- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1136416
- First Name Lesa
- Last Name Beverly
- Discipline Mathematics
- Co-PI(s)
Keith Hubbard, Stephen F. Austin State University, hubbardke@sfasu.edu
Dennis Gravatt, Stephen F. Austin State University, dgravatt@sfasu.edu
Karen Embry-Jenlink, Stephen F. Austin State University, kjenlink@sfasu.edu
Chrissy Cross, Stephen F. Austin State University, crossc1@sfasu.edu - Presenters
Keith Hubbard, Stephen F. Austin State University, hubbardke@sfasu.edu
Need
Graduates often feel isolated after graduating, which is exacerbated by living in rural areas. Creative yet replicable strategies are required to address new teacher support and also to examine growth in teacher efficacy once new graduates have scattered. This poster addresses practical implementation as well as a research protocol that might be of use to other sites.
Goals
This poster will focus specifically on goals pertaining to new teacher support and examining teacher growth. Specifically, we will address the following three project goals: support Noyce graduates once they enter the classroom, assist Noyce graduates in developing culturally responsive pedagogy, and learn how these teachers impact student success. Key activities include: equipping their supervising teacher from student teaching to maintain contact and even continue observing graduates when they enter the classroom; funding travel to a summer teaching conference where vision can be restored and connections strengthened; establishing a rigorous teacher observation protocol to better understand their development as teachers and teacher leaders.
Approach
Our approach for supporting students in the classroom is to maintain established professional relationships while at the same time fostering new relationships. Equipping graduates’ supervising teacher from student teaching to maintain contact and to continue observing graduates when they enter the classroom builds on an existing relationship, but we also financially support a new on-site mentor. Finally, the project funds travel of the graduate, the long-term mentor, and the on-site mentor to a summer teaching conference where vision can be restored and connections strengthened. With regard to examining culturally responsive pedagogy and growth of the educator, the project sends an educational researcher to observe and record each teacher using the T-test protocol. Two other researchers then apply the same protocol in watching the recording and results are compared.
Outcomes
Although numerous articles and presentations have already been produced at other stages in the project, we expect that our support and research efforts with new teachers with result in both more successful teachers and a better understanding of what mentored teacher growth looks like in a rural context. We plan additional articles and presentations in coming years.
Broader Impacts
Recent graduates and their students are most directly impacted by our efforts in this area. However, we also are exposing campus based mentors to best practices through their conference attendance. Finally, we are disseminating our findings through articles (three thus far) and presentations (roughly six so far).
