ schedule for them to commit to cluster particular days of week • Participation in campus-based classes first half of semester and field-based study for remainder.

11. Organization of the cluster • College and public school faculty come together to coordinate a number of courses centering on a theme—e.g., literature based instruction of elementary social studies content.

12. PDS: Cluster-driven Model PDS Site Staff PDS Site Students in the Classroom Cluster Field Experience University students University Faculty Pedagogical theories

13. PURPOSE OF CLUSTERS: • For students to become architects of their own professional development. • For students to become aware of those aspects of institutional life, school practice and interpersonal relations that are likely to enable or inhibit their development as professionals. • To help beginning teachers to become aware of the conceptions they hold of themselves as teachers.

14. PURPOSE OF CLUSTERS: (cont.) • For students to develop frameworks for thinking contextually and reflectively about their development. • For students to become aware of and utilize school resources that will enable and enhance their development.

15. Professional Development School (PDS) Model PDS Site Staff PDS Site Students in the Classroom Cluster Field Experience PDS on-site facilitator University Students University Faculty Ed. Theories & Pedagogical Methods

16. PDS Overarching Goals The PDS model will: • contribute to the improvement of pre-service and novice teachers. • contribute to the on-going professional growth of veteran teachers. • ongoing exchange of pedagogical knowledge and skills. • help public school administrators and teachers, college administrators and professors, and cluster students to share knowledge, plan as a team and reflect collectively.

17. The School/College partnership is collaborative. PDS Site staff and university faculty jointly develop operating policies & procedures: e.g., develop field experience guide, design field experience application, develop field experience assessment rubric, design cluster brochure, etc. Public school staff are guest teachers in cluster classes DYNAMICS OF THE PDS

18. University faculty lead instructional activities in public school classrooms. Public school staff and university faculty share texts/syllabi, etc. DYNAMICS OF THE PDS (cont.)

19. Continued Collaboration PDS staff and college faculty must continue to meet regularly for planning and improving ongoing work Any new initiatives being planned must be developed jointly between the school and the college DYNAMICS OF THE PDS (cont.)

20. Transformational Learning Model • Transformational Learning--New frames of teacher learning that professionalize and enhance the learning of pre-service teachers, veteran teachers and teacher educators: • Learning by teaching • Learning by doing • Learning by collaborating

21. Transformational Learning • University students, Public school staff, and University faculty will each acquire additional knowledge and new understandings of pedagogy. • Cluster students and public school teachers collaborate to enhance pupil learning and improve teaching practices of students, teachers and college faculty.

22. Provides learning opportunities for college faculty, and public school teachers as well as pre-service teachers. Veteran teachers and college faculty find themselves learning about knowledge and its application and also about both the theory and practice of teaching The PDS

23. Implications for Schools of Education • Reallocation of existing resources and new resources are obtained e.g., • University supports priority hiring of PDS site staff as adjunct faculty • Costs for transportation to PDS sites are paid by university.

24. Policies • Policies that require students to participate in teacher education learning communities/clusters. • Policies that enable cohort groups of students to be established. • Policies that recognize participation of area public school staff as valuable in-service professional development partners in teacher education and encourage further their involvement in PDS initiatives.

25. Policies (cont.) • Policies that support university faculty teaching field-based courses • Flexibility within systems geared toward traditional teacher preparation

26. Learning Communities/PDS Work and Scholarship • Learning communities are participatory action research from which data can be obtained as new knowledge capable of being disseminated through publication.

27. Survey of a Public School Cluster Mentor Teachers--Spring 1999 • 21 surveys distributed, 15 responses. • Y= Yes • N= No • S= Sometimes • All responses included significant comments

28. Q1. Do you enjoy mentoring Cluster students? • Results • Y =10 • N = 1 • S = 4

29. Comments to Q1 • See as a resource • enjoy reflecting on what we’re doing personally and as district • do not take cluster students if have student teacher • enjoy modeling as master teacher • opportunities to revisit a program experienced as undergrad

30. Comments to Q1 (cont.) • Don’t enjoy extra workload without monetary compensation • some students well prepared and enjoyable to work with; others not • sometimes overwhelming with our regular load

31. Q.2. Do your students enjoy working with Cluster students? • Results • Y= 14 • N= 0 • S= 1

32. Comments to Q.2. • Enjoy extra individualized attention and assistance • love a new face • provides another adult role model • enables different instructional approaches • keeps fresh ideas • can be confusing if too many styles or different sets of instruction are given

33. Q.3. How does mentoring a cluster student benefit you as a teacher? Responses • forces articulation of district policies, standards of behavior, etc. • provides opportunity to self-reflect on instructional and assessment methods being employed • instigates feelings of pride helping mold future teachers • keeps flexible and open to change

34. More Responses for Q.3. • Retains awareness of education issues and methods • spurs new ideas: two heads are better than one • makes classroom more efficient; extra pair of hands • promotes seeing PHCS students from diverse viewpoints • assists with preparation and organization of materials

35. Q.4. How do cluster students benefit your students? Responses • provides 1:1 and small group instructional support • enables children to be listened to while reading • provides another role model • helps to increase student skill level • brings new ideas into classroom • exposes different perspectives and talents • not sure

36. Additional comments generated • Program allows Cluster students to develop realistic commitment to work ethic required of “real teachers”