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Our Teacher
Research: Past & Present
Helping
all students achieve higher standards
Teacher
Networks and New Teachers
by Jane
Fung
Research
Question
What is the impact of ongoing collaboration in a teacher network on new teachers
understanding and use of state standards in classroom practice?
RATIONALE
Every year, California hires thousands of new, non-credentialed teachers to
fill its teaching positions. Many of the newly-hired teachers enter the classroom
with little or no training in the field of education. Of the new teachers who
enter the profession each year, about 30 percent leave teaching in the first
few years. Some areas of California are reporting new teacher attrition rates
as high as 50 percent within the first five years. But studies show that new
teachers who have continuous support are less likely to leave the profession.
My concern, as a mentor and former non-credentialed teacher, is that many of
these new educators are not receiving adequate support or being provided with
meaningful professional development opportunities to help them become effective
and permanent members of our profession.
This year,
our school district's focus is on the new California
English Language Arts Content Standards with
an emphasis on teaching reading. Teachers are
expected to create, implement, and assess standards-based
lessons. This is not an easy task for an experienced
and trained educator and very difficult, indeed,
for a new one.
I teach in an urban primary school (K-2) near downtown
Los Angeles. Currently, over 55 percent of the
teachers at my school are non-credentialed and
have taught for less than three years. Most of
them have not taken a formal reading methods class
prior to entering the classroom, so it is necessary
to train these new teachers so they can provide
quality language arts instruction. Although these
new educators are eager to learn and develop their
craft, there are few opportunities in our district
to meet and collaborate on an ongoing basis.
Five years ago, a group of new teachers and I created
The Early Literacy Club (ELC) at our school site,
Initially the goals of the ELC were to provide
much
needed instructional and emotional support during the induction period for the
overwhelmed beginning teacher. With student achievement in state language arts
standards as a central focus in our state and district this year, I wanted to
research the impact ongoing collaboration in a teacher network has on new teachers' understanding
and use of state in classroom practice.
TOOLS
- Two questionnaires, one to be filled out in the
fall and the other in the spring, from each member of the network
- Classroom observations made by members throughout
the year
- Teacher reflections on state standards, the
collaborative process, and classroom instruction
- Documents created by the network: "Language Arts
Standards Time Line and "Language Arts Standards Resource Guide for
Teachers"
Members of the Network agreed
to produce two documents-a "Language Arts Standards
Time Line" and a "Language Arts Standards Resource Guide for Teachers." The
time line provides a sequential listing of standards to be addressed on an
eight-month pacing plan. The resource guide was developed cooperatively.
Each member was assigned a specific language arts standard for research.
Then the member developed instructional strategies an activities designed
to help students meet that standard. The resource guide will also include
an assessment component to measure students' mastery of state standards.
The teachers are in the process of revising, editing, and testing classroom
strategies listed for each standard.
DATA ANALYSIS
All the new teachers reported that the network was instrumental in helping improve
and refine their classroom practice. The also expressed a feeling of accomplishment
when working with peers collaboratively on standards articulation, and reflected
that the network not only provided them with professional development, but emotional
support as well.
ACHIEVEMENTS
All the teachers involved in the ELC have retained their classroom teaching
positions,
and as a result of network participation, new teachers have:
- Demonstrated an improvement in their professional
practices
- Acquired a deeper understanding of state standards
and subjects matter knowledge
- Gained confidence in their own teaching
- Participated in creating teach resources
- Accessed a readily-available support system and
opportunities to collaborate regularly
- Sought further professional development opportunities
in addition to the network
- Elected to take on leadership roles both at school
and in the progression
- Reported greater job satisfaction
LIMITATIONS
Although the network was made available to all new teachers at my school, two
of them chose not to participate. Both these teachers have left permanent
jobs in the classroom, although I believe they are currently employed as
substitutes in the district. Teacher networks are a valuable tool in training
and supporting new teachers at my school, but to remain effective they
need to be voluntary.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
My study shows the importance of ongoing support and collaboration in the training
of new teachers. We know that new teachers that are supported and trained effectively
are less likely to leave the profession. Networks are one way to help new teachers
improve their teaching practices in a comfortable, risk-free environment. My
policy implications are as follows:
| State |
District |
University |
District/School |
| Include networks as an option for
new-teacher support in the mentor program |
Support teachers that choose to collaborate
by offering credit for salary point. |
Provide opportunities for pre-service
teachers to become actively involve in teaching networks by establishing
networks at the university level to be continued through teacher induction. |
Provide time for teacher during the
school day and / or throughout the year to collaborate on an ongoing
basis.
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Student achievement is the focus of education, but we must also address the
issue of who is teaching our children. We all agree that effective teachers
produce successful students, but who is training and supporting these teachers?
We must remember that we, the educators must also be given opportunities
to learn and achieve as well. The more knowledgeable and successful we
are as educators, the more our students will achieve.
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