Journal+Article+Review-+Learning+to+Teach-+The+Influence+of+a+University-School+Partnership+Project+on+Pre-Service+Elementary+Teacher's+Efficacy+for+Literacy+Instruction

Susan Gentry EDU 713 October 11, 2011

Johnson, Denise (2010). Learning to teach: the influence of a university-school partnership project on pre-service elementary teachers’ efficacy for literacy instruction. //Reading// //Horizons, 50// (1), pp. 23-48.

Introduction According to Johnson (2010), there are numerous studies indicating that teachers with high senses of self-efficacy have been proven to possess many positive teaching behaviors, such as resourcefulness, effective planning and organizational abilities, optimism, and enthusiasm; these teachers are more committed to staying in the profession. Additionally, these teachers tend to use more positive classroom management strategies and have students with higher outcomes in achievement and motivation. The development of self-efficacy as a teacher begins in the pre-service stage and is subject-matter specific. Different sources that foster efficacy development include mastering experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological arousal. Some of these sources are not possible without collaboration between the pre-service teacher, the cooperating teacher, and the university instructor. Unfortunately, it is very common for pre-service teachers to be placed with cooperating teachers who do not model or believe in the best practices in literacy instruction that are being taught to pre-service teachers, making collaboration difficult. Such a disturbing trend can lead to lower senses of self-efficacy in pre-service and beginning teachers regarding their abilities to teach literacy effectively. This article describes a study that suggests pre-service teachers who collaborate with master classroom teachers using similar literacy methods to those being taught in their college education courses develop high self efficacy in their ability to teach literacy.

//The Project// In this study, a university professor addressed this specific problem with her class of 25 pre-service teachers whose cooperating teachers did not adhere to the current best-practice literacy methods being taught at the college. This professor collaborated with three elementary school classroom teachers who used the same research based literacy practices taught in the course. Using teacher swaps (where the professor would take over one of the teacher’s classrooms while that teacher would present a lesson, video, and discussion with the pre-service teachers) and teacher visits (where the pre-service teachers would visit the three classroom teachers and observe them teach during literacy, followed by a discussion with the teacher), the pre-service teachers were given many opportunities to observe, speak with, and question these three teachers using literacy methods consistent with their college instruction. The researcher of this project wanted to understand how this collaboration influenced the pre-service teachers’ senses of self efficacy in making decisions in literacy instruction. “The results of the data analysis reveal that the teacher swap project positively influenced pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for literacy instruction”(p. 37), demonstrating the importance of collaboration during the pre-service teaching experience.

Methods This study included 25 pre-service teachers in two sections of the same reading methods course. Fifteen of the pre-service students were graduate students and ten were undergraduate students; three were male and 22 were female and all were in their early twenties. All 25 pre-service teachers had completed the first section of the class where they had only observed in their field placement classes. The qualitative method was used as interviews were given to 12 of the 25 pre-service teachers after each teacher swap and visit. These interviews were immediately transcribed and organized for data analysis. Open and axial coding were used by the researcher and assistant to examine the date that came from the interviews. In addition to the interviews, all students were required to write reflections on their experiences with the teacher swap. These 100 reflections were included in the data analysis. Lastly, essays questions pertaining to the four sources of efficacy were required of the students before and after their student teaching

Results As mentioned, the results of this study revealed that the teacher swap and teacher visits had a positive influence on these 25 pre-service teachers. The data collected in this study indicate that students were able to use the information they gained from the vicarious experiences in the teacher swap project to begin analyzing the task of implementing effective literacy practices in their future classrooms and to assess their personal teaching competence (pg. 38). Additionally, the essay questions revealed high efficacy in their ability to teach literacy, demonstrating confidence in implementing strategies that they had seen only through the teacher swap and teacher visits program and not their cooperating classrooms.

Discussion, Significance, Implications

The data from both observing master teachers using best practices in literacy instruction with their children, as well as discussing with these master teachers their thinking and reflecting upon their teaching, indicate that this partnership fostered stronger self-efficacy among the 25 pre-service teachers regarding their ability to effectively teach literacy. Some explanations for the positive outcome of this study include social cognitive theory, where these pre-service teachers were able to both learn about literacy practices cognitively, while watching them implemented behaviorally. Another theory for the results of positive self-efficacy among the pre-service teachers in this study includes the opportunity for them to collaborate with master teachers, communicating and gaining understanding into their though processes concerning effective literacy instruction and sharing the common goal of becoming better teachers of literacy. Some limitations identified by the researcher include a small sample size, of only 25 pre-service teachers; only 12 were interviewed. Also, a longitudinal study on this group would be necessary in order to determine their sense of self-efficacy during their first year of teaching. The researcher feels, however, that “the value of qualitative methods should not be underestimated” (p.44) since research has shown that interviews and essay questions provide a “thick, rich description of teachers’ efficacy”. Thus, the implications of this study, according to the researcher, are that pre-service teachers should be provided with the opportunity to observe and collaborate with master teachers using best practices in literacy instruction in order to increase their own self-efficacy as future teachers of literacy.

My Thoughts I can identify very well to this study, as I experienced the same difficulties as a pre-service teacher. I was unable to observe and try out current literacy methods or communicate and interact with teachers who were able to use them effectively. My classmates and I were expected to implement different reading strategies, but instead were forced to use basal readers and worksheets in our cooperating classrooms. True collaboration with our cooperating teachers wasn’t possible, since we did not share a common vision (Friend & Cook, 2010) to use the current best practices in literacy instruction. Many of my co-pre-service teachers and I experienced great difficulty our first years of teaching. If we had been able to do the same type of teacher swap and teacher visit program, I feel certain that many of us would have had higher self-efficacy in our abilities to teach literacy.

Connections I believe that this study exemplifies the powerful effects of collaboration. According to Friend & Cook’s (2010) definition of collaboration (p.9), the university professor and the three master teachers truly collaborated; the four professionals equally and voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they worked toward the common goal of improving the groups’ self-efficacy by providing the opportunity to vicariously experience best practices in literacy instruction through observations and discussions with master teachers. Within their plan of the teacher swap, the four all met regularly to discuss the program and provided feedback, an interpersonal skill necessary for collaboration to succeed (p.259). The collaboration was successful as the data analysis indicated. I believe that collaboration also existed among the pre-service teachers and the master teachers. They all shared the common goal to promote better literacy instruction skills in the pre-service teachers and they were equals in their relationships, as grades were not given by the master teachers. Many interpersonal communication skills were used in order for the pre-service teachers to ask appropriate questions that seek information from the thinking of the master teachers (p.269). The result of this collaboration was greater self-efficacy in the pre-service teachers, a quality that produce positive behaviors in teachers. References Johnson, Denise (2010). Learning to teach: the influence of a university-school partnership project on pre-service elementary teachers’ efficacy for literacy instruction. //Reading// //Horizons, 50// (1), pp. 23-48.

Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2010). //Interactions: Collaboration sills for school professionals// (5th edition). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.