Please circle the appropriate response: SD=Strongly disagree, D=Disagree, U=Uncertain, A=Agree, SA=Strongly agree.

Transcription

1 Evaluation of Dillon fall term project for CTs (25 replies) Please circle the appropriate response: SD=Strongly disagree, D=Disagree, U=Uncertain, A=Agree, SA=Strongly agree. 1. One of the major goals of this term was to provide students with a fuller and more realistic awareness of the life of a teacher nowadays, i.e., nature of the work, expectations, challenges faced, key issues, etc.) than is normally available during the usual field experiences. This goal was achieved. SD D U A-1 SA A second major goal of the term was to provide students with an opportunity to develop their ability as a teacher in a broader and deeper manner than is normally possible during the usual field experiences (in other words, stronger preparation for teaching). This goal was achieved. SD D U A-1 SA A major means of achieving the term s goals was full-time experience in schools over the term. This approach was effective. SD D U A-1 SA Another major means of trying to achieve the term s goals was to integrate the conceptual learning of course work with the experiential learning of student teaching over the entire term (as opposed to the usual approach of separating the course work and student teaching in terms of time frame, staff, etc.). This strategy involved an alternative delivery of course work, i.e., readings, assignments applied to classroom work, on-site discussion groups, use of school and school board workshops, etc., in order to better support the development of students teaching ability. This approach was effective. SD D-1 U-6 A-4 SA Another major means of trying to achieve the term s goals was to place students in schools in larger groups than is normally the case in student teaching in order to foster a more shared and supportive environment for the term s work. This approach was effective. SD D-1 U-4 A-5 SA The organization and purpose of the term was clear.

2 SD D U A-8 SA One of the main principles of the longer time in schools was a slower, more foundational start to build a stronger base for teaching than is normally possible in student teaching. This strategy was effective. SD D-1 U A-5 SA Another principle of the longer time in the school was a deeper and further development of one s teaching ability than is normally the case in student teaching. This was an effective strategy. SD D U A-3 SA Another principle of the longer time in schools was broader professional learning than is normally possible during student teaching. This strategy was effective. SD D U A-5 SA A final principle of the longer time in school was enhanced reflective learning than is normally possible during student teaching, particularly through the development of a professional teaching portfolio. This strategy was effective. SD D U-6 A-5 SA Besides the main goals of enhanced teacher preparation, the project was also designed to be of benefit to the cooperating teacher and the school in meeting its needs and goals for children. This goal was achieved. SD D U A-5 SA The purpose, organization, and guidelines for the term were clear. SD D U A-8 SA The supervisor was available for consultation, questions, help, etc. SD D U A-8 SA The supervisor s visits were helpful in terms of my role as a cooperating teacher. SD D U-2 A-9 SA-14

3 15. I would opt to be involved in a project like this again. SD D U A-5 SA I would recommend a project like this to other teachers and schools. SD D U A-5 SA What were the major strengths of this term s project? I feel that the STs truly benefited from their experience here because of the duration. They had the opportunity to see what school life is like and what teachers go through from the beginning. They became part of the staff and were treated as so. The students in school also demonstrated/showed a greater level of respect toward them because they were here from then. Basically a great strength of this project is that it started from the very beginning of the school year. STs were part of the school family. The respect and mutual cooperation between CT and ST. The strong rapport with students. The STs ability to see students progress, implement full projects, experience school life and politics. The critical development of their own abilities. The fact that the ST was present from the beginning allowed the students to see her as one of their teachers. She gained the respect immediately and her presence as a teacher was evident. STs were able to develop in an earlier time frame their assessments of students abilities/strengths and therefore plan effective lessons. STs were integrated into staff planning, meetings, etc., therefore becoming an asset to greater school life. CT and ST had the extra time necessary to make long-term goals and achieve them. The STs got to see all the behind the scenes scheduling conflicts, etc. that had to be worked out in September. They became an integral part of the staff and could have time to develop richer programs. The ST grew professionally and realistically. The students benefited from one-to-one teaching time. The ST really had an opportunity to watch the students develop. The ST had the opportunity to be part of the students life outside of the school by being part of the home/school communication.

4 They felt more like part of our staff since they were here form the beginning. Students regard them as a real teacher for the same reason. They watched me establish routines and climate of class from the beginning. They saw me fail and go to Plan B many times as I learned what would work with particular students. Extra set of hands (ST) was wonderful the children received more help. That the ST sees all aspects of school life. ST was able to plan over a longer term, making lessons more specific and using differentiated learning. Watching the professional growth of the student teacher. Revisiting teaching strategies strengthened my teaching. Conferencing and sharing ideas. Validating best practices. Extra support for the students. STs had more time to reflect and reassess their preparations. ST tutoring helpful because they know the children. Time for meeting with the STs although we have STs for a longer time, we do not get more financial support to free us up for more consultation time or for including STs in workshops or conferences that I was attending. Having someone in the classroom to share the everyday problems with the children is a great experience. The ST can actually understand and live the life of a full-time teacher. The children benefited greatly from having two teachers from the first day of school. My ST benefited greatly! She saw how difficult it is, yet how easy it looks to organize and keep students under control while making the learning experience exciting. Allowing the ST a first-hand experience of setting up the classroom, organizing materials, short and long-term planning, establishing routines. Longer time frame to teach and develop managerial practices. Experiencing what goes on before students arrive. Setting up management rules. Getting to know students before taking on lessons, especially special needs. Full involvement of student teacher. STs saw first-hand what was involved in setting up a classroom, in dealing with spur-of-the-moment schedule changes and preparations, and in learning how to be flexible as the need arose. STs are far better prepared to start the year on their own. They see what is involved from the get-go! To feel the realness of teaching.

5 To decide if this realness makes the ST decide to stay in the profession or not. To really have the time to feel the profession, to bond with the children, to feel the extent of what a full term is. Teaching won t and never can be just courses for the students; we want (as teachers) STs who are aware and have a certain, big-time dedication to the love of it all. Courses can t give all of that. This project insures who will make it and who won t, which in my mind is the only honest way for the children. It gave a realistic view of what teaching is all about. Time longer. It was very helpful to have the students helping out with the various tasks at the beginning of the year. Also, they really get to know the children well during a longer stage. The student teacher was able to see the evolution of the class from Day 1 till December. He/she was able to help with the very important task of classroom organization. It gave a realistic view of what teaching is all about. None. 18. What were the major shortcomings of this term s project? Clear information to the students for how to get involved in the class activities. I really cannot answer this. I feel it was the best CT experience. I do not see any negative implications to this. None. I can only guess that perhaps if the relationship between CT and ST was strained, the experience might not be very positive or rewarding. I felt like I lost touch with my class. I couldn t put enough of my imprint on them because she was there from Day 1. The students could potentially develop bad habits or get too used to doing things in a way that I don t want. Honestly, there were none. I spent lots and lots of time in order to help plan and evaluate. This, therefore, lasted for a longer stretch.

6 What is happening at McGill? What is their course load? What are they specifically learning, names of the courses? Time is a big issue a lot of preparation time goes to after school. Tutoring after school is a problem because then we have a hard time meeting with them. The course work is not very clear. This year I found it harder to know what my ST was responsible for. Finding time daily to discuss, share, plan, evaluate, assess, and reflect. Conflicting schedules. Out-of-school commitments. Extra time on the part of CT at a very busy (and stressful) time of year (beginning). Time consuming. My needs as a classroom teacher took a back seat. None really enjoyed it. None!! Superb idea. Reflects Project MEET of the late 60s and 70s. (I was in it it was a great learning experience!!) Not one for me. Tuesday afternoon? Is it necessary? None. It needs to be clear to the students that they should be in school every day unless they are very sick. Some were under the impression that absences would be tolerated because of their extra month in class. Depending on the student teacher, teaching together can be extremely successful. Tuesday afternoons? 19. What suggestions would you make for improving the project in the future?

7 I would perhaps review the evaluation forms because I don t really find them appropriate for this sort of experience. Also I feel that the students should play a role in their evaluation by perhaps writing up a self-evaluation. Self-evaluation by the STs to present their own weaknesses and strengths. The evaluation forms should be examined and made more user-friendly and relevant to this experience. Evaluation forms that are more appropriate. Perhaps having a clearer picture of what the course work involves, as the CT, so that I could possible help the ST implement the objectives necessary. Knowing what input I could provide in the development of the portfolio and have the opportunity to see it come together. The CT should be more involved with seeing the portfolios and knowing what is happening in their meetings with McGill. Suggest that every field experience for STs are adapted as well as the ones in this field experience project. Every ST should have a long-term placement like this. Give students an extra week to reflect after their stage. Release time for consultation. At Concordia, STs know exactly what they must do in the class. In Kindergarten, Concordia students need to develop their own games and create their own centre. I feel we need more of this with McGill students. Sharing of assignments with CT. Never so a stage in the same school. Pre-discussion knowing the etiquette and knowing your place. More visits with supervisors to review situations or problems in the classroom and just to get another viewpoint of their success or failures. Expand it in fourth year! I would hope there would be more students able to participate in this project. The program should allow ST the opportunity to return for a short period of time to see the progress of the children, i.e., academically, socially, etc.

8 I think the supervisor should be more present in the school. Perhaps attendance should be included as part of the evaluation, i.e., an attendance sheet like we make up for our students. 1. The program should not end December 2. I would like it to end the second or third week of December. 2. The student teacher should be able to come back the second half of the year to see the progress that the children have made. 20. What were the key factors that had the biggest impact on the outcome of the term (positive or negative)? For examples, particular ST, time frame, organizational structure, particular instructor/supervisor, etc.? Time frame/duration. Very positive. It gives us more time for extra activities in our classes and in the school. The willingness of the ST to develop the necessary skills that enabled her to become a confident, well-rounded, and prepared individual. Having the extra weeks allowed for the time frame that made the above possible. The time allowed us to communicate constantly and adjust our plans together. Having her here all day every day made her like a colleague as opposed to stagiere. Organizational structure well done. Supervision very appropriate from Mr. Dillon. Participation in report cards and planning lessons very appropriate. The ST developed a very realistic portrait of schools today. The ST developed a more extensive teaching repertoire. STs were included in professional development workshops and learned a lot. The ST s supervisor was excellent! A great evaluation for the ST s lessons and very respectful and unintrusive of our workload. Having a very cooperative class. The ST was always organized and well-prepared and developed a good relationship with the students. Helping the ST organize and prioritize her time. The experience with special needs in the class. ST rapport with parents and staff.

9 There were many positives. Extra help for students this year was great! This K bunch are very active!! It was difficult because my ST had other responsibilities and arrived at the bell and left at the bell. (She took on after-school homework program.) Time frame is key. My particular ST benefited by my organizational system. Having two supervisors was a benefit as two different approaches and demands and input was given to the ST. Negative lack of time due to ST involvement in after-school homework program. Lack of time. The most successful thing I saw was the realization from the ST that everything started from scratch. They didn t realize what August/September entailed and I feel that this was a real eye-opener. There were no negative factors. The time frame was beneficial for all. McGill supervisor was very receptive to our suggestions and concerns. Positive great ST. Postive my student teacher was exceptionally wonderful and having her for 3 months was great. Less teaching time for me (negative). I did miss teaching my class and attachment is less likely to happen. 21. What were the major impacts of the term on you? To see the ST s growth. It helped me give more help to students with special needs. I was able to feel the satisfaction of watching my ST go from a reserved and hesitant observer in the beginning to a confident, independent, and active leader for her students by the end of this project. I truly felt by the end of things that we had a teaching assistant and not a student teacher. I could see the student s growth and progress in terms of preparation and confidence. We felt like a team.

10 Being part of team teaching and being flexible. Being real partners in the interviews with parents and in resolutions of conflicts in class. Developing confidence in ST. Having the ST in my class allowed me to focus on building strengths for weaker students. It also helped me put teaching elements into perspective, when trying to share those elements (teach) with the ST. I felt that I needed to have great lessons to model for my ST; it was therefore better for my class s learning. A great deal of support to help the children who have difficulty in reading and math. We were able to work one-on-one with more children. Lots of work. Watching an adult learning. This latter learning helped in reminding me when I talk to the parents to break down the comments to make sure they understand the problems or successes. It was extremely helpful to have a ST in class. I had constant help and that was great. I am very keen and I put a lot of time into teaching. As a ST, I was the same. Are my expectations too high? Time or lack thereof. Clear idea of reflective process of ST. This experience was a positive one as my ST was excellent and we team taught and shared a lot of ideas (and reflections). Exhaustion. Self-reflection. Someone was there right from the start to see what you were doing and where you were heading. You didn t have to change mid-term to do this when the ST arrived in October. I learned from my ST. New ideas were brought to the classroom and having 2 teachers proved beneficial for our very special class. Children with diverse needs! I loved the team teaching, the helping of someone who wished to learn, to develop. I loved the enthusiasm of my ST, but equally if the ST had problems, we would have been together (I believe) long enough to help her/him realize it wasn t for them. That s my job too. Given more time with them, I wouldn t feel guilty. A larger amount of time helps me be more honest and knowledgeable about their abilities.

11 I was very fortunate to work with a student whom I d be proud to have as a colleague. My class was very lucky. Less teaching time for me (negative). Team teaching situation (positive). More time to do long-term planning, to help individual students, to get more help planning projects and activities for students. 22. Other important comments, suggestions, etc. It s a very healthy experience for the school as a whole. Other staff members have expressed how the STs were integrated well and that socially they were seen as colleagues. I enjoyed the experience very much and believe that starting from the first day is brilliant. Issues were well finalized with cooperation and collaboration of ST. Professional development during the stage was very appreciated by the ST. This stage is a big success. Facilite d integration de facon quotidienne a la routine et situations imprevisibles. Keep the program! Sharing their portfolio assessment, what their ideas are. STs have to realize before the third-year stage what the job entails. Perhaps the ST might be taught how to develop a package on a particular theme (adaptable to grade levels) so that they can have an idea prior to coming in. This is an excellent program for fourth-year STs as well. Please keep up this longer and earlier stage for STs. It s beneficial to both CTs and to students. N.B. Attach additional sheets if necessary