Successful Alternative Licensure Student Teachers Michael Maher, Ph.D. Director of Professional Education Alison C. Winzeler NC TEACH Program Coordinator North Carolina State University

The Lateral Entry Candidate  Mid-career professionals who have already earned undergraduate and/or graduate degrees  Possess strong content knowledge  Interested in communicating real-life application of their content to the students  Experienced in their field and a strong desire to share their knowledge-base with a younger generation  Desire to enter the classroom immediately and work toward their certification while teaching

NC TEACH at NCSU  We accept applicants who meet the minimum Lateral Entry requirements and who are strong in their content knowledge and who have a sincere desire to develop a pedagogical framework to work with the contemporary student population  6 education classes, Praxis II, content classes, 1 year of teaching on a Provisional License will achieve the minimum requirements to be cleared for a Standard A Professional License

The Student Teaching Option  Due to the economy,  Fairly rigorous interview process  Support through weekly class  Recommendations from NC TEACH instructors (later slide, how has this changed)  Placements outside Wake County  Additional cost (financial and time)

The Problem  The NC TEACH student teachers met many challenges during this process that were unlike the problems faced by their Lateral Entry counterparts who had full-time positions. The difficulties were also somewhat different in nature from those of the traditional undergraduate student teacher.

Research Purpose  To clearly describe some obstacles to successful student teaching that are distinctive to alternative licensure candidates  To identify the factors that predict success for alternative licensure candidates  To suggest a recasting of alternative licensure training programs in their approach to the student teacher in order to foster success in terms of screening, selection, and support.

Research Questions 1. What factors determine alternative licensure student teacher success? 2. Why do they fail? Do they fail for the same reasons as traditional student teachers? 3. What factors influence their success? 4. How can we recast our approach to all alternative pathways by focusing on the intense and quickly-paced student teaching experience?  What strengths to do alternative licensure candidates possess? What do they bring to the classroom?  In what ways are they in need of development and support?  What characteristics have worked to their detriment? How can we help?

Approach and Methodology: An Overview  Qualitative Research Case Study  Constructivist Approach  6 Alternative Licensure Student Teachers in North Carolina  Videotaped Interviews (1 – 1.5 hours) using interview guide  Open-ended questions  Data collection and analysis is ongoing  These are preliminary results and findings

Interview Questions Background Information  How would you describe yourself?  In what profession(s) have you worked? What were some of your responsibilities in this position?  Are there any memories of school (elementary, middle, or high) that stand out?  Are there any specific teachers you remember?  Why do you want to be a teacher?  When you chose to become a teacher, what was your definition of teaching?

Interview Questions Experience Student Teaching  Describe critical events from your student teaching experience.  Describe the relationship with your Cooperating Teacher.  What was your experience regarding classroom management? Lesson planning?  What didn’t you know about teaching that you learned (what would fall into the category of “I didn’t know”).  Describe your time management during your experience.  Describe your stress levels during your experience.  Describe your day-to-day routines. In what specific ways did your habits change?  How did you balance your outside responsibilities?  What is your favorite part of teaching?  What is the hardest part of teaching?  Describe how your classroom will look when you have a teaching position.  What advice would you give to the next round of NC TEACHers who are preparing to student teach?

Data Analysis  Watched the video-taped interviews  Observed commonalities  Recognized patterns  Focus on 3: 2 successful, 1 did not finish

Jim Flannery  Career:  Description:  Strengths:  Challenges:  Overcame challenges:

Robert Lohr  Career:  Description:  Strengths:  Challenges:  Overcame challenges:

James Joslin  Career:  Description:  Strengths:  Challenges:  Why he opted out when met challenges:

Results and Findings  Obstacles  Overcoming obstacles  Strengths  Roadblock (won’t get past – James Joslin)

Results and Findings  Factors that predict success:  Learned to make the student part of the teaching process  Previous experiences tutoring, substitute teaching, or mentoring

Recommendations  Screening, Selection, and Support  Previous experience working with groups of children (not their own kids) and preferably of the age group they would like to teach  In teaching philosophy or admissions essay, read for evidence of the student as part of the teaching process (rather than the “sage on the stage”)  Support: In methods classes, move from teacher- centered approaches to student-centered approaches. Perhaps encourage more study of students as they are

Implications and Recommendations for Future Research  Longitudinal Study  Ongoing interviews with candidates each semester  Student or parent perception of non- traditional student teachers (and their benefits to the class)