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Making Connections: Preparing Teachers for Online
Environments Through Partnerships between
Virtual Schools and Teacher Education Programs
Leanna Archambault, Ph.D.Arizona State UniversityKathryn Kennedy, Ph.D.
Georgia Southern University
2007
Iowa State - Teacher Education Goes Into Virtual Schooling (TEGIVS)
Boise State - Going Virtual Series
2008
Leanna’s dissertation -- The Characteristics, Knowledge and Preparation Levels of K-12 Online Distance Educators in the United States
2009
FLVS partners with UCF, UF, USF
UF - The Virtual School Practicum
Kathryn’s dissertation – A phenomenological study of pre-service teachers’ experience in a virtual school
Relevant Literature: Preparing teachers to teach online
Purpose
What models of field experience exist to help prepare pre service teachers for K-12 online learning environments?
Methodology
• Two mixed data survey instruments• Teacher education program survey• Virtual school program survey
• Sampling and Participants • Survey methods sources used:
• Dillman (2010). Email and Internet surveys.• Manfreda et al. (2008). Web surveys versus other
survey modes: a Meta-analysis comparing response rate.
• Shih et al. (2008) Comparing response rates from Web and mail surveys: A meta-analysis.
Survey Results
• 242 total, all states except South Dakota• Administrators (24.7%), teachers (72.6%), serving
9-12th (84.2%) grade population• Most from state virtual school (34.1%), cyber
charters (31%) or district-level programs (27.6%)• Majority responding from 100% online programs
(81.2%)• Vast majority said they did not offer field
experiences; 88 said they did (36%)
Models
• 8 distinct models – Florida, Texas, Georgia, Idaho, Utah (2), multi-state (2)
• Some said yes, but did not provide a model or sufficient detail• Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, California
• 2 multi-state cyber charter/academy
Florida
• K-12, state-level virtual school, 100% Online• Partner with multiple universities• Have offered field experiences for 1-3 years• Varying lengths of field experiences
• 7 weeks for juniors pre-service teachers• 14 weeks for senior pre-service teachers• Varies for graduate-level pre-service teachers
Idaho
• 6-12th grade, state-level virtual school, 100% online• Hybrid, web facilitated, flexible options on the
way• Partners with two colleges, dual credit, AP• Course instructor at the university• 4-8 weeks long, 4-8 hours per week• Activities include discussion facilitation, grading
student work, creating new course content, communicating with students, holding webinars, learning about the virtual school, understanding academic honesty
K-12 online learning program survey
• For those not offering a field experience…• 76.5% said they should• 23.5% said they should not
• 9% of those are creating a field experience• Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arizona, California, Tennessee,
Nevada, Utah, multi-state cyber charters, Texas• Looking for guidance, formative stage• Shadowing, small group, principals
Coding of Open-Ended Responses
• Rewards• Benefits
to teachers
• Awareness of OL
• New virtual schools
• Existing PD
• Pool of candidates
• Transition is easy
• No time for on-the- job training
• Challenges• Lack of TEP buy-in• Waiting for TEP• Training new teachers not a
focus• Not all teachers should be
online teachers• Requirement for F2F
teaching, then transfer online
• Teachers dispersed• Too complicated• Not enough funds, time,
staff
Implications
• Adoption of new ideas takes time…• Consistency of preparation, reform movements• Training for cooperating teachers• Disseminate and share information/research
concerning K-12 online learning and virtual school field experiences• Showcase models• Share experiences
Trying to Bridge the GapTeacher
Education Program/
Field Experience Department
Virtual School/K-12 Online Learning Program
Information Exchange
Final survey question asked for
contact info
Contacted individuals
who volunteered
Created spreadsheets of VS and TE
contacts
Sent email to each group
with appropriate
file
Since the exchange
• Partnerships between GOAL Academy in Colorado and UC-Boulder have begun
• “Without your work it is highly unlikely that our school would have been able to make this valuable connection.” - Director, Goal Academy
• Partnership between Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) and TRECA Digital Academy
• Many indicated they have not yet made connections, but are planning to do so in the future.
Maintain mutual respect
Acculturate on an ongoing basis
Lead national reform agenda
Create explicit contracts
Research process and outcomes
Keys to Successful Partnerships