University/Public School Interface:

Cluster-Driven Professional Development Schools (PDSs) Model for Transformational Teacher Education

By Seth AgboSchool of Education

Pacific UniversityForest Grove, OR.

The Culture of the University

• Preservation of academic culture and resistance to change

• Elite institution—pursuit of theoretical rationality

• Empiricist tradition--Detachment of subject from object.

• Disregard of practice in favor of theory.

Cultural Impact on Teacher Education• Focus on theoretical academic preparation• Ideological struggles between competing virtues

of University and public schools.• Societal idea of a distinct definition of the good

teacher—narrowly construed teaching skills to which teachers must strive to achieve.

• Pre-service teachers face hurdles in teaching because of deficiency in preparation in content of academic area.

• General perspective--pre-service teachers do better with watered-down lower academic standards.

Teacher Training vs. Teacher Education

• Training—Grounding in content knowledge, instruction in education theories and process of imparting knowledge, distinct from the myriad of things teachers do from day-to-day basis.

• Education—building of a professional community of learners and empowering relations.

Professional Development Schools (PDSs).• An integrated professional development and

school reform process.• Concurrent process of pre-service teacher

education, veteran teacher development and school improvement.

• The activities required at all levels to cope with learning and teaching, from the public school to the school of education classroom.

• Emphasis on collaboration—via shared decision-making within schools and between schools and universities, and collaborative research among teachers, students and teacher educators.

Cluster-Driven PDS Model

The Education Clusters

• Integration of two or more courses into learning communities to enable students to develop cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching.

• University faculty members come together to coordinate educational courses centered on a pedagogical theme, e.g. “Social Studies and Literacy in a School Context”.

Learning Community

• Linking together any two or more of existing courses for a cohort of students so that they have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning and more interaction with one another and their teachers.

Cluster as a Type 2 Field Experience is an: Interdisciplinary learning

community that will enable teacher education students to reflect on implementing cross-disciplinary approaches for teaching.

Cluster Enrollment

About 20 students enroll in all courses simultaneously

Enrolling in cluster blocks out students’ schedule for them to commit to cluster particular days of week

Participation in campus-based classes first half of semester and field-based study for remainder.

Organization of the cluster

College and public school faculty come together to coordinate a number of courses centering on a theme—e.g., literature based instruction of elementary social studies content.

PDS SiteStaff

PDS Site Studentsin the Classroom

Cluster Field Experience

University studentsPedagogical

theories

UniversityFaculty

PDS: Cluster-driven Model

PURPOSE OF CLUSTERS:For students to become architects of their

own professional development.For students to become aware of those

aspects of institutional life, school practice and interpersonal relations that are likely to enable or inhibit their development as professionals.

To help beginning teachers to become aware of the conceptions they hold of themselves as teachers.

PURPOSE OF CLUSTERS: (cont.)For students to develop frameworks

for thinking contextually and reflectively about their development.

For students to become aware of and utilize school resources that will enable and enhance their development.

PDS SiteStaff

PDS Site Studentsin the Classroom

Cluster Field Experience

UniversityStudentsEd. Theories

& PedagogicalMethods

UniversityFaculty

PDS on-sitefacilitator

Professional Development School (PDS) Model

PDS Overarching GoalsThe PDS model will:• contribute to the improvement of pre-service

and novice teachers.• contribute to the on-going professional growth

of veteran teachers.• ongoing exchange of pedagogical knowledge

and skills.• help public school administrators and teachers,

college administrators and professors, and cluster students to share knowledge, plan as a team and reflect collectively.

DYNAMICS OF THE PDSThe

School/College partnership is collaborative.

• PDS Site staff and university faculty jointly develop operating policies & procedures: e.g., develop field experience guide, design field experience application, develop field experience assessment rubric, design cluster brochure, etc.

• Public school staff are guest teachers in cluster classes

DYNAMICS OF THE PDS (cont.) University faculty

lead instructional activities in public school classrooms.

Public school staff and university faculty share texts/syllabi, etc.

DYNAMICS OF THE PDS (cont.)Continued

Collaboration• PDS staff and college

faculty must continue to meet regularly for planning and improving ongoing work

• Any new initiatives being planned must be developed jointly between the school and the college

Transformational Learning Model

• Transformational Learning--New frames of teacher learning that professionalize and enhance the learning of pre-service teachers, veteran teachers and teacher educators:

• Learning by teaching• Learning by doing• Learning by collaborating

Transformational LearningUniversity students, Public school

staff, and University faculty will each acquire additional knowledge and new understandings of pedagogy.

Cluster students and public school teachers collaborate to enhance pupil learning and improve teaching practices of students, teachers and college faculty.

The PDS

• Provides learning opportunities for college faculty, and public school teachers as well as pre-service teachers.

• Veteran teachers and college faculty find themselves learning about knowledge and its application and also about both the theory and practice of teaching

Implications for Schools of Education

Reallocation of existing resources and new resources are obtained e.g.,

• University supports priority hiring of PDS site staff as adjunct faculty

• Costs for transportation to PDS sites are paid by university.

Policies

• Policies that require students to participate in teacher education learning communities/clusters.

• Policies that enable cohort groups of students to be established.

• Policies that recognize participation of area public school staff as valuable in-service professional development partners in teacher education and encourage further their involvement in PDS initiatives.

Policies (cont.)

• Policies that support university faculty teaching field-based courses

• Flexibility within systems geared toward traditional teacher preparation

Learning Communities/PDS Work and Scholarship

• Learning communities are participatory action research from which data can be obtained as new knowledge capable of being disseminated through publication.

Survey of a Public School Cluster Mentor Teachers--Spring 1999

• 21 surveys distributed, 15 responses.

• Y= Yes• N= No• S= Sometimes

All responses included significant comments

Q1. Do you enjoy mentoring Cluster students?

• ResultsY =10N = 1S = 4

Comments to Q1

• See as a resource• enjoy reflecting on what we’re

doing personally and as district• do not take cluster students if

have student teacher• enjoy modeling as master teacher• opportunities to revisit a program

experienced as undergrad

Comments to Q1 (cont.)

• Don’t enjoy extra workload without monetary compensation

• some students well prepared and enjoyable to work with; others not

• sometimes overwhelming with our regular load

Q.2. Do your students enjoy working with Cluster students?

• ResultsY= 14N= 0S= 1

Comments to Q.2.

• Enjoy extra individualized attention and assistance

• love a new face• provides another adult role model• enables different instructional

approaches• keeps fresh ideas• can be confusing if too many styles

or different sets of instruction are given

Q.3. How does mentoring a cluster student benefit you as a teacher?

Responses• forces articulation of district policies,

standards of behavior, etc.• provides opportunity to self-reflect on

instructional and assessment methods being employed

• instigates feelings of pride helping mold future teachers

• keeps flexible and open to change

More Responses for Q.3.

• Retains awareness of education issues and methods

• spurs new ideas: two heads are better than one

• makes classroom more efficient; extra pair of hands

• promotes seeing PHCS students from diverse viewpoints

• assists with preparation and organization of materials

Q.4. How do cluster students benefit your students?

Responses• provides 1:1 and small group instructional

support• enables children to be listened to while

reading• provides another role model• helps to increase student skill level• brings new ideas into classroom• exposes different perspectives and talents• not sure

Additional comments generated

• Program allows Cluster students to develop realistic commitment to work ethic required of “real teachers”