2 DTSEDT Developing
teacher self-efficacy and dispositions through tutoring
Behailu (aka Alu) Mammo Behailu.Mammo@Hofstra.edu
Dayna Jean DeFeo djdefeo@alaska.edu
RESEARCH QUESTIONS & METHODS
NOYCE PROGRAM: OVERVIEW
How do preservice teachers develop self-efficacy and teaching dispositions through tutoring exchanges? Design: Phenomenology Data: Scholar self-assessments, written reflections, interviews Do tutoring programs offer opportunities to assess teaching dispositions that are not readily observable in a classroom setting? Design: Case study Data: Faculty observations & interviews
The Hofstra Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, funded that Nation Science Foundation, responds to the critical need for highly effective STEM teachers by preparing and retaining qualified talented undergraduate and graduate mathematics and science students to pursue teaching careers, especially in low-income schools. It produce highly effective teachers by offering an enhanced that includes: 1. Immersive early teaching experiences 2. Coaching of cooperating teachers 3. Regular colloquia, conferences and institutes 4. Leadership roles for the Noyce alumni 5. An induction initiative
SCHOLARS SUPPORTED
TARGET
Factors associated with teacher quality & retention • Teacher self-efficacy is associated with retention and student learning, but many teachers lack confidence in their ability to serve students who are culturally or socioeconomically different than themselves. Teacher self-efficacy can be developed in preservice education internship experiences, and is supported with reflection. • Teacher dispositions are attitudes and values that reflect an educator’s professional demeanor. They include fairness and a belief in all students’ capacity to learn; respect for differences; commitment to families, colleagues, and communities; and ethical behavior. Though teacher education programs must assess dispositions to meet accreditation guidelines, it is difficult to do this effectively.
Scholar count: 45+ Funding: $2 mil
STRATEGY
Tutoring work experience to help preservice teachers develop transferrable skills Peer tutoring centers are staples on college campuses. Much attention is given to how tutoring benefits tutees, but recent scholarship notes benefits for tutors including an opportunity to develop collaborative and social skills, bridge cultural differences, deconstruct barriers that inhibit learning, teach fairness and ethics, develop an attitude of self-respect, cultivate problem-solving skills and collaboration, and learn to negotiate differences. Many of these skills are transferrable to teaching. DTSEDT2 will develop a partnerships between Hofstra University’s tutoring center and school of education to promote teacher development.
NEED
Retain educators in high-need schools Teacher turnover harms schools, instruction, and student achievement, and is higher in high-need schools. STEM teachers leave at higher rates than their colleagues who teach in other fields.
EXPECTED PRODUCTS
• 2 peer reviewed articles • 2 national conference presentations Scholars receive
The experience results in
Training, mentoring, and feedback
Preservice teachers who are more critical and self-aware as they enter their teaching internships
Work experience with diverse learners Faculty observation time
Effective tutoring for college students New perspectives on teacher dispositions
The impact is
Teachers who are prepared to work in high-need schools, and are more likely to be retained in those settings Better academic support services on campus Tool and strategy to support TEPs in developing and assessing teacher dispositions