studentteachers

Meeting with Methods Professors
Notes from our meeting on May 29, 2009; 9-11am

**Will attend:** Professor Mustapha Masrour, Hofstra University Professor Madeline Turan, SUNY at Stonybrook

Our "Wish List" for student teachers:
·  Offerings for cooperating teachers – one day workshop with info about how teachers are trained, what courses they take, etc. ·  Chairs interview student teaching candidate prior to being approved by the district à provide direct feedback to schools about candidate’s qualifications ·  Student teacher should research the district beforehand/know something about the program (i.e., visit school/district website) ·  Chairs would like to learn more about the methods courses that candidates are taking (i.e., is it a specific WL methods course, or a general teaching methods course?); are students involved in real-life experiences (i.e., simulations) during the methods course? Are students being videotaped during sample lessons? Are they watching videos of best practices and making comments, critique of what they see? ·  What methodologies are being taught? understanding of communicative language teaching methodology? Comprehensible input? Which textbooks? (i.e., Glissan; Omaggio-Hadley; Curtain and Pesola) ·  Knowledge of technology à uses in WL classroom; access to online authentic materials; use of SMARTBoard, PowerPoint, etc.; *has a back-up if technology doesn't work! ·  Do students take courses in addition to student teaching? If so, students can’t get the full benefits of student teaching b/c they have papers, exams, classes, etc. <span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à full time status <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Students should take and pass all required state exams prior to starting student teaching <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Students should be at a certain level of ACTFL proficiency scale (OPI?) prior to starting student teaching <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Encourage study abroad for teachers (OR equivalent local opportunities to practice with native speakers); Encourage Masters in TL, dual language certification (especially for LCTLs), FLES certification <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Make students aware of scholarships, fellowships (i.e., AATSP, AATF, NECTFL, Fulbright, etc.) for students to study abroad <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Challenge for chairs: how to recruit the BEST teachers to be mentors/cooperating teachers; credits are not an incentive for some of the best/more experiences <span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à stipends, travel opportunities, etc. <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Understanding of special education students/strategies? <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Encourage (require???) candidates to be members of local, state and national organizations (i.e., LILT, NYSAFLT, ACTFL) <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Have students create a portfolio - online (i.e. a website) or otherwise o Pdf files; lessons o Photos of candidate working with students o videos <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Professional responsibilities (outside of classroom) o Socializing out of district (partying, bars, etc.) o Dress, appearances, seriousness of purpose o Facebook, MySpace, websites <span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à professional image o Email address on resume; message on home answering machines/cell phones o Spend time before and after school working with cooperating teacher, students, doing lesson planning, etc. <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Districts <span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à provide candidates with a guidebook or handbook <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Weekly meetings between student teachers and chair <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Help student teachers with resumes <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Observe and write up observation reports for student teachers; give constructive criticism <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Encourage student teachers to attend department meetings, board meetings, etc. <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Facilitate observations of other department teachers (and observation of teachers from other disciplines) <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> As chairs, we introduce and include student teacher in department activities <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Perform exit interviews with student teachers to talk about their experiences during the student teaching period <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Cooperating teachers need to be honest with student teachers regarding strengths and weaknesses; chairs provide cooperating teachers with “training” about how to communicate this information to student teachers <span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à “difficult conversations” <span style="font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> Establish a “common vocabulary” re: observations (i.e., use NCFLRC document to help observe candidates); a list of questions that would help cooperating teachers assess student teachers
 * How we can support student teachers: **