A Canadian pre-tenure teacher educator

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A Canadian pre-tenure teacher educators
professional development journey Her struggles
in teaching at the University level.
International Professional Development
Association 2010 Conference Birmingham, UK

• Stephanie Chitpin
• University of Ottawa
• November, 2010

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Abstract

• - This paper explores elements of my
  professional development as a pre-tenured
  university professor.
• - I trace my journey of growth which was aided
  by peer mentoring.
• A brief discussion on literature associated with
  mentoring.
• How mentoring helped me improve my teaching
  practice through critical conversations.
• It documents my struggles to improve my teaching
  at the university level.
• I am not presenting it as a model of best
  practice but, highlighting how mentoring allowed
  me to reflect on and improve my teaching
  practice.

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Literature on Mentoring

• Mentoring is one of the many strategies promoted
  to create reflective practitioners (Mullen, 2000)
  
• Mentoring requires mentors to build trust with
  less experienced colleague, help them to reflect
  upon pedagogical practices and build competence
  (Moir Hanson, 2008).
• Learning to teach can be uncomfortable for both
  the mentors and the mentees.

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Mentoring

• In academic settings, mentoring can occur in the
  traditional one-to-one or group format.
• Abate and Eddy suggest that a formal matching
  process may be less effective than informal
  matching (p. 366).
• The traditional one-to-one mentoring may promote
  a hierarchical power relationship between the
  mentor and the mentee (Darwin, 2000 Hansman,
  2003 McCormack West, 2006).
• When mentees adopt mentors teaching styles and
  language use without having a full understanding
  their success at fitting in are likely to be
  superficial (Maynard, 2001).

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Theories of Mentoring

• Among the many theories of mentoring that exist
  in the literature, learning by reflecting and
  learning through apprenticeship will be
  explored in this paper

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Learning by reflecting

• We do not learn from experience. We learn from
  reflecting on experience (Dewey, 1933, p. 78).
• Dewey defines reflection as active,
  persistent and careful consideration of any
  belief or practice in light of reasons that
  support it and the further consequences to which
  it leads (p. 9).

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Definitions of Reflection

• Lockhart (1994) defines reflective teaching as
  teachers and student teachers collect data about
  teaching, examine their attitudes, beliefs,
  assumptions and teaching practices, and use the
  information obtained as a basis for critical
  reflection about teaching
• Other definitions take a broader stance and
  embed the concept of reflection within the social
  and political contexts of programs, schools and
  communities (Zeichner Liston, 1996)

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Learning through apprenticeship

• Some scholars have challenged the theory of
  learning by reflecting a view of learning to
  teach as an apprenticeship (Brown McIntyre,
  1993).
• They also draw on Lortie (1975) notion that
  craft is work in which experience improves
  performance and it cannot be learned in weeks
  or even months (Brown McIntyre, 1993, p. 18).
• Brooks and Sikes (1997) state that while
  learning through apprenticeship might be useful
  for passing on lower-order craft skills (p. 18)
  - not be suitable for teaching.
• Shaw (1992) believes that teacher training would
  be very flat if it were reduced to on-the-job
  apprenticeship (p. 58).

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Learning to Teach

• Juxtaposing different settings to present life as
  student, classroom teacher, doctoral student and
  pre-tenured university teacher education
  professor
• Description of the Curriculum Design and
  Evaluation course

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Pre-service teachers feedback on the course

• The following are samples of comments from
  pre-service teachers evaluations of the course
• I have found the course to be helpful. I have
  used the ideas from the readings and
  assignments/postings in my practicum. Group
  discussions/work is very valuable. I have gained
  a lot from the experiences of my instructor and
  peers.
• I found the course was well structured. I like
  how we get a chance to apply the assessment
  concepts and then report back to the group what
  has worked and what hasnt. I also like how we
  can go back to the postings to read the different
  ways our peers have addressed teaching/learning
  issues.

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Pre-service teachers feedback on the course

• I still believe that I have learned the most in
  my practicum. However, I entered this course with
  an attitude that I will not get much out of it
  because my older brother took the course with
  you the previous year. I was pleasantly
  surprised to find out that you have changed the
  contents/assignments/evaluations for the course.
  I actually have quite enjoyed your course. I find
  your course has been helpful in preparing me to
  become a teacher. Thank you.

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Pre-service teachers feedback on the course

• - I find the modules on Lesson planning and
  Differentiated Instructional Strategies to be
  the most useful for me. I have printed out the
  readings of these two modules so that I would use
  them as references. I find your podcast on
  Blackward Design to be extremely useful. My
  associate teacher was impressed with the way I
  have designed my lesson plans.

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Conclusion

• - challenges and dilemmas faced as a pre-tenured
  teacher educator preparing new teachers
• - teaching is a lifelong task, an
  autobiographical act
• - learning to teach is a laborious,
  time-consuming and reflective process
• - experiences influence what and how I
  teach
• - only a small marking on my professional
  journey
• - acknowledging my not so successful teaching
  experiences has allowed me to view the future
  with a different lens

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Acknowledgements

• I wish to thank the University of Ottawa for the
  grant to allow me to pursue this work. I would
  also like to thank all my mentors, Ben Levin,
  J.Gary Knowles, Maurice Taylor, Terry Orlick and
  Christian Blanchette for sharing their own
  teaching moments and for continuing to inspire me
  with their teaching ideas.

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