Although it has been almost three years since the pandemic forced many departments to change course mid-semester, higher education institutions are still feeling the impact. This article describes lessons my program—the education department at West ...
As I write this in early August, I am wrapping up planning for my faculty development office’s annual kickoff for the New Faculty Leaders Academy, a yearlong series of workshops and conversations on topics new ...
This June, delegates from institutions of higher education around the world gathered at Allegheny College for the Fifth World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2022) to focus on educating the sustainability leaders of the ...
The start of the academic year is nearly upon us. On our campuses, student orientations are in full swing, new faculty orientations are being planned, and faculty are planning their syllabi. Some might argue that ...
In academia as in every other aspect of life, effective communication is a key skill. And we must never minimize the importance of having this skill. Communication can either make or break a negotiation and ...
There are those within academe who feel that academic freedom is limited to professors’ scholarly expertise in research and teaching. It is when they step out of this protected space and enter the larger, political ...
This article is the third in a series of four that provides an update on the activities and progress of those groups who want to eliminate tenure. Part 1 focused on why higher education is ...
External threats to tenure have escalated in recent years, and many people anticipate they will continue to do so, especially in view of the economic impact of the pandemic. In 2016, Wisconsin modified the University ...
While most of us have been occupied by the many facets of the pandemic and the attention that systemic racism and the social justice movement have generated, threats to the continuation of tenure have increased ...
The seasons have declared their change, and autumn is upon us. The leaves outside my office are beginning to fall, joining in an autumn waltz as they claim their spot on nature’s dance floor. They ...
Although it has been almost three years since the pandemic forced many departments to change course mid-semester, higher education institutions are still feeling the impact. This article describes lessons my program—the education department at West Chester University of Pennsylvania—learned from creating a contingency plan for 179 student teachers placed in 30 local school districts as these districts closed due to the pandemic. The early middle grades student teaching supervisors and student teaching coordinator created a contingency plan focused on student teaching competencies and based on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s guidelines for teaching certification. One of the most important considerations was ensuring that the student teachers could earn their certifications from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and graduate in May 2020. Our contingency plan focused on collaboration, creativity, and compassion. While we developed this plan for student teachers in a teacher preparation program, the lessons can be applied to many contexts.
Collaboration was one of the keys to the success of this contingency plan. This collaboration came in the form of sharing strategies for a contingency plan with neighboring universities then addressing concerns and questions. It was helpful to speak as a collective group to certification bodies and university administration to communicate in a single voice. This allowed us to present a needed solution that decision makers could more readily accept. In the case of our contingency plan, it became clear that the focus had to shift to competencies rather than the traditional student teaching model. Brainstorming sessions, communication through group emails, and collaboration across documents were extremely helpful in fostering collaboration across universities.
Thinking creatively to share documents and ideas and support each other was vital to meeting competencies. The results of this creative thinking were engaging ideas enhanced by using technology. For example, supervisors encouraged the student teachers to show their proficiency in delivery of instruction by recording themselves implementing simulated teaching samples and reflecting on them.
When making contingency plans, it was important to be creative and develop alternate routes to get to the same result. Technology provides many opportunities for creative problem solving, sharing of ideas, and convenient communication. One creative use of technology was the development of an ongoing Google Doc with frequently asked questions so student teachers could receive up-to-date and timely answers to any concerns they might have.
Whenever a contingency plan is needed, it is necessary to provide support and communication during its implementation. In our case, while meeting competencies was extremely important, so was the emotional and practical support the supervisors provided to the student teachers. As you would expect, many student teachers were devastated that their capstone experience would be so dramatically altered. Supervisors had to act as coaches, cheerleaders, and, at times, sounding boards for questions, concerns, and frustrations. Also of importance was support for the supervisors themselves, who were implementing a plan and supervising in a manner they had never expected. Meetings, phone calls, and video chats provided the support needed through this major change in practice. In addition, the supervisors regularly shared good news through the email distribution list. It was important to keep up supervisors’ morale so they, in turn, could keep up that of the student teachers.
Tina Selvaggi, EdD, is an associate professor and coordinator of student teaching at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Selvaggi has held various instructional and administrative positions in Pennsylvania public schools. Her research interests include professional development, instructional coaching, teacher candidate preparation, and use of technology to enhance instruction.