Abstract
How does classroom experience lend itself to improvement in teacher education and professional development? As a teacher educator, Kimberli Stoffel found she grew as a teacher educator when she went back to the classroom after over a decade in higher education. Many teachers told her that they were looking for professional development that was more meaningful than what their districts offered, and research indicates that this desire is common. Stoffel shares how her return to public education enabled her to better understand what kinds of professional learning teachers want and need.
After I completed my doctorate, I spent 15 years teaching in preservice teacher training programs at several higher education institutions. I consistently received high rankings on my student evaluations and believed I was an effective professor. I also believed I was preparing preservice and graduate practitioners with the best research-based programming available. But one of the most common complaints I heard from teachers was that the professional development they were receiving was coming from people who hadn’t spent time in classrooms in years — maybe even decades. Eventually I started wondering: Was this me? Was I out of touch with the reality of teacher experiences in today’s classrooms?
As teacher educators, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions. Are we meeting the needs of today’s teacher candidates and graduate-level teacher practitioners (American Federation of Teachers, 2022; Government Accountability Office, 2022, 2023; Randazzo, 2022; Sancar, Atal, & Deryakulu, 2021)? Are we really listening to teachers when they tell us what they face every day (Ford et al., 2019; Ramos & Hughes, 2020)? Does the curriculum in our teacher preparation programs adequately meet the needs of the students in our schools (Cohen & Berlin, 2020; Livers et al., 2021)? Does the prepackaged professional development some districts provide give our teachers useful strategies, materials, or coaching (Ferlazzo, 2023; Schwartz, 2023)?
Teachers’ unmet needs
Today’s teachers can make a legitimate argument that their classrooms are different from those in the past. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many students’ learning and development (Ansorger, 2021). But even before that, the standards movement reshaped the curriculum and expectations for student outcomes (Hodge, Salloum, & Benko, 2019; Kraft & Blazar, 2018).
Teacher preparation cannot be a static set course of curriculum, disconnected from the present moment.
I was a classroom teacher more than two decades ago. I then moved into teacher preparation in higher education. I returned to the public school system for eight years and am now once again a faculty member in teacher preparation. I can state from my own experience that teachers are correct that public school education is not what it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Teachers have told me they do not want cookie-cutter professional development in which they get some handouts and put them in a folder, never to look at them again. Teachers want meaningful information that they can take back to the classroom and implement. They want solutions to the problems they face every day, presented by professionals with relevant classroom experience (Ferlazzo, 2023; Schwartz, 2023). Teachers also have stated that the “one and done” approach to professional development is less useful than an approach that includes follow-up sessions and/or coaching.
Instructional coaching for the long run
In my recent public school experiences, I held several roles, including classroom teacher, district administrator, and instructional coach. I found my coaching role to be the most beneficial in growing my skills as a teacher educator.
As an instructional coach, I provided professional development at both the building and district level, but I was primarily responsible for the professional development of specific teachers in my building. I worked with each teacher I was coaching to select specific, individualized skills to address throughout the school year. These skills included promoting student voice, increasing equity in student responses, and providing more rigor in course materials.
The teachers met with me for individual coaching and as groups in professional learning communities. We had opportunities for modeling and rehearsal and deep dives into classroom data. All our meetings had an intentional focus, and teachers left every session with action steps. I followed up with walk-throughs and additional discussions.
Lessons from experience
As I have transitioned into a teacher educator role at the university, I have found my experiences in the public schools have made what I can offer to today’s teachers so much stronger. I see their classroom experiences through a lens that can only come from being in the schools.
I also have learned about the value of truly being a coach. I believe all professionals can benefit from coaching. And research supports my belief that teachers and teacher leaders can all improve when they receive coaching (Glover, Reddy, & Crouse, 2023; Warnock, Gibson-Sweet, & van Nieuwerburgh, 2022; Wayne & Coggshall, 2022; Woulfin, Desimone, & Stornaiuolo, 2023).
So how does this translate into my improvement as a teacher educator? First, I’ve been there in the last eight years. I taught through COVID. I struggled through the virtual experience. I coached teachers through the return to school.
Now, I’m teaching teachers who are struggling with the gaps in learning that COVID created. Having been in a public school during COVID, I’m more aware of what that experience was like for both teachers and students. I’m a better teacher educator for it. I know what to look for in classrooms where teachers are struggling and can offer targeted solutions. My observations for student teachers are less evaluative and more growth-oriented.
Our teacher preparation programs can and should be better. Our classrooms deserve better. Our teachers deserve better. I’m not saying all teacher educators need to go back to the classroom. But my experience has shown me that teacher preparation cannot be a static set course of curriculum, disconnected from the present moment. Those of us who are preparing the teachers of the future need to be connected and in tune with what’s happening in the schools and classrooms where we place our students.