Case Study 46:

New StrategiesWhat to do when you do not agree with your student

teacher’s strategies?

Your Student Teacher

“The University School of Education where your student

teacher was educated is known as an innovative school in

touch with the latest developments. The result is apparent as

your student teacher, Quincie, comes with a number of ideas

that are different from your practices. She believes that

students learn from each other and the teacher’s role is that of

a facilitator. In addition, she has indicated that she wants to

evaluate her students by the use of portfolios rather than by

giving conventional tests.”

Situation

“One day in class, Quincie has the

students in groups and they obviously are not

on task. This concerns you because you think

the student teacher should intervene and be

more directive. Yet, you are aware of the

consequences resulting from interruptions.”

• Interruptions should occur only when irreversible damage is being done to the class!

• Post recommends the following “Teacher I’s”.

Do NOT:– Interfere: jump in unnecessarily.– Interrogate: jump all over the student teacher.– Impeach: make fun of the student teacher for errors.– Impugn: question, attack, or contradict the student teacher.– Impede: prevent professional growth by not addressing the issue.– Insult: tell the student teacher “they should have known better”.

DO NOT INTERRUPT!

The Textbook Says:pgs. 186-187

• A good planning conference between the cooperating teacher and student teacher should alert both parties to any potential problems!

Conference with the teacher before the lesson to discuss the strategies

that should be used.

The Textbook Says:pg. 87

• Supervision involves a passive role and requires teaching on a one-on-one basis using:–Observation–Analysis–Conference Skills

Conference with the teacher about what you observed and analyzed.

The Textbook Says:Pgs. 170-171

What do you do?

The book suggests the

following for discussion:

What do you do?

Quietly get the student teacher’s

attention and ask her to become more

involved in directing the students.

What do you do?

Get Involved by making the rounds to

each group and attempting to get them

on task.

What do you do?

Ignore the situation and make a note to

discuss with her whether or not any

learning was occurring.

What do you do?

Quietly leave the room in order to avoid

further frustration.

Textbook Commentpg. 189

“Many practices are changing so rapidly in education that it

is difficult to determine what is and what is not worthwhile. It is

sometimes comfortable just to remain with the procedure that works

and to resist any changes. However, it is important to allow your

student teacher some freedom to experiment with new strategies.

In this case, the cooperating teacher has to make a judgment as to

whether the new technique is working. Is the problem the strategy,

the delivery, or the classroom management? A reflective conference

with the student teacher should help to avoid a repeated situation.”