- Year 2023
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660653
- First Name Kimberly
- Last Name Baker
- Institution University of Indianapolis
- Role/Position Co-PI
- Workshop Category Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends
- Workshop Disciplines Audience Chemistry, Life Sciences, Mathematics
- Target Audience Co-PIs, Other Faculty/Staff, Project PIs
- Topics Partnerships for Success (High-need schools/informal institutions/industry/community)
- Session Length 30 minutes minutes
- Additional Presenter(s)
Katherine W Stickney, kstickney@uindy.edu; Deborah D Sachs, dsachs@uindy.edu
Goals
At the end of this session participants will be able to identify: Strategies to implement structural components that support meaningful collaborations between candidates and cooperating teachers (CTs) and the multiple ways that a candidate promotes growth in the professional practice of a cooperating teacher. Participants will have opportunities to discuss and share successes and challenges in establishing and maintaining collaborations between CTs and Scholars.
Evidence
Four cohorts of Noyce Scholars have completed our Teach (STEM)3 MAT program which includes university coursework in content and pedagogy and a year-long clinical immersion. Our program is supported by the university’s School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences faculty along with district partners including school administrators, clinical faculty, and cooperating teachers. The impact of hosting a candidate on the professional practice of a cooperating teacher (CT) has not been widely evaluated in the literature. In this study, an external evaluator interviewed the CTs to correlate how hosting a Scholar has positively impacted their professional practice. We assessed evaluation data and several themes emerged including how the Scholar impacted a CT’s collaboration and communication practices, provided new teaching strategies, and enhanced their comfort in leadership roles. The positive outcomes of the CT-Scholar collaboration will be correlated with our program structures that build and enhance partnerships.
Proposal
A year-long clinical residency program requires careful planning to promote a collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership between candidates and cooperating teachers (CTs) to create an impactful two-way flow of information. In this session we will share the results of our study showing the significant influence that candidates have on their CT’s practice, something that has not previously been well documented. The program structures that were developed to ensure that candidate/CT partnerships flourish throughout the entire academic year will be described. Program data demonstrate the benefit of hosting a candidate for a year-long clinical residency on a CT’s professional practice. Results indicate that candidates promote growth in their CT’s professional practice not only during their residency but also long-term. CTs’ perspectives will be shared, including ways in which CTs adopted and adapted candidates’ teaching strategies.
