As the context of schooling—the curriculum, student demographics, educator roles and responsibilities, and pedagogical methods—shifts, we must consider how well we are equipping our next generation of teachers to successfully prepare the next generation of students. In 2010, The American Association of Colleges of Teacher Preparation (AACTE) in collaboration with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (Greenhill, 2010) identified five areas in which teacher preparation programs can integrate 21st century knowledge and skills more purposefully in their reform efforts:
- Leadership
- Program Design (Curriculum, Instructional Models, Assessment)
- Learning Environments
- Partnerships
- Continuous Improvement
Within these five areas, we've identified specific reforms to teacher preparation that we feel will help prep programs move closer to helping teachers acquire the skills that will sustain them in a challenging career. For each suggestion, we have provided the connection to the five core areas (italics) suggested by Greenhill (2010).
Increasing Time to Practice in Virtual and Real Classrooms
Program Design, Learning Environments, and Partnerships
Teacher prep programs, regardless of content area, usually have prescribed clinical experiences for preservice teacher candidates. Traditionally, candidates begin field experiences in their junior year, often after formal acceptance into their major. Unfortunately, some see this as exceptionally late preparation. Furthermore, as more English language learners (ELLs) and students with exceptional learning needs (ELN) join general education classrooms, teachers increasingly report that they do not feel adequately prepared to successfully meet the diverse needs of these children.
Teacher training programs need to provide more opportunities for students to practice classroom skills sooner. Students who declare their desire to be teachers in their first and second years deserve to have preliminary experiences in simulated or controlled classroom environments. Authentic classroom experiences and programs like TeachLive, a mixed-reality teaching environment, can provide preservice teachers scaffolded opportunities to work on professional skills (for example, classroom management and collaboration) sooner. Additionally, earlier and more diverse classroom-related experiences offer opportunities to (1) determine if candidates want to continue as education majors, and (2) prepare them to be better novice teachers, thus decreasing burnout and increasing career longevity.
Incorporating New and Effective Technologies
Learning Environment and Continuous Improvement
There seem to be limitless possibilities for using technology in the classroom. At the university level, teaching preparation programs include technology for instruction, monitoring, and assessment purposes. It is unclear, however, if candidates have supported opportunities to integrate and use technology to manage their classrooms more efficiently and increase student learning. Teachers need to be informed consumers to maximize the effect of the technology they use in the classroom. In preparation programs, teachers should have deliberate and purposeful opportunities to learn about, apply, and evaluate different technologies as educational tools. To help preservice teachers identify technology serves teaching and learning; they should also engage in guided self-reflection on their use of technology.
Developing Teachers as Action Researchers
Leadership, Learning Environments, and Continuous Improvement
Sagor (2000) describes action research as a process that allows teachers to assist struggling students through an inquiry process (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Action Research Process
Source: Adapted from Guiding School Improvement with Action Research (p. 3), by R. Sagor, 2000, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Copyright 2000 by ASCD.
At the preservice level, some programs require a "capstone" (or research) project prior to graduation. Unfortunately, when it comes to capstone projects, there is little evidence regarding (1) the number of schools that require capstones, (2) the quality of the research conducted, and (3) the number of opportunities beyond a capstone project for preservice teachers to conduct action research. Moreover, the demands on classroom teachers now include becoming better data-based decision makers due to assessment and response to intervention initiatives.
Preservice teaching programs should provide multiple opportunities to conduct action research prior to any capstone project. Preservice teachers should practice (1) identifying an instructional need for a student, a group of students, or a class; (2) implementing an evidence-based instructional support strategy; (3) collecting baseline and performance data; (4) analyzing and interpreting data; and (5) disseminating their findings to contribute to their field. Multiple action research projects allow preservice teachers to familiarize themselves with data collection, data interpretation, and data-based decision-making cycles (and perhaps experience less stress and anxiety regarding these tasks in their future teaching placements).
Encouraging Teacher Advocates, Leaders, and Policy Drivers
Leadership, Partnerships, and Continuous Improvement
In a study of teacher empowerment, Bogler and Somech (2004) found that organizational commitment was related to strong identification as a teaching professional, a willingness to exert effort in shaping schools' goals and values, and the purposeful intent to remain in the field. However, education policy and the teaching profession can often seem to be at the whim of those who have no experience with the profession at any level. This top-down political climate can lead teachers to feel disconnected from their teaching interests or recurring problems of practice (Little, 2006).
Advocacy, involvement, and engagement in policy decisions needs to be practiced as part of teacher preparation programs. Just as professors provide the context for applying research to practice, we must also allow candidates to actively participate in the larger professional community. This can be accomplished through initiatives including (1) providing candidates with rich field experiences over the entire course of their degree program, and (2) encouraging candidates to participate in professional development and training. Rich field experiences allow preservice teachers take an active role in coplanning and coteaching with inservice teachers. Preservice teachers should also participate in local, state, and national conferences as both attendees and presenters. If these connections are established early, we increase the odds that teacher candidates' sense of responsibility and commitment to the profession will remain strong throughout their careers.
Competence, Confidence, and Character
Over the past several decades, teacher roles and responsibilities have changed significantly. In response, there is an urgent need to examine the effectiveness of traditional teacher preparation programs. By reviewing current practice and building off work from groups like the Partnership for 21st Skills, the education community can take steps to ensure that novice teachers begin their careers with the competencies, confidence, and character to succeed.