Series No.: PA-008

Partners: Institute for Educational Renewal Based at Miami; Miami University Broadmoor Academy School

Source: Institute for Educational Renewal Based at Miami School of Education and Allied Professions
Miami University
203 McGuffy Hall
Oxford, OH 45056

Rationale
The purpose of this proposal is to provide ongoing quality field and student teaching placements for teacher preparation students in Miami's elementary certification program. In addition, the proposal provides for ongoing professional development for Broadmoor teachers who desire to become School Based Faculty in Miami's teacher preparation program.

What is proposed here is that Broadmoor Academy School becomes a Professional Development Site for elementary certification students and any Broadmoor teacher who desires to be prepared as School Based Faculty. It is believed that the total school environment is better able to serve the need for quality placements both for student teaching and pre-student teaching experiences.

Two paramount goals will always be at the heart of our work and therefore form the axis for assessment and evaluation:
1. We want the best educated and motivated children possible; and 2. We want the best prepared and committed next generation of teachers possible. Therefore, we will combine our resources and work together. It is important to note that this proposal applies only to Miami students.

1. It is important for the Partnership Faculty to understand the goals of the teacher preparation programs and it is important for the University Based Faculty to understand the goals of the school.

2. In order for the partnership arrangement to be a true partnership, responsibilities and resources must be shared.

3. The preparation of future teachers is the responsibility of the entire profession, both school based personnel and those in higher education.

4. It is both possible and desirable to accomplish the mentoring and supervision of student teachers, methods students, and observers within the classroom.

5. A team approach to working with pre-service education students is more effective than the one to one approach now employed.

Benefits

• Broadmoor Academy students would benefit from the presence of additional "classroom teachers" who can provide ongoing attention to individual needs in the classroom.

   

• Miami University benefits from having a Professional Development Site, staffed by School Based Faculty who are knowledgeable about Miami programs and skilled in the use of clinical supervision skills, where students can be placed for their preservice field experiences.

   

• Broadmoor teachers benefit from the chance to grow professionally in areas that may not be otherwise available to them. The teachers will have the opportunity to take a 1 credit hour seminar in learning clinical supervision skills. In addition, the possibility of team teaching with university based faculty with regard to professional methods affords the opportunity to critically examine the curriculum and methodology currently being employed in their individual classroom.

   

• Broadmoor school benefits from the presence of resources that they may use as the school sees fit in order to meet the needs of the school.

   

• The teaching profession benefits from new teachers who have been prepared and nurtured in an environment where professional practice, commitment to principles, and excellence are associated with the entire range of their field experiences.

Responsibilities

1. Broadmoor faculty interested in becoming School Based Teacher Education Faculty would agree to participate in a seminar (one semester hour) that would prepare them to assume the dual responsibility of cooperating teacher and clinical supervisor. Miami University would provide the instruction for this seminar through the Department of Educational Leadership and/or the Department of Teacher Education. It is the desire of the Broadmoor staff to receive this professional development prior to having student teachers assigned to them that involves a change from the current role.

2. Miami University would assign student teachers to faculty who have undergone the professional development. It is the goal to have multiple teachers prepared within each team so that students may be assigned to teams of teachers rather than to one individual teacher. Students would then be mentored and supervised by the team. The team would be responsible for formal observations, day to day informal observing and counseling, and problem solving. Miami University would provide a faculty liaison who would assist in any policy oriented problems or cases that involve unusual difficulties and who would be redefining the roles of faculty supervisor and faculty liaison . This individual would be responsible for maintaining communication between University Based Faculty and the School Based Faculty.

3. Seminars for all student teachers placed at Broadmoor would be the responsibility of all School Based Faculty who have a student teacher during the semester. Seminars would consist of 50 minute sessions each week for the 15 weeks of the semester. Planning for the seminar would be the joint responsibility of School Based Faculty and student teachers. The teams of Broadmoor teachers assigned to the student teachers would designate one person within the team to be the primary contact for this component. The Miami faculty liaison would provide assistance in the preparation of needed materials or human resources to accomplish the goals of the seminar.

4. Broadmoor would be responsible for determining the number of student teachers, methods students, and observers it would be willing to work with during a given semester and communicate that number to the Office of Student Teaching and Field Experience during the semester prior to the one in question. The Office of Student Teaching and Field Experience will place only the number of students to the grade levels that Broadmoor requests for that semester. Broadmoor would accept students according to the following ratio: 1 student teacher, 2 methods students, and 5 observers. Miami would agree to provide Broadmoor with the names of students in these categories in a timely fashion in order for the appropriate planning to occur prior to the experience. Miami students in these categories would agree to meet with teachers at Broadmoor during the semester (student teachers) or week (methods students) prior to the experience.

5. The School Based Faculty team would be responsible for a minimum of 6 formal observations during the semester, as well as the day to day counseling, and the preparation of student evaluations. Broadmoor school would provide flexible scheduling in order to allow the meeting and support necessary for student development. This would include time for a.) School Based Faculty meetings, b.) student teacher meetings (other than seminar) and c.) conferencing with student teachers. This structure avoids the need for ongoing substitutes and takes the School Based Faculty away from classroom responsibilities only minimally.

6. Miami University would be responsible for providing resources to Broadmoor school; (see resource section below) and Broadmoor school is responsible for developing a plan for utilization of these resources. It is important that Broadmoor retain independent control over allocation of these resources.

7. The Faculty Liaison and participating Broadmoor faculty will assess the program at the end of the 1st year pilot and bring the results back to the Broadmoor faculty. At that time a recommendation will be made as to continue the project or not.

Resource Sharing

Miami University

• Miami University agrees to provide $600 and 2 fee certificates for each grouping of students as indicated in the above section (1 student teacher; 2 methods students; and 5 observers).
  
• Miami agrees to provide a Liaison" to the school based faculty. This individual will be a full time Miami University faculty member.
  
• Miami will provide professional development for the school based faculty. The experience will carry with it one graduate credit hour at no expense to the school based faculty member.
  
• Miami agrees to provide school based faculty with parking passes and library privileges at Miami University.

Broadmoor Academy

• Broadmoor Academy would work with Miami to provide School Based Faculty with the occasional release time that might be necessary for School Based Faculty to work with University Based Faculty or students.
  
• Broadmoor Academy would work within the existing policies of Trotwood Madison City School District to provide future longer term leaves that might involve semester long "practitioner in residence" type positions.
  
• Trotwood-Madison City School District would empower Broadmoor Academy to allocate the resources described above.

Broadmoor Academy school would employ flexible scheduling methods in order to accommodate the needed meeting times described in the responsibilities section above.

. Timeline

It its proposed that the professional development component begin during the Spring semester, 1998, and that the first students be assigned to School Based Faculty during the Fall semester, 1997.

Conclusion
This proposal is a request to allow us to begin the process. The authoring committee has attempted to anticipate, as much as possible, needs and questions associated with this pilot. There will be an ongoing evaluation of the process by both Broadmoor (Trotwood- Madison) and Miami in order to determine if the responsibilities and resources as identified here are appropriate. Two paramount goals will always be at the heart of our evaluation: 1. We want the best educated and motivated children possible; and 2. We want the best prepared and committed next generation of teachers possible.

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